本文依僧傳與佛教文獻查證唐末五代之後西方彌陀法門的演變，唐初由於佛三昧而心入念佛三昧的西方淨土法門 ，中唐卻演變成持名唸佛，卻也能將唸佛法門普及一般信眾。繼而晚唐佛教遭受會昌法難的襲擊、五代政局的混亂，各宗派法義的式微，宋初經由天臺中興祖師法智知禮宏揚的天臺教觀、禮懺、並誓生西方，因而西方淨土法門也因此被天臺人士所重視。經本文的探討，宋、元、明時期的淨土業者幾乎是天臺宗的僧眾，晚期天臺的法義除了教觀之外，還頗重禮懺的行持，將禮懺與念佛法結合，似乎成為西方淨土業者不可分的法門，亦可謂淨土修持者幾乎是天臺宗的門人。

According to Buddhist materials this studies analyzes the modification of Amita teaching after the T’ang. In Buddhist tradition the meditator practiced the visualization on the Amita Buddha for obtaining Samadhi in the early T’ang, however, the chanting on the name of Amita Buddha (N’ien-fo) was instead in the middle of T’ang, from which the Amita teaching was expanded widely. Afterwards Buddhism suffered the persecution of Hui-ch’ang in 845, then a turmoil and disunity of political state was followed in an almost half century after the dowfall of the T’ang. The teaching of Buddhist schools was declined, no intellectual activity within Buddhist circles was developed under the Five Dynasties period. In Sung Dynasty a significant cleric Fa-chih Chih-li (960-1028), who restored the teaching of T’ien-t’ai school and developed a theory of repentance, was also keen on Amita teaching and made a vow to be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Amita. After his propaganda the Amita teaching was widely accepted by T’ien-t’ai school. This studies points out the adherents of Amita teaching were almost from T’ien-t’ai community after the Sung period. The combining theory of N’ien-fo and repentance was established as a core of Western Pure Land teaching. Likewise we could say that Pure Land teaching was taken up with T’ien-t’ai doctrine and practiced by their adherents through the sung, Yuan, Ming periods.