Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism

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What, if anything, is Esoteric Pure Land Buddhism? In 1224, the Japanese scholar-monk Dohan composed The Compendium on Esoteric Mindfulness of Buddha, beginning with a question about the reliance on the recitation of Amitabha's name. Dohan's exploration spans the East Asian Mahayana Buddhist tradition. While contemporary scholars often view Esoteric and Pure Land Buddhism as opposing schools, Aaron Proffitt examines Dohan's work in the context of Mahayana Buddhism's eastward flow from India to Japan, revealing that Mahayana Buddhists utilized overlapping esoteric approaches on the path to awakening. Proffitt divides his study into two parts. Part I discusses how early Buddhologists, under colonialism, categorized Mahayana, Pure Land, and Esoteric Buddhism as distinct fields. He surveys the transmission of Indian spells, dharaṇi, and mantra texts into China and Japan, highlighting various Buddhist masters who used these techniques for rebirth in Sukhavati, the Pure Land of Bliss. Part II focuses on Dohan's life and his view of buddhanusmrti as a ritual technology unifying body and mind. It presents Sukhavati as a soteriological goal synonymous with nirvana and Amitabha as a devotion beyond suffering. The work concludes with the first full translation of Dohan's Compendium into a modern language.