The Contemplation Sutra was taught in the same time with the Lotus Sutra (in reference to sections 1 and section 33)

 

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

“Then the World-honored One returned to Vulture Peak through the air. There Ananda fully explained to the assembly what had happened. Innumerable humans, devas, nagas, yakṣas, and all other beings greatly rejoiced to hear the Buddha’s teaching. Having worshiped the World-honored One, they departed.”[1]
 
The last section reminds us of the beginning of the Contemplation Sutra where we are told that Shakyamuni was already teaching another sutra on Vulture Peak when Vaidehi asked for His help:
 
“Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying on Vulture Peak in Rajagṛha with a great assembly of twelve hundred and fifty monks. He was also accompanied by thirty-two thousand Bodhisattvas led by Manjusri, the Dharma Prince.”[2]
 
After these first lines, we are told about the events related with Ajatasatru, king Bimbisara and Queen Vaidehi who, while she was confined in the palace by her son, turned her attention to the direction of Vulture Peak:

Honen Shonin and the nun in the Ninnaji temple

 

Click here to return to 

Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“There was once a nun in the Ninnaji temple who came to Honen, and with a tone of sadness in her voice, said she had made a vow to read the Hokke Sutra (Lotus Sutra) a thousand times over. She had already finished reading it seven hundred times, but as she was now getting quite old, she did not know how to obtain the merit of doing the rest. Then Honen said, ‘You have indeed done well despite your age to read it over seven hundred times. As to the other three hundred, the best thing to do is to apply your whole mind to one thing, and that is the practice of the Nembutsu’.

She took his advice, gave up the reading, and did nothing but call upon the sacred Name all the rest of her life, till she at last attained Ojo (birth in the Pure Land). 

Transcript of Amidaji Sangha meeting on Zoom (November 8th 2020)

             

Rev Josho Adrian Cirlea on zoom in Amidado
(Hall of Amida) of Amidaji temple 

 Because members of Amidaji are from   different   countries and they can't all visit Amidaji in   the   same time we organize online meetings on Zoom   twice a month. First we have a Nembutsu liturgy  and  then a question and answer session. Here is a   revised and proofread fragment from the previous   meeting. Participants are only given their Buddhist   names.  

 Joshin:

 One of the things that I'm finding amazing is the   Other Power of Amida. And how the more you   become a person of faith, you realize that faith in Amida is not from you. It can't be from you. And it comes directly from Amida and I see so much proof of that, in my faith. When it's like everything else in my life is in upheaval and change and flux. The only thing that remains unchanging is my faith in Amida Buddha. And it just I still find that amazing. 

COMMENTARY ON THE SUTRA ON THE VISUALISATION OF THE BUDDHA OF INFINITE LIFE (CONTEMPLATION SUTRA)

It is a few years since I completed my extensive commentary on the Larger Sutra, I have now completed my commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. Although it’s much shorter than the previous one, it took me a long time to finish it because I struggled to find the easiest way to explain it in the context of Shinran’s view of the Pure Land teaching.

I could, if I wanted to, insist on many details and offer a more scholarly approach to it. However, as my readers already know, I only care about the religious understanding that can be useful for guiding people to faith in Amida, and I write to clear any possible misunderstandings and obstacles that those sincerely interested in being born in the Pure Land might encounter when reading this sutra. As I am not a Buddha or a wise Master, my commentary is limited, but with all its limitations it contains everything that an ordinary person needs to know to put an end to the cycle of birth and death forever by aspiring to be born in the center (fulfilled land) of the Pure Land. 

 

For this book I used the English translation of the Contemplation Sutra from Chinese[1] by Rev Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart and published under the title The Three Pure Land Sutras by Numata Centre for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003.

The testimony of Ananda and the audience gathered on Vulture Peak to the existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land – commentary on the sections 41 and 42 from the Larger Sutra

This painting shows the manifestation of 

the Pure Land as shown to Ananda and 

the audience gathered on Vulture Peak. 

Ananda is in the middle with his 

right shoulder barred and facing Amida. 

Behind him sits a long-haired monk, 

who is Maitreya, the future Buddha. 

On his left sits Buddha Shakyamuni 

surrounded by monks, bodhisattvas and 

deities. A layman and laywoman are seen 

behind Maitreya worshiping Amida. 

