Great Faith, Great Wisdom: Practice and Awakening in the Pure Land Sutras of Mahayana Buddhism

by Ratnaguna

An inspiring commentary on the three sutras at the centre of East Asian Buddhist faith. The three Pure Land Sutras are a body of Mahayana scriptures that for centuries have played an important part in the spiritual life of East Asian Buddhists. These texts describe Sukhāvāti, the archetypal 'land of bliss' presided over by Amitābha or Amitāyus, the Buddha of Infinite Light and Eternal Life. This book is a beautiful exploration of the imaginative world portrayed in the Pure Land Sutras. Includes new translations of the sutras by Śraddhāpa.

Genres: Buddhism, Religion

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 15, 2016

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes at the pure land tradition from the Triratna Buddhist Community's basic buddhism, and sees what a modern ecumenical practitioner could gain from reading the pure land sutras. Sixty percent of the book is a commentary about the 3 sutras, and then the book has a new translation of the 3 sutras. The first one can be read in 15 minutes. The three can be read over 6 hours. On the Windhorse website they have audio files of Ratnaguna reading the sutras. Lots of interesting insights and interesting stuff in this book. It also has a glossary and interesting footnotes. I went off on little side trips looking up things while reading this book. This book will be among my list of best buddhist books for 2016.