淨土與禪通常被視為中國佛教僅剩之二主軸。淨土修行者 尊崇阿彌陀佛並求生 極樂淨土而非求涅槃，因此解脫成於另時。再者，藉由他力—也就是阿彌陀佛的誓 願—而得成生於淨土且不再退轉，行者將一心一意努力於成佛的修證。淨土法門依於 信、願、行，而禪宗強調頓悟，提倡人之完滿並直指人心，且禪宗主張以心印心，教 外別傳。此兩者之差異將淨土哲學與堅定虔敬的精神導向一謹慎清晰且嚴密構想的宗 派運動，此宗派強調這是唯一有效的方式且具足使人解脫之基礎。雖然此運動消融於 充滿活力的中國佛教中，與主流不同取向的爭議也依舊存在，但卻再次於現代中國佛 教中復甦，此篇將藉由推動對話和諧與互解之代表人物—虛雲—的教導探索此爭議。

Pure Land and Chan have typically been acknowledged as the two remaining poles of Chinese Buddhism. Pure Land practitioners revere Amitabha Buddha and seek not nirvana but rebirth in the Land of Bliss (jile shijie 極樂世界). Enlightenment is thereby conferred in another time and through another power (i.e. the vows of Amitabha). No more is there retrogression on the path, and the devotee can place all his efforts toward the realization of Buddhahood. By way of comparison, Chan accentuates sudden awakening, advocating the completeness of human capacities and directly pointing to the mind itself. Whereas Pure Land calls upon faith, vows and practice (xin, yuan, xing 信、願、行), Chan asserts the sealing of mind to mind, a ‘transmission outside the teaching.’ The remarkable disparity between the two led to Pure Land philosophy and devotion solidifying “into a carefully-defined and narrowly conceived sectarian movement which claimed to be the only effective method and all-sufficient source of salvation for everyone.” Although this movement dissolved into the very vitality of Chinese Buddhism, debate has, contrary to popular opinion, remained alive and even been revived again in contemporary Chinese Buddhism. It is the aim of the paper to explore this continued debate by focusing on the teachings and advice of Xu Yun 虛雲 as one of the many figures promoting dialectical harmony and understanding.