Within Pure Land Buddhism, chanting Amitābha Buddha’s name in the final moments of life is regarded as especially potent. The classic Pure Land scriptures, such as the Amitābha Sūtra and the Contemplation Sūtra, present the assurance that even reciting the Name a limited number of times—if done with undivided, sincere faith—can lead to rebirth in the Pure Land. These texts even depict individuals burdened with heavy negative karma who, at the threshold of death, turn their minds wholeheartedly to Amitābha and thereby attain birth in his realm. This teaching rests on the conviction that Amitābha’s vow-power responds compassionately to those who call upon him with genuine trust and aspiration.

The inner quality of mind at the time of death is emphasized as crucial. It is not the mere sound of the Name that is decisive, but the presence of sincere faith, focused intention, and entrusting oneself to Amitābha’s vow. Pure Land thought often highlights that the final moment of consciousness strongly conditions the next rebirth, so a single thought of pure faith at that juncture is seen as extraordinarily powerful. For this reason, many communities practice group recitation around the dying, both to steady the person’s mind and to support the turning of consciousness toward Amitābha.

Different Pure Land traditions articulate this principle with varying emphases, yet without undermining the efficacy of deathbed recitation. Chinese Pure Land teachers affirm that last-moment recitation can be effective, while also urging practitioners to cultivate the Name throughout life so that faith and recollection are stable when death arrives. In Japanese Jōdo Shinshū, the decisive factor is understood to be lifelong entrusting (shinjin) to Amitābha’s vow; chanting at the end of life is then seen as a natural expression of that already-established faith rather than a final effort to secure salvation. Across these perspectives, the shared conviction remains that calling Amitābha’s name with sincere, wholehearted reliance at the time of death can indeed open the way to rebirth in the blissful realm of Sukhāvatī.