Pure Land Buddhism

[4][5] Although Buddhas are venerated in Pure Land and are seen as savior-like figures, the tradition clearly distinguishes itself from theistic religions, due to its roots in the classic Mahayana understanding of Buddhahood and bodhisattvas, as well as the Buddhist doctrines of emptiness and mind-only.

[6][7] The most distinctive feature of East Asian Pure Land traditions is that it offers ordinary people (even the unlearned and the unethical) hope that they may attain the stage of non-retrogression and eventually Buddhahood, no matter how bad their karma may be.

[10][11] Pure Land oriented practices and concepts form an important component of the Mahāyāna Buddhist traditions of China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Himalayas and Inner Asian regions such as Tibet.

Thus, this usage corresponds to the East Asian term "Pure Land school" (Chinese: 淨土宗; pinyin: Jìngtǔzōng; Japanese: 浄土仏教, romanized: Jōdo bukkyō; Korean: 정토종; RR: Jeongto-jong; Vietnamese: Tịnh độ tông).

[24] For example, the Saptaśatikā (700 line) Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra states that through the 'Single Deed Samadhi' one can quickly attain enlightenment:The meditators should live in seclusion, cast away discursive thoughts, not cling to the appearance of things, concentrate their minds on a Buddha, and recite his name single-mindedly.

[2] According to Jan Nattier, the wish to be reborn in a Buddhafield may have become popular in India due to the common idea that the bodhisattva path was very difficult and entailed much suffering and self-sacrifice.

They contemplate his qualities (such as being a Tathagata, a knower of the world, teacher of devas and humans) and his body, with the thirty two marks of the great man and a golden color, which shines brightly, sitting on a throne and teaching the Dharma.

He states that in a past life, Amitābha was once a king who renounced his kingdom, and became a monastic bodhisattva named Dharmākara ("Dharma Storehouse") and gave rise to the aspiration to achieve Buddhahood in order to help all beings.

Due to the great merit generated by these vows for countless lifetimes, Akṣobhya was able to create a purified buddha-field, a peaceful and blissful place where there is no misery, hunger, or pain and where all beings accomplish the ten good actions.

[57] Another Yogacara master, Asanga's brother Vasubandhu, is credited with the authorship of the short Verses of Aspiration: An Upadeśa on the Amitāyus Sūtra (Wúliángshòujīng yōupótíshè yuànshēng jié 無量壽經優婆提舍願生偈, T.1524) which is a commentary on the shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha which describes a five part practice which may have been used as a visualization meditation ritual.

[48] The Mahayana Sutras which teach Pure Land methods were brought from the Gandhāra region to China as early as 147 CE, when the Indo-Kushan monk Lokakṣema began translating the first Buddhist sūtras into Chinese.

[58] Another possible reason why this tradition grew in popularity in China was that it addressed an important Chinese concern, the search for immortality (the name of the Buddha Amitayus means "Immeasurable Life").

[87] Over time, view 1 won out over the others, so much so that according to Jones, the most essential element of the Pure Land teaching in China is the very idea that non-elite common folk could attain the highest Buddhist goals through simple practices based on Amitabha.

"[89] The Pure Land teachings and meditation methods based on mindfulness of the Buddha (reciting the name of Amitābha and visualizing his form), quickly spread throughout China due to the work of figures like these three patriarchs.

[98] This is because, according to Jones, "while Tanluan and Daochuo provided some of the necessary conceptual pieces and served as exemplars, it was Shandao who stated clearly and fully that ordinary beings can attain rebirth in the Pure Land through the power of Amitābha's vow.

Shandao meanwhile wrote that it was "entirely due to the power of Amitābha's vows" that someone could attain rebirth in Sukhavati, which also appeared equally as a sambhoghakaya (reward body) to all beings, no matter how depraved they were.

According to Jones, Huaigan's apologetic Treatise explaining a number of doubts about Pure Land, (Shì jìngtǔ qúnyí lùn 釋淨土群疑論, T.1960) "added a great deal of philosophical depth to Shandao's basic framework.

For Cimin, Chan masters who criticized Pure Land were arrogant unawakened people who falsely claimed enlightenment and denied basic Buddhist teaching and scriptures in favor of their own narrow focus on meditative concentration.

[120] During the Song dynasty (960–1279), Tiantai monks such as Shengchang (Shěngcháng 省常, 959–1020), Ciyun Zunshi (Cíyún Zūnshì 慈雲尊式, 964–1032), and Siming Zhili, were key figures who founded Pure Land societies which focused on nianfo.

[126] A more comprehensive blend of Chan, Pure Land and doctrinal learning (which was associated with schools like Tiantai and Huayan) became popular during the Ming and Qing dynasties, especially through the work of Yúnqī Zhūhóng (雲棲祩宏, 1535–1615).

