Of all the Sutras and commentaries used in Buddhism, three Sutras , or teachings spoken by Buddha, were originally considered the most important texts in Pure Land Study. Later, one commentary and segments of two more Sutras were added to the list of texts that Pure Land Masters consider most important. Today, the main texts used in Pure Land practice include five Sutras and one commentary.

The three Sutras originally used in Pure Land Study are The Infinite Life Sutra , The Contemplation Sutra, and The Amitabha Sutra.

The Infinite Life Sutra, presented in the form of a summary on this Web site, is the basic text in Pure Land Study. It contains a detailed introduction to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. The Infinite Life Sutra explains how Amitabha Buddha created the Pure Land, and how he took 48 Great Vows to ensure that sincere pratitioners of Buddha recitation could be reborn there. It also spells out a set of principles that can be used to build a foundation for our daily lives; it offers many valuable lessons which help us attain happiness, a good family life, a successful career, a harmonious society, and a peaceful world.

The Amitabha Sutra, which is translated in its entirety on this site, describes the wonders and adornments of the Western Pure Land and explains how inhabitants of our world can be reborn there. It also describes the hosts of Buddhas who dwell in the Pure Land and in other Buddha-lands in all the ten directions.

The Sutra on Observing Amitabha Buddha and His Pure Land, which is summarized on the page titled "The Contemplation Sutra,"lists and describes sixteen different visualizations that Shakyamuni Buddha suggested as techniques for achieving rebirth in the Pure Land. This Sutra explains the theory of Pure Land teachings, the Pure Land method of cultivation, and the nine ways that people can be reborn in the Pure Land.

The one Commentary used in Pure Land Study is Vasubandhu Bodhisattva's Commentary on the Way to Reaching Pure Land. In this commentary -- just twenty-four stanzas long -- Vasubandhu Bodhisattva sums up the meaning of the Infinite Life Sutra, praises the wonders and adornments of the Pure Land, and explains how to attain rebirth there.

In the Ching Dynasty, the three Sutras considered most important in Pure Land study were increased to four when the Venerable Wei Yuan added the Chapter on Universal Worthy Bodhisattva's Conduct and Vows (). Actually, this text is just one chapter (specifically, Chapter 40) in a much longer Sutra, theFlower Adornment Sutra. On this Web site, the chapter is translated in full on the page titled. "Flower Adornment Sutra, Chapter 40."

In the early 1900s, the Great Master Yin Guang added part of another Sutra to the Pure Land canon: the Chapter on the Foremost Attainment of Great Strength Bodhisattva through Buddha Recitation. This text is just one chapter -- specifically, Chapter 40 -- of a much larger Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra."

Although it contains only 244 Chinese characters, the Chapter on the Foremost Attainment of Great Strength Bodhisattva through Buddha Recitation contains some of the most important principles of Pure Land Study. For example, it teaches us a very simple and concise method of Buddha recitation: Focus the six senses (the five senses plus the mind) within and perform continuous Buddha Recitation with a Pure Mind. It also summarizes the benefits of Buddha recitation, and explains how the cultivator, without the help of any other methods, can naturally attain the Pure Mind.