Summary by Kellyn Rost

Pureland Buddhism, I have found, is one of the more accessible forms Buddhism available to the masses because of its multiple buddhas and forms of practice, the latter which includes meditative visualizations as well as remembrance of Amitayus Buddha to choose from. The reading on the subject covers three of the main sutras in this teaching: The Larger Sutra on Amitayus, The Contemplation Sutra, and The Smaller Sutra on Amitayus. The Larger Sutra describes Amitayus's decision to become a Buddha. The fact that his station in life is that of a king before he makes the journey is indicative of a loose retelling of Siddartha's story.

What I gained from the story was the message that anyone can become a Buddha, even one who seems is far removed from the path. This is illustrated by the Contemplation Sutra, which describes the Buddha Sakyamuni's visit to an imprisoned queen where he instructs her on visualizations of Amitayus and his Pure Land. The purpose of this sutra seems to be to describe how one uses form as a means to attain formlessness by giving form a positive representation and then releasing oneself from it. The third sutra includes a description of the Buddha Amitayus and his Pure Land, and also recognizes the myriad other Buddhas with their own respective Pure Lands. The reason for these multiple Buddhas is that each possesses its own different and unique Pure Land for the adherent to meditate upon to reach Nirvana. Because everyone must take their own path to enlightenment, it only makes sense that an array of Pure Lands are made available for everyone to find their own individual way.