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In countries where Theravāda Buddhism is practiced by the majority of people (Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand), it is customary for Buddhists to hold elaborate festivals, especially during the fair weather season, paying homage to the 28 Buddhas described in the ''Buddhavamsa''. The ''Buddhavamsa'' is a text which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and the 27 Buddhas who preceded him.〔 The Buddhavamsa is part of the ''Khuddaka Nikāya'', which in turn is part of the ''Sutta Piṭaka''. The ''Sutta Piṭaka'' is one of three main sections of the ''Pāli Canon'' of Theravāda Buddhism. The first three of these Buddhas—Taṇhaṅkara, Medhaṅkara, and Saraṇaṅkara—lived before the time of Dīpankara Buddha. The fourth Buddha, Dīpankara, is especially important, as he was the Buddha who gave ''niyatha vivarana'' (prediction of future Buddhahood) to the Brahmin youth who would in the distant future become the bodhisattva Gautama Buddha.〔 After Dīpankara, 23 more noble people (''ariya-puggala'') would attain enlightenment before Gautama, the historical Buddha. The 28 Buddhas described in the Buddhavamsa are not the only Buddhas believed to have existed. Indeed, Gautama Buddha taught that innumerable Buddhas have lived in past kalpas. Many Buddhists also pay homage to the future (and 29th) Buddha, Maitreya. According to Buddhist scripture, Maitreya will be a successor of Gautama who will appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure ''Dharma''. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, and Vajrayāna), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when the ''Dharma'' will have been forgotten on ''Jambudvipa'' (the terrestrial realm, where ordinary human beings live). ==The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity== According to Buddhist tradition, each kalpa has 1,000 Buddhas. The previous kalpa was the ''vyuhakalpa'' (Glorious aeon), and the present kalpa is called the ''bhadrakalpa'' (Auspicious aeon). The Seven Buddhas of Antiquity (''Saptatathāgata'') are seven Buddhas which bridge the vyuhakalpa and the bhadrakalpa: #Vipassī (the 998th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa) #Sikhī (the 999th Buddha of the vyuhakalpa) #Vessabhū (the 1000th and final Buddha of the vyuhakalpa) #Kakusandha (the first Buddha of the bhadrakalpa) #Koṇāgamana (the second Buddha of the bhadrakalpa) #Kassapa (the third Buddha of the bhadrakalpa) #Gautama (the fourth and present Buddha of the bhadrakalpa) Following the Seven Buddhas of Antiquity will be Maitreya, the fifth and future Buddha of the bhadrakalpa. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「List of the named Buddhas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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