My Father Received by Amitabha Buddha
Alan Kwan
24 October 2014
My Dad was Skeptical about Buddhism My dad passed away in April 2012 at the age of 95. He was not well educated, and had
Buddha-invocation: pristine Pure Land and Other Schools
Alan Kwan
10 October 2014
Buddha-invocation (Ch. nianfo; J. nembutsu) in its various forms is the most common practice in Buddhism. It is a routine daily practice in nearly all schools of
Is Pure Land Buddhism “Religious”?
Alan Kwan
3 October 2014
Wisdom and Faith: Two Sides of the Same Coin For years, I have been searching for the meaning of life, the absolute truth, the ultimate
Pure Land Buddhism: Merging Faith and Reason
Raymond Lam
26 September 2014
“What does Athens have to do with Jerusalem?” scoffed the early church writer Tertullian, and in so uttering drew the battle lines between reason and
The Hidden Meaning of “Sincere Mind”
Alan Kwan
12 September 2014
The Importance of “Sincere Mind” “Sincere Mind” is the first of the “Three States of Mind,” in other words, “Sincere Mind,” “Deep Mind,” and “Mind
Reuniting with Infinite Light: Master Huijing’s “What Kind of Buddha Is Amitabha?”
Raymond Lam
12 September 2014
Fourteen years ago, José Cabezón argued brilliantly that “theology” should no longer be a dirty word in Buddhism (despite being derived from the Greek word theos, or “God”).
Developing the Virtue of Faith
Alan Kwan
29 August 2014
The Faith Approach and the Wisdom Approach Pure Land Buddhism is a teaching of deliverance by other-power for rebirth in the Land of Bliss, not a teaching
“Seed” of Virtue Necessary for Rebirth in the Land of Bliss
Alan Kwan
15 August 2014
A Brief History of the Formation of the Land of Bliss According to the Infinite Life Sutra, in the era of Lokeshvararaja Tathagata, there was once
The Nature of the Land of Bliss
Alan Kwan
8 August 2014
Two Kinds of Nature As a Pure Land, the nature of the Land of Bliss is pure in every sense of the word. As declared by
Is the Pure Land a Heaven?
Alan Kwan
4 July 2014
What is the difference between Heaven and a Buddha’s Pure Land? This is a question that has vexed outsiders and beginners to Pure Land Buddhism.
Is the Land of Bliss a Realm of Rewards or a Realm of Transformation?
Alan Kwan
26 June 2014
The title of my article was posed as a question in the Commentary of the Contemplation Sutra, written by Master Shandao, the de facto founder of
Discrepancies and Dilemmas: Rebirth and Recitation in the two Pure Land sutras (Part II)
Alan Kwan
4 June 2014
In the Infinite Life Sutra, one of the main texts of the Pure Land tradition, Amitabha Buddha made his 18th vow: “If, when I attain Buddhahood,