PURE LAND SCHOOL (Chin., Ching-t’u-tsung; Jap., Jōdō-shū), also known as the Lotus school. A school of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, which was founded in the year 402 by the Chinese monk Hui-yuan and brought to Japan by Hōnen. The goal of the adherents of this school is to be reborn in the pure land of Buddha Amitābha, i.e., in the western paradise. This school is characterized by its stress on the importance of profound faith in the power and active compassion of Buddha Amitābha. Amitābha made a vow to cause all beings to be reborn in his pure land Sukhāvatī who trust themselves to him with faithful devotion. Thus, since its adherents count on the external help of Amitābha, the way of the Pure Land school is often regarded as the “way of faith” or the “easy way”.
The practice of this school consists primarily in the recitation of Amitābha’s name (nembutsu) and in visualizing his paradise. These practices were adopted by other schools of Chinese and Japanese Buddhism. The sūtras used as the scriptural foundation of the school are the Sukhāvatī-vyūha, the Amitābha-sūtra, and the Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra. The Pure Land school is presently the school of Buddhism in China and Japan that has the most followers. (Also Amidism.)
Hui-yuan founded in 402 the so-called White Lotus Society. Monks and laypeople assembled under his supervision before an image of the Buddha Amitābha and vowed to be reborn in the western paradise. Hui-yuan is thus considered the first patriarch of this school. T’an-luan (Jap., Donran), 476-542, contributed considerably to the development of the Pure Land school. He advocated the view that in a time of deterioration of the Buddhist teaching, one’s own effort (jiriki) is insufficient for the attainment of liberation. He rejected the “hard way” of the other schools and fostered the “easy way,” in which one places one’s trust in the external help (tariki) of Buddha Amitābha. In his opinion, it is sufficient to recite Amitābha’s name with complete devotion to be reborn in the pure land. Shan-tao (Jap., Zendo), 613-81, is considered the actual founder of the organized Pure Land school. He composed important commentaries on the Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra. In his time the school experienced a major upsurge, since its practice, compared with that of other schools, seemed relatively easy.
The recitation of Amitābha’s name serves to bring the mind under control. The practitioner commits himself to a certain, usually very large, number of repetitions. This meditation is intended to make it possible to have a vision of Amitābha and his companions Avalokiteshvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta even during this lifetime and to gain foreknowledge concerning the time of one’s death. This recitation can be done out loud or silently, with or without concentration on an image of Amitābha. This is the predominant practice of the school. The second type of practice consists of visualizations —particularly the sixteenth variant described in the Amitāyurdhyāna-sūtra— which serve to cause Amitābha and his pure land to arise before the spiritual eye of the practitioner. The supreme stage of practice is the contemplation of Buddha Amitābha as not separate from one’s own being. The supreme achievement resulting from the spiritual practice of the school is seeing Buddha Amitābha in a vision. This is regarded as a guarantee of being reborn in his pure land. Recitation and visualization are considered the external condition, faith and total devotion toward Amitābha as the inner condition, for a successful practice. Only when both are present is rebirth in the western paradise possible.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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External Links: Pure Land Buddhism / Pure land / Pure Abodes