Click for the source of this painting.

fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision -  

click here to return to the table of contents

As we have seen in this sutra, Shakyamuni not only presented the story of Dharmakara becoming Amida, but described in many details the wonders of the Pure Land as well as the splendor of Amida and the enlightened beings living there. Then, in sections 41 and 42 He went even further and did something more extraordinary – He showed Amida and His Pure Land to the audience!!!

First, before Ananda made his request, and knowing in advance what he will say, Shakyamuni asked him to worship Amida, invoking the testimony of all Buddhas who always praise Amida’s Name and His method of salvation, thus encouraging all beings to entrust to Him and worship Him:

Master Shinran’s view of the characters in the Contemplation Sutra

 

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

As we have seen in the last chapter, Master Rennyo considered that “Shakyamuni used the five grave offenses in which Vaidehi, Devadatta, and Ajatasatru were involved, as compassionate means to cause women and those who have committed the five grave offenses in the last Dharma age to aspire to birth in the Land of Serene Sustenance (the Pure Land of Amida); He assured us that even such people would unfailingly attain birth in the Land of Serene Sustenance if they took refuge in the inconceivable Primal Vow. This you should know.”[1]
 
Master Shinran already went even further than Rennyo in this matter and considered that all the events presented in the Contemplation Sutra were a play by enlightened actors to create the proper conditions for the teaching on Amida Buddha in its implicit and explicit aspect to appear in our world. In chapter I of his Kyogyoshinsho, he said,
 
“I reflect within myself: The universal Vow difficult to fathom is indeed a great vessel bearing us across the ocean difficult to cross. The unhindered Light is the sun of wisdom dispersing the darkness of our ignorance. Thus it is that, when conditions for the teaching of birth in the Pure Land had matured, Devadatta provoked Ajatasatru to commit grave crimes. And when the opportunity arose for explaining the pure act by which Birth (in the Pure Land) is settled, Shakyamuni led Vaidehi to select the land of peace. In their selfless love, these incarnated ones - Devadatta, Ajatasatru, Vaidehi - all aspired to save the multitudes of beings from pain and affliction, and in His compassion, Shakyamuni, the great hero, sought indeed to bless those committing the five grave offenses, those slandering the Dharma, and those lacking the seed of Buddhahood. We know, therefore, that the auspicious Name embodying the perfectly fulfilled supreme virtues is true wisdom that transforms our evil into virtue, and that the diamond-like shinjin so difficult to accept is true reality that sweeps away doubt and brings us to attainment of Enlightenment”.[2]

Do not despise other Buddhas, Dharma Gates and Buddhist teachings because you have faith in Amida

Click here to return to 

Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

"Just because one relies solely upon Amida Buddha and believes only in Nembutsu, do not make light of the compassionate vows of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or think ill of and slander wondrous sutras such as the Lotus Sutra or the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The karma of defaming myriad Buddhas and of doubting and slandering many holy teachings is not in harmony with the heart of Amida Buddha. Such actions would certainly exclude one from His compassionate Vow even if one recites Nembutsu”.[1] 

Commentary:

This excellent teaching of Honen Shonin is fundamental to our Amidaji school. 

The story of Amida Buddha as told by Shakyamuni Buddha

           

Shakyamuni Buddha teaching about Amida Buddha
and his Pure Land

Because we are unenlightened, we cannot fully comprehend with our limited minds everything that is related with Amida Buddha and his Pure Land. But because we were given a teaching and guidance on how to look at them and how to accept them, I think it is good if we know these instructions, so that we can never be misguided by others.

            Shakyamuni Buddha’s main teaching about Amida Buddha can be found in the Three Pure Land Sutras[1], among which the Larger Sutra is the most important. In fact, Shinran thought that teaching this sutra was the main reason for Shakyamuni’s appearance on earth[2]. He was also convinced that the Larger Sutra is the true teaching of the Buddha Dharma, while all other methods and teachings Shakyamuni preached during his lifetime, are provisory. Here are just a few important passages from his Kyogyoshinsho that support this vision:

The salvation of queen Vaidehi

Shakyamuni and Queen Vaidehi
(source of the photo)

 Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

last revised June 6, 2024

 Commentary on sections 1 - 8

The Contemplation Sutra[1] was taught in the context of a tragedy in the royal family of Magadha[2]. Master Shan-tao[3] who also wrote a commentary on this sutra, gave a detailed account of what happened. As I don’t have access to a good/useful English translation of his commentary, I quote Rev Hisao Inagaki’s summary of Shan-tao’s explanation: 

“Shakyamuni had a cousin, Devadatta, who was greedy for fame and wealth. Seeing the Buddha receive many offerings from King Bimbisara, he wanted to take over the leadership of the sangha. He first learned supernatural power from Ananda, which he displayed to Prince  Ajatasatru; thus he won the respect of the prince and also received sumptuous offerings from him. Devadatta then approached Shakyamuni and suggested that the Buddha retire but was rebuked for his stupidity. Angered by this, he next incited Ajatasatru to usurp the throne.

Seeing that Ajatasatru hesitated, Devadatta pointed at the prince’s broken little finger and told him the following story. 

Never say Amida Buddha is the same with the "god" of monotheists or with any other divine figure outside the Buddha Dharma

Amida Buddha image from
 Amidaji temple

You should NEVER, EVER, say Amida Buddha is the same with the god of monotheists or with any god and religious figure of a non-Buddhist religion! Don’t use words such as “entrust to Amida Buddha or God”, “be in harmony with Amida Buddha or God”, “communicate with Amida Buddha or God”, etc, like this would be the same! It is NOT the same! Religions are NOT the same, and NO religion outside Buddha Dharma can ever lead you to perfect Enlightenment. Having faith in Amida Buddha and having faith in god do not lead to the same result. Faith in any god, including the so-called “god” of monotheist religions will NEVER lead you to Enlightenment.  

Don’t be a politically correct Buddhist in these matters because you will do no good to your fellow practitioners or beginners, but lead them to more confusion. It is exactly because I wanted to clear away the confusion people make nowadays on this topic, that I wrote these articles (and many others!) which I ask you to READ CAREFULLY:

The transmission of the teaching of the Contemplation Sutra (section 32)

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. This is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

“Then Ananda rose from his seat, stepped forward, and said to the Buddha, ‘World-honoured One, what should we call this sutra and how should we receive and retain the essentials of its teaching?’

The Buddha answered, ‘Ananda, this sutra is called the ‘Visualization of the Land of Utmost Bliss of Buddha Amitayus and of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.’ It is also called the ‘Purification and Elimination of Karmic Hindrances for Attaining Birth in the Presence of All Buddhas.’ Hold fast to this sutra and do not forget it. Those who practice this samadhi will be able to see, during their lifetime, Buddha Amitayus and the two Mahasattvas. If good men or women simply hear the Name of this Buddha or the names of those two Bodhisattvas, the evil karma that would bind them to birth and death for innumerable kalpas will be extinguished.

And so, how much more merit will they acquire if they concentrate on them! You should know that all who are mindful of that Buddha are like white lotus flowers among humankind; Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta become their good friends. They will sit in the seat of Enlightenment and be born into the family of the Buddhas.’ 

The Buddha further said to Ananda, ‘Bear these words well in mind. To bear these words in mind means to hold fast to the Name of Buddha Amitayus (Amida).”

When the Buddha had spoken thus, Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana, Venerable Ananda, Vaidehi, and all the others greatly rejoiced to hear the Buddha’s discourse.”[1] 

Amida Buddha and His Land as described in the Contemplation Sutra through the thirteen contemplations and the nine grades of beings

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

Before advancing to the chapter on the thirteen contemplations, it is important to mention that because the practices of the Contemplation Sutra lead to birth in the border land of the Pure Land, their objects of contemplation is Amida and His land as “transformed Buddha and land”.
 
In order to understand what I mean by “transformed Buddha and land” (which is actually an expression used by Shinran himself[1]) I need to explain first the doctrine of the two aspects of the Pure Land. Please read carefully.
 
The Pure Land of Amida Buddha has two main aspects: 1) the ultimate Dharmakaya aspect, and   2) the manifestation or Sambhogakaya (recompense) aspect. 
 
