淨土門所立，說念佛有三緣之功力：一、親緣，眾生起行口常稱佛名，佛即聞之，身常禮敬佛，佛即見之，心常念佛佛即知之，謂眾生之三業與佛之三業不相捨離也。二、近緣，眾生願見佛，佛即應念而現至目前也。三、增上緣，眾生稱念佛，則念念除多劫之罪，命終之時，佛聖眾皆來迎，不為諸邪業所繫。見觀經定善義。
The three nidānas or links with the Buddha resulting from calling upon him, a term of the Pure Land sect: (a) 親緣 that he hears those who call his name, sees their worship, knows their hearts and is one with them; (b) 近緣 that he shows himself to those who desire to see him; (c) 增上緣 that at every invocation aeons of sin are blotted out, and he and his sacred host receive such a disciple at death.
一三緣 又作攝取三緣。乃指親緣、近緣、增上緣，即念佛之行者被阿彌陀佛光明所攝之緣由，共有三種。此語係出自善導之觀經疏定善義卷三。(1)親緣，行者口稱名號，身禮敬佛，心默念佛，而佛聞其稱名，見其禮佛，知其念佛。如此行者與佛互相憶念，兩者具有密不可分之關係。(2)近緣，行者欲見佛時，佛即應行者而親近其身。(3)增上緣，行者稱念名號，念念除去罪障，臨命終時，聖眾來迎，不為業障所繫縛，必定往生。此外，又指慈悲之緣，即：眾生緣、法緣、無緣緣。（參閱「慈悲」7291）p898
淨土宗說念佛能產生三種的緣，即親緣、近緣、增上緣。親緣是眾生的口常念佛名，佛立刻聽到，身常禮敬佛，佛立刻看到，心常念佛，佛立刻知道，此情形顯示念佛人的三業已經跟佛的三業相應不離了；近緣是眾生如想見佛，佛立刻應念而出現在他的面前；增上緣是眾生稱念佛，念念都能夠消除無量劫以來的罪業，當命終的時候，佛就來迎接他往生西方。