Sogdian merchants were the leading tradesmen working the Silk Road. Sogdiana was a kingdom-state, of which the legendary city Samarakand was the symbolic and cultural
No dedication required for rebirth in the Pure Land through the primary practices Why is it important to differentiate between the Mind of Merit-dedication and
A summary of the mind of merit-dedication and rebirth-aspiration By relying on the general understanding of the dedication of merit in the traditional bodhisattva teachings, some
One is “born there at once” through the Three States of Mind As discussed in my last article, the context of dedication-aspiration in Pure Land
More dance styles are depicted in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes than at any other archaeological site on earth. Dance imagery animates nearly every cave. The
All beings can be reborn in the Land of Bliss if they dedicate and aspire accordingly Referring to the teachings of the two Buddhas, Master
Over the course of several days in 2009, I had the great fortune to visit the Buddhist cave temples surrounding the oasis town of Dunhuang
Three ways to attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss In my earlier article, “Karmic Circumstance—Who is Entitled to be Reborn in the Pure Land,”*
The significance of the Buddha’s response to Queen Vaidehi’s request In examining the literal meaning of the title of the Contemplation Sutra, we may have the
After seeing several Cham festivals in remote places on a 2014 trip to Ladakh and neighboring Zanskar, I came to the conclusion that video-documenting Cham
Meditative practitioners are entitled to rebirth in the Pure Land In the Contemplation Sutra, Queen Vaidehi asks Shakyamuni Buddha to teach her how to meditate and
Two teachings by two Buddhas—the dual objective of the Contemplation Sutra In his Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra, Master Shandao says: “Here, the objective of the Contemplation Sutra is
