3 pure land sutras pdf

The three most important sutras of japans pure land tradition are here brought together in this single volume. Buddha nature study guide 1 suchness is that which is truly real, truly existent. Mahayana buddhists typically consider the mahayana. It starts by describing the splendors of sukhavati, the western paradise of amitayus, and then explains what must. The three principal pure land sutras are the longer sukhavativyuha sutra, amitayurdhyana sutra and the shorter sukhavativyuha sutra. The mahayana sutras are a broad genre of buddhist scriptures that various traditions of mahayana buddhism accept as canonical. This pdf file may be printed and distributed according to the terms of use estab. While i cant comment on pure land organizations in the uk, i can help a bit with homepractice. My first impression of this book is beautiful, especially size of the book. After having read through all of the sacred texts on mt. This designation was the first time that these three sutras had been.

I see lots of different expressons from the former translations, but it is. At one time the bhagavat 1 dwelt in ragagriha, on the mountain gridhrakuta, with a large assembly of bhikshus,with thirtytwo thousands of bhikshus, all holy arhat, free from frailties and cares, who had performed their religious duties. This publication is the first authoritative english translation of these sutras by jodo shu, the denomination that honen founded in 1175. This sutra being the longest of the three basic sutras of the pure land faith, it is common practice in the various pure land sects to use extracts from it for the purpose of recitation. October 29, 2016 april 25, 2017 purelandsutras 3 comments. Pure land buddhism shinran s devotional path to enlightenment. Of these 200odd texts, three focused exclusively on the. The three true word sutras are the mahavairochana, diamond crown, and susiddhikara sutras.

The relationship between the three pure land sutras in the commentary on the contemplation sutra, master shandao says. The longer sukhavativyuha sutra or infinite life sutra is one of the two indian mahayana sutras which describe the pure land of amitabha. Mahayana sutras also expound on the importance of the six perfections as part of the path to buddhahood, and special attention is given to the perfection of wisdom prajnaparamita which is seen as primary. Around one hundred mahayana sutras survive in sanskrit, or in chinese and tibetan translations. Upon hearing this, amitabha the awakened one changes his expression and smiles, and from his mouth he emits innumerable rays of light, which brilliantly shines upon all the worlds in the ten directions. This is a revised second edition of translation from the chinese by hisao inagaki. If only i hadnt been a phoney, if only i wasnt so ornery, if only i had lived more holy. It is the second part of the book that contains the three pure land sutras. Mahayana sutras which expound on the true nature of. Throughout the pure land tradition, the central questions were how and when on enters into the working arising from amidas fulfillment of his vows. Actually there are many other sutras and discourses that mention amitabha and his land of bliss. Understanding pure land sect part 3 why sukhavati, and not other pure lands there are many pure lands in the ten directions. This will definitely be one of my standard reference books going first, note that this book contains 360 pages of text and 65 pages of notes and glossary. Pure land sutras buddhism focused on pure land faith and practice in terms of.

Numata center for buddhist translation and research. These are what he called the three pure land sutras jodo sanbukyo, consisting of the larger and smaller sukhavativyuha sutras and the visualization sutra. This is the path if one dedicates these two virtues and aspires to be reborn in the pure land. He says in the commentary on the ninth contemplation. The 48 vows of the infinite life sutra explain only that exclusive recitation of amitabha buddhas name leads to rebirth in the land of bliss. The three pure land sutras, the power of the original vow of amitabha, salvation and rebirth in the utmost joy of the pure land of the west. The buddha listed the following 10 benefits as the karmic reward of lighting lamp offerings in front of buddha images, sutras and holy objects. Then the blessed ananda, having risen from his seat, having put his cloak on one shoulder, and knelt on the earth with his right knee, making obeisance with folded hands in the direction of the bhagavat, spoke thus to the. Infinite life sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing. 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. The meditation sutras central teaching describes sixteen practices concerning various visualizations of amida buddha, his pure land and bodhisattvas who accompany him. Chapter 1v1 to chapter 17v600 chapter 18v601 to chapter 26v945 chapter 27v946 to chapter 39v1265 chapter 401266 to chapter 461471 study guide. The path to pure land is the profound final teaching of the eminent upasaka xia lian ju. There is a tremendous amount of wellexplained and helpful background on the sutras and the masters.

This vivid description of the pure land of amitabha buddha is not unique in mahayana buddhism. Three pure land sutras free ebook download as pdf file. The amitabha sutra and the pure land school it is said in the buddhist sutras that, thousands of sutras and tens of thousands of discourses all point to the land of ultimate bliss. Together with the shorter sukhavativyuha sutra, this text is highly influential in china and japan where it is revered by the jodoshu and jodo shinshu congregations. Despite the importance of the three pure land sutras, which. Oct 22, 2016 the buddha listed the following 10 benefits as the karmic reward of lighting lamp offerings in front of buddha images, sutras and holy objects. The pure land school of buddhism is always highly regarded by members of all buddhist sects and by those who follow different courses of cultivation. Pure land buddhism also referred to as amidism in english, is a broad branch of mahayana.

However, in order to truly benefit from this practice, you must approach it with. Upon seeing this magnificent pure land, beautiful and sublime, they resolve to attain their vows and create a pure land just like this one. These sutras were chosen by honen of japan 131212 and called the three pure land sutras. Although we cannot see him with our physical eyes, we can know of him from the three pure land sutras spoken by.

