Tao-cho who lived 562

562

Year 562 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 562 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Belisarius stands trial for...

–645

645

Year 645 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 645 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Byzantines recapture...

, was a Chinese Buddhist scholar of the Nirvana Sutra, but later became an eminent scholar of the Pure Land

Pure land

A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...

 school. In Jodo Shinshu

Jodo Shinshu

, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...

, he is considered the fourth Patriarch

Jodo Shinshu Patriarchs

The Seven Patriarchs of Jodo Shinshu were seven Buddhist monks who helped develop Pure Land Buddhism. Shinran, founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, established a lineage for Pure Land Buddhist thought that traced to the time of Shakyamuni Buddha...

. According to legend, Tao-cho once visited the temple of Tan-luan

Tan-luan

Tánluán was a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is credited by Hōnen as the founder of Pure Land Buddhism in China. He is also considered the Third Patriarch in Japanese Jodo Shinshu Buddhism....

, and read an inscription on the wall that venerated Tan-luan

Tan-luan

Tánluán was a Chinese Buddhist monk. He is credited by Hōnen as the founder of Pure Land Buddhism in China. He is also considered the Third Patriarch in Japanese Jodo Shinshu Buddhism....

. Tao-cho was so impressed by this inscription that he took up the pursuit of Pure Land

Pure land

A pure land, in Mahayana Buddhism, is the celestial realm or pure abode of a Buddha or Bodhisattva. The various traditions that focus on Pure Lands have been given the nomenclature Pure Land Buddhism. Pure lands are also evident in the literature and traditions of Taoism and Bön.The notion of 'pure...

 Buddhism over his previous studies.

Among Tao-cho's contributions to Pure Land Buddhism was his distinction that there existed two Paths in Buddhism: The Holy Path (monastic practices leading to the purification of the mind) and the Pure Land Path (relying on Amida

Amida

Amida can mean:* Amitabha, an important Buddha in East Asian Buddhism* Amida , a beetle genus* Amida Buddha* Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish services* Amidakuji, a way of drawing lots* Amitabh Bachchan, an actor...

's grace). He also linked the Buddhist concept of Mappo

Mappo

The Latter Day of the Law, is one of the Three Ages of Buddhism. Mappō or Mofa , which is also translated as the Age of Dharma Decline, is the "degenerate" Third Age of Buddhism.- Tradition :...

 with the salvation of Amida

Amida

Amida can mean:* Amitabha, an important Buddha in East Asian Buddhism* Amida , a beetle genus* Amida Buddha* Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish services* Amidakuji, a way of drawing lots* Amitabh Bachchan, an actor...

, by teaching that Amida's compassion was particularly focused on those living in the degenerate age.