Charles B. Jones - Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice

PRAISE FOR PURE LAND

This is the first book in English that covers the essential elements of the overall development of Pure Land Buddhismfrom India to its spread in East Asia. This impressive work is based on the latest scholarship but is presented to be accessible to ordinary readers. Pure Land dispels the stereotypical image of Pure Land Buddhism as being merely a devotional and popular belief. Instead, we learn that its beginnings are reflected in the Sanskrit texts and were nurtured through the two millennia of orthodox tradition practiced by not only laypersons but also by monastics. The Pure Land tradition probably offers the most egalitarian path to enlightenment, which partly accounts for its ubiquitous presence throughout the Mahayana Buddhist world. This book is certain to expand the readers knowledge of the scope of what Buddhism offers to the contemporary world.

K ENNETH K. T ANAKA , past president of the International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies and Professor Emeritus at Musashino University, Tokyo

Despite being one of the most popular streams of Mahayana, Pure Land has long been marginalized in the West. It is sometimes seen as simple-minded, when its simplicity results from the profundity of a direct path to awakening. Jones demonstrates that he is not only one of the preeminent scholars of Pure Land Buddhism in the world today, but that he has the ability to make the Pure Land tradition accessible for practitioners in our present world.

R ICHARD K. P AYNE , Yehan Numata Professor of Japanese Buddhist Studies

A compass to orient people to the Pure Land tradition, Pure Land: History, Tradition, and Practice is a solid, clear, and contextualized account that fills a lacunae in the field. Its accessibility makes it an inevitable choice as a classroom resource or for anyone seeking a clear path to understanding. It offers insight into the dynamics that led to the Pure Land tradition becoming pervasive in the East Asian Buddhist landscape.

P AULA A RAI , PhD, author of Women Living Zen and Painting Enlightenment

Charles Jones has written an eminently readable description of the Pure Land form of Buddhism as it evolvedfrom an outline of its core religious perspectives and the myths and teachings described in its authoritative scriptures to a series of descriptions of the many fascinating individuals who contributed to shaping the tradition. This book will serve as a reliable source both for students of Buddhism and followers eager to learn more about its history and practices.

M ARK L. B LUM , Professor of Buddhist Studies and Japanese Studies, University of California, Berkeley

Shambhala Publications, Inc.

4720 Walnut Street

Boulder, Colorado 80301

www.shambhala.com

2021 by Charles B. Jones

Cover art: Taima Mandala, Charles Stewart Smith Collection,

Gift of Mrs. Charles Stewart Smith, Charles Stewart Smith Jr., and Howard Caswell Smith, in memory of Charles Stewart Smith, 1914

Cover design: Sarah Brody

Interior design: Claudine Mansour Design

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

For more information please visit www.shambhala.com.

Shambhala Publications is distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House, Inc., and its subsidiaries.

L IBRARY OF C ONGRESS C ATALOGING - IN -P UBLICATION D ATA

Names: Jones, Charles Brewer, 1957 author.

Title: Pure Land: history, tradition, and practice / Charles B. Jones.

Description: First edition. | Boulder, Colorado: Shambhala, [2021] | Series: Buddhist foundations | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020031250 | ISBN 9781611808902 (trade paperback)

eISBN 9780834843448

Subjects: LCSH: Pure Land Buddhism.

Classification: LCC BQ8515.4 .J66 2021 | DDC 294.3/926dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020031250

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