Anyone into Pure Land Buddhism

[Novicewarrior]

Is there anyone who is into Pure Land Buddhism?

I know when it comes to martial arts it is mainly Chan and Zen (besides Taoism) that is usually adopted. There were others such as those who trained in Ninjutsu adopted the way of Shugendo and later Tendai and Shingon. I do not hear too much about Pure Land Buddhism in martial arts. I do know that there were some Samurai in Japan that converted to the Pure Land way.

I am particularly interested in Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu.

For those unfamiliar with Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu you can check out this material:

(Jodo Shinshu) http://amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.com/

(Jodo Shu) http://jodo.org/

[Spodo Komodo]

It will vary widely from country to country but here in the UK, Chan and Zen are way behind Theravada and Tibetan Buddhism in the general population and Pure Land is virtually non-existent. A lot of this is due to availability of sangha, most small towns will have a New Kadampa or Triratna group nearby, Zen and Chan tend only to be available in major cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham etc.) and Pure Land is probably only available in London. With so few footholds there has never been the opportunity to move out of the cities, especially as most of the people likely to be interested have already settled for other more expansionist groups.

I was initially interested in Pure Land myself but ended up going to various NKT and Thai centres for teachings while practising Zen alone. So few publications in english and no teachers within travelling distance made Pure Land a non-starter for me.

[Novicewarrior]

Yea it seems availability of a sangha is what keeps people away from many different dharma paths. Shingon was a school of Buddhism I was interested in. When I moved back to Ann Arbor, I was excited to hear that a Shingon priest was coming to our location. Unfortunately they ended up cancelling. So in my local area you have Zen, Tibetan buddhism, Tian Tai, and Theravada. There is not much besides these. I am still lost myself, but I am leaning towards Pure Land Buddhism, because I do not feel that I have the ability to attain enlightenment myself. I have too many attachments and I consistently make bad decisions in my life. So I am reading into Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu, because I need an easy practice such as Nembutsu (Namo Amida Butsu).

Its great to see some followers of Dharma on here.

[Titanium]

I am a practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism.

There is time within the religion for deep study, knowledge, training and understanding.

I like how Buddhism does not restrict you to anything, there are no rules, only guidelines.

[Judodad_karateson]

Ive been a student of Buddhism for years, but can't say Im into pureland. They take themselves too seriosuly. Pureland is so different from other school of buddhist thought, its almost feels like an amalgamation of Buddhist, Hinduism, and Christianity.

[Titanium]

I think a lot are monks in land.

They seem to dedicate a lot of time into deep focus and practice.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Buddhism is a lot more common outside of Asia than it was only a few years ago. When I was a student, only large cities had some kind of place or resources for people to learn about and practise it. Only the largest and most common currents had any kind of presence. The tibetan school, Zen/Chan and maybe one or two more were on or near campus.

Now there are all sorts, but one should be careful and thoroughly research before getting involved. There are many sects and branches that are not recognized and exist only to take advantage of naive people and the weak-minded searching for alternative spiritual endeavours. True Buddhism is not restrictive of dogmatic. It can be philosophical or spiritual. Sometimes it is both at the same time. All that matters is that one reaches an enlightened state of mind where selflessness prevails over selfish unnecessary wants for the betterment of oneself and the lives connected to oneself. All Buddhist thought stems from this fundamental principle.

[Titanium]

Correct - be extra careful when looking for a school - some cults take the same approach.

Yes that's right I said 'cults' - as Spartacus Maximus has said...do your research first.