Pure Land Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism, devotional cult of the Buddha Amitabha—“Buddha of Infinite Light,” known in China as Emituofo and in Japan as Amida. It is one of the most popular forms of Mahayana Buddhism in eastern Asia. Pure Land schools believe that rebirth in Amitabha’s Western Paradise, Sukhavati, known as the Pure Land, or Pure Realm, is ensured for all those who invoke Amitabha’s name with sincere devotion (nembutsu, referring to the Japanese formula of invocation,...