"In countries where Theravada 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, to pay homage to 29 Buddhas.

These revered Buddhas include the 28 Buddhas described in Chapter 27 of the Buddhavamsa, plus Maitreya Bodhisattva, the future (and 29th) Buddha. The Buddhavamsa is a text which describes the life of Gautama Buddha and the twenty-seven Buddhas who preceded him. The Buddhavamsa is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya, which in turn is part of the Sutta Pitaka. The Sutta Pitaka is one of three main sections of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.

The 28 Buddhas are said to have attained enlightenment from the time Gautama Buddha received his first Niyatha Vivarana (permission to be the next enlightened one) from Dīpankara Buddha.

The 28 Buddhas are not the only Buddhas believed to have existed. Indeed, Gautama Buddha preached that innumerable Buddhas have lived in past kalpas."


Pāli name
1 Taṇhaṅkara[1]
2 Medhaṅkara[2]
3 Saraṇaṅkara[3]
4 Dīpankara[4]
5 Koṇḍañña[5]
6 Maṅgala[6]
7 Sumana[7]
8 Revata[8]
9 Sobhita[9]
10 Anomadassi[10]
11 Paduma[11]
12 Nārada[12]
13 Padumuttara[13]
14 Sumedha[14]
15 Sujāta[15]
16 Piyadassi[16]
17 Atthadassi[17]
18 Dhammadassī[18]
19 Siddhattha[19]
20 Tissa[20]
21 Phussa[21]
22 Vipassī[22]
23 Sikhī[23]
24 Vessabhū[24]
25 Kakusandha[25]
26 Koṇāgamana[26]
27 Kassapa[27]
28 Gautama[28]
29 Maitreya[29] "

Note re #29, Maitreya: "Maitreya (Sanskrit), Metteyya (Pāli), or Jampa (Tibetan), is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, he is referred to as Ajita Bodhisattva.

Maitreya is a bodhisattva who in the Buddhist tradition is to appear on Earth, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor of the historic Śākyamuni Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya references a time when Dharma will be forgotten on Jambudvipa. It is found in the canonical literature of all Buddhist sects (Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna), and is accepted by most Buddhists as a statement about an event that will take place when Dharma will be forgotten on Earth."


(Data from Wikipedia)