FAQ: Which sutras talk about Amitabha and His Pure Land? Where can I study to gain more knowledge about the Pure Land Dharma? 

There are a lot of Mahayana sutras (sutras are written records of the Buddha’s teachings) which feature Amitabha Buddha and his pure Land. It is said 290 such works have been identified in the Taisho Tripitaka (Chinese Buddhist canon). 

The teachings of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism are primarily based on the five sutras (particularly the three primary Pure Land sutras) plus one treatise:  

Three Primary Pure Land Sutras: 

  1. The Buddha Speaks of Amitābha Sutra (Amitābha Sutra, the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra) 佛说阿弥陀经

  2. The Buddha Speaks of the Infinite Life Sutra (Infinite Life Sutra, the Longer Sukhavatiyuha Sutra, or The Buddha Speaks of the Mahayana Infinite Life Adornment Purity Impartiality and Enlightenment Sutra) 佛说大乘无量寿庄严清净平等觉经

  3. The Sutra of Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life (Visualization Sutra/Contemplation Sutra/Meditation Sutra, Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra) 佛说观无量寿经

Two sutras were added later: 

4. The Practices and Vow of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (the last chapter of Avatamsaka Sutra/Flower Adornment Sutra, added by Upasaka Wei Yuan in the Qing Dynasty) 普贤行愿品 

5. The Chapter of Bodhisattva Dashizhi (Mahāsthāmaprāpta) on Nianfo Samādhi (an extract from Chapter Five of the Surangama Sutra, added by the 13th Patriarch of Chinese Pure Land Buddhism - Master Yinguang) 大势至菩萨念佛圆通章

One treatise (commentary): 

6. The Rebirth Treatise:Bodhisattva Vasubandhu’s Commentary on the Infinite Life Sutra 往生论

Some of these sutras may not be so easily understood. Jiawen will also expound the sutras later on our Pure Land Buddhism YouTube Channel, so you can keep an eye on that if you want to study the sutras. 




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FAQ: If I want to understand more about the Pure Land Dharma where should I begin? 

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