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29-735: The kalaviṅka is said to dwell in the Western pure land and is reputed to preach the Dharma with its fine voice. It is said to sing while still unhatched within its eggshell. Its voice is a descriptor of the Buddha's voice. In the Japanese text, it goes by various titles such as myōonchō ( 妙音鳥 , "exquisite sounding bird" ) , kōonchō ( 好音鳥 , "goodly sounding bird" ) among others. Edward H. Schafer notes that in East Asian religious art

58-579: A genuine intention and do not harbor doubts. This sutra extensively describes the Pure Land as a place of unimaginable beauty, with crystal-clear waters, jeweled trees, and golden ground. It is a world where suffering, old age, and death do not exist, and it is inhabited by bodhisattvas and beings on the path to enlightenment. The text emphasizes the ease of achieving rebirth in Sukhavati compared to striving for enlightenment in this world of samsara. In

87-557: A human-headed, bird-bodied being. In the murals of Dunhuang (敦煌) they appear as figures both dancing and playing music. A well-known example is the pair of kalaviṅka carved in openwork ( sukashibori ) onto a Buddhist hanging ornament called the keman , used in the golden hall of Chūson-ji temple in Iwate Prefecture . The kalaviṅka from this ornament was commemorated on a 120-yen definitive stamp issued Nov. 1, 1962. The pose and general appearance of this piece are similar to

116-431: A mind that is undistracted for one night, or two nights, or three nights, or four nights, or five nights, or six nights, or seven nights, when that son of good family or daughter of good family will die, at their time of death, that Amitāyus Tathāgata, surrounded by a saṅgha of śrāvakas and headed by a chain of bodhisattvas will stand before them and they will die with an undisturbed mind. Having died, they will arise in

145-481: A series of notes and marginalia to a copy of the sutra, which is now known as the Amida-kyō chū (阿弥陀経註). Later figures continued to comment on the sutra. Yunqi Zhuhong (1535–1615) for example, composed a commentary which explained it from the perspective of Huayan's teaching of principle and phenomena. Another Qing era commentary by Ouyi Zhixu (1599–1655) has been translated into English as Mind Seal of

174-532: A set sequence of events...For the duration of these rites, the consciousness of the dead is coaxed into increasing levels of clarity until the time for the ritual transference to Sukhavati." Raigō ( 来迎 , "welcoming approach" ) in Japanese Buddhism is the appearance of the Amida on a "purple" cloud (紫雲) at the time of one's death. The most popular belief is that the soul would then depart to

203-608: Is also an important source, particularly for early Chinese Pure Land. The Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra is one of the primary texts that describe the Pure Land of Sukhavati. It details the story of Dharmakara, a bodhisattva who later becomes Amitabha Buddha. Dharmakara, made 48 vows, each describing the characteristics and conditions of his future Pure Land. His 18th vow, the Primal Vow, promises that anyone who sincerely wishes to be reborn in his Pure Land and calls upon his name even ten times will be reborn there, provided they have

232-535: Is one of the two Indian Mahayana sutras that describe Sukhāvatī , the pure land of Amitābha . The text was translated into Chinese in 402 by Kumārajīva ( Taishō Tripiṭaka no. 366) and it is also known in Chinese as the "Small Sutra" ( Xiaojing ). The Amitābha Sūtra is highly influential in East Asian Buddhism , including China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam since it is considered one of

261-746: Is the pure land (or buddhafield) of the Buddha Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism . Sukhavati is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure Land and is the most well-known of the Mahayana Buddhist pure lands due to the popularity of Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia . Sukhavati is also an important postmortem goal for Tibetan Buddhists , and is a common buddhafield used in the practice of phowa ("transference of consciousness at

290-540: The Smaller Sūtra , commonly known as the Amitabha Sutra , Buddha Shakyamuni describes the Pure Land of Amitabha to his disciple Śāriputra. The Buddha speaks of the physical and spiritual splendor of Sukhavati, highlighting features such as the seven rows of balustrades, nets, and trees made of the seven precious jewels. He explains that those reborn in this Pure Land will experience perpetual joy and have access to

