The Land of Bliss, the Paradise of the Buddha of Measureless Light: Sanskrit and Chinese Versions of the Sukhā Vatī Vyū Ha Sutras

Studies in the Buddhist Traditions

by Luis O. Gomez

This is a free translation of two Buddhist texts on what is arguably the most popular of all Buddhist conceptions of an ideal world, the "Land of Bliss" of the Buddha Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light. The two texts, known to Western students of Buddhism as the "Smaller" and "Larger" Sukhavatiyuha Sutra, explain the conditions that lead to rebirth in the Pure Land and the manner in which human beings are reborn there.

Genres: Buddhism

376 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome - Sanskrit and Chinese versions, two each. The cool story that goes with this book is that Gomez was planning to write critical editions of these sutras, but now he's a clinical psychologist. Don't you wish you were cool?

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic. I have a much better sense of Mahāyāna Buddhism than I did before I read this, thanks to both the texts and the translator's commentary.

The text itself is beautiful - the idea of a supremely compassionate being who spends ages accumulating enough merit to help all beings escape suffering is so lovely. The descriptions of the Land of Bliss are beautiful and poetic. I also got a sense of how incomprehensibly large the Buddhist cosmos is.

I often find translator's commentary kind of tedious, but this guy knows what he is doing. He truly added value to the text, providing thoughtful and interesting commentary on the text, the historical context, and the legacy of the text both before and after reading.

[Jennifer Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a must for any Buddhist practioner!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot put it into words.