Pure Land Beginnings

Question: When did Pure Land Buddhism begin and come to China?

Response: In India, both Asvaghosa Bodhisattva and Nagarjuna Bodhisattva helped to form the basis for Pure Land through their commentaries on the sutras.

Buddhism came to China in 67 CE. The Shorter Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra (Amitabha Sutra) and the Longer Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra (Infinite Life Sutra) were first translated from Sanskrit into Chinese sometime between 147 and 180 CE. Two other translations were done around 250 CE.

Initially, Pure Land was practiced along with other methods. In the fourth century, the first Pure Land Patriarch, Great Master Huiyuan, founded the first monastery that focused solely on Pure Land practice. Pure Land is now considered to be the most widely practiced school in Asia.