1) The ultimate Dharmakaya aspect means that the Pure Land is Nirvanic in its essence, as it was stated in the Larger Sutra:
 
“My land, being like Nirvana itself,
Will be beyond comparison.”[2]
 
This means that all the manifestations of the Pure Land are grounded in the perfect Enlightenment of Amida Buddha, and are conducive to Enlightenment. We ourselves will attain Enlightenment when we are born in the center of the Pure Land (the fulfilled land of the Pure Land), because the essence of the Pure Land is Enlightenment/Nirvana/Dharmakaya itself. Otherwise, if the Pure Land was not an enlightened realm, it would lead only to sense attachments, like other Samsaric realms do, but Shakyamuni Buddha[3] and our Masters[4] were very clear that this is not the case.

The so called “exclusion” in the Primal Vow: „excluded are those who commit the five grave offenses and those who slander the right Dharma."

- return to A Detailed Explanation of the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha - 

-  updated and revised on September 22nd 2019 - 

"If,when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten quarters who sincerely entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and say my Name perhaps even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain the supreme Enlightenment. Excluded are those who commit the five grave offenses and those who slander the right Dharma."

(The Primal Vow of Amida Buddha)

Many people that come in contact with the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha experience two types of reactions: they are happy when reading the all-inclusive message in the first part, but they get unsure right after reading the last sentence: "excluded are those who commit the five grave offenses[1] and those who slander the right Dharma”.

On the nine grades of birth in the border land of the Pure Land (sections 22 – 30)

            

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

(last revised October 5th, 2025)

 As I previously explained based on Shinran Shonin’s reading of the Contemplation Sutra, those who reach the Pure Land through the 19^th Vow of Amida Buddha[1], that is, through the practices mentioned in this sutra, are born in the borderland of the Pure Land. This is because they still cling to their self-power and the idea of personal merits and personal transference of merits, while the followers of the Primal Vow (18^th Vow ) are born in the center of the Pure Land (Fulfilled Pure Land) due to their complete faith in the Power of Amida Buddha which makes them understand that all the merits necessary for birth in the Pure Land belong only to Amida.

Why I sometimes use harsh language against proponents of wrong views

Japanse temple guardian in fierce form

Some suggested that even if I speak the truth I should say it in a moderate way. However, in a world filled with so much ambiguity, relativity of values, secularism and various wrong views I think that strong voices are very much needed. There are many priests and religious organizations nowadays that nobody knows what they actually teach and stand for because their language is too polite and too pleasing with everybody. It is of course, not the case with myself as everybody knows in detail who I am and what I stand for. Being the founder of Amidaji I want some things to be extremely clear from the start so that there is no confusion among people who might intend to become members.

What I am against for is the grave karmic sin of slandering the Dharma. To say that a certain thing is good and virtuous when the Buddha Dharma says it is wrong and unvirtuous might not be a problem for many but for me, as a priest, is worse than killing all the beings in all the universes. To deny the Larger Sutra, the existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, to deny the Buddhist morality, the teaching on rebirth and life after death which are the main elements denied by various fake Buddhists and modernists nowadays falls under this category. This is because if you kill one person you are merely destroying his body, but if you destroy the Dharma you are shutting the door to liberation for all sentient beings. It is like killing them and throwing them in the fire house of samsara again and again. This is the reason why slandering the Dharma makes one go to the deepest hell for many kalpas.

The thirteen contemplations (sections 9 – 21 of the Contemplation Sutra)

 

Fragment from my Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. It is a work in progress and under constant revision. Click here to read the other chapters.

Here are the thirteen contemplations/meditations taught by Shakyamuni Buddha in sections 9 to 21. As they are technical explanations I will only comment when it’s really necessary.
 
The 1^st contemplation is on the setting sun:
 
 “The Buddha said to Vaidehi, ‘You and other sentient beings should concentrate and, with one-pointed attention, turn your thoughts westward. How do you contemplate? All sentient beings except those born blind – that is, all those with the faculty of sight – should look at the setting sun. Sit in the proper posture, facing west. Clearly gaze at the sun, with mind firmly fixed on it; concentrate your sight and do not let it wander from the setting sun, which is like a drum suspended above the horizon. Having done so, you should then be able to visualize it clearly, whether your eyes are open or closed. This is the visualization of the sun and is known as the first contemplation. To practice in this way is called the correct contemplation, and to practice otherwise is incorrect.’”[1]
 
Even from the first contemplation we are announced that the practices mentioned in this sutra cannot be followed by blind people, unlike the simple requirements of the Primal Vow which are easy to meet by everybody.
 