319-636: The "Three Pure Land" sutras which are the key scriptures in Pure Land Buddhism . The Amitābha Sūtra was translated from an Indic language into Classical Chinese by Tripiṭaka master Kumārajīva in 402. The original Sukhāvatīvyūha sutras may have existed in India as early as the first or second centuries CE (during the Kushan era ). They may have been composed Gandhari or some other Prakrit language. A later translation of this sutra

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348-465: The Buddha explains how an alternative title to this sutra is "Embraced by all Buddhas", since all Buddhas expound the teaching of faith in the pure land. The sutra ends with the Buddha stating that this teaching is actually very difficult to believe, calling it "the most difficult of difficulties" and "the Dharma which is the most difficult to accept by all the world." Multiple English translations of

377-687: The Buddhas by J.C. Cleary. A study of both the Amitabha and the Amitayus sutras (known as the "longer" Sukhāvatīvyūha in Sanskrit) was published by Luis O. Gomez in 1996. The bulk of the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra , considerably shorter than other Pure Land sutras, consists of a discourse that Gautama Buddha gave at Jetavana in Śrāvastī to his disciple Śāriputra . The teaching concerns

406-614: The Dhāraṇī of the King of the Sound of Amitābha’s Drum , and Mother of Avalokiteśvara Noble Dhāraṇī. The word is the feminine form of the Sanskrit word sukhāvat ("full of joy; blissful"), from sukha ("delight, joy") and -vat ("full of"). Sukhavati is known by different names in other languages. East Asian names are based on Chinese translations, and longer names may consist of

435-508: The Kalaviṅka is often confused with the Kinnara , which is also a half-human half-bird hybrid mythical creature, but that the two are actually distinct and unrelated. The karaweik is commonly used as a motif in traditional Burmese royal barges . The Karaweik located on Yangon 's Kandawgyi Lake is an iconic reproduction of the karaweik royal barge. In Chinese mural art, it is portrayed as

464-813: The Pure Land itself, and ultimately Amitabha Buddha and his attendant bodhisattvas, Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta . Through these visualizations, practitioners are guided to focus their minds on the Pure Land and develop a connection with Amitabha, cultivating the aspiration for rebirth there. Beyond the three primary Pure Land sutras, Sukhavati is also referenced in other Mahayana texts , though less extensively. Some key examples include: Furthermore various Indian Dhāraṇī sutras (sutras focused on specific magical chants, incantations, recitations) state that reciting them will lead to birth in Sukhavati. These include: Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Dhāraṇī , Uṣṇīṣavijayā Dhāraṇī Sutra, Dhāraṇī of Avalokiteśvara Ekadaśamukha Sūtra , Great Compassion Dhāraṇī Sutra, Sūtra of

493-529: The Sanskrit edition): Moreover, O Śāriputra , beings should make vows towards that buddha-land. Why? Because, indeed, they come together with good people of such forms. O Śāriputra, beings do not arise in the buddha-land of Amitāyus Tathāgata by insignificant wholesome roots. O Śāriputra, whichever son of good family or daughter of good family, will hear the name of that bhagavān , Amitāyus Tathāgata, and having heard it will think of it, or will think of it with

522-511: The Tathāgata Amitābha shines unimpeded throughout all buddha realms". The text also describes what one must do to be reborn in Sukhāvatī. In the sutra, Śākyamuni teaches that one must vow to be born in Sukhāvatī and single-mindedly focus on Buddha Amitābha, and then after death they will be reborn in the pure land. The key passage which describes these instructions states (translation from

551-582: The Western Paradise. A number of hanging scroll paintings depict the western paradise. A number of temples are named after Sukhāvatī: Amit%C4%81bha S%C5%ABtra The Amitābha Sūtra ( Ch. : 阿彌陀經, pinyin: Āmítuó Jīng , or 佛說阿彌陀經, Fóshuō Āmítuójīng ; Jp. : Amida Kyō , Vi.: A Di Đà Kinh ), also known as the [Shorter] Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra ( Sanskrit , The Array of "the Blissful Land ", or The Arrangement of Sukhāvatī )

