It is the method of reciting the six characters “Namo Amitabha Buddha” to return to the ‘original pure nature (essence), or rebirth in the Pure Land (form).’ This practice was transmitted by Buddha Shakyamuni to introduce the Pure Land and to praise the boundless life and limitless light merits of Amitabha Buddha along with His great vows. From that, the practice of the Pure Land was instructed. The doctrine is contained in three sutras: Amitabha Sutra, Infinite Life Sutra, and Contemplation Sutra of Infinite Life.
About 700 years later, Bodhisattvas Ma Ming, Nagarjuna, and Vasubandhu strongly encouraged people to practice the Pure Land method. Since then, this practice spread throughout Asia, but people practiced it according to their own understanding without forming an organized system. It was not until the Song Dynasty in China that Master Huiyuan, deeply understanding the Pure Land method, gathered various teachers and established the Liancha Society. From that point, this practice flourished among the common people.
After the passing of Master Huiyuan, there were Masters: Shandao, Yuanyuan, Fachao, and Yanshou, who successively promoted the Pure Land practice, causing a strong movement of reciting Buddha’s name. Since then, most practitioners at the time of death have had verbal indications of being reborn in the Pure Land. (See the stories of rebirth in the Dao Phap Nghi Van collection).
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