The term Ōjō () is a term in

Japanese Buddhism Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...

for rebirth in the

Pure Land Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...

of Amitabha Buddha. Sometimes the term is expressed as . The subject of how to obtain birth in the Pure Land remained an important question throughout Japanese Buddhist history even until today.

The Nara Schools

The early Nara Buddhism schools provided different opinions as to how to obtain rebirth in the Pure Land, though in some cases, such as the Hossō school taught that icchantikas (people who committed the Five Grave Acts) could not obtain rebirth ever. Other schools taught that while accessible to all, the rituals involved were difficult, or that rebirth was not desirable.

Tendai and Shingon

Early sects, particularly the

Tendai , also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...

and

Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

sects relied on esoteric texts, or interpretations of the Contemplation Sutra to develop rituals and visualizations of rebirth in the Pure Land.

Genshin , also known as , was a prominent Japanese monk of the Tendai school, recognized for his significant contributions to both Tendai and Pure Land Buddhism. Genshin studied under Ryōgen, a key reformer of the Tendai tradition, and became well kn ...

, a Tendai monk, wrote the ''

Ōjōyōshū The was an influential medieval Buddhism, Buddhist text composed in 985 by the Japanese Buddhist monk Genshin. The text is a comprehensive analysis of Buddhist practices related to rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitābha, Amida Buddha, drawing upon ...

'' in which he described the horrors of Hell in Buddhism, and the delights of the

of Amitabha Buddha, then teaches the importance of reciting the

nembutsu file:玉里華山寺 (21)南無阿彌陀佛古碑.jpg, 250px, Chinese Nianfo carving The Nianfo ( zh, t=wikt:念佛, 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese language, Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. ...

while maintaining a regimen of visualization and meditation practices. For the Tendai sect in particular, the importance of rebirth in the Pure Land gained prominence among Saichō's later disciples, almost equal in importance to the central teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

Kamakura Buddhism

As new, reform Buddhist sects arose in the

Kamakura period The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...

, the importance of the concept of the Age of Dharma Decline gained prominence during this difficult period in history. It was during this time that independent schools of Jōdo and

Jōdo Shinshū , also known as Shin Buddhism or True Pure Land Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Shin Buddhism is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan. History Shinran (founder) S ...

arose, with

Hōnen , also known as Genkū, was the founding figure of the , the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism. Hōnen became a Tendai initiate at an early age, but grew disaffected and sought an approach to Buddhism that all people of all ...

teaching based on the Larger Sutra that rebirth could be obtained, even for icchantikas, solely by reciting Amitabha's name: the

. Hōnen's doctrine led to resistance among monks of the more traditional and state-sanctioned sects, leading to persecution or alternate teachings. One of Hōnen's sharpest critics, Myoe, taught another means of rebirth in the Pure Land through chanting of the

Mantra of Light file:World's Largest Gold & Jade Buddha, Nanshan Guanyin Park (10098528223).jpg, A statue of Avalokiteśvara, Amoghapāśa Lokeśvara at Nanshan Island, Nanshan, China. The Mantra of Light, alternatively (光明真言, pinyin: ''guāngmíng zhēny ...

as a counter to Hōnen's doctrine.

References

* Pure Land Buddhism Buddhism in Japan {{Mahayana-stub