Within the Ōbaku tradition, elements associated with Pure Land devotion are woven directly into the fabric of Zen practice. Central among these is the recitation of the Buddha’s name, the nembutsu—“Namu Amida Butsu” or “Namo Amituofo”—which functions both as a devotional act and as a form of meditative concentration. This recitation is not merely occasional; it appears in daily services and ceremonies, often in a rhythmic, chant-like style that reflects its Chinese Pure Land roots. In this way, what might elsewhere be seen as a separate devotional path becomes, in Ōbaku, a complementary method of cultivating mindfulness and faith.

Amitābha Buddha occupies a particularly prominent place in this synthesis. Ōbaku temples give Amitābha a central role in iconography and ritual life, treating him as a primary focus of veneration rather than only as a secondary figure to Śākyamuni. This devotional orientation is supported by the chanting of Pure Land scriptures, such as the Amitābha Sūtra and related texts, which are used liturgically as vehicles for generating merit and deepening faith. The atmosphere of practice thus includes both the silent, introspective discipline of zazen and the voiced, communal invocation of Amitābha’s name and vows.

Another characteristic feature is the explicit aspiration for rebirth in Amitābha’s Pure Land. Ōbaku practice allows for prayers and dedications that look toward the Western Paradise as a favorable realm for further progress toward awakening. This aspiration does not displace the Zen emphasis on direct realization, but it introduces a recognized place for reliance on Amitābha’s compassionate vows alongside personal effort in meditation. The result is a dual framework in which self-power and other-power are treated as mutually reinforcing rather than mutually exclusive.

Liturgically, Ōbaku preserves Chinese-style monastic forms that are closely associated with Pure Land devotion. Chanting services, processions, and the use of musical accompaniment, such as the wooden fish, create a ritual environment in which Pure Land texts and practices are interwoven with more familiar Zen elements. Through these forms, faith, gratitude, and aspiration toward Amitābha’s realm are cultivated together with the contemplative clarity prized in Zen. The overall character of Ōbaku thus reflects a deliberate and harmonious blending of Zen insight with Pure Land devotion, allowing practitioners to move fluidly between silent meditation and vocal praise of Amitābha.