
The Significance of Amitabha’s 17th Vow in the Pure Land Teaching
The substance of the three Pure Land sutras is the Name We know that the three Pure Land sutras—namely the Infinite Life Sutra, the Contemplation
The substance of the three Pure Land sutras is the Name We know that the three Pure Land sutras—namely the Infinite Life Sutra, the Contemplation
Following a coherent, systematic, and complete…
According to the major sutras of Pure Land Buddhism, the Larger Sukhavativyuha and the Smaller Sukhavativyuha, Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land (Skt. Sukhavati) lies beyond 10 billion Buddha-lands west
A finger pointing at the moon The simple question of “What is a Buddha?” was raised in a casual discussion with a venerable Pure Land
Two ways of establishing faith from Amitabha’s Name Master Shandao states in Praise of Rites of Rebirth: “The honorable Amitabha set forth an extremely solemn vow. He
The substance of all the Pure Land sutras is Amitabha’s Name Master Tanluan, an eminent Pure Land patriarch in 6th century China, says in his Commentary
The root of virtue can be inherited life after life In Buddhism, faith is the first of the Five Roots of Virtue—faith, zeal, mindfulness (invocation),
Faith through devotion is not necessarily the result of the root of wisdom One must have previously cultivated deep roots of virtue in past lives
The teachings of Pure Land Buddhism are easy to practice but difficult to believe in At the end of the Amitabha Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha observes that
In my last article, we discussed three modes of belief in religious teachings: belief through direct experience (factual evidence); belief through irrefutable deduction (comparative analysis);
No dedication required for rebirth in the Pure Land through the primary practices Why is it important to differentiate between the Mind of Merit-dedication and
One is “born there at once” through the Three States of Mind As discussed in my last article, the context of dedication-aspiration in Pure Land