The Land of Pure Bliss (Sukhāvatī, 極樂國土) is an in-depth exploration of the nature and practice of faith as it has developed in Mahāyāna Buddhism over the past two thousand years.
The heart of the book is a first-ever full English translation of Shàndǎo’s Commentary Explaining the Scripture About Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Amitayur Dhyana Sūtra, 觀無量壽佛經), which was the inspiration for subsequent schools of ‘Pure Land’ Buddhism in East Asia. Also included is an introduction to the history and teachings of Pure Land thought as well as a sizable appendix of supplemental translations from other scriptures and discourses that provide insight into the nature and practice of faith as understood in Mahāyāna Buddhism. In addition to providing key terms in English, Sanskrit & Chinese, this work provides comprehensive footnotes and a thorough index to offer a background on Buddhist concepts and history relevant to the subject.
The contents:
The table of contents
The introduction
A translation of the sūtra
A translation of Shàndǎo’s commentary
The footnotes
Also included are supplemental translations of Pure Land thought from:
- The Longer Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Sukhavati Vyuha Sutra, 佛說無量壽經) describing the 48 vows of Dharmacara
- The Garland (Avatamsaka) Sutra (大方廣佛華嚴經) on the ten kinds of virtuous acts
- The Garland (Avatamsaka) Sutra (大方廣佛華嚴經) on the first of Sudhana’s 52 steps on the path
- The Garland (Avatamsaka) Sutra (大方廣佛華嚴經) on the last of Sudhana’s 52 steps on the path
- Chapter sixteen from The Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經) on Measuring the Lifespan of the Enlightened Being That Descended Into This World
- ‘On the Easier Practice (of Faith)’ from The Discourse About the Sutra on the Ten Levels of Grounding (Dasa Bhumika Vibhasa Sastra, 十住毘婆沙論) attributed to Nagarjuna
- The Commentary on the Longer Sutra About the Buddha of Infinite Life (Amitayur Buddha Sutra Upadesa, 無量壽經優波提舍) attributed to Vasubandhu
- ‘On the Practice (of Keeping the Buddha in Mind)’ from The Sutra on the Meditation In Which the Buddhas All Stand Before One (Pratyutpanna Buddha Saṃmukha Avasthita Samadhi Sutra, 般舟三昧經) and volume two of Zhiyi’s ‘Greatness of Introspection With Stillness of Mind’ (Mohe Zhiguan, 摩訶止観)
- ‘On the Practice of (Keeping the Buddha on Mind While) Ever Walking’ from Volume Two of Zhìyǐ’s ‘Greatness of Introspection With Stillness of Mind’ (Móhē Zhǐguān, 摩訶止観)
- An Esoteric Explanation of the Name ‘Infinite Life & Light’ (Amita Hishaku, 阿彌陀秘釋) by Kakuban
- On The Esoteric Meaning of the Seed Letters & Syllables in Sanskrit gleaned from ‘The Chapter on the Matrix of Syllables’ (Aksara Matrka Vyakhya, 釋字母品) translated by Amoghavajra (不空) and other Tantric sources
- Honen’s ‘One Page Testament’ (Ichimai Kishomon, 一枚起請文)
- ‘On Going Back Home’, a poem by Tao Yuan Ming
An Lạc Publications 