Buddha contemplation

Practitioners visualize Amitābha surrounded by serene landscapes and the Pure Land's inhabitants, such as bodhisattvas and celestial beings.

Seeing the utmost beauty and bliss of that land, you will rejoice and immediately attain insight into the non-arising of all dharmas.

"[1] In explaining how this practice is effective, the Contemplation sutra states:Because each Buddha Tathagata, as the body of the dharma-realm, pervades the mind of all sentient beings.

[1] In Pure Land Buddhism, the visualization meditations are often accompanied by recitation of the Buddha’s name (nianfo in Chinese).

It is believed that through such practices, the Buddha's power will purify the minds of practitioners, and that they will attain birth in the pure land.

[1] However, according to David Quinter, the contemplations taught in these sutras:embrace more than visual phenomena, including auditory and didactic elements.

[7] According to some modern scholars, various Central Asian and Chinese Buddhist cave sites also include artistic works which are related to these contemplative images.

[1] As Luis Goméz writes in his study of the Pure Land sutras, the term "guan" is not just visualization but:[a] dedicated and constant repetition of verbal imagery— a sort of narrative rehearsal (anusmṛti?).

Some scholars like Robert Sharf see Buddha contemplation sources as being precursors to deity yoga.

[10] Sharf writes that the Contemplation Sutras contain meditations that include recitation, the use of icons, visualization , "and other elements often associated with Tantra".

[12][1] While the Chinese Buddhist canonical tradition claims these sutras are translations from Indian texts, no Indic originals have been found.

[1] While many scholars argue they were composed in China, even then, they accept the influence of Indic and Central Asian meditation traditions.

In Japanese Buddhism, the work of Genshin (942–1017), especially his Ōjōyōshū (往生要集, Collection of the Essentials for Birth) is a key source for Buddha contemplation instructions.

The third practice is observing the white curl (ūrṇā) between his eyebrows and his radiant light (zōryakukan 雑略観).

First, there is observing the marks on Buddha’s body and his radiant light through the Visualization of Immeasurable Life Sutra (Kan muryojyu kyō 観無量寿経).