Pure Land Buddhism

Welcome to the English-language website of the Pure Land school.

　　Our aim is to introduce to international audiences the teachings and practices of Pure Land Buddhism according to the lineage of Master Shandao (善導大師, 613-681) of Tang Dynasty China.
　　Master Shandao, long revered in East Asia as an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha, is universally acknowledged as the de facto founder of the Pure Land school of Buddhism. Grounding his teachings in the three Pure Land sutras preached by Shakyamuni Buddha, he urged practitioners to aspire to rebirth in the Land of Bliss by reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha exclusively.
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After the Charter, it is necessary to be familiar with the school’s founder, for the former is based on the teachings of the latter.

　　The founder occupies a preeminent position in the school, unmatched by others. The founder of the Pure Land school was Master Shandao of the Tang Dynasty, widely accepted as an incarnation of Amitabha Buddha. He synthesized and completed the Pure Land teachings and wrote the Five Works in Nine Fascicles, which definitively laid down the thought and practices of the Pure Land tradition.
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By Dharma Master Huijing
English translation by Householder Jingtu

A “charter” outlines the principles characteristic of a Dharma school and sets forth guidelines for practice by its adherents.

　　The Pure Land Charter was drafted by Dharma Master Huijing. It serves as a manifesto for the Pure Land school, summarizing its evolution over more than a millennium, up to the present day. The Charter consists of 18 clauses defining the essential elements of the school and clearly lays out its framework.

Dharma Master Huijing

Master Fazhao, a venerable monk of the Tang Dynasty (747-821 AD), followed teachings and practices so closely aligned with those of Master Shandao (613-681 AD) that later generations came to know him as the latter-day Shandao, believing him to be the incarnation of the founder of the Pure Land school in China.

Dharma Master Jingzong

In the summer of 1994, when I was 28, my father passed away. After the funeral was over, I started to handle my own affairs. I called my younger brother over......

Amitabha Buddha is Like a Huge Mountain

In 2020, to celebrate Amitabha Buddha’s birthday, the Shandao Temple of the Pure Land Buddhist Association in Pingtung, Taiwan, held a 7-day Buddha recitation ceremony that concluded on the Buddha's birthday, November 17th of the lunar calendar. During this period, the temple organized morning sessions for chanting and afternoon sessions where venerable masters took turns teaching the principles of Pure Land Buddhism.

Chapter on the Easy Path and The Twelve Rites

When the Ordinary Being “I” Encounters the Amitabha-reciter Self

By Master Jueyue

The world is vast, boundless and wide,

Yet it all exists within the “I”.

Because of “I”, the world unfolds,

Because of “I”, the cycle of samsara rolls.......

Dharma Master Huijing

Dharma Master Jingzong

Amitabha Buddha is Like a Huge Mountain

Chapter on the Easy Path and The Twelve Rites

When the Ordinary Being “I” Encounters the Amitabha-reciter Self

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