The Sinicization of the “Faith” Concept in the Pure Land Dharma and Its Contemporary Significance

Abstract

The Pure Land Dharma emphasizes “faith, aspiration, and practice” as its guiding principles for cultivation. Among these, “faith” not only serves as the cognitive foundation for affirming Amitabha’s original vow, the Western Pure Land, and the truths of cause and effect, but also acts as the pivotal force that inspires the aspiration to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and facilitates the practical implementation of reciting the Buddha’s name. This article, from the perspective of the Sinicization of Buddhism, analyzes the concept of “faith” by examining its conceptual construction, practical transformation, and ethical integration. The article argues that the founding masters of the Chinese Pure Land School, through their synthesis of “Pure Land of the Mind Alone” and “Western Pure Land,” their integration of self-power and other-power, and their seamless connection between phenomenal appearances and ultimate reality, have made “faith” a key category upon which Pure Land thought rests. Moreover, by simplifying, normalizing, and communalizing the practice of reciting the Buddha’s name, they have enabled Pure Land cultivation to deeply permeate lay society. At the same time, through interpretive approaches such as the Three Blessings of Pure Conduct, the view of great filial piety, and the emphasis on fulfilling one’s social roles and responsibilities, they have ensured that Pure Land faith achieves an intrinsic harmony with Chinese ethical and cultural traditions. The “faith” of the Pure Land is not merely a psychological attitude; rather, it constitutes a complex structure endowed with doctrinal, meditative, and cultural integrative functions, and continues to hold significant implications for contemporary Buddhist educational institutions, Pure Land studies, and the practice of the Sinicization of Buddhism.