Amida Buddha and His Pure Land |
Why did Shakyamuni spend so much time and effort to describe the
wonders of the Pure Land? Why did He offer so many detailed explanations of the jeweled trees and their fruits, the Bodhi tree, the bathing pounds, the
monasteries, palaces, pavilions, the flowers with their exquisite aromas, the
sounds, and so on? The reason is very simple. Because He wanted us to wish to
go there! If you know about a nice resort, you would encourage your friends to visit
it, wouldn’t you? It’s the same with the Pure Land! Shakyamuni wants us to go
there and He makes a lot of publicity to it. Of course, no one ever makes publicity
to something which does not exist, and especially Shakyamuni would never praise
and describe in so much detail the Pure Land if that place was not real. Please
bear this in mind as it is of extreme importance. By making the efforts to
describe the Pure Land, Shakyamuni transmits us a double message:
1)
the Pure Land exists; it is a real enlightened place, and
2)
you should go there.