Q: Why do we recite that particular [buddha's] name instead of any other word? Would it make a difference? Also, is there a difference between merely reciting the Buddha's name in contradiction to praying to him?

Answer: 


In the sense that all proper dharmas will cause one to become enlightened, there is no difference. Whether you like to read or recite sutras, buddha names, bodhisattva names, mantras, or meditate, all are methods taught by the buddhas for  a variety of peoples' tastes. One might never give rise to cultivate the buddha dharma if suggested to recite names, but one might derive an interest when suggested to read sutras. All proper dharmas lead to the same end result.


When reciting a buddha's name, one turns their mind to that buddha. If you recite the name of your favorite food, your mind becomes contaminated by desires, flavors, food, etc. If you recite the buddha's name, you fill your mind with something pure, stable, enlightened, etc. The more you think of one thing, the more likely your actions and lifestyle leans towards it. So if you are always mindful of a buddha, you lean more towards the buddha dharma. If you fix your mind onto nonsense, you fill your mind with nonsense.


If you can become single-minded and enter samadhi concentration through an image of spaghetti, then great, go for it. It doesn't have to be a buddha image. Whatever works. But it is hard to meditate on spaghetti and not get hungry or tempted. Why choose such a torturous method? That's why cultivators fix their mind onto the buddhas and bodhisattvas. But in terms of recitation, reciting buddha's name has its cultivation and subsidiary benefits, whereas reciting the word "spaghetti" or some other nonsense, doesn't do anything. The point of reciting the buddha's name is to fix your mind on the idea of "buddha"... to turn your mind and heart into that of a buddha's mind and heart. It's all mind training... thus called, "cultivation". So if you recite random words, you're setting your mind to further nonsense, and not buddha. So you should be reciting a buddha's name, not nonsense.


In the most general sense, reciting one buddha name as opposed to another buddha name, has no difference. So long as you are sincere, any buddha performs any function of the buddhas. They are all of one mind and of equal enlightenment and in their core essence, share no distinctions. Only in our eyes and as a way to teach living beings, each buddha, though having attained oneness, maintain a distinguishable form, name, and function. 


For example, the Amitabha Buddha cultivated many vows during his cultivation towards enlightenment and buddhahood. His vows were things he would do before budhahood, and especially after buddhahood. For this reason, this buddha has a reason to appear as a buddha with such functions reflecting certain vows, to reach out to living beings that would respond to him. So, there is an Amitabha Buddha with particular vows, particular functions, and particular responses, though Amitabha Buddha is, in essence, no different than any other buddha in enlightenment, ability, etc. All buddhas are equally enlightened and of one mind. Many buddhas have different functions and vows in order to reach out to a variety of people for their many varieties of situations and conditions, all out of compassion and for the sake of making enlightenment accessible and easier to living beings.


Many buddhas, before completing their enlightenment and still cultivating on the level of the Bodhisattva (the stage/level before buddhahood in which one cultivates great compassion and the liberation of living beings), while each encountering and observing their own unique surroundings and conditions, made vows accordingly to help living beings. For example, someone in their life had a deep interest and affinity for working with cancer patients. This person developed a sympathy for those suffering with cancer. As a result, they focused their efforts on alleviating the suffering of cancer patients. This is another way to understand why there are so many different vows and functions of many buddhas. 


Whether or not we hear of or encounter certain buddhas with their beneficial vows, depends on our karma and affinities. It's like whether or not you happen to encounter a good doctor, or good teacher, etc. So when we have access to such knowledge of a particular buddha and his vows, it benefits us. For example, some people endure great hardships and difficulty, to the point of being sick but without any money to see a doctor. Normally, humans with this problem have no way out. However, we are fortunate in hearing about the Medicine Master Buddha, who vowed to remedy such hardships for people. This buddha, during his cultivation, focused on this particular range of difficulties, sympathizing with those that endure such hardships as illness, disease, poverty, being without access to a doctor when sick, etc. Should you recite this buddha's name, "Namo Medicine Master Buddha", with sincerity and diligence, you will find all matters to slowly improve. Big disasters become small disasters, small disasters become negligible instances.


Amitabha Buddha sympathized with the difficulties and distractions that people endure in the world, which causes many setbacks and obstructions in trying to obtain enlightenment. For this reason, Amitabha Buddha once vowed to become a buddha and manifest a place for people to be free from suffering, so that they may cultivate and become buddhas with greater ease. One must recite Amitabha Buddha's name upon their death. We practice reciting Amitabha Buddha's name so that even in sickness or sleep, or upon an unexpected time of death, we would have already been mindful of the Buddha's name. When one is painfully sick and dying, one cannot concentrate. For this reason, we practice early and cultivate our recitation skill, so that our final thoughts near or upon our deaths, are automatically of Amitabha Buddha.


