It is one of the three principle Pure Land sutras along with the Longer Amitabha Sutra and the Shorter Amitabha Sutra. Amitāyus is another name for the Buddha Amitābha, the preeminent figure in Pure Land Buddhism, and this sūtra focuses mainly on meditations involving complex visualizations. This is reflected in the name of the sūtra, which translates to the『Amitāyus Meditation Sūtra.』It is believed to have first been composed in Chinese in the 5th century.[1]
The name of the sūtra translates to the "Amitāyus Meditation Sūtra."[citation needed] According to Paul Williams, a more accurate Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit title for this text would be Amitāyurbuddhānusmṛti Sūtra, meaning "Amitāyus Buddha-mindfulness Sūtra."[2]
According to tradition, it was translated into Chinese by a monk named Kalayashas between 424 and 442 AD. However, it is generally considered by modern scholarship to be apocryphal, a composition originally written in Chinese.[3][4][5][1]
No Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit original has been discovered and the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit name and Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit versions would thus be reverse translations.[6]: 10 The text also shows Chinese influences, including references to earlier translations of Chinese Pure Land texts. Modern scholars generally accept that the text describes a meditation which was practiced in Central Asia, but with Chinese additions.[1]
The text begins with a story where a prince named Ajātasattu was enticed by the villain Devadatta to murder his father, King Bimbisara, in order to ascend the throne. Ajātasattu kills his father, and nearly kills his mother, Queen Vaidehi, but after advice from his other ministers, he relented and threw his mother in prison.
Lamenting her fate, Queen Vaidehi prays to Gautama Buddha for help, and he is able to visit her. Vaidehi expresses her wish to be born in Amitābha's pure land. Shakyamuni smiles, emitting light from his mouth, and goes on to tell Vaidehi how to be reborn in the Pure Land. The Buddha tells her that although she is in prison, she could still obtain liberation through the practices of Amitābha. The Buddha goes on to describe Amitābha and how one could obtain rebirth in his land of Sukhavati.[7]
This tale references historical incidents of the Haryanka dynastyofMagadha, India, and the religious tension between Gautama Buddha and his brother-in-law, Devadatta.
Shakyamuni explains the importance of performing certain meritorious acts in order to be reborn in the Pure Land. He then goes on to teach Vaidehi how to visualize the Pure Land, to further her efforts in attaining rebirth there. Shakyamuni describes thirteen "contemplations," or mental visualization exercises, that are to be followed in order. By deeply contemplating various aspects of the Pure Land and attempting to visualize them in detail, the aspirant draws closer to the Pure Land.
The thirteen contemplations are described in order as follows:[8]
Contemplation of Amitābha and the two bodhisattvas
Nine levels of birth
[edit]A fragment of a copy of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra at Wenzhou Museum.
In the final part of the sutra, Gautama Buddha discusses the nine levels into which those born into the Pure Land are categorized. The levels are ranked from highest to lowest as follows:[9]
The highest level of the highest grade
The middle level of the highest grade
The lowest level of the highest grade
The highest level of the middle grade
The middle level of the middle grade
The lowest level of the middle grade
The highest level of the lowest grade
The middle level of the lowest grade
The lowest level of the lowest grade
According to the Buddha, all nine grades of human beings can achieve rebirth into the Pure Land if they contemplate Amitābha or at least call on his name. This is similar to the 48 vows made by Amitābha, according to the Infinite Life Sutra, which includes the Primal Vow.
The sutra ends with a short section describing the benefits gained by those who listened to these words of the Buddha. Vaidehi experienced "great awakening with clarity of mind and reached the insight into the non-arising of all dharmas," while her five hundred female attendants and "innumerable devas" also awakened aspiration for the highest enlightenment. Shakyamuni names the sutra, mentions benefits connected with the name of Amitabha Buddha, and exhorts all to hold the words of the sutra in their minds. Shakyamuni then returns through the air to Vulture Peak.
^Fujita, "The Textual Origins of the Kuan Wu-liang-shou ching: A Canonical Scripture of Pure Land Buddhism", in Buswell, Robert E.; ed. (1990). Chinese Buddhist Apocrypha, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, ISBN0-5853-4963-0
^Hisao Inagaki, Harold Stewart (transl.): The Three Pure Land Sutras, p. XVIII. Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2003. ISBN1-886439-18-4
Hisao Inagaki, Harold Stewart (transl.): The Three Pure Land Sutras, Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2003. ISBN1-886439-18-4PDF retrieved 2013/07/28
Takakusu, J. (trans.), Friedrich Max Müller, ed.: Amitayurdhyana Sutra. In: The Sacred Books of the East, Volume XLIX: Buddhist Mahāyāna Texts, Part II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1894. Internet Archive
Tanaka, Kenneth K. 1990. The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Buddhist Doctrine: Jìngyǐng Huìyuán's Commentary on the Visualization Sūtra. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Johnson, Peter, trans. (2020). The Land of Pure Bliss, On the Nature of Faith & Practice in Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna) Buddhism, Including a Full Translation of Shàndǎo’s Commentary in Four Parts Explaining The Scripture About Meditation on the Buddha ‘Of Infinite Life’ (Amitāyur Buddha Dhyāna Sūtra, 觀無量壽佛經), An Lac Publications. ISBN978-1-7923-4208-0
The Taima Mandala Image of the Pure Land from a medieval Japanese scroll, based on the descriptions found in the Contemplation Sutra. This site offers explanations in English of the various motifs of the scroll.
