The essence of Pure Lands Belief is concerned with the
bodhisattvas ＂purifying of the land and enlightening the
mortals＂, with the bodhisattva as the liberator and the
mortals who are liberated. The doctrines of Pure Lands
Belief encourage all bodhisattvas to fulfill the Great Act
and Great Will of Amitābha Buddha. However, those who seek
the Pure Land have become attached to the practice of faith
instead of the faith itself. It is for this reason that
Amitābha Buddhas Pure Land Dharma is highly influential in
Chinese Buddhism. The focus of this article is on the origin
and development of Pure Lands Belief as a conception of
paradise in the afterlife, rather than descriptions of the
bodhisattvas will and action. Through exploring the cultural
interactions between Buddhism and Brahmanism, specifically on
the evolution and development of the idea of ＂the way of
ascension＂, this the...
