Heinz-Murray 2E.book

Chapter 6 Religions of South Asia 215

achieving nirvana through life-long self-discipline and meditation, a simpler path
allows for rebirth into the Pure Land.

Almost any degree of attention to the Buddha would enable rebirth in [the
Pure Land]. Beings needed only to set their minds on Amitabha, cultivate
“roots of good,” and plan for achieving enlightenment there. Even beings
that had not done well over their lifetimes in attending to the Buddha could
achieve rebirth with Amitabha if they just directed their thoughts that way
on their deathbeds and experienced a vision of Amitabha; even a single sin-
cere thought might be sufficient. (Amstutz 1998:72)
No longer was there just one Buddha; now there were many Buddhas, and
moreover full Buddhahood became possible for anyone. In these new forms,
Buddhism began its conquest of the rest of Asia, traveling to China, Japan, and
Korea by one route, and to Southeast Asia by another.

Amaravati

Mathura

Pagan

Bodh Gaya

Sarnath Banaras

Shravasti

Lumbini (Nepal)

Kapilavastu (Nepal)

Lhasa (Tibet)

Thaton

Dunhuang

Kucha (Central Asia)

Angkor

Nara

Kyoto

Palembang

Vaishali

Barobadur

Chang-an Luo-yang

CHINA

INDONESIA

INDIA

BURMA

Pacific

Ocean

Bay

Of

Bengal

So

ut

h

Ch

in

a

Se

a

Ind

ian

Oc

ea

n

Yang

zi^ R

iver

Yellow R.

Map 6.1 Route of dispersal of Buddhism.