580-428: The deceased. Such rituals are often accompanied with the tantric technique of phowa ("transference of consciousness") to the pure land of Amitābha , performed by a lama on the behalf of the departed. Halkias (2013:148) explains that "Sukhavati features in funeral rites and scriptures dedicated to the ritual care of the dead (' das-mchod ). The structure and performance of Tibetan death ceremonies varies according to

609-589: The ones seen on the octagonal pedestal of the same temple (pictured right). The Kalaviṅka is a common feature of Tangut art created during the Western Xia period (1038–1227). Kalavinka was born from one of the head of Vishvaroopacharya who was beheaded by Indra. Indra was angry when Vishwaroopacharya was found to be praying for demons instead of gods. Indra cut his three heads which respectively became Kalavinka, Kapinjala, and Tittiri (all birds) Sukhavati Sukhavati ( IAST : Sukhāvatī ; "Blissful")

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638-414: The teachings of the Dharma at all times. This sutra emphasizes the practice of mindfulness of the Buddha ( Buddhānusmṛti ) as the means of attaining rebirth in Sukhavati. The Amitayus Contemplation Sutra places greater emphasis on meditation and visualization practice. In this sutra, the Buddha teaches a queen called Vaidehi a series of 16 contemplations, beginning with visualizations of the setting sun,

667-629: The time of death"). Sukhavati was widely depicted in Mahayana Buddhist art and remains an important theme in Buddhist art . Different traditions understand the nature of Sukhavati differently. The Pure Land Buddhist traditions often sees it as a Samboghakaya pure land (this was the view of Shandao ), while other traditions, like some Tibetan Buddhists, see it as a nirmanakaya Pure Land. Furthermore, in Chinese Buddhism, there are two views on Sukhavati (which are most often combined together):

696-569: The view which sees Sukhavati as being a realm far away from ours ("other-direction Pure Land") and the view which sees Sukhavati as non-dual with our world which only appears impure due to our minds (known as "mind-only Pure Land"). Sukhāvatī ("Land of Bliss") is a major setting discussed in the "Three Pure Land Sutras": Sutra of Amitayus , the Contemplation Sutra and the Amitabha Sutra . The Pratyutpanna-samādhi-sūtra

725-529: The wonderful adornments and features found in the buddhafield (or "pure land") of Sukhāvatī ("the Blissful"), including jeweled ponds, colorful jeweled lotuses, raining flowers, jeweled trees that make Dharma sounds, and so on. It also discusses the beings that reside there, including the Buddha Amitābha (meaning "Measureless Light" or "Boundless Radiance"), who is said to be so called because "the light of

754-405: The words "Western", "Blissful" and "Pure Land" in various combinations. Some names and combinations are more popular in certain countries. Due to its importance, Sukhavati is often simply called "The Pure Land" without distinguishing it from other pure lands . * Only common in Chinese. In Tibetan Buddhism , the world of Sukhavati is invoked during Buddhist funerals as a favorable destination for

783-435: The world system Sukvāvatī, the buddha-land of just that Amitāyus Tathāgata.  Therefore, then, O Śāriputra, seeing this intention, I thus say: a son of good family or a daughter of good family should devotedly make vows of aspiration towards that buddha-land. The Buddha then describes the various buddhas of the six directions and how they also teach the same teaching on rebirth in Sukhāvatī in their own buddhalands. Hence,

812-686: Was also commented on by Sengzhao (384–414), Zhiyi (538–597 CE), Wohnyo , Huijing (578-645 CE) and Kuiji (632-682 CE). The work of these figures raised the status of the Amitābha Sūtra , and it became a central text in Chinese Buddhism . Today, it remains very popular sutra in East Asian Buddhism . Its short length has also contributed to it becoming a widely chanted sutra in Buddhist temples and monasteries. The influential Japanese Pure Land thinker Shinran (1173- 1263) also wrote

841-407: Was completed by Xuanzang (602-664 C.E.), but it is not as widely used as Kumārajīva's, which is the standard edition in the East Asian tradition. The sutra was commented on by numerous East Asian authors. The 7th century Pure Land patriarch Shandao commented on the sutra in his Fashizan 法事讚 ( Praise for Dharma Rites ), which focuses on the rites associated with the recitation of the sutra. It

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