We have seen that the Pure Land tradition as understood by the line of development passing through Shan-tao used paintings of Amitaba and his Pure Land in two distinct ways; meditational aids in the quest for a vision of that pure abode and as an inspirational and devotional aids when not associaed with the meditative vision.
The use of paintings as meditational aids are excellent aids in the visualization process because both the primary and secondary texts left details out that a painting must provide (Note: for example, in 《净土论》, the description of the Pure Land is often fraught with ambiguities and unknown details. This results in people practising meditation having difficulty in visualizing the entire picture.). The type of meditation that was gained in this way included both calm abiding and insight based on the understanding provided by Vasubandhu's Pure Land writings. Being on the calm abiding/ insight axis of meditational practice does not distinguish the rituals from other Mahayana rituals of a similar nature in this tradition. It is in the application of the three bodies of the Buddha that distinctions can be seen.
According to Shan-tao's understanding of the Pure Land, the visualization meditation is clearly associated within the Sambhogikakaya the level of Buddha bodies becuase Amitabha's Pure Land was understood to exist at this level. Thus the ritual use of art was to aid in a Sambhogikakaya vision of Amitabha Buddha and his land. Information was also offered that this visualization was not understood to include the realization of the mind of the Buddha and thus the inclusion of the Dharmakaya is not found, as is the case in some Tibetan Buddhist visualization rituals.
Although both calm abiding and insight meditations are well implemented in the Ch'an tradition and painted art expressing this is found, the use of art in Ch'an goes well beyond this application.Ch'an art begins with the Mahayana doctrine of emptiness and the prajna wisdom it instills. From this emptiness forms merge with the able hand of the artist expressing his/her realization. However, in Ch'an art much of the painting still retains the emptiness and a smaller percentage has forms. This was connected with the Prajnaparamita sutras ideas.
The expression of realization in both the production and the viewing of Ch'an art was presented and the movement from the form and emptiness as expressed in art works such as landscape paintings was discussed. The fact that the paintings contain representations of both form and emptiness means that the painting had to point to something else for there to be movement. Like in the use if kung-ans the function of the art was to produce a leap in the view of the practitioner. That leap was to the realm of the emptiness of emptiness considered the ultimate in Mahayana writings on wisdom. This emptiness of emptiness is a synonym of the Dharmakaya of the Buddham the summum bonum in the Mahayana.
Daniel B. Stevenson in his article on T'ien-t'ai lay Buddhist rituals notes that Tz'u-yun Tsun-shir (964-1032) claimed that the chanting of the name of Amitabha would grant the guarding gods and bodhisattvas protecting one, the suffering of afflictions by ghosts, demons, etc. would not occure, Amitabha will eliminate their sins, and give them dreams of him and his land, and other benefits. We also learn that inspired by Tsun-shir people would gather in front of images of Amitabha performing rituals and hoped for visions of him in addition to other worldly and this worldly benefits. Such visionary and dream granting in association with the Pure Land tradition is to be considered a regular feature.
Thus, we get some indication of images being used in a way that is very similar to the use noted by John Elsner in his abovementioned article within the Pure Land tradition. But the art of Ch'an had a completely different ritual associated with it. That is one leading to a gestalt transpersonal like experience as understood in psychology theory.
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