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Pure Land Buddhism (, ''Jìngtǔzōng''; , ''Jōdoshū''; Buddhism and currently one of the more popular schools of Buddhism in East Asia , along with Zen . It is a devotional or "faith"-oriented branch of Buddhism focused on Amitabha Buddha. Pure Land Buddhism is often found within larger Buddhist practices such as the Chinese Tiantai school, or Japanese Shingon Buddhism. However, Pure Land Buddhism is also an independent school as seen in the Japanese Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu schools. There is not one "school" of Pure Land Buddhism ''per se'', but rather it is a large subset of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. The main idea behind Pure Land Buddhism is the East Asian world view that the Buddhist world was in decline and that Nirvana had become increasingly difficult to obtain for the common people. Instead of meditative work toward enlightenment, Pure Land Buddhism teaches that through devotion to just Amitabha one will be reborn in the Pure Land in which enlightenment is guaranteed. Pure Land Buddhism was popular among commoners and monastics as it provided a straightforward way of expressing faith as a Buddhist. In medieval Japan it was also popular among those on the outskirts of society, such as prostitutes and social outcastes, who were often denied spiritual services by society but could still find some form of religious practice through worshipping Buddha Amitabha. OVERVIEW Pure Land Buddhism is based on the Pure Land Sutras said by some to have first been brought to China as early as 148 CE, when the Parthian monk Ān Shìgāo (安世高) began translating sutras into Chinese in the imperial capital of Luòyáng (洛阳) during the Hàn (汉) dynasty at the White Horse Temple (白马寺) Báimǎ Sì . The Kushan monk Lokakśema , who arrived in Luòyáng two decades after Ān Shìgāo, is often attributed with the earliest translations of the core sutras of Pure Land Buddhism. These sutras describe Amitabha and his heaven-like Pure Land, called Sukhavati. , 13th Century , Kamakura , Japan .]] Although Amitabha Buddha was mentioned, or featured in, a number of Buddhist sutras, the Larger Sutra Of Immeasurable Life is often considered the most important and definitive. In this sutra, the Buddha describes to his assistant, Ananda , how Amitabha, as an advanced monk named Dharmakara, made a great series of vows to save all beings, and through his great merit, created a realm called the Land of Bliss (Sukhavati).http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/purelandscriptures/id2.html This paradise would later come to be known as the Pure Land in Chinese translation. Pure Land Buddhism played a minor role in early Indian Buddhism, particular the , Japan , Taiwan , and Vietnam . Contemporary Pure Land traditions see the Buddha Amitabha preaching the Dharma in his buddha-field ( Sa. ''buddhakṣetra''), called the "Pure Land" ( Zh. , Pinyin ''jìngtǔ'', Jp. ''jodo'', Vi. ') or "Western Pureland" (Ch. ), a region offering respite from Karmic transmigration. The Vietnamese also use the term ' () for "Western Land of Bliss", or more accurately, "Western Paradise". In such traditions, entering the Pure Land is popularly perceived as equivalent to the attainment of enlightenment. After one attains enlightenment in the Pure Land, rather than becoming a Buddha and entering nirvana, they will return to the samsara as bodhisattva and help other deluded beings in the six realms. Thus, adherents believe that Buddha, because people are now living in a degenerate era, known as the Age Of Dharma Decline . Instead of solitary meditative work toward enlightenment, Pure Land Buddhism teaches that devotion to Amitabha will lead one to the Pure Land from which enlightenment will be guaranteed. In medieval East Asian culture, this belief was particularly popular among peasants, and individuals who were considered "impure", such as hunters, fishermen, those who tan hides, prostitutes and so on. Pure Land Buddhism provided a way to practice Buddhism for those who were not capable of practicing other forms. It is believed, that if practitioners chant Amitabha Buddha's name, or the has contributed greatly to its popularity throughout East Asia. Another alternate practice found in Pure Land Buddhism is meditation or contemplation of are more popular among esoteric Buddhist practices, such as Japanese Shingon Buddhism, while the Nianfo is more popular among lay followers. EASTERN PURE LAND In Esoteric Vajrayana Buddhism, Amitabha's Western Pure Land is the counterpart to Akshobhya 's Eastern Pure Land, or Abhirati . While especially recognized by the Japanese Shingon sect, Eastern Pure Land Buddhism is less popular than in Western Pure Land Buddhism. SEE ALSO
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