On the Meaning of “quanxin qiuwang” in the Anle ji

Abstract

This paper examines a main theme of Daochuo’s 道綽 Pure Land thought as he defines it in the beginning of the Anle ji 安楽集, in which he encourages people to seek faith in the Pure Land path by saying “calling for faith to attain birth in the Pure Land” (quanxin qiuwang 勧信求住). In order to clarify the meaning of this passage essential for understanding the Anle ji, in this paper, I examine Daochuo’s use of the words quan and xin in the text. In the text of the Anle ji, the word xin is always used to call for faith in the Pure Land teaching. This clearly shows that the most significant idea of the teaching of the Anle ji is to guide people to enter the path of the Pure Land teaching. Therefore, the Anle ji is not simply a scholarly commentary summarizing the teaching of the Guan Wuliangshou jing 観無量寿経. It is rather a book written in evangelical enthusiasm with strong missionary motivation to propagate Pure Land Buddhism.