念佛能念无间断，口念弥陀打成片；
杂念不生得三昧，往生净土定有盼。
终日厌烦娑婆苦，才将红尘心念断；
求生极乐意念重，放下染念归净念。

如來所以興出世，唯說彌陀本願海

善導大師:「如來所以興出世，唯說彌陀本願海。」
一念相應一念佛，念念相應念念佛
若人專念彌陀佛，是名無上深妙禪，真傳教內分明在，教外何須莫別傳。
夏蓮居老居士淨語


《一念融》

口說極樂邦，心戀娑婆界，如此念彌陀，佛在西方外
佛自我心現，我在佛光中，念佛佛念我，根境一念融


《直念去》

彌陀教我念彌陀，口念彌陀聽彌陀
彌陀彌陀直念去，原來彌陀念彌陀

南無西方極樂世界大慈大悲大願大力接引導師阿彌陀佛

願以此功德，莊嚴佛淨土，上報四重恩，下濟三塗苦。
若有見聞者，悉發菩提心，盡此一報身，同生極樂國。

Pureland in a Nutshell

Pure Land, like all Mahayana schools, requires first and foremost the development of the Bodhi Mind, the aspiration to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.

From this starting point, the main tenets of the school can be understood at the main levels, the transcendental and the popular - depending on the background and capacities of the cultivator.

1. In its popular form, i.e. for ordinary practitioners in this spiritually degenerate age, some twenty-six centuries after the demise of the historical Buddha, Pure Land involves seeking rebirth in the Land of Amitabha Buddha. This is achieving within one lifetime through the practice of Amitabha recitation with sincere faith and vows, leading to one-pointedness of mind or samadhi.

Thus at the popular level, the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha is an ideal training ground, an ideal environment where the practitioner is reborn thanks both to his own efforts and the power of Amitabha Buddha's vows. No longer subject to retrogression, having left Birth and Death behind forever, the cultivator can now focus all his efforts towards the ultimate aim of Buddhahood. This aspect of Pure Land is the form under which the school is popularly known.

2. At the advanced level, i.e. for cultivators of high spiritual capacity, the Pure Land method, like other methods, reverts the ordinary, deluded mind to the Self-nature True Mind. In the process wisdom and buddhahood are eventually attained.

The high-level form of Pure Land is practiced by those of deep spiritual capacities:
"When the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure ........to recite the Buddha's name is to recite the Buddha of the self-mind."

In its totality, Pure Land reflects the highest teaching of Buddhism as expressed in the Avatamsaka Sutra: mutual identity and interpenetrating, the simplest method contains the ultimate and the ultimate is found in the simplest.

Pureland Buddhism

The goal of all Buddhist practice is to achieve Enlightenment and transcend the cycle of Birth and Death - that is, to attain Buddhahood.

In the Mahayana tradition, the precondition for Buddhahood is the Bodhi Mind, the aspiration to achieve Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, oneself included.

Since sentient beings are of different spiritual capacities and inclinations, many levels of teaching and numerous methods were devised in order to reach everyone.

Traditionally, the sutras speak of 84,000. I.e., an infinite number, depending on the circumstances, the times and target audience.

All these methods are expedients - different medicines for different individuals with different illnesses at different times - but all are intrinsically perfect and complete. Within each method, the success or failure of an individual's cultivation depends on his depth of practice and understanding, that is, on his mind.