Page 54 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

In the fourth century , a monk from Central Asia arrived at

Loyang, then the capital of China, and engaged in widespread

evangelism on this easy and convenient path of salvation which

stirred the interests of many. His work was later continued by

his famous disciple Tao-An ( 314–385) with just as much

vigour who then passed on the responsibility to his own disciple,

a former Taoist, Hui Yuan ( 334–416), who later found the

Pure Land School better known then as the Lotus School.

It must be stressed again that rebirth in the Pure Land does

not constitute the attainment of Nirvana, as it is but one of the

countless heavenly realms in the Buddhist Cosmology.

However there is a great difference between the Pure Land of

Amitabha and the various heavenly states in that beings born

there are free from the temptations of sensuous delights and that

they will be blessed with the most excellent conditions to prac-

tise the Dharma, as have been described earlier, that will lead to

Nirvana.

With the practice of meditation on the evil consequences of

Samsara, one will put more effort in his practice of Nien-Fwo

and appreciate the great opportunity of being a human being

and having found the means of renouncing Samsara.

Pure Land Buddhism also has various meditational practices for

those who are well on the path. Here are the five popular prac-

tices which anyone may practise to achieve rebirth into the Pure

Land:

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