I spoke of these two distinct vows of two buddhas to illustrate how every buddha offers a specific benefit. So if you do not wish to have to be born into this world again, and have to endure its difficulties, you should recite Amitabha Buddha's name frequently. If you are enduring hardships and difficulties in life, and you wish to be alleviated from such, then you can ALSO recite the Medicine Master Buddha's name. You can devote some time in the day to recite Amitabha's name, and then some time for Medicine Master Buddha.


So it is perfectly fine and only benefits us more if we recite multiple buddhas' names. You can do just as fine with one buddha, and equally beneficial with multiple names. All buddhas can alleviate difficulties and illnesses and hardships. So even if you only recited Amitabha Buddha's name, you may very well still find a great many difficulties to have been minimized, should you seek such assistance, that is. 


So why recite multiple names? It's really out of preference and purpose/function. Look at it this way: The Medicine Master Buddha gets the word out to let you know, "If you happen to be too poor to see a doctor for your illness, just come to me. I'll take care of you." So anyone with those difficulties will seek out this buddha since it pertains to them. In the midst of countless buddhas, one of them says he'll help with your poverty. Of course, if you are impoverished, you would seek this particular buddha. The Medicine Master Buddha has a close affinity and bond with such kinds of karmic difficulties. So those of you with matching conditions and difficulties, will seek him out. As you put your trust into him, you learn about him, the buddha dharma, etc. These are all expedient means that buddhas employ to not only help living beings, but to also teach them about the dharma. In a manner of speaking... the buddha helps you out; then you trust him; then you learn from him.


When we make offerings to the Buddhas, it is a demonstration of our humility, respect, and praise of the buddhas' deeds. It re-enforces our faith and trust in the buddhas. It is a daily practice that puts our hearts back into the path of the buddhas. If someone saved your life or helped you, you'd praise their deed and demonstrate respect and gratitude. Same with the buddhas, we make offerings to thank and respect them for teaching us, saving us, and helping us with our difficulties.


When you recite their names, it's different because it is practice and recitation. It is also similar because constant recitation continues to build your affinity with that buddha, as making offerings and paying respects to that buddha would also build your affinity. However, these two practices also work together in combination. You "pray" to these buddhas daily to set your heart in the right path; to reaffirm your faith, practice, and path. And during the day, you recite the buddhas' name(s), trying to be constantly mindful of them, as they will be mindful of you. 


Some just recite, and do not do the ritualistic/worship/prayer parts. You do what works with you. Most important is that you recite. Technically, fundamentally, recitation is the same as prayer anyway. Keeping your mind with that buddha builds your affinity and relationship with that buddha. The more sincere and singleminded your recitation becomes, the more easy it is to get responses. 


To request assistance from a buddha because of his vows, one should bow in prostration sincerely, daily. Make offerings, make a sincere request on your knees, and recite that buddha's name diligently through the day. Going through these prayers and offerings also helps us practice sincerity since it helps put our hearts and minds in place. 


To be frank, if you were constantly reciting a buddha's name, even before you encountered certain difficulties, or even before you formulated intentions and wishes with your thoughts, that buddha may have even helped you out already and you wouldn't even be aware of it. The buddha knows even before you formulate the thought. Constant recitation and maintaining a strong relationship with the buddha benefits you in ways you aren't even aware of. The buddha doesn't send out a notice telling you he fixed something. Disasters are naturally avoided, dangers subdued, and even your deepest wishes fulfilled. 


For me personally, I try to keep up with both recitation and daily prayer. Out of respect and gratitude, daily prayer and prostrations are things we SHOULD do in addition to our recitations. It's partial worship and praise, but it's actually more of a supportive practice as it reaffirms our sincerity. People often recite, but have no sincerity or genuineness behind it. When we worship and make offerings, and demonstrate respect and gratitude, it really sets our hearts and minds in the right tone so that when we recite, we recite with profound faith, trust, and meaning.


If you can't even humble yourself and be gracious and respectful, how empty is your recitation indeed! Part of your heart may be arrogant, part of it is faithless or in disbelief, part of it is distrustful, part of it is scattered, etc. Bowing to the buddhas subdues these scattered parts of our hearts. Practicing this form of worship to the buddhas also reaffirms our faith and trust in the buddha dharma, as well as the individual buddhas we pray to. 


If you do both, you will notice a BIG difference in your recitations. The perspective and feeling is profoundly different. 

Mahayana and Hinayana (Theravada): A Breakdown of Fundamental Differences

These are two opposite terms to classify, essentially, the goals of enlightenment.

