Buddha Contemplation
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Buddha Contemplation
265px, A Japanese scroll of the Taima Mandala (c. 14th century) depicting the scenery of the Amitāyus Contemplation Sūtra, ''Sutra of the Contemplation of Amitayus'' Buddha contemplation (Chinese: ''guānfo'' 觀佛), is a central Buddhist meditation practice in East Asian Buddhism, especially popular in Pure Land Buddhism, but also found in other traditions such as East Asian Yogācāra, Tiantai and Huayan. This practice involves the visualization and contemplation of a mental image of a Buddha and the attributes of their Pure Land, aiming to develop faith, devotion, and a deep connection to the Buddha's spiritual qualities.Payne, Richard "Seeing Sukhavati : Yogacara and the Origins of Pure Land Visualization" p. 265-283. in ''The Pure Land, Journal of Pure Land Buddhism,'' New Series, No. 20 (IASBS, Dec. 2003); 304 pp. The 9th Block Conference at Duesseldorf & The 11th Biennial Conference at Berkeley : Conference Papers. Etc. As such, Buddha contemplation is a Mahayana typ ...
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Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)
Samantabhadra () is a great bodhisattva in Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni Triad in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the patron of the '' Lotus Sutra'' and, according to the '' Avatamsaka Sutra'', made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva. In Chinese Buddhism, Samantabhadra is known as Puxian and is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with '' prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom). In Japan, this bodhisattva is known as Fugen, and is often venerated in Tendai and Shingon Buddhism. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha, often portrayed in indivisible union ('' yab-yum'') with his consort, Samantabhadrī. In wrathful form he is one of the Eight Herukas of the Nyingma Mahayoga and he is known as Vajramrtra, But this Samantabhadra buddha and Samantabhadra bodhisattva are not the same. In M ...
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Buddhist Deities
Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included mainly Indian figures such as devas, asuras and yakshas, but later came to include other Asian spirits and local gods (like the Burmese ''nats'' and the Japanese ''kami''). They range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits adopted by Buddhists or practiced on the margins of the religion. Buddhists later also came to incorporate aspects from the countries to which it spread. As such, it includes many aspects taken from other mythologies of those cultures. Buddhas A Buddha is a being who is fully awakened and has fully comprehended the Four Noble Truths. In the Theravada tradition, while there is a list of acknowledged past Buddhas, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni is the only Buddha of our current era and is generally not seen as accessible or as existing in some higher plane of existence. The Pali literature of the Theravāda tradi ...
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Nianfo
250px, Chinese Nianfo carving The Nianfo ( zh, t= 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. The Chinese term ''nianfo'' is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' ("recollection of the Buddha"), a classic Buddhist mindfulness (smṛti) practice. Nianfo focused on the Buddha Amitābha is also the most important practice in Pure Land Buddhism. In the context of East Asian Pure Land practice, nianfo typically refers to the oral repetition of the name of Amitābha through the phrase "Homage to Amitabha Buddha" ( Ch: 南無阿彌陀佛, Mandarin: Nāmó Āmítuófó, Jp: Namu Amida Butsu; from the Sanskrit: Namo'mitābhāya Buddhāya). It can also refer to that phrase itself, in which case it may also be called ''the'' nianfo, or "The Name" (Japanese: ''myōgō'' 名号). In most extant Pure Land traditions, faithfully reciting the name of Amitābha is mainly seen as a way to obtain birth in Amitābha's pure land of ...
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Other Power
Other power (Chinese: tālì 他力, Japanese: tariki, Sanskrit: *para-bala) is an East Asian Mahayana Buddhist concept which is discussed in Pure Land Buddhism and other forms of East Asian Buddhism. It generally refers to the power of a Buddha which can inspire someone, and take them to the Pure Land where they may easily become a Buddha. Other power is often contrasted with "self power" or , that is, attempting to achieve enlightenment through one's own efforts. According to Mark L. Blum, other power can be described as "something 'received' or 'influenced' from the sacred world beyond the self".Blum, Mark L. ''The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism: A Study and Translation of Gyonen's Jodo Homon Genrusho,'' p. 8. Oxford University Press, Mar 21, 2002 Other power is also commonly called "Buddha-power" or "vow power" (願力, Chinese: yuànlì, Japanese: ganriki, Skt. praṇidhāna-vaśa), the latter referring to a Buddha's past bodhisattva vows (purvapraṇidhāna) ...
