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Pure Land
Devotional Mahāyāna traditions centered on Amitābha Buddha and birth in the Pure Land through faith and recitation.
Pure Land Buddhism focuses on Amitābha (Amida) Buddha and the vow that beings who entrust themselves and recite the name can be born in Sukhāvatī, the Land of Bliss. The path emphasizes faith, vow, and practice (nenbutsu / nianfo) accessible to laypeople.
Forms include Chinese Pure Land, Japanese Jōdo Shū and Jōdo Shinshū, and modern movements such as Soka Gakkai (Nichiren-based but often listed near East Asian lay Buddhism in directories). Temples combine chanting services with community life and, in Shin Buddhism, a distinctive theology of other-power (tariki).
Practices
Nembutsu / nianfo
Recitation of Amitābha’s name as the central practice.
Faith & vow
Entrusting mind (*shinjin*) in Shinran’s teaching; aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land.
Temple services
Congregational chanting, memorial rites, and study classes.
Texts
The Three Pure Land Sutras
Shorter/Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha and Amitāyur-dhyāna.
Tannishō
Yuien (Shinran tradition)