Most samurai were Buddhists. Two forms of Buddhism that became popular in Japan were Amida and Zen. Samurai were drawn to both kinds of Buddhism, but especially to Zen.Amida Buddhism In the 12th century, a monk named Honen founded a popular form of Buddhism, Amida Buddhism. These Buddhists believed that all people could reach paradise. Honen taught that believers could do this by relying on the mercy of the Amida Buddha.Amida had been an Indian prince. When he became a Buddha, it was said, he set up a western paradise called the Pure Land. Honen said that believers could enter the Pure Land by prayerfully repeating Amida's name over and over—up to 70,000 times a day. Then, when a believer died, Amida Buddha and a group of bodhisattvas would be waiting to escort the believer into the Pure Land.Honen's disciple Shinran made this “Pure Land Buddhism” even more popular. He taught that believers could reach the western paradise by sincerely saying Amida's name only once.Zen Buddhism The form of Buddhism called Zen appealed to many samurai because of its emphasis on effort and discipline. Zen stresses self-reliance and achieving enlightenment through meditation.To reach enlightenment, Zen Buddhists meditate for hours, during which they must sit erect and cross-legged without moving. According to the beliefs of Zen Buddhism, becoming enlightened requires giving up everyday, logical thinking. To jolt the mind into enlightenment, masters pose puzzling questions called koans (KOH-ahnz). Probably the most well-known koan is, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”Zen masters created artfully arranged gardens to aid in meditation. These often simple and stark gardens symbolized nature instead of imitating it. Rocks in sand, for example, might represent islands in the sea.Zen Buddhism was a good match for the samurai way of life. Zen helped samurai learn discipline, focus their minds, and overcome their fear of death.