NewsPronto

 
Men's Weekly

.

USA Conversation

The Conversation USA

The Conversation USA

What is Pure Land Buddhism? A look at how East Asian Buddhists chant and strive for buddhahood

  • Written by Charles B. Jones, Associate Professor of Religion and Culture and Religion and Culture Area Director, Catholic University of America
imageMonks pray at Nanshan Temple in Sanya, Hainan Province of China.Chen Wenwu/VCG via Getty Images

Many people in the West interpret Buddhism as a path of meditation leading to enlightenment.

What many may not know is that this interpretation differs vastly from its practice in East Asia.

I have spent many years observing Buddhist temples in Taiwan...

Read more: What is Pure Land Buddhism? A look at how East Asian Buddhists chant and strive for buddhahood

More Articles ...

  1. Why do smoke alarms keep going off even when there's no smoke?
  2. The insurrection at the Capitol challenged how US media frames unrest and shapes public opinion
  3. How does the 25th Amendment work, and can it be used to remove Trump from office after US Capitol attack?
  4. Connected workouts can help you get fit alongside virtual buddies during the pandemic
  5. US Capitol protesters, egged on by Trump, are part of a long history of white supremacists hearing politicians' words as encouragement
  6. Pikas are adapting to climate change remarkably well, contrary to many predictions
  7. Was it a coup? No, but siege on US Capitol was the election violence of a fragile democracy
  8. 'Once you engage in political violence, it becomes easier to do it again' – an expert on political violence reflects on events at the Capitol
  9. Yellow Gadsden flag, prominent in Capitol takeover, carries a long and shifting history
  10. COVID-19 crisis in Los Angeles: Why activating 'crisis standards of care' is crucial for overwhelmed hospitals
  11. Trump tapped into white victimhood – leaving fertile ground for white supremacists
  12. Legalizing marijuana, once a pipe dream on Capitol Hill, takes an important step forward
  13. In Mike Pence, US evangelicals had their '24-karat-gold' man in the White House
  14. What is a margin of error? This statistical tool can help you understand vaccine trials and political polling
  15. School budgets have held up better than expected in some states, but looming cuts will hurt learning long after pandemic ends
  16. Voting in Georgia runoff went better than June's disastrous primary, but trouble still lingers
  17. Why Trump's Senate supporters can't overturn Electoral College results they don't like – here's how the law actually works
  18. Fewer kids are enrolled in public kindergarten – that will have a lasting impact on schools and equity
  19. Mississippi just got rid of its Electoral College-like election process
  20. How kids can benefit from mindfulness training
  21. Air pollution may contribute to Alzheimer’s and dementia risk – here's what we're learning from brain scans
  22. How many people need to get a COVID-19 vaccine in order to stop the coronavirus?
  23. Can a future ban on gas-powered cars work? An economist explains
  24. In a time of social and environmental crisis, Aldo Leopold's call for a 'land ethic' is still relevant
  25. Trump's 'smoking gun' tape is worse than Nixon's, but congressional Republicans have less incentive to do anything about it
  26. Populism erupts when people feel disconnected and disrespected
  27. Ready to try an old approach to a New Year’s resolution? The story of Saint Ignatius may provide some guidance
  28. The cold supply chain can't reach everywhere – that's a big problem for equitable COVID-19 vaccination
  29. The 'gateway drug to corruption and overspending' is returning to Congress – but are earmarks really that bad?
  30. Rooting out racism in children's books
  31. How does your brain wake up from sleep?
  32. When working out makes you sick to your stomach: What to know about exercise-induced nausea
  33. Group exercise may be even better for you than solo workouts – here's why
  34. Seat belts and smoking rates show people eventually adopt healthy behaviors – but it can take time we don't have during a pandemic
  35. America's newest voters look back at the 2020 election – and forward to politics in 2021
  36. The Sunburst hack was massive and devastating – 5 observations from a cybersecurity expert
  37. In 2020, TV and film still couldn't get abortion right
  38. Whether slow or fast, here's how your metabolism influences how many calories you burn each day
  39. How to outsmart your COVID-19 fears and boost your mood in 2021
  40. Instagram's redesign shifts toward shopping – here's how that can be harmful
  41. Getting COVID-19 vaccines to rural Americans is harder than it looks – but there are ways to lift the barriers
  42. 7 research-based resolutions that will help strengthen your relationship in the year ahead
  43. How to help dogs and cats manage separation anxiety when their humans return to work
  44. What’s not being said about why African Americans need to take the COVID-19 vaccine
  45. Would you eat indoors at a restaurant? We asked five health experts
  46. Magnetic induction cooking can cut your kitchen's carbon footprint
  47. Congress lifts long-standing ban on Pell grants to people in prison
  48. The icy backstory to that 'clink clink' you'll hear when raising a toast to the end of 2020
  49. Should pregnant women get the COVID-19 vaccine? Will it protect against asymptomatic infections and mutated viruses? An immunologist answers 3 questions
  50. How curators transferred Sequoia and King's Canyon National Parks' archives to escape wildfires