Practical Book Recommendations?

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Motova
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Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by Motova »

The only Pure Land book I've read is this one: https://www.amazon.ca/Pure-Land-Zen-T-T ... re+and+zen

But all I got out of it was that one basically chants Namo Amitabha all day.

Can someone please recommend a book that explains the sit down practice?
To become a rain man one must master the ten virtues and sciences.
Sentient Light
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by Sentient Light »

Our sitting practice is effectively the same. We sit and chant the Buddha's name, and we anchor it to the in and out of the breath at first. Eventually, the anchoring is no longer needed and there is only the chant. Meditating on the Buddha's name as the object of concentration can lead one into the dhyana-samadhis similarly to any other method of meditation, and the name as the object is considered much easier for most people than a subtle object like the breath.

Some traditions also practice mantras and dharanis; other traditions eschew any form of sitting meditation at all and focus on constant recitation in day-to-day life.

In Dual-practice Pure Land/Thien (Chan/Seon/Zen/What-have-you), it is effectively the same. In general, you don't even require a teacher if the recitation is all you're doing, but having a teacher is the "Thien" part of things -- the teacher can contextualize experiences for you, and the ultimate goal is directly perceiving your true nature (as being synonymous with Amitabha Buddha himself), which is expedited through the direct mind-to-mind transmission between teacher and disciple.

But for beginners and advanced practitioners alike, the "sitting" instructions for Pure Land practice is effectively to sit on the cushion and recite the name until the name is all there is.

edit: This book is pretty popular and a little more methodical in the explanation of practices and purposes in Pure Land: https://www.ymba.org/books/buddhism-wis ... d-practice
:buddha1: Nam mô A di đà Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Đại Thế Chi Bồ Tát :bow:

:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Di lặc Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Địa tạng vương Bồ tát :bow:
Motova
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by Motova »

Sentient Light wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:16 pm Our sitting practice is effectively the same. We sit and chant the Buddha's name, and we anchor it to the in and out of the breath at first. Eventually, the anchoring is no longer needed and there is only the chant. Meditating on the Buddha's name as the object of concentration can lead one into the dhyana-samadhis similarly to any other method of meditation, and the name as the object is considered much easier for most people than a subtle object like the breath.

Some traditions also practice mantras and dharanis; other traditions eschew any form of sitting meditation at all and focus on constant recitation in day-to-day life.

In Dual-practice Pure Land/Thien (Chan/Seon/Zen/What-have-you), it is effectively the same. In general, you don't even require a teacher if the recitation is all you're doing, but having a teacher is the "Thien" part of things -- the teacher can contextualize experiences for you, and the ultimate goal is directly perceiving your true nature (as being synonymous with Amitabha Buddha himself), which is expedited through the direct mind-to-mind transmission between teacher and disciple.

But for beginners and advanced practitioners alike, the "sitting" instructions for Pure Land practice is effectively to sit on the cushion and recite the name until the name is all there is.

edit: This book is pretty popular and a little more methodical in the explanation of practices and purposes in Pure Land: https://www.ymba.org/books/buddhism-wis ... d-practice
Thank you.

I come from a Tibetan Buddhism background, and we start a practice with Refuge and Bodhicitta and then end with a Dedication. Can someone please help me understand Pure Land sit down practice from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective by highlighting the similarities between the two structures?
To become a rain man one must master the ten virtues and sciences.
DGA
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by DGA »

here's a daily pure land practice (one example). notice it begins with refuge and ends with dedication of merits. you'll also notice many other similarities because it's Buddha Dharma.

http://english.jodoshuna.org/prayer/daily-prayer/
Motova
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by Motova »

DGA wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 4:44 pm here's a daily pure land practice (one example). notice it begins with refuge and ends with dedication of merits. you'll also notice many other similarities because it's Buddha Dharma.

http://english.jodoshuna.org/prayer/daily-prayer/
Thank you. :smile:
To become a rain man one must master the ten virtues and sciences.
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明安 Myoan
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by 明安 Myoan »

Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith explains much of the theory and practice from a Mainland perspective. You can read it for free and legally by following the link in my signature.

The book "Going home to the Pure Land" also includes a complete practice outline for home, including recitation of the Amitabha Sutra, something rather common.
Namu Amida Butsu
Motova
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Re: Practical Book Recommendations?

Post by Motova »

Monlam Tharchin wrote: Tue Jan 16, 2018 7:14 pm Buddhism of Wisdom and Faith explains much of the theory and practice from a Mainland perspective. You can read it for free and legally by following the link in my signature.

The book "Going home to the Pure Land" also includes a complete practice outline for home, including recitation of the Amitabha Sutra, something rather common.
Thank you very much. :anjali:
To become a rain man one must master the ten virtues and sciences.
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