3 pure land sutras pdf

This vivid description of the pure land of amitabha buddha is not unique in mahayana buddhism. 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. The mahayana sutras are a broad genre of buddhist scriptures that various traditions of mahayana buddhism accept as canonical. While i cant comment on pure land organizations in the uk, i can help a bit with homepractice. This is the path if one dedicates these two virtues and aspires to be reborn in the pure land. The three true word sutras are the mahavairochana, diamond crown, and susiddhikara sutras. The three pure land sutras koloa jodo mission buddhist. 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.

Numata center for buddhist translation and research, isbn 1886439184, archived from the original pdf on may 12, 2014. The path to pure land is the profound final teaching of the eminent upasaka xia lian ju. This he called senchaku sandan or selection of the nembutsu through the special praise of shakyamuni. They are largely preserved in the chinese buddhist canon, the tibetan buddhist canon, and in extant sanskrit manuscripts. 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. Pure land buddhism shinran s devotional path to enlightenment. 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. I have explained in due order the sixteen objects of perception i. Gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the. 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. 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. Mahayana sutras which expound on the true nature of. Understanding pure land sect part 3 lotus happiness. Pure land buddhism is a broad branch of mahayana buddhism and one of the most widely practiced traditions of buddhism in east asia.

The longer sukhavativyuha sutra or infinite life sutra is one of the two indian mahayana sutras which describe the pure land of amitabha. The longer sukhavativyuha sutra or infinite life sutra is one of the two indian mahayana sutras which describe the pure land. It is the second part of the book that contains the three pure land sutras. 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. 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. This is a revised second edition of translation from the chinese by hisao inagaki. Upon seeing this magnificent pure land, beautiful and sublime, they resolve to attain their vows and create a pure land just like this one. The goal of dharmalearning is to gain buddhahood gaining buddhahood through amitabharecitation is the teaching of the buddhas. As a basis for establishing his new community, honen selected three essential sutras for the study and practice of the pure land way. Numata center for buddhist translation and research.

It starts by describing the splendors of sukhavati, the western paradise of amitayus, and then explains what must be done to be born. Three ways to introduce the pure land teachings in the three. 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. Of these 200odd texts, three focused exclusively on the. These sutras were chosen by honen of japan 131212 and called the three pure land sutras. Pure land buddhism also referred to as amidism in english, is a broad branch of mahayana. Three ways to introduce the pure land teachings in the. 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 book, soho machida provides the first detailed, objective account in. Buddha nature study guide 1 suchness is that which is truly real, truly existent. Around one hundred mahayana sutras survive in sanskrit, or in chinese and tibetan translations.

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. Finally, i have bought a new translation of the three pure land sutras by jodoshu research institute. 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. This pdf file may be printed and distributed according to the terms of use estab. Numata center for buddhist translation and research, p. Another innovative shortcut to buddhahood in mahayana sutras are what are often called pure land practices. Email citation a fantastic resource, this book not only translates the three primary pure land sutras but also provides copious supporting materials. A comparison of the lotus and other sutras wnd i nichiren. 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. Understanding pure land sect part 3 why sukhavati, and not other pure lands there are many pure lands in the ten directions. Pure land sutras buddhism focused on pure land faith and practice in terms of. Infinite life sutra project gutenberg selfpublishing. All the exquisite materials inter mingle producing beautiful and luminous combinations. A fantastic resource, this book not only translates the three primary pure land sutras but also provides copious supporting materials.

The relationship between the three pure land sutras in the commentary on the contemplation sutra, master shandao says. Vasubandhus treatise on pure land soas research online. 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. After having read through all of the sacred texts on mt. 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. 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 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 primary texts of the tradition, known as the three pure land sutras, are the infinite life sutra, the amitabha sutra and the amitayurdhyana sutra. The pure land sect of japanese buddhism is one of the strongest buddhist sects in japan, with three and a half million followers. In early buddhist tradition, a form of thinking on the buddha was.

These are what he called the three pure land sutras jodo sanbukyo, consisting of the larger and smaller sukhavativyuha sutras and the visualization sutra. 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. May, 2018 understanding pure land sect part 3 why sukhavati, and not other pure lands there are many pure lands in the ten directions. If only i hadnt been a phoney, if only i wasnt so ornery, if only i had lived more holy. 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 buddha listed the following 10 benefits as the karmic reward of lighting lamp offerings in front of buddha images, sutras and holy objects. You do not need an altar, but it certainly wouldnt hurt either. This designation was the first time that these three sutras had been. The three pure land sutras inagaki hisao translator.

I see lots of different expressons from the former translations, but it is. The original chinese titles are yin kuang fa shih wen chao and yin kuang ta shih chia yen lu. Patriarch ouis commentary part 2 from mindseal of the buddhas. Throughout the pure land tradition, the central questions were how and when on enters into the working arising from amidas fulfillment of his vows. My first impression of this book is beautiful, especially size of the book. The five pure land sutras 10 with many nobleminded bodhisattvas, led by maitreya. Three pure land sutras free ebook download as pdf file. Actually there are many other sutras and discourses that mention amitabha and his land of bliss. 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. The buddha speaks of amitabha sutra san francisco state. He says in the commentary on the ninth contemplation. Kotatsu fujita, the total number of such scriptures in the chinese buddhist canon is two hundred and ninety. Why is it that buddha sakyamuni specifically directed people to the western pure land, i.

Chapter 1v1 to chapter 17v600 chapter 18v601 to chapter 26v945 chapter 27v946 to chapter 39v1265 chapter 401266 to chapter 461471 study guide. The meditation sutras central teaching describes sixteen practices concerning various visualizations of amida buddha, his pure land and bodhisattvas who accompany him. 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 wording of the original text is expanded here for the sake of clarity.

The three principal pure land sutras are the longer sukhavativyuha sutra, amitayurdhyana sutra and the shorter sukhavativyuha 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. These sutras all touched on amitabha buddha and his. It starts by describing the splendors of sukhavati, the western paradise of amitayus, and then explains what must. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. 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. Despite the importance of the three pure land sutras, which. He was staying there with a large gathering of monks numbering one thousand two hundred fifty. Honen shonin 131212, as the founder of japans first independent pure land buddhist community, is one of the most essential figures of japanese buddhism. The three most important sutras of japans pure land tradition are here brought together in this single volume. 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.

However, in order to truly benefit from this practice, you must approach it with. Mahayana buddhists typically consider the mahayana. 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 three pure land sutras are the buddha infinite life, meditation on the buddha infinite life, and amida sutras. The avatamsaka sutra, for example, contains many passages reflecting the same basic idea. One achieves clairvoyance of the pure eye as a human. Sukhavati and extolled the supremely wonderful conditions and environment of that land alone. This publication is the first authoritative english translation of these sutras by jodo shu, the denomination that honen founded in 1175. The politics of pure land buddhism in india, numen 45 1, 6996 via jstor subscription required inagaki, hisao, trans. 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. Although we cannot see him with our physical eyes, we can know of him from the three pure land sutras spoken by. Japanese pure land philosophy stanford encyclopedia of. The larger sukhavativyuha was translated twelve times from sanskrit into chinese. In china and japan, this sutra has been highly revered, as is revealed by the existence of over more than thirty commentaries.

October 29, 2016 april 25, 2017 purelandsutras 3 comments. 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 determinant faith of the three pure land sutras. There is a tremendous amount of wellexplained and helpful background on the sutras and the masters.