By reciting sutras, we are practicing samadhi as our concentration is focused upon each single word, one after another. A pure land is the celestial realm or pure abode of a buddha or bodhisattva in mahayana buddhism. Over fifty different english translations of the yoga sutras are extant, standing as a human testament to how universal truth is celebrated in terms of a rich diversity. This designation was the first time that these three sutras. Actually there are many other sutras and discourses that mention amitabha and his land of bliss. A modern interpretation of the threefold lotus sutra. After having read through all of the sacred texts on mt. Whatever belongs corresponding to section 14h to this triple world is. The pure land sutras and discourses were first transmitted to central. This pdf file may be printed and distributed according to the terms of. Giving careful consideration to the relation among the thirty. When one examines all the various sutras in the clear mirror of the lotus, it is evident that the three true word sutras, including the mahavairochana, and the three pure land sutras5 are teachings expounded in accordance with the peoples capacity. The daily enlightenment faqs on the pure land passport book. If you would like this ode and my other pure land and religious poems in print, here is the free and public domain pdf file.
He says in the commentary on the ninth contemplation. How to practice pure land buddhism by blue gaia, ehow contributor practice pure land buddhism the pure land school of buddhism believes that this world is the impure land. This composite sutra is often called the threefold lotus sutra or threepart dharma flower sutra. At one time the blessed one was staying at the vulture peak at. The sutra describes in great detail sukhavati and its inhabitants, and how they are able to attain rebirth there. The threefold lotus kwoon teaching is based on the buddhas teachings as well. By reciting sutras, our minds are in accordance with profound wisdom. It is the second part of the book that contains the three pure land sutras. In pure land buddhism, three sutras form the core of the teaching. The term pure land is particular to east asian buddhism chinese. Since february this year, we have been discussing the importance of faith and its role in pure land buddhism. The contemplation sutra of amitayus sutra on the visualization of the buddha of infinite life delivered by sakyamuni buddha 63. In a time before time began, in a distant faraway land, there reigned a wise sovereign most mighty and valiant, honored by many as. According to the contemplation sutra, there are three grades, each with three forms of rebirth, so that there are nine classes of people can.
The benefits from this pure land teaching are so inconceivable that initially they are extremely difficult for people to believe. It starts by giving a description of the splendors of sukhavati, the western paradise of amitayus, and then goes on to explain what must be. In this sutra, the nembutsu namu amida butsu is specifically proclaimed as the. Pure land buddhism is a broad branch of mahayana buddhism and one of the most widely practiced traditions of buddhism in east asia. Both the larger and smaller pure land sutras, which were written in india, were around 200 years old by this time, and this helped the pure land movement to begin gaining momentum in china.
The meaning of the sacred teachings of the buddhas. Those who wish to be born in that country of buddha have to cultivate a threefold goodness. This vow states that if a sentient being makes even ten recitations of the amitabhas name they will attain certain rebirth into amitabhas pure land. The eighteenth vow according to the pure land sutras, the practice that enables a person to break the bondage of samsara by attaining birth in the pure land is the. The buddha speaks of amitabha sutra san francisco state. Hokkesambukyo is the composition of three complementary sutras that together form the threepart dharma flower sutra. The infinite life sutra can help everyone to become a buddha. Threefold lotus sutra chinese, english and sanskrit. By reciting sutras, we are practicing virtue as our mind, speech and body would be in accord with propriety. The first part of the book gives a wonderful overview of mahayana buddhism and the key masters, or teachers, who provided so much of the commentary on the sutras. The principle of pure land buddhism jodo shu research institute, karen j. The buddha speaks of the infinite life sutra of adornment, purity, equality and enlightenment of the mahayana school. The lotus sutra translated by burton watson including rev.
The amitabha sutra introduction and translation by. These are all examples of the perfect teaching found in the sutras preached prior to the lotus sutra. These are the chapters pure land practitioners must study and understand. Firstly, a brief study of vasubandhu, to point out the issues and. Oct 30, 2016 by reciting sutras, we are practicing samadhi as our concentration is focused upon each single word, one after another. Kotatsu fujita, the total number of such scriptures in the chinese buddhist canon is two hundred and ninety. The yoga sutras of patanjali introduction, commentaries, and translation what are the yoga sutras and who is patanjali. In early buddhist tradition, a form of thinking on the buddha was.
In 402, the monk huiyuan, basing himself on the pratyutpannasamadhisutra, founded a pure land community on mont lushan, which was at the origin of the lushan tradition of chinese pure. At that time, in the great city of rajagrha, there was a prince named ajatasatru. Infinite life sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing. You, his wife, and your children have only mortal senses, so you cannot see or hear him, but be assured that. In terms of literary history, nattier, 2000, 7475 indic pure land buddhism. Back to the visualization of amitabha pure land sutra i. Pure land sutras buddhism focused on pure land faith and practice in terms of. There was probably no method to write at the time of the buddha. The larger sutra on amitayus is also known as the larger sukhavativyuha, and more informally as the large amida sutra.
