Pure Land
The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions
|
1997
|
|
© The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions 1997, originally published by Oxford University Press 1997. (Hide copyright information)
Copyright
Pure Land (Skt.,
sukhāvatī; Chin.,
ching-t'u; Jap.,
jōdo). An untainted transcendent realm created by the
Buddha Amitābha (
Amida), to which his devotees aspire to be born in their next lifetime. Since all the conditions in Pure Land propel one toward enlightenment, anyone born there will attain
nirvāna quickly and easily. According to
Mahāyāna doctrine, there are countless Pure Lands or Buddha Lands (Skt.,
buddhakṣetra; Chin.,
fo-t'u; Jap.,
butsudo), each produced by a different Buddha. In addition to Amitābha's, the one created by the Buddha
Akṣobhya is frequently mentioned in Buddhist writings. None the less, only the Pure Land of Amitābha ever achieved widespread popularity in E. Asian Buddhism. Hence, in China, Korea, and Japan the expression ‘Pure Land’ came to be used as a proper noun signifying Amitābha's transcendent realm rather than as a generic term for any Buddha Land.
Detailed descriptions of the Pure Land are contained in three Pure Land sūtras (
Sukhāvatīvyuha Sūtras) revered by E. Asian Buddhists:
Wu-liang-shou ching (Jap.,
Muryojukyo; Larger Pure Land Sūtra);
O-mi-tʾo ching (Jap.,
Amidakyo; Smaller Pure Land Sūtra);
Kuan wu-liang-shou-fo ching (Jap.,
Kanmuryōjukyō; Pure Land Meditation Sūtra). According to them, Amitābha's realm is located in the western direction, and it is known by the name
Sukhāvati (Skt.; Chin.,
chilo; Jap.,
gokuraku), meaning ‘Utmost Bliss’. The chanting of Amitābha's name, known in Japan as the
nembutsu, emerged as the most common practice.
Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.
|
Kimberly A. LoPrete, Adela of Blois: Countess and Lord (c.1067-1137).(Book review)
Magazine article from: Medium Aevum; 9/22/2007; ; 700+ words
; ...of the early twelfth century, including figures such as Guibert de Nogent, Eadmer, William of Malmesbury, and Ordericus Vitalis. In tracing Adela's activity Kimberly A. LoPrete follows a largely biographical pattern, first up to Adela...
|
|
Medicine in the English Middle Ages.
Magazine article from: Church History; 12/1/1999; ; 700+ words
; ...example, who preferred Padua to Prague. So what made the situation in England distinctive? From the comments of Ordericus Vitalis (1075-1142) Getz notes that the English demonstrated contempt for "the flashy, foreign, self-indulgent ways...
|
|
Ordericus Vitalis
Book article from: The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature
Ordericus Vitalis (1075–1142/3), a monk of St Évroul in Normandy. He wrote between 1114 and 1141 his Ecclesiastical History...
|
