Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra
The putative Sanskrit title of one of the three major scriptures of the Pure Land school in east Asia. No Sanskrit work is known to exist, and the text exists only in Chinese and in central Asian languages that are clearly translations from the Chinese. This has led scholars to conclude that the text was not composed in India, and so the Sanskrit title as given above is a hypothetical reconstruction from the Chinese title Kuan wu-liang-shou fo ching. Whether this scripture originated in one of the oasis kingdoms along the Silk Road or in China itself is still a subject of speculation among scholars. The Chinese ‘translation’ is attributed to Kālayaśas between the years 424 and 442 ce.
The principal concern of this sūtra is to lay out a system of sixteen graded visualizations, the first thirteen of which will enable the practitioner to attain a direct vision of the Buddha Amitābha, his Bodhisattva attendants, and his land. These visualizations include features of the Pure Land such as the setting sun, the western region surrounded by pure undisturbed water, the ground, the jewelled trees, the eight jewelled ponds, and so forth. The text counsels that these visualizations need to be supported by firm faith (śraddhā) and ethical practices, defined as filiality, respect for and support of teachers, compassion (karuṇā), and the ten good actions (daśa-kuśala-karmapatha). Furthermore, they are to be nourished by three mental dispositions: the mind of utmost sincerity, the profound mind, and the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land. With these supporting conditions, the practitioner will have a vision of Amitābha that demonstrates karmic links to him of sufficient strength to lead to rebirth in the Pure Land.
At the opposite end are the inferior of the inferior, those who have led vicious lives and committed even the so-called ‘five heinous deeds’ (ānantarya karma), which would ordinarily disqualify one from attaining Buddhahood. With only the exception of those who have slandered the teachings, these are people who, on their deathbeds, have a premonition of the horrors of hell awaiting them but, on account of hearing Pure Land teachings in this time of crisis, call upon Amitābha with deep conviction and distress, and are saved by him. These attain the Pure Land, but only make the outer borders of it and spend hundreds of aeons working toward Buddhahood. However, even they are assured of reaching the fruits of non-retrogression and will never return to the evil paths of saṃsāra again. Thus, although this sūtra is primarily concerned to teach a highly complex meditative discipline as a way to attain rebirth, it is also the locus classicus for the passages that allow for the widest possible access to rebirth for all of humanity.
The last three of the sixteen visualizations are not actually objects of contemplation per se, but rather doctrinal issues relating to the types of beings who can achieve rebirth in the Pure Land and what their accomplishments will be. These include: those of the superior grade, those of the middling grade, and those of the inferior grade. Each of these grades is further subdivided into levels of superior, middling, and inferior, making a total of nine. Those at the highest represent the paragons of Buddhism, practitioners of deep doctrinal understanding, unblemished ethical conduct, unbounded compassionate action, and profound meditative attainments. They will have an immediate vision of Amitābha upon rebirth in the Pure Land and will attain Buddhahood almost instantly.
