Pure landA pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism where many Buddhists aspire to be reborn in. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions. In Sanskrit Buddhist sources, the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit: ) or more technically a pure buddha-field (viśuddhabuddhakṣetra). The various traditions that focus on attaining rebirth in a pure land have been termed Pure Land Buddhism.
AkshobhyaAkshobhya (अक्षोभ्य, Akṣobhya, "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the Diamond Realm and is the lord of the Eastern Pure Land Abhirati ('The Joyous'). His consort is Lochanā and he is normally accompanied by two elephants. His color is blue-black and his attributes include a bell, three robes, and staff, as well as a jewel, lotus, prayer wheel, and sword.
Chinese BuddhismChinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism () is a Chinese form of Mahāyāna Buddhism which draws on the Chinese Buddhist Canon (大藏經, Dàzàngjīng, "Great Storage of Scriptures") as well as numerous Chinese traditions. Chinese Buddhism focuses on studying Mahayana sutras and Mahāyāna treatises and draws its main doctrines from these sources. Some of the most important scriptures in Chinese Buddhism include: Lotus Sutra, Flower Ornament Sutra, Vimalakirtī Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and Amitābha Sutra.
TiantaiTiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. Tiantai Buddhism emphasizes the "One Vehicle" (Ekayāna) doctrine derived from the Lotus Sūtra as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy, particularly as articulated in the works of the 4th patriarch Zhiyi (538–597 CE). Brook Ziporyn, professor of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy, states that Tiantai Buddhism is "the earliest attempt at a thoroughgoing Sinitic reworking of the Indian Buddhist tradition.
MantraA mantra (Pali: manta) or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, magical or spiritual powers. Some mantras have a syntactic structure and literal meaning, while others do not. The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit in India. At its simplest, the word ॐ (Aum, Om) serves as a mantra, it is believed to be the first sound which was originated on earth.
AvalokiteśvaraIn Buddhism, Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर, IPA: ˌʌvəloʊkɪˈteɪʃvərə), also known as Avalokitasvara, is a bodhisattva who contains the compassion of all Buddhas and is the principal attendant of Amitabha Buddha on the right. He has 108 avatars, the most notable of which is Padmapāṇi (the lotus bearer). He is variably depicted, described, and portrayed as either male or female in different cultures. Guanyin is one of the female depictions of Avalokiteśvara usually seen in East Asia.
