Preparing for the Pure Land in late tenth-century Japan

Abstract

Devotion to Amida during the Nara period was only sporadic and it was not until the mid-Heian that his cult became firmly established and linked to the idea of salvation for the individual. This somewhat late arrival is due to the fact that Amidism in Japan did not emerge directly from Amidism in China but rather indirectly via the use of Amida as an object of meditation by Tendai monks. Considerable light can be thrown on the early development of this cult by a study of a vow, together with two covenants, signed in 986 by twenty-five founding members of a group dedicated to helping each other reach the Pure Land by preparing meticulously for the final moment before death. The Tendai monk Genshin, known primarily as the author of the influential Oj6yoshi, played a leading role in this group.