entrance, for rebirth in SukhavatI is portrayed as the result of a relation­

ship between the believer and Amitabha. We have here the seeds - if not

yet the full fruition - of what would come to be known as reliance on

"other-power" in the Pure Land Buddhism of East Asia.

Thus in several respects the Aksobhyavyuha appears to lie slightly

closer than does the SukhdvatTvyuha to the pre-existing worldview of

Mainstream Buddhism. But how do these two sutras align themselves

with what we have referred to above as the "trunk-line" Mahayana

tradition? That is, in what ways does the Pure Land Buddhism of these

two texts appear to be continuous with early Mahayana beliefs and

practices, and in what ways do these sutras diverge from those conven­

tions in unique and innovative ways?

Once again it is the Aksobhyavyuha that appears to be the more conser­

vative of the two. Here we still find the standard early Mahayana

assumption that Buddhahood is only for certain members of the com­

munity, while other Buddhists should be content to attain Arhatship.

Indeed it is the role of a Buddha to help them do so quickly, a part that

Aksobhya plays with great effectiveness. Moreover, the path to Buddha­

hood is still conceived of as tremendously difficult, requiring eons of

self-sacrifice to attain. Though Aksobhya offers an "accelerated course"

(as it were) to those fortunate enough to be born in his realm, it is also

reiterated throughout the sutra that those who wish to become Buddhas

must imitate the rigorous and extensive bodhisattva training undergone

by Aksobhya himself. Thus while the path to Buddhahood may be

shortened by hearing the Dharma and making offerings both in the

presence of Aksobhya and in other Buddha-worlds, the basic require­

ments of the path have not been changed. Nor has the final destiny of

the bodhisattva been revised in any way: the ultimate goal is to become a

Buddha oneself in a world that has no Buddhism, and there to preside

over one's own immeasurable assembly of srdvakas.

When we turn to the SukhdvatTvyuha, by contrast, we see that many of

these ideas have changed. Buddhahood now appears to be viewed as

appropriate for everyone - or at any rate, there is no discussion of the

attainment of Arhatship by the denizens of SukhavatI, 80

and the term