A (very) Short Introduction to Pure Land Buddhism
"The Pure Land School is presently the school of Buddhism in China and Japan that has the most followers." (The Shambhala Dicitonary of Buddhism and Zen, p 174.) According to Rev. Jean Eracle, Pure Land has more than a hundred million adherents worldwide. (Trois Soutras et un Traite sur la Terre Pure, p. 7.)
Pure Land is a form of Mahayana Buddhism. While widely practiced in Asia, its roots are only starting to form in the West. Its historical roots extend all the way to ancient India. We generally think in terms of one Buddha, Shakyamuni, who lived in India approx twenty five hundred years ago. But since any sentient being can become enlightened and innumerable numbers have there are innumerable Buddhas. Shakyamuni Buddha explained that after his enlightenment that he has not only seen his past lifetimes but that he had seen how the future would unfold. In that future he saw that people in our time would have more afflictions, worries and wandering thoughts.
Shakyamuni knew that to end one's problems and attain lasting happiness many people would need the help of Amitabha Buddha for he had created an ideal environment in which we could learn from and practice with the wisest of beings. It is a land of peace, equality and joy where we can listen to the teachings of Bodhisattvas and Amitabha Buddha. Knowing how appropriate this land would be for us, Shakyamuni taught about Pure Land practice.
Chanting or reciting a Buddha's name, in our case the name of Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo in Chinese) is the foundation of our practice. Amitabha primarily means "Buddha of Infinite Light and Infinite Life". When we chant or recite the sound of Amitabha arises in our mind. Then our minds focus on, and embrace, that sound. The recitation is very powerful, for as the mind concentrates on the sound of Amitabha our selfish and intolerant thoughts are replaced
with this single pure thought of the name of a Buddha. After Amitabha has been in our mind continuously for a long time and as we improve our thoughts and actions our true nature, which is the same as that of the Buddhas, will gradually be uncovered.
If we have made the vow to do so and have belief in the teachings of the Buddhas we will have progressed on our path to forever have a Buddhas mind and heart of wisdom and compassion so that we can be of benefit to all beings who wish our help. Ultimately our vows to be born into the Pure Land, our unwavering belief and our moral daily living, as well as our chanting/recitation will enable us to attain the perfect enlightenment that is Buddhahood. And on a daily basis we will continue to benefit as our minds become more sincere and kind.
The following passage is taken form the book Pure-Land Zen, Zen Pure-Land which is available in our library;
After the demise of the historical Buddha, His teachings spread in two main directions, southward (Theravada tradition) and eastward into China, Vietnam, Ko-
rea, Japan (Mahayana tradition). In East Asia, these teachings developed into ten different schools, several of which remained important to this day: Zen, Tantric and Pure Land. Pure Land is by far the most widespread form of Buddhism in East Asia.
All these schools teach the same basic truth: “Do not what is evil, do what is good, keep the mind pure.” True to this spirit, the Pure Land approach is simple and straightforward. Through mindfulness of the Buddha (i.e. Buddha Recitation), the practitioner can calm his mind and achieve samadhi and wisdom. Thus reborn in the Pure Land (i.e., in his pure Mind), he will eventually attain Buddhahood. This is also the core teaching, the very essence, of Zen and all other Mahayana schools. As D.T. Suzuki has pointed out, “the psychological effects of the repetition of the holy name are close to the effects of Zen meditation.”
This notwithstanding, the main emphasis of the Pure Land school lies elsewhere. Pure Land provides a safety net, a refuge of last resort for everyone, through the compassion of Amitabha Buddha – through His Vows. Taken together, these two concepts of the Pure Land – as Mind and as a transcendental land – “effectively brought ... within the reach of all men the deliverance taught by Sakyamuni” (Allan A. Andrews).
But why do we have to purify the mind and seek deliverance
It is because in the wasteland of Birth and Death, subject to the three poisons of greed, anger and delusion, we all undergo suffering – the ultimate suffering being, of course, death. Echoing this conclusion, a well-known American professor made this observation about the motivation of Western Buddhists: Probably the majority of non-Orientals who become practicing Buddhists do so because of an overriding need for relief from suffering. Sometimes the suffering is physical, but more often it is emotional and often psychosomatic. The individual practicing meditation, chanting, or any kind of Buddhist “self-cultivation” is motivated by a need for symptomatic relief, mitigation of anxiety and depression, reduction of hostility ... (Emma McCloy Layman, Buddhism in America, p. 269)
This is precisely why Buddha Sakyamuni, when preaching the Four Noble Truths to Kaundinya and his friends, taught them first the Truth of Suffering. The letters of Master Yin Kuang address this issue squarely. If you are suffering and if you realistically discover that you have only average motivation, fortitude and self-discipline, then Pure Land is for you. Pure Land is about suffering and the Liberation from suffering
