This vow stipulated that anyone who merely brought him to mind before death would be reborn in his buddha-land: These included perfect eloquence and the ability to see and hear from great distances.īut among the vows recorded in the Sūtra, it was the 18th that changed everything. His land would be magnificent, and the beings who shared it with him would be so accomplished that they would already have many of the powers and attributes of a buddha. Most of these vows laid out a scene familiar to believers: As a buddha, he would be powerful, wise and compassionate. After much study and deliberation, he made 48 vows that detailed what kind of buddha he would be and what his buddha-land would look like. The founding storyĪccording to the Sutra, or scripture, on the Buddha of Infinite Life from no later than the third century, a monk named Dharmākara resolved to become a buddha. Many Buddhists hope for birth in a buddha-land so they can complete their path under a buddha’s direct supervision. Several Buddhist scriptures describe “buddha-lands” as paradises with no moral evil and free of all taints. Ren Hongbing/VCG via Getty ImagesĪs a buddha is believed to have completely purified his karma, his body and mind are free of all defects and the land he inhabits is perfect. The Shaolin Temple in Henan Province of China. Karma is said to determine the future life in terms of gender, intelligence and other personal attributes as well as one’s environment. Karma is a moral force created by the deeds one does: Virtuous deeds give one better fortune, while evil or even just ignorant deeds bring misfortune. The theory of karmaīuddhists believe that all living beings are stuck in an endless loop of birth and rebirth and the good or bad fortune they experience results from karma. While Pure Land Buddhism spread and became dominant in other East Asian countries, China is the land of its birth.

In China, the Pure Land teaching made the prospect of liberation from suffering and the attainment of buddhahood feasible for ordinary people.

Prior to the development of Pure Land Buddhism, the only way to enlightenment lay through an arduous path of study and practice that was out of reach for most people. Pure Land Buddhism taught that the pure land of Amitābha was accessible to regular people after they died. Since all these buddhas had to reside somewhere, and their environments had to be as pure as they were, it followed that there are many buddha-lands.

One of the innovative teachings of Mahayana Buddhism was that the cosmos is inhabited by millions of buddhas, not just the historical founder of the religion.

Pure Land by Charles B. Jones