birth in the Pure Land　往生 Ōjō literally means “to go to be born”. Generally, in the Pure Land tradition, it means attaining birth in the Pure Land after death, where with the support of the Buddha’s power, one attains the stage of non-retrogression and ultimately realizes perfect enlightenment. For Rennyo as well as Shinran, however, “birth in the Pure Land” does not mean going to some ideal place for prolonged spiritual training, but means that at the time of birth in the Pure Land one immediately attains the supreme enlightenment, or nirvana, being liberated from the karmic bonds of birth-and-death.