The smaller sutra sutra on amitayus buddha delivered by. Having said that, master shandao points out the theme of this sutra is the same as the other two pure land sutras, the infinite life sutra and the amitabha sutra. In this video, i am sharing the creative ways in which i worshipfully related to the threefold lotus sutra translated by bunno kato, yoshiro tamura, and kojiro miyasaka when, some 40 years ago. The eighteenth vow is among the most important as it forms a basic tenet of pure land buddhism. From a bodhisattva to an arhat, from an ordinary being to one in the lower three realms can turn into a buddha. This type of blissful place is labeled a pure land in the east asian tradition, and so popular is amitabhas realm that it is frequently named the pure land. The text also provides a detailed account of the various levels and beings in the mahayana buddhist cosmology. A mixed heritage the songming pure land tradition runs from the northern song 9601127 through to the ming 681644 and even the qing 16441911 dynasties. The determinant faith of the three pure land sutras. Please read the profile section for the purpose of this website below is compilations of all the buddhist sutras from a to z.
And yet because the people have made the teachings. It relates how the mendicant monk dharmakara, practicing under the tathagata lokesvararaja, made 48 vows to save all suffering people. The two pure land sutras indicated that setting ones sights on rebirth in that realm and. The three pure land sutras are the buddha infinite life, meditation on the buddha infinite life, and amida sutras. These sutras were chosen by honen of japan 131212 and called the three pure land sutras. Of these three sutras, scholars generally agree that the meditation sutra. This simple threefold training was taught by the buddha as the underlying formula behind the entirety of his teachings. The teacher of the law chapter in the fourth volume of the lotus sutra reads, this lotus sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most. Oct 14, 2018 understanding pure land sect part 6 nine classes for the rebirth in pure land. They are sacred words, phrases, parables transmitted from mouth to mouth for 100 to 200 years, then written down as sutras in later years.
Throughout the pure land tradition, the central questions were how and when on enters into the working arising from amidas fulfillment of his vows. Thus, by sincerely cultivating sutra recitation, we are rectifying our minds, bodies and speech through the threefold training. The pure land sutras and discourses were first transmitted to central asia. A comparison of the lotus and other sutras question. The smaller sutra on amitayus this is the shortest of the three basic sutras of the pure land faith, thus being called the smaller sukhativyuha, and is even today frequently recited at religious services. The sutra of innumerable meanings, the sutra of the lotus flower of the wonderful law, and the sutra of meditation on the bodhisattva universal virtue was translated by bunno kato, yoshiro. Posted in uncategorized tagged amida, amita buddha, art. Sukhavati, or, as translated from the chinese, ultimate bliss, is the name of this land. The pure land teachings were first developed in india, and were very popular in kashmir and central asia, where they may have originated.
It is one of the three basic sutras of the pure land faith. The meditation sutra and the other sutras teach that ordinary people may achieve rebirth in the pure land without cutting off so much as a single particle of earthly desire. Its message led me first to the bodhisattva path and shortly thereafter to shinrans pure land buddhist teaching. The sutra also contains the fortyeight vows of amitabha to save all sentient beings. Written in northwestern india probably before the beginning of the 2nd century ce, the sukhavativyuha exists in two original versions, a longer one that emphasizes good works and a shorter version that emphasizes faith and devotion alone. According to the contemplation sutra, there are three grades, each with three forms of rebirth, so that there are nine classes of people can be reborn in sukhavati in different manners. This poem was inspired by the opening chapters of the infinite life sutra, which outline dharmakaras amitabha creation of the western land of ultimate bliss. As a somewhat distinct, selfsufficient form of buddhism, the pure land tradition owes its existence above all to the popular influence of three particular sutras. As stated in amitabha sutra, by means of small good works lit. The larger sutra on amida buddha daimuryojukyo or the sutra of eternal life the smaller sutra on amida buddha amidakyo, or smaller sukhavativyuha sutra sutra on the contemplation of buddha amitayus meditation sutra the numata center text of the three sutras pdf file what is the. May 31, 2006 this beautiful, substantially produced hardbound book is a most precious literature for those who believe in and practice pure land buddhism, as well as folks who are more generally interested in the teachings of shakyamuni buddha, in the transcendental wealth of his sutras. Smaller sutra on amitayus, abbreviated to smaller sutra. The sutras are not books written by sakyamuni buddha nor recorded by someone else.
