Pure Land - Jodo

A term used in Mahayana Buddhism. It refers to a pure land where Buddhas and bodhisattvas who will become Buddhas in the future live. It is the opposite of the impure world, which refers to the real world where sentient beings live, who are tainted by earthly desires. The Chinese word "Pure Land" was coined in China, but the concept it represents had already been established in India. In Mahayana Buddhism, practitioners (bodhisattvas) who seek the enlightenment of Buddha make a vow to save all living beings (sentient beings), practice asceticism, and finally complete their practice to become a Buddha. The world of Buddhas that appears in this way is none other than the Pure Land. The lands where the various Buddhas should appear are said to exist outside of our world, since there is no way for two Buddhas to coexist in one world. These include the Western World of Ultimate Bliss of Amida Buddha, the Eastern World of Wonderful Joy of Ashu Buddha, and the Eastern World of Pure Land of Medicine Buddha.Since the Pure Lands of these Buddhas exist in other directions, such as in the four directions, four axes, above and below this world, they are called other Pure Lands or ten directions Pure Lands.

In Chinese and Japanese Buddhism, the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha has been the object of greater faith than the Pure Lands of other Buddhas, and so today the term "Pure Land" generally refers to the Western Pure Land, and the teachings of going to rebirth in the Pure Land are called Pure Land Buddhism, from which the Jodo and Jodo Shinshu sects were established.

However, there are also theories that differ from the view of the Pure Land represented by the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The theory that if a bodhisattva purifies his mind, this land will also be purified (shinjodojo), and that if he attains enlightenment, the Saha world will also become a Pure Land (sahasokujodo), is recognized in the Zen sect. In addition, the Nichiren sect believes that the Pure Land (Sacred Mountain Pure Land) is Mount Vulture Peak, where Shakyamuni Buddha preached, while the Kegon sect believes that this world is a Pure Land (Lotus Treasury World) enveloped in lotus flowers and is a manifestation of Vairocana Buddha, while the Shingon sect believes that this world is a Pure Land (Mitsugon Pure Land) that is decorated as it is by the miraculous workings of Mahavairocana Buddha. In addition to this, Pure Lands of Bodhisattvas rather than Buddhas have also been taught, and in particular, Tosotsu Heaven, where Maitreya Bodhisattva resides, and Potalaka Mountain, where Kannon Bodhisattva resides, are also commonly referred to as Pure Lands.

[Hirotaka Fujita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

大乗仏教の用語。仏や将来仏となる菩薩(ぼさつ)の住む清浄な国土をいう。煩悩(ぼんのう)で穢(けが)れている衆生(しゅじょう)の住む現実の世界を穢土(えど)というのに対する。浄土という漢語は中国において成語化されたが、しかしこの漢語によって表される観念はすでにインドにおいて成立していた。大乗仏教では、仏の悟りを求める修行者（菩薩）たちは、生きとし生ける者（衆生）を救済しようという誓願をたてて修行し、ついにそれを完成して仏となることを説くが、こうして出現する仏の世界が浄土にほかならない。諸仏の出現すべき国土は、一世界に二仏の並存する道理がないため、われわれのこの世界以外のところにそれぞれ現に存在するという。阿弥陀仏(あみだぶつ)の西方極楽(さいほうごくらく)世界、阿閦仏(あしゅくぶつ)の東方妙喜(みょうき)世界、薬師仏の東方浄瑠璃(じょうるり)世界などがそれであり、これら諸仏の浄土はこの世界から四方、四維、上下の他の方角に存在するから、他方浄土あるいは十方(じっぽう)浄土という。

　中国・日本の仏教では、このうち阿弥陀仏の極楽世界が他の仏の浄土に比べてもっとも多く信仰の対象とされてきたので、今日一般に浄土といえば西方の極楽浄土をさし、極楽浄土への往生(おうじょう)を説く教えを浄土教と称し、浄土宗、浄土真宗が成立した。

　しかし、このような極楽浄土によって代表される浄土観とは異なった説もたてられている。菩薩がその心を浄(きよ)めるならばこの国土も浄まり（心浄土浄(しんじょうどじょう)）、悟りを開けば娑婆(しゃば)世界も浄土となる（娑婆即浄土）という説は禅宗系に認められる。また日蓮(にちれん)宗系では釈迦牟尼仏(しゃかむにぶつ)が説法をした霊鷲山(りょうじゅせん)をもって浄土（霊山(りょうぜん)浄土）とみる説を、華厳(けごん)宗系ではこの世界が毘盧遮那仏(びるしゃなぶつ)の現れで蓮華(れんげ)に包まれた浄土（蓮華蔵(れんげぞう)世界）とみる説を、真言宗系では現世がそのまま大日如来(だいにちにょらい)の不思議な働きによって飾られた浄土（密厳(みつごん)浄土）とみる説をたてている。このほかに、仏ではなく菩薩の浄土も説かれており、とくに弥勒(みろく)菩薩の住する兜率天(とそつてん)や観世音(かんぜおん)菩薩の住する補陀落山(ふだらくせん)も一般に浄土とよばれる。

［藤田宏達］

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