 According to the "Larger Sūtra of Immeasurable Life", Amitābha was, in very ancient times and possibly in another system of worlds, a monk named Dharmakāra.In some versions of the sūtra, Dharmakāra is described as a former king who, having come into contact with Buddhist teachings through the buddha Lokeśvararāja, renounced his throne.He then resolved to become a Buddha and to create a "" (literally- "buddha-field", often called a "Pureland" or "Buddha Land" a realm existing in the primordial universe outside of ordinary reality, produced by a buddha's merit) possessed of many perfections.