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Sukhavati
Sukhavati ( IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful"; Chinese: 極樂世界, lit. "realm of ultimate bliss") is the pure land (or buddhafield) of the Buddha Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. Sukhavati is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure Land and is the most well-known of the Mahayana Buddhist pure lands due to the popularity of Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia. Sukhavati is also an important postmortem goal for Tibetan Buddhists, and is a common buddhafield used in the practice of phowa ("transference of consciousness at the time of death"). Sukhavati was widely depicted in Mahayana Buddhist art and remains an important theme in Buddhist art. Different traditions understand the nature of Sukhavati differently. The Pure Land Buddhist traditions often sees it as a Samboghakaya pure land (this was the view of Shandao), while other traditions, like some Tibetan Buddhists, see it as a nirmanakaya Pure Land. Furthermore, in Chinese Buddhism, there are two views on Sukhava ...
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Mahasthamaprapta
Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength". Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, Avalokiteśvara, Ākāśagarbha, Kṣitigarbha, Maitreya and Sarvanivarana-Vishkambhin. In Chinese Buddhism, Mahasthamaprapta is sometimes portrayed as a woman, Dashizhi, with a likeness similar to Avalokiteśvara (known as Guanyin in China). He is also one of the Thirteen Buddhas in the Japanese school of Shingon Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mahāsthāmaprāpta is equated with Vajrapani, who is one of his incarnations and was known as the Protector of Gautama Buddha. Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the oldest bodhisattvas and is regarded as powerful, especially in the Pure Land school, where he takes an important role in the '' Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra''. He is often depicted in a trinity with Amitābha ...
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Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra
The ''Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra'' (Sanskrit; ; Vietnamese: Kinh Bát Chu Tam Muội) is an early Mahayana Buddhist scripture, which probably originated between the 1st century BCE and 2nd century CE in the Gandhara area of northwestern India. The full title for this text is ''Pratyutpannabuddha Saṃmukhāvasthita Samādhi Sūtra'', which translates to, "Sūtra on the Samādhi for Encountering Face-to-Face the Buddhas of the Present". The ''Pratyutpanna'' is a particularly important Mahayana sutra in East Asian Pure Land Buddhism and Tiantai (Jp: Tendai) Buddhism, since it contains key teachings on Buddha contemplation and Buddha recollection (nianfo). It is the main source for the Tiantai school's "constantly walking samadhi" practice (taught in Zhiyi's '' Mohe Zhiguan''), also known as the pratyutpanna-samādhi (the meditative absorption of direct encounter f the Buddhas. The sutra was commented on and relied upon by numerous Chinese Pure Land masters, like Huiyuan, Sha ...
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Amitāyus Contemplation Sūtra
The ''Amitāyus Contemplation Sūtra'' ( zh , t=佛說觀無量壽佛經, s=佛说观无量寿佛经, p=Fóshuōguānwúliàngshòufójīng, w=, l=, English language, English: ''Contemplation of Amitāyus Sutra,'' or ''Sutra on the Visualization of Measureless Life'' [''Buddha''], Taishō Tripiṭaka, Taisho no. 365) is a Mahayana sutras, Mahāyāna sutra which is important for East Asian Pure Land Buddhism, a major branch of East Asian Buddhism, East Asian Mahāyāna.Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014). ''The Princeton dictionary of Buddhism,'' p. 332. (Princeton University Press).Williams, Paul. ''Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations, 2nd edition.'' Routledge, 2009, p. 239 No Sanskrit original has been found, and the title of the sutra has been back-translated into Sanskrit by scholars as either ''Amitāyur-Dhyana in Buddhism, dhyāna Sūtra'' or ''Amitāyur-buddhānusmṛti-sūtra'' ("Amitāyus Buddha-mindfulness Sūtra"). The ''Contemplation Sūtra'' is pa ...
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