Guan Wuliangshou jing

Guan Wuliangshou jing (觀無量壽經; S. *Amitāyurdhyānasūtra) is one of the three main sutras of the Pure Land school, along with the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra.

The title for the text translates as “Sūtra on the Visualization of [the Buddha of] Immeasurable Life”. The text is often referred to more simply as Guan jing (which translates as "Contemplation sutra," "Visualization sutra," etc.).

The Princeton Dictionary states:

The Guan jing was extremely influential in East Asian Buddhism for advocating specific types of visualizations or contemplations (guan) on the person of the buddha Amitābha (C. Wuliangshou; S. Amitāyu), and for encouraging oral recitation of Amitābha’s name (chengming; see nianfo).

The text and translation

According to tradition, the Guan jing was translated into Chinese by a monk named Kalayashas (Kālayaśas) between 424 and 442 AD. However, modern scholars generally consider this text to be apocryphal, a composition originally written in Chinese.

No Sanskrit original has been discovered and the Sanskrit name and Sanskrit versions would thus be reverse translations. The text also shows Chinese influences, including references to earlier translations of Chinese Pure Land texts. Modern scholars generally accept that the text describes a meditation which was practiced in Central Asia, but with Chinese additions.

This text is also counted among a group of six visualization sutras found in the Chinese canon.

Basic Outline of the Sutra

Preliminary matters

The text begins with a story where a prince named Ajātasattu was enticed by the villain Devadatta to murder his father, King Bimbisara, in order to ascend the throne. Ajātasattu kills his father, and nearly kills his mother, Queen Vaidehi, but after advice from his other ministers, he relented and threw his mother in prison.

Lamenting her fate, Queen Vaidehi prays to Gautama Buddha for help, and he is able to visit her. Vaidehi expresses her wish to be born in Amitābha's pure land. Shakyamuni smiles, emitting light from his mouth, and goes on to tell Vaidehi how to be reborn in the Pure Land. The Buddha tells her that although she is in prison, she could still obtain liberation through the practices of Amitābha. The Buddha goes on to describe Amitābha and how one could obtain rebirth in his land of Sukhavati.

This tale references historical incidents of the Haryanka dynasty of Magadha, India, and the religious tension between Gautama Buddha and his brother-in-law, Devadatta.

Attaining birth in the Pure Land

Shakyamuni explains the importance of performing certain meritorious acts in order to be reborn in the Pure Land. He then goes on to teach Vaidehi how to visualize the Pure Land, to further her efforts in attaining rebirth there. Shakyamuni describes thirteen "contemplations," or mental visualization exercises, that are to be followed in order. By deeply contemplating various aspects of the Pure Land and attempting to visualize them in detail, the aspirant draws closer to the Pure Land.

The thirteen contemplations are described in order as follows:

1. Contemplation of the setting sun
2. Contemplation of an expanse of water
3. Contemplation of the ground in the pure land
4. Contemplation of trees in the pure land
5. Contemplation of ponds in the pure land
6. Contemplation of various objects in the pure land
7. Contemplation of the lotus throne of the Buddha
8. Contemplation of the image of Amitābha
9. Contemplation of Amitābha himself
10. Contemplation of Avalokiteśvara
11. Contemplation of Mahasthamaprapta
12. Contemplation of the aspirants to the pure land
13. Contemplation of Amitābha and the two bodhisattvas

Nine levels of birth

A fragment of a copy of the Amitayurdhyana Sutra at Wenzhou Museum.

In the final part of the sutra, Gautama Buddha discusses the nine levels into which those born into the Pure Land are categorized. The levels are ranked from highest to lowest as follows:

1. The highest level of the highest grade
2. The middle level of the highest grade
3. The lowest level of the highest grade
4. The highest level of the middle grade
5. The middle level of the middle grade
6. The lowest level of the middle grade
7. The highest level of the lowest grade
8. The middle level of the lowest grade
9. The lowest level of the lowest grade

According to the Buddha, all nine grades of human beings can achieve rebirth into the Pure Land if they contemplate Amitābha or at least call on his name. This is similar to the 48 vows made by Amitābha, according to the Infinite Life Sutra, which includes the Primal Vow.

See also

• Amitābha
• Sukhavati
• Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra
• Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra
• Pure Land Buddhism

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Muller, A. Charles (1998). "East Asian Apocryphal Scriptures: Their Origin and Role in the Development of Sinitic Buddhism". Bulletin of Toyo Gakuen University. 6: 63–76. 
• Quinter, David (2018), Visualization/Contemplation Sutras, Oxford Bibliographies 
• Silk, Jonathan A. (April 1997). "The Composition of the 'Guanwuliangshoufo-jing': Some Buddhist and Jaina Parallels to its Narrative Frame". Journal of Indian Philosophy. 25 (2): 181–256. doi:10.1023/A:1004291223455. JSTOR 23448579. 

Further reading

• Hisao Inagaki, Harold Stewart (transl.): The Three Pure Land Sutras, Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2003. ISBN 1-886439-18-4 PDF retrieved 2013/07/28
• Pas, Julian F. (1974). Shan-tao's Interpretation of the Meditative Vision of Buddha Amitāyus, History of Religions 14 (2), 96-116  – via JSTOR (subscription required)
• Takakusu, J. (trans.), Friedrich Max Müller, ed.: Amitayurdhyana Sutra. In: The Sacred Books of the East, Volume XLIX: Buddhist Mahāyāna Texts, Part II. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1894. Internet Archive
• Tanaka, Kenneth K. 1990. The Dawn of Chinese Pure Land Buddhist Doctrine: Jìngyǐng Huìyuán's Commentary on the Visualization Sūtra. Albany: State University of New York Press.
• Johnson, Peter, trans. (2020). The Land of Pure Bliss, On the Nature of Faith & Practice in Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna) Buddhism, Including a Full Translation of Shàndǎo’s Commentary in Four Parts Explaining The Scripture About Meditation on the Buddha ‘Of Infinite Life’ (Amitāyur Buddha Dhyāna Sūtra, 觀無量壽佛經), An Lac Publications. ISBN 978-1-7923-4208-0
• The Scripture on the Buddha’s Teaching About Meditation On the Enlightened Being ‘Of Infinite Life’ , from The Land of Pure Bliss, On the Nature of Faith & Practice in Greater Vehicle (Mahāyāna) Buddhism. Translated by Peter Johnson. ISBN 978-1-7923-4208-0

External links

• The Contemplation Sutra, translated into English by J. Takakusu
• English translation of the Contemplation Sutra Archived 2021-01-22 at the Wayback Machine.
• The Taima Mandala Image of the Pure Land from a medieval Japanese scroll, based on the descriptions found in the Contemplation Sutra. This site offers explanations in English of the various motifs of the scroll.