Pure land buddhism, devotional cult of the buddha amitabhabuddha of infinite light, known in china as emituofo and in japan as amida. The sutra of immeasurable life represents itself as shakyamuni buddhas reply to a question posed by his disciple ananda. There is a tremendous amount of wellexplained and helpful background on the sutras and the masters. Pure land part 5 understanding pure land sect part 5 qualification of rebirth in pure land the prime purpose of pure land buddhism is achieving rebirth in the pure land. This is the path if one dedicates these two virtues and aspires to be reborn in the pure land. Threefold lotus sutra, translated by bunno kato and others weatherhillkosei, 1975, has been praised highly and is well worth reading. Understanding pure land sect part 6 nine classes for the rebirth in pure land. It is one of the most popular forms of mahayana buddhism in eastern asia today. Pure land scriptures, such as the pratyutpannasamadhisutra, were among the first buddhist sutras to be translated into chinese. Numata center for buddhist translation and research, isbn 1886439184, archived from the original pdf on may 12, 2014.
This is the pure land school of the sui and the tang dynasties, the shandao lineage. Vasubandhus treatise on pure land soas research online. The same sutra was used by zhiyi 538597, founder of tiantai school, to develop his own interpretation of pure land. The three primary texts of the tradition, known as the three pure land sutras, are the infinite life sutra, the amitabha sutra and the amitayurdhyana sutra. According to the pure land sutras, the practice that enables a person to break the bondage of samsara by attaining birth in the pure land is the nembutsu, which literally means to think on or be mindful of nen the buddha butsu. The meditation sutra describes an extremely long and difficult practice of contemplation and visualization that begins with contemplation of the setting sun in the west and progresses gradually until the practitioner is able to envision the whole expanse and contents of amidas pure land.
The blessed ones sense powers appear serene, the colour of his skin is pure, his countenance is cleansed, radiating with a golden glow. On the other hand, the other shore denotes the buddha land where there is no suffering. Amidabha, the buddha of boundless light will deliver followers to the pure land, called sukhavati, land of the original buddha, sakyamuni. It is by the power of buddha only that one can see that pure land of.
These were to become known as the pure land tripod of faith, aspiration and practice. Hiei, honen stated that among all the sutras which were preserved there, only the sutra of immeasurable life, the meditation sutra and the amida sutra fully and rightfully expound the teaching of birth in the pure land through amida buddhas power. To view an individual sutra, please scroll further down. The many passages from the threefold lotus sutra quoted or paraphrased in the present book are taken from that one. Through the buddhas requesting his disciples to visit vimalakirti, the sutra brought out many perspectives that an engaged buddhist should take note of. Pure land schools believe that rebirth in amitabhas western paradise, sukhavati. Sep 02, 2018 pure land part 5 understanding pure land sect part 5 qualification of rebirth in pure land the prime purpose of pure land buddhism is achieving rebirth in the pure land.
The present translation is of the small sukhavativyuha, two sutras, the large and the small, have this title, both taking as subject amitabha buddha, his pure buddhaland to the west, and the means to rebirth therein. The first recorded pure land devotees lived in the midthird century ce in china. The longer sukhavativyuha sutra or infinite life sutra is one of the two indian mahayana sutras which describe the pure land of amitabha. Buddhist sutra the visualization of amitabha pure land sutra. The main text of the pure land schools is the sukhavativyuha sutra pure land sutra.
The three primary texts of the tradition, known as the three pure land sutras, are the longer sukhavativyuha sutra infinite life sutra, amitayurdhyana sutra. Understanding pure land sect part 5 lotus happiness. Larger sukhavativyuha sutra, the meditation sutra ch. Mahayana sutras, such as the lotus flower sutra and the flower adornment sutra, explain the way of becoming enlightened. The first half is a detailed treatment of the fortyeight parts of amida buddha s original vow hongan, which is the unique vow made by a particular buddha or bodhisattva to lead others to salvation. Understanding pure land sect part 6 lotus happiness. The easiest way to accrue merits and cultivate is through sutra recitation. In 402, the monk huiyuan, basing himself on the pratyutpannasamadhi sutra, founded a pure land community on mont lushan, which was at the origin of the lushan tradition of chinese pure land buddhism. Threefold lotus sutra chinese, english and sanskrit edition the lotus sutra. Lastly, as sila virtue is the fertile soil that samadhi and wisdom spring from, the great master yin guang 18611940, the th patriarch of the pure land school, strongly recommended the taoist treatise of the illustrious sage on response and retribution. The land refers to the pure land as described in the contemplation sutra and is also as taught in such. Mahayana sutras wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. The three pure land sutras the larger sutra on amitayus sutra on the buddha of infinite life delivered by sakyamuni buddha 1.
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