Hinayana = smaller vehicle,(Theravada tradition)

Mahayana = greater vehicle

The common misconception, usually derived from ego and pride, is that hinayana is an insulting term to belittle Theravadan tradition. In actuality, looking at the facts and what both traditions of hina and maha encompass, the terms are really just essentially as is. It's no different than saying a mansion is a big house, and a shack is a small house. No one wants to be a part of a smaller association, that is, one with pride and ego. You don't want someone with a big house calling your house small. right? But if these people dropped their egos and pride for a moment, they'd realize it's not an insult, just a classification. Of course, who is to say what is big or small? You can also view it that way too. If you don't care to be a part of a "bigger" "house", then you don't have to. If small is fine with you. Great. Does it really matter, as long as you're content? So don't take it so seriously!

This is why the two traditions are classified between small an big:

Hinayana: smaller vehicle: The Theravadan tradition's ultimate goal in enlightenment is to attain the highest level of Arhatship. In this tradition, it is common belief that one cannot attain buddhahood like Shakyamuni Buddha (Goutama). In another perspective, Theravadans believe enlightenment is merely the cessation of life/birth/death/rebirth/suffering/ and all attachments/false thinking. They believe this is Buddha, and that's all.

However, in the Mahayana tradition, that is only the level of Arhat. There is more to it than merely becoming an Arhat. One must become a Buddha. Though one has escaped all the aforementioned, one has not essentially become a Buddha yet. One is still on the way. Essentially, one can say the ultimate difference is that the Theravadan goal is to be enlightened, while Mahayanan goal is to be fully enlightened.

And now I will explain why the Mahayana is logically a greater vehicle, and by extension, the ultimate goal. This tradition strives to become Buddha; to reach the ultimate final accomplishment. In all of buddhism, in its very core, the buddha does not isolate himself as an unreachable attainment or entity. To do so, is more of a Christianity thing, i.e. "GOD". The buddha entered the life of a human and became enlightened, and attained buddhahood. This story alone should tell you that we all can become Buddhas. It was the Buddha's primary reasoning that we all could become just like him. We all have a buddha nature inside and the ability to realize buddhahood, thus becoming a buddha.

Naturally, in that as a first case, Arhatship is not full buddhahood. To the Theravadan, one is satisfied as long as they have ended attachments and suffering/life/death/rebirth. That's all that matters. That's the most core fundamental goal in enlightenment. The main purpose to follow buddhist lifestyle, is to end suffering, cease the cycle of birth/death. By definition, an Arhat is an enlightened being that has escaped birth/death/suffering.

HOWEVER...

In Mahayana, after Arhatship, one continues to cultivate, and enter the practice of Bodhisattvas. Theravadans do not believe in this practice nor its existence.

The practice of Bodhisattvas is a core practice in Buddhas because it is the essential part of the Buddha's compassionate heart and teaching. If the buddha had no such heart, then bodhisattvas don't exist. But Bodhisattvas exist for this reason: to practice the art of teaching and understanding ultimate compassion, like the Buddha. How can an Arhat be a Buddha, if their practice has not cultivated that function of a buddha?

Look at it this way, the buddha is a buddha because of these factors; his composition is thus: ultimate compassion, full sight and understanding, free from the cycle of birth and death and suffering, ultimate spiritual penetration, fully enlightened, supreme wisdom, universal teacher.

Arhats only accomplish less than half of these traits. They are extremely wise and enlightened, but not fully and not to that of the Buddha's level. They were compassionate in life, but the bodhisattva practice of the buddha's compassion is a compassion that is beyond that range.

This is why one must practice the bodhisattva path to become a true Buddha. The Buddha's perspective encompasses and transcends all directions and periods of time. There is no past, present, future, end, beginning, boundaries, etc. The perception is boundless. The Buddha is truly free and unbound by description, boundaries, etc. Thus, he is naturally ONE with everything. He is everywhere.

Because the Buddha is free from all attachment and discriminations, he is able to encompass everything as one. There are no boundaries. Thus, his compassion extends infinitely. It is inconceivable in that respect. In order to attain a perspective like this, one must cultivate it, obviously.  A certified path for this, is the bodhisattva path. Why? How does practicing compassion and crossing over living beings make you a buddha?

By practicing to be compassionate to ALL living beings, one opens his heart to everyone and everything, rather than being selective and limited. By having great compassion that is unbounded, one understands and is able to see what the buddha sees. You won't know till you try it, right? That's why Bodhisattvas practice compassion on this level. And how do you practice it? By teaching others to become buddhas. To sacrifice and commit. To teach and crossover any living being without discrimination. If you practice hate, then you selectively like or consider people. But if you practice love for everyone, then you can accept everyone. By accepting everyone, you can contemplate and perceive ALL things. That... is an end to discrimination and leads to no attachments whatsoever.

