Finding Our True Home: Living in the Pure Land Here and Now

Thay is brilliant and magnificent in this as in all his other works.Just be aware that this is Pure Land derived only from the Amida Sutra, not the Contemplation or Greater Sutra. You don't hear about the 18, 19 or 20th vows. You will hear about meditation and mindfulness as the required practice because Thay is a Zen master and Zen relies on meditation as the one true path.To learn about Pure Land from the other sutras, without the constant Plum Village message, go to everydaybuddhist.org , the Orange county Buddhist temple education site, and get dr Nobu Haneda s classes.Thay s views here are wonderful, but you need to understand the Zen context in order to get the bst understanding. And get the book on the three Pure Land surfaces.

After an introduction by Sister Annabel Laity there follows a translation (from the Chinese version of Kumarasjiva's translation) of the Smaller Amithaba Sutra also known as the Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra ; the translation, in turn, is followed by section that suggest ways to practice (pages 21 to 50) and then, by Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary on the sutra. The essential point that TNH makes is that the "Pure Land" (Sukhavati) which is comparable to the Christian "Kingdom of God" (Luke 17:21and Mark 4:26), Jewish Garden of Eden (Psalm 84), the Islamic "Eden," or the Hindu "Amaravati," is something that you create and inhabit as you are living the present life. In fact, TNH goes so far as to maintain that, if one cannot access the "Pure Land" in one's present lifetime the chances of doing so after death are non-existent. The commentary on the sutra is divided into ten parts with each part quoting a section of the sutra and then introducing many of the basic terms/concepts that are found in Buddhism. One caution that needs to be kept in mind by newcomers to Buddhism, particularly TNH's interpretation of it, is the innovative terms that TNH uses as substitutes for more historically traditional terms, such as the use of "mindfulness training" for the term "precepts," etc. Cautiously used, this is a very important work as a foundational text for use in a dialogue with non-Buddhist devotional religions.

Maybe it's just that I am not "into" Pure Land Buddhism, but - at least as it's portrayed here - Pure Land Buddhism seems like it was adapted to people who want to believe in a concept of Heaven or something. It doesn't even seem like Buddhism to me.Thich Nhat Hanh is one of my favorite teachers of Buddhism and that's why I bought this book. I wanted to learn about Pure Land Buddhism.But if this is it what Pure Land is about, then I'm not really very interested. It seems like "Buddhism Lite", or "Buddhism for Christians" or something.I found the book to have no real great teachings or insights as most of TNH's other books do.It's okay just to get an idea of what Pure Land is about, but if you are looking for an insightful dhamma teaching, this is not it. I do think this book and this type of Buddhism might be suitable for people who are hung up on the idea of a Heaven concept, or who want to believe that by doing little more than believing in Amitahaba Buddha they will go to the Pure Land.I don't know. Is this really Buddhism? To me, it is not.

Would very much have enjoyed understanding the different Pure Land lineages in Asia that lead to the different understandings of the Amida sutra. Of course the book was presented from a Zen perspective but was not convincing to me as a Shin Buddhist which doesn't place as much emphasis on the sangha as presented here. Individual faith in other power is central in that context. Practice shows a lack of faith in Amida's primal vow.

Got a different less pleasant cover, but the contents seem sound.

i bought this book from amazon online.call me simple minded but i think this is a very nice book by a sincere teacher who knows his stuff and who to my knowledge is one of the few(if not only?)famous buddhist teachers in the west untainted by scandal corruption or hierarchical pretension.i think people who criticize it are criticizing themselves.it has become my vade mecum and bed companion and may be one of the few teachings suitable for this age of pollution disintegration counterfeit dharma and narcissistic personality disorder."in this dark age the heart essence of all good will blaze like fire".

Very good intro to the Pure Land practice and background. Buy this and immediately follow this up with Kiew Kit Wong's 'Sukhavati: Western Paradise' to really get rolling and deepen understanding and appreciation.

These are great thoughts about the relationship of pureland and the zen. I gained a deeper understanding in pureland and how it relates to today, right now.