On the Harmony of Chan and Pure Land

Text

Chan and Pure Land are not two separate paths. Chan is the mind of the Buddha, and Pure Land is the land of the Buddha—how can these be divided? When you sit in meditation and see your own nature, the Pure Land appears right here and now. When you call the name of Amitabha with a concentrated mind, that is itself Chan practice. Those who practice Chan and dismiss Pure Land have lost half the teaching. Those who practice Pure Land and dismiss Chan have lost the other half. The complete teaching unites both: the direct pointing of Chan and the compassionate gateway of Pure Land.

license: public_domain

Attribution

• Attributed To
  Yongming Yanshou

Lineage: Fayan

By Yongming Yanshou

• The Four Positions on Chan and Pure Landsaying

Sources

• contentWikisource — English-language free library

  Zongjing Lu (Records of the Source Mirror), Yongming Yanshou

  Zongjing Lu: On the Harmony of Chan and Pure Land