Another reason why the bodhisattva path is true, is because A BUDDHA has also crossed over countless beings. He is a supreme teacher and universal teacher. You can add this to the description of a buddha. A buddha is illogically a buddha if he hasn't taught anyone. And to have taught less than anyone else, makes him not very... supremely accomplished. He'd be a complete no-name nobody. We use the word 'buddha" to describe someone so supremely accomplished and more. A buddha is a teacher; a mentor. And on the level of one that is supremely accomplished, a buddha has taught countless, countless immeasurable beings. You don't see a doctor having never worked on a patient before, have you?  You can't be called a doctor or get your license until you've gotten your residency and minimum hospital/clinical years of experience beforehand. Same with Buddhahood. You're not a buddha until you've done what a buddha does!

So how does an Arhat's perspective encompass what a Buddha encompasses if he hasn't even started to think along those lines? How can Arhats be called buddhas if they haven't even completed all the attainments of a buddha?  This is why the Theravada tradition is a smaller vehicle. It stops to a point, whereas Mahayanans want to reach the ultimate attainment, BUDDHA, just as Buddha taught, "to be like me".

Here's a fundamental explanation on why Mahayana is the greater vehicle:

Theravadans and Arhats believe that materials and false thoughts are binding. They bind you up, and thus you are attached and have desires. If you are unbound by these things, by severing your attachments, they no longer bind you. You are free. If you are no longer attached to desires and the perception of humans, you become enlightened and can become an Arhat (escape life/death/rebirth/suffering).

HOWEVER... according to the wisdom of the bodhisattvas, the Arhat's perception of attachment is what is essential to escape life/death/rebirth/suffering, but still limited. The Arhat's perspective is the perspective that all cultivators study and practice in order to attain enlightenment. But once you reach arthatship, you must now continue to understand this great fundamental that is key to growing and becoming a Buddha:

"There is nothing binding."

You see, the Arhat believes these materials and desires are binding. They bind you up and keep you tied to this existence on Samsara (Saha world). That perspective is true. But it is even more true and correct to understand that NOTHING is binding. To acknowledge that something is binding, acknowledges its existence and form. You are thus BOUND by a notion. You attach to SOMETHING; that SOMETHING is there. That is like saying there is the shape of a bird or turle in the clouds. Where there is emptiness and nothing, you acknowledge there is something. In the end, what was once correct, is now incorrect.

This is the very, very logic and core fundamental difference that divides Mahayana and Hinayana (Theravada), or more clearly, Buddha and Arhat, respectively.

The buddha sees no bounds and is FULLY free from all that is binding. There is no boundary to his perception. There is no end. He is one with everything. There is only ONEness. ONE. So how can an Arhat be a buddha if he believes there IS SOMETHING that binds? Opposing perspectives!

This is why people follow Mahayana and practice the bodhisattva path. They do not wish to stop at Arhatship, so they bypass the arhat's perspective, and focus on encompassing everything as one so that nothing is there to bind you in the first place. If nothing binds you, then there is nothing to be attached to. Isn't that ultimate freedom? 

They practice crossing over ALL living beings. They practice and cultivate compassion that encompasses everything. Do you see how I'm tying it all together now? The mahayanans practice this ultimate compassion and teaching, like that of buddhas, in order to cultivate a mind that can encompass EVERYTHING, thus seeing no boundaries, and essentially, seeing that nothing binds and there is nothing to be attached to.

Though things are binding, nothing binds. Everything is empty, but not. Sound familiar?

By this extension, we can conclude logically and fundamentally that Mahayana is the greater vehicle because it essentially aspires towards Buddhahood, while Hinayana (Theravada) is a smaller vehicle, as it aspires to only attain the minimum and core practices, thus not focusing on alllllll the practices of a buddha.

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Supplemental: 

My post may make it sound like Arhats don't do anything but enlighten themselves. In the Theravadan tradition, yes, the goal is to enlighten the self and that's all that is to worry about. Mahayanan practitioners enlighten the self AND everybody else.

Now, does this mean Arhats don't enlighten anyone? No. We all walk the same path and progress through the same stages. The difference is that Theravadans stop at Arhatship. Their beliefs and perceptions limit their enlightenment to that of an Arhat, whereas the Mahayanan practice goes all the way.

So if a Mahayanan becomes enlightened and stops the birth/death cycle, one has become an Arhat. That's the essential meaning of Arhat. But because they believe in the perspective of no bounds and nothing is binding, they continue their bodhisattva path and practices. Though they are arhats, they still practice ultimate compassion and crossing over living beings. Eventually, they will become Bodhisattvas, and then Buddhas. Arthats that are accomplished as Theravadans, are Arhats. But they don't wish to go anywhere or progress any further. They're done. They've escaped birth/death and suffering! No more work! And here, it is all choice to either remain, or keep going.