Amitabha was a monarch, according to traditions, once upon a time. He gave up his kingdom to become a Dharmakara Bodhisattva monk. The monk worked tirelessly for five eons before enlightenment and becoming a Buddha. Amitabha is a Buddhist deity who represents kindness and knowledge. He is linked to the third skandha, the skandha of perception. The cure to desire is Tantric meditation on Amitabha. Between the bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta, he is sometimes shown. Amitabha is a Buddhist deity who represents kindness and knowledge. He is linked to the third skandha, the skandha of perception.