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. Email citation a fantastic resource, this book not only translates the three primary pure land sutras but also provides copious supporting materials. Pure land buddhists, and is one of the three sutras of pure land buddhism, the others being the larger sukhavativyuha sutra and the smaller sukhavativyuha sutra. One achieves clairvoyance of the pure eye as a human. Gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the. Patriarch ouis commentary part 2 from mindseal of the buddhas. Another innovative shortcut to buddhahood in mahayana sutras are what are often called pure land practices. Among such pieces there are the sanbutsuge, a poem in which dharmakara extols his teacher lokesvararaja, and the juusei ge, a versesummary of the 48 vows.

The three pure land sutras koloa jodo mission buddhist. Sukhavati and extolled the supremely wonderful conditions and environment of that land alone. Numata center for buddhist translation and research, p. Pure land buddhism download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.

The original chinese titles are yin kuang fa shih wen chao and yin kuang ta shih chia yen lu. All the exquisite materials inter mingle producing beautiful and luminous combinations. The larger sukhavativyuha was translated twelve times from sanskrit into chinese. Finally, i have bought a new translation of the three pure land sutras by jodoshu research institute. Vasubandhus treatise on pure land soas research online. Understanding pure land sect part 3 lotus happiness. Click download or read online button to get pure land buddhism book now. The wording of the original text is expanded here for the sake of clarity. Kotatsu fujita, the total number of such scriptures in the chinese buddhist canon is two hundred and ninety.

In pure land buddhism, we believe in a buddha called amitabha who exists in a realm far distant from us, as related by shakyamuni buddha in the contemplation sutra. These sutras all touched on amitabha buddha and his. This is an electronic version of the book pureland zen, zen pureland second edition 1993. 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. A comparison of the lotus and other sutras wnd i nichiren. This he called senchaku sandan or selection of the nembutsu through the special praise of shakyamuni. In this book, soho machida provides the first detailed, objective account in. Together, these three comprise the basic texts of the pure. Pure land buddhism is a broad branch of mahayana buddhism and one of the most widely practiced traditions of buddhism in east asia. The five pure land sutras 10 with many nobleminded bodhisattvas, led by maitreya. 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 three pure land sutras are the buddha infinite life, meditation on the buddha infinite life, and amida sutras. The determinant faith of the three pure land sutras. Three ways to introduce the pure land teachings in the three. He was staying there with a large gathering of monks numbering one thousand two hundred fifty. Embracing the two kinds of determinant faith in aptitude and in the teachings as taught by master shandao in his commentary on the contemplation sutra is a serious decision for a buddhist practitioner. As a basis for establishing his new community, honen selected three essential sutras for the study and practice of the pure land way. In early buddhist tradition, a form of thinking on the buddha was. A fantastic resource, this book not only translates the three primary pure land sutras but also provides copious supporting materials. They are largely preserved in the chinese buddhist canon, the tibetan buddhist canon, and in extant sanskrit manuscripts.

Prayer beads to guide your nianfo repeating the name of amitabha buddha would be h. May, 2018 understanding pure land sect part 3 why sukhavati, and not other pure lands there are many pure lands in the ten directions. Why is it that buddha sakyamuni specifically directed people to the western pure land, i. Terms from the chinese of the sutras in their various renditions and evolving commentaries on the pure land path became the standard medium of pure land buddhist discourse in japan, so that a full grasp of the japanese tradition requires familiarity with these terms, their relationship to the broader buddhist tradition, and the historical. The goal of dharmalearning is to gain buddhahood gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the teaching of the buddhas. It starts by describing the splendors of sukhavati, the western paradise of amitayus, and then explains what must be done to be born. The 32 recitations and prostrations of this practice can be easily and quickly done, but deliver just as much merit as fully reciting the great mahayana sutras. Three ways to introduce the pure land teachings in the. That is to say, reciting the name of amitabha buddha and thereby gaining buddhahood is the goal of buddhism. The buddha speaks of amitabha sutra san francisco state.

The smaller sutra on amitayus is the shortest of the three basic sutras of the pure land faith, and is known informally as the smaller sukhativyuha or the smaller amida sutra, and is frequently recited at religious services. The adornments of the land of the buddha of immeasurable life are phenomenal aspects of a wondrous realm which has arisen from the ultimate reality. 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. In that pure land, the land is made of seven exquisite materials. I have explained in due order the sixteen objects of perception i. 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. However, in this pure land teaching, three great asankhya aeons can be transcended by a single thought of buddha amitabha. The pure land sect of japanese buddhism is one of the strongest buddhist sects in japan, with three and a half million followers. Japanese pure land philosophy stanford encyclopedia of. You do not need an altar, but it certainly wouldnt hurt either. The famous sutra on the contemplation of buddha amitayus also called the meditation sutra is revered as canonical by all pure land buddhists, and is one of the three sutras of pure land buddhism, the others being the larger sukhavativyuha sutra and the smaller sukhavativyuha sutra. In china and japan, this sutra has been highly revered, as is revealed by the existence of over more than thirty commentaries. The longer sukhavativyuha sutra or infinite life sutra is one of the two indian mahayana sutras which describe the pure land.