[140] Another important figure in Korean Pure Land thought was the Hwaeom founder Uisang (625–702) who wrote a commentary on the Amitabha sutra, the Amit’a-gyŏng ŭigi (阿彌陀經義記 The meaning of the Amituo jing).

According to Jones, "The development of independent congregations of laypeople managing their own practice and organizations loosened the control that religious orders and the aristocracy traditionally exercised, and it represented a new, more democratic structure for Japanese Buddhism as a whole.

This text describes the easy path as follows: "If a bodhisattva wishes to attain to the stage of non-retrogression in this body and accomplish supreme highest enlightenment, he should contemplate (niàn 念) all the buddhas of the ten directions and invoke their names.

[192] This new kind of Buddhism promoted the idea that the ideal Buddhist world could be built here and now, something Tàixū called "The Pure Land in the Human Realm" (rénjiān jìngtǔ 人間淨土).

[210] While Zōngmì held that the fourth method of nianfo was the most profound, Yúnqī Zhūhóng reversed this progression, arguing that "contemplation of the name" was actually the highest practice and that it was to obtain wisdom and enlightenment in this life more than to be reborn in the Pure land.

[180] Chinese Pure Land authors also had different answers to the question of why we should engage in other classic Buddhist practices (aside from nianfo) if Amitabha Buddha could save all beings no matter how wicked they were.

"[220] According to Jōdo Shinshū teaching, while these rituals do not actually contribute to one's attainment of the Pure Land (only shinjin does), they still promote virtues like self-reflection, awareness, gratitude and humility.

[236] Matthew Kapstein writes that "Sukhavati has long been an important focal point for much of Tibetan devotion," especially among lay devotees who commonly revere Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara and Padmasambhava as three bodies of a single Buddha.

For example, the great 19th century Dzogchen master Dudjom Lingpa (khrag 'thung bdud 'joms rdo rje), writes: "Emaho, in the self-manifest, pure expanse that is the real Akanistha, the magical field that is gnosis arrayed, is the Dharmakaya of the ground, the conqueror Amitabha.

[253] Another important tradition in Tibetan Buddhism are tantric practices based around Amitayus (another name for Amitabha, meaning Infinite Life) which focuses on the longevity and life-giving powers of this Buddha.

Lotus pond at Donglin temple , a key temple in the history of the Pure land school
Amitābha and his attendant bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara (right) and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (left)
Inscribed pedestal with the first known occurrence of the name of Amitabha Buddha (c. 153 CE). The Brahmi inscription states " Bu-ddha-sya A-mi-tā-bha-sya "; "Of the Buddha Amitabha." [ 19 ]
Gandharan sculpture of Amitabha in Sukhavati, 2nd century CE, from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Bronze sculpture of Aksobhya Buddha, Pakistan (Northwest Frontier Province, Swat Valley), 9th century
Chinese: "Buddha"
Chinese: "Buddha"
Amitabha triad in a niche, Baoqingsi temple, Xi'an, Shaanxi province, China, Tang dynasty, dated 703 CE
Book open at the Chinese version of the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra with Japanese annotations
Japanese portrait of Shandao Dashi (Jp: Zendo Daishi), Nanbokucho period, 14th century.
Yúnqī Zhūhóng
Master Yìnguāng
A hanging painting of Genshin holding a mala used in nembutsu recitation (Shōjūraigōji Temple).
A statue of Hōnen in Bukkyo University
The famous Great Buddha of Kamakura (which depicts Amitabha), at Kōtoku-in, a Buddhist temple of the Jōdo-shū sect
Raigō of Amida and Twenty-five Attendants , (13th–14th century), Chion-in
The main hall of Weitokuji Temple, Japan
King Enma in Hell. Japanese Pure Land Buddhism
Amida Welcomes Chûjôhime to the Western Paradise, Taima Temple, Japan
A Tibetan painting of Amitābha in Sukhāvatī
"Amida Manifesting in the Dharma-body of Expedient Means", Japanese painting, at the Met .
Statue of Kūya by Kōshō , son of Unkei , dating to the first decade of the thirteenth century. The six syllables of the nembutsu, na-mu-a-mi-da-butsu , are represented literally by six small Amida figures streaming from Kūya's mouth.
Japanese copy of the Pure Land Taima Mandala , which is based on the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra
Yamashita Gen-yu's (1832–1934) calligraphy of the characters of the nianfo
Main altar of Muryoji Temple, Chiba City .
Amida and 25 bodhisattvas, 12th-century, Kongōbu-ji, Kōya-san, Wakayama prefecture. This painting is a raigō, a genre which depicts Amitabha coming to receive a dying person. They were commonly used in deathbed rituals.
A priest of Jodo-shu in rural Fukui prefecture visits the home of a parishioner to chant a sutra for a deceased family member in front of a butsudan .
An engraving of a Sanskrit dhāraṇī for Amitābha written in the Siddhaṃ script . Mogao Caves , Dunhuang , China
Tibetan thangka of Amitabha
Amitayus in Sukhavati, 18th century.