The 2^nd contemplation, on the water:

The qualities of Bodhisattvas in the audience – commentary on section 2 of the Larger Sutra

Buddha Maitreya

last revised October 7, 2019

fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra 

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision -  

Many members of our school do not fully understand the term Bodhisattva in Mahayana. Also, when we read the 22^nd Vow of Amida presented in section7 of this sutra, and which is generally accepted to mean that we return to this world as fully Enlightened Persons or Buddhas to save all beings, some of us are puzzled that in the respective vow there is no mentioning of the word "Buddha", but only "Bodhisattva". However, there is no contradiction between the two. The reason is that, in Mahayana, the term “Bodhisattva” does not only refer to a highly evolved person who is extremely close to Enlightenment (on one of the ten bodhisattva stages/bhumis[1]), but also to a Buddha who manifests as Bodhisattva or Bodhisattvas who already attained Enlightenment. There is clear evidence for this in many Mahayana sutras, esoteric tantras and also in the writings of various Buddhist masters[2]. So, according to Mahayana Buddhism, there are two types of bodhisattvas:

Concentrate exclusively on Amida Buddha

“With your whole heart look forward expectantly to birth in the Pure Land, worship and bear in mind the Buddha of Infinite Light, and don’t think about anything else, nor perform any other spiritual practices.” Honen Shonin[1]

All we need to do for our attainment of Buddhahood in the Pure Land is mentioned in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha: to say the Name in faith and wish to be born there. Nothing else. No meditation practices, no this or that special virtue, just entrust to Amida, say his Name and wish to be born in his Pure Land.

The essentials of our tradition are just these three conditions, which are comprised in shinjin or faith in Amida. If you have genuine faith in Amida, then you naturally say his Name and wish to be born in his Land after death. It is as simple as that. Also, in order to have faith in Amida, you need to accept that he is a real and living Buddha, and in order to wish to be born in his Land you also need to accept that thisland is true and real. I think that everybody, even illiterate people, can understand this simple logic.

Now please, pay attention: to say the Name of Amida, and not of other Buddhas or religious figures outside Buddhism, to have faith in Amida and wish to be born in his Pure Land, not in the land of other Buddhas! This is extremely important.

Elements of genuine faith: 8) To not mix nembutsu and devotion towards Amida Buddha with other faiths and practices from inside or outside of the Buddha Dharma

             - click to return to the main list of the elements of genuine faith in Amida Buddha - 

For example, a person of genuine faith will not entrust to, nor rely on the "god" of the monotheists[1] or any other gods or spirits of various religions.  

"Based on the true intent of the Buddha’s teaching and the expositions made and transmitted by the masters of the past, I will clarify that the path of sages is provisional and the Pure Land path is true, and caution people against non-Buddhist teachings, which are perverted, false, and wrong".[2]

“Those who take refuge truly and wholeheartedly, freeing themselves from all delusional attachments and all concern with the propitious or unpropitious, must never take refuge in false spirits or non-Buddhist teachings.”[3]

"Here, based on the sutras, the true and the false are determined and people are cautioned against the wrong, false, and misleading opinions of nonbuddhist teachings:
The Nirvana Sutra states:
'If one has taken refuge in the Buddha, one must not further take refuge in various gods.'

The story of Dharmakara becoming Amida Buddha – commentary on the sections 4 to 10 of the Larger Sutra

fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra 

               - this is a work in progress and under constant revision - 

Now let’s see what Shakyamuni told us about Amida Buddha and His Pure Land.

In section 4 of the Larger Sutra He first enumerates many Buddhas of the past eons of time who appeared in samsara to teach the Dharma: “in the distant past – innumerable, incalculable and inconceivable kalpas ago…”[1]. Doing so, He showed to us that human history, as we know it, is only a very small fraction of the endless and inconceivable time of the universe and that the various world systems and beings living in them had existed before the appearance of this earth. So He mentioned 52 great Buddhas who appeared in samsara, taught the Dharma and entered Nirvana before the story of Amida actually happened. After these 52 Buddhas, another great Buddha named Lokesvararaja appeared, still in a distant, and impossible to explain, time and place: