Periodically, I am asked about what might be called the "credentials" of Pure Land Buddhism. This is understandable in light of the scant amount of translated material from the two-thousand year history of Buddhism in China.
I received such a query recently and found the following in my Library folder. It is from A Buddhist Goal That Can Be Achieved In One's Present Life by Mr. Li Bingnan. (An account of Mr. Li's life can be found in Charles Brewer Jones' excellent Buddhism in Taiwan.)
Because of his great kindness and compassion, Shakyamuni Buddha taught us the method of reciting Buddha's name so that we may be born into the World of Ultimate Bliss. This is the simplest, surest way of getting off the revolving wheel of Birth-and-Death and gaining eternal life. All other paths are far more difficult. Many great scholars have studied this path and found out that the more they study it, the more they appreciate it and they are convinced that this is the path suitable for everybody.
It takes a very high level of wisdom and mental capacity to understand and appreciate the principles of this path. However, anybody can practice it and benefit fully. . . .
In the Flower-Adornment Assembly [The Flower Ornament Scripture: A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, translated by Thomas Cleary], both Wen Shu [Manjushi Bodhisattva] and P'u Hsien, [Samantabhadra Bodhisattva] the two sages who are the assistants to Shakyamuni Buddha, advised people to practice this path.
The two great Bodhisatvas of India, Ma Ming [Asvaghosa] and Lung Shu [Nagarjuna], advocated this path as the path for everybody.
In China, great Dharma masters of their times, from Hui Yuan to Yin Kuang, all started to practice other paths but finally switched to this path. Great master T'an Luan, whose mummified remains are still in preservation, and is known as the flesh-relic Bodhisattva, and great master Chih Che, who upheld the heritage of the Buddha, both advocated this path.
In modern times, the great master Ti Hsien of the Heavenly Platform (T'ien T'ai) school, great master T'ai Hsu of the Consciousness-Only School, great master Hung I of the Vinaya School, and great masters Hsu Yun and Yuan Ying of the Chan School all advised their followers to practice this path.
Lay Buddhists, such as Liu Lei of Lu Shan in Chin Dynasty, the Pai Le T'ien of the Tang dynasty, Su Tung P'o and Wen Yen Po of the Sung Dynasty, Yuan Hung Tao of the Ming Dynasty, and P'eng Ch'ih Mu and Yang Jen Shan of the Ch'ing Dynasty, were all top scholars and all practiced the path of Pure-Land, i.e., they all aspire to be born in the World of Ultimate Bliss through reciting Buddha's name.
There are countless numbers of persons practicing this path. Let us ask ourselves, is our wisdom superior to that of those great Bodhisattvas, great Dharma masters, and top scholars? If all these wise people practiced the path of Pure-Land, is it correct for us to despise this path?"