If the Pure
Land actually exists as
real place, that means that the hellish realms and other samsaric places exist
literally as well - as a result of our collective karma, as you said in your book. So I would like to know your thoughts about this: if the Pure Land is not
symbolic and exists in a specific place (like to the west), does that mean that
places such as hells also exist literally in specific places outside of our
minds?
Answer:
Yes, the hells exist specifically as places outside of our
minds, too, but they exist because of
the minds of those who have a hellish karma. The realm we are living in now
exists outside of our minds too, because, as we see, we have these bodies, we have
mountains, oceans, forests, etc, I can look to you and you can look to me
(there is nothing mythological or symbolic or fictional in this), but in the
same time, it exists because of our
minds and our karma. My mind, your mind, plus all the other minds of human
beings and their karma are the causes for such a human place to exist. The mind streams of beings need their vehicles,
and so the worlds and bodies come into existence due to the individual and
collective karma of various mind-streams.
In the hell realms there are also mountains, glaciers, and
various mind-streams (beings) who have their own vehicles or bodies – the hell
dweller bodies. Those people are born into an environment and with bodies which
have the cause in their own hellish karma, just like human beings are born into
an environment and with bodies who have the cause in their karma which
resonates with the human plane of existence.
The nature we see around us is the product or the effect of
our karma as humans, while the nature and environment the hell dwellers see is
the effect of their karma. Both are real
as karmic connections and karmic effects. But while in our human realm we
also share the existence with other beings in animal form, which also have
their own karma, in hell the so called
hell guardians who punish the hell dwellers, even if they are real, they are not
in fact, self-existing beings or self-existing mind-streams. Those
guardians and punishers and even the terrifying beasts are themselves the
manifestation of the karma of those born in hell. So while they are real and
they exist in those places, they do not
have a self existence. They are part of the environment, so to speak, and they
really exist as part of that karmic realm, just like our forests and mountains
exists as part of our human karmic realm. The pain the hell dweller
experience is also not symbolic, but true and real, just like if I now cut your
finger, you will really experience pain :)
You have to understand that ALL manifestations, from the
hells to the Pure
Land come into existence
due to causes and conditions. If you have a karma so evil that you deserve to
be born into hell, you will be born there, if you have the karma to be born as
human you will be born as a human, and so on… In the same way that unenlightened
beings karmically manifest unenlightened realms with various pains and
obstacles, a Buddha manifests an
Enlightened Realm. If in the first case, the manifestations in
unenlightened realms are conducive to more attachments and delusions, in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha there are enlightened manifestations and enlightened forms. In the Larger Sutra,
Shakyamuni said that, for example, the birds of the Pure Land
are not the result, like in our realm, of an unenlightened karma, but are
manifested by Amida Buddha. If in the hell, various birds and terrifying beasts
prey on the hell dwellers because those birds and beasts are the effect of the karma
of hell dwellers, in the Pure
Land the various birds
sing Dharma music and speak about Nirvanic truths, because they are manifested
from Amida’s Enlightenment. Both animals (those of hell and the Pure Land )
are real, but they exist due to different causes. The beasts from hell have the
cause in an unenlightened karma (the karma of hell dwellers), while the second
have their cause in Amida’s Enlightenment, and in Dharmakara’s Vows which were
brought to fulfillment when He became Amida Buddha.
The fact that Enlightened forms have their basis in ultimate
reality beyond form, it does not mean
they do not exist. People often confuse things and think that because of
ultimate reality beyond form, the manifestation in Form is not in fact a real
existence. But as you read in my book when I explained T’an-luan theory of the Two Bodies, the Dharmakaya of Dharma nature manifests as Dharmakaya of
Compassionate means. Both exists and they
“are different, but inseparable; they are one but not the same”. Every Enlightened form of the Pure Land has
the ultimate reality beyond form in it, just like a hell being too, has the
Buddha nature in him, but he does not realizes it and so, he continues to
manifest an evil environment and suffer in it. A person who realizes his
ultimate Buddha nature, he will also manifest forms, just he will no longer be
bound to any form. He will be free of
forms, but He (as a Buddha) will continue to manifest forms.
A grave heresy is
that which is called, “attachment to emptiness” or “nihilistic voidness” in
which it is included the denial of the Pure Land
because of emptiness or ultimate reality beyond form. In fact, the Ultimate Reality beyond form and
unenlightened and enlightened phenomena exist in the same time. Due to evil
karma, unenlightened realms exists, while due to Enlightened karma, the Pure Land
exist. The first are created by the deeds and thoughts of the unenlightened
beings, while the Pure
Land has been created by
the 48 vows and practices of Bodhisattva Dharmakara who attained perfect
Enlightenment. Because of His
Enlightenment and access to Ultimate Reality beyond form as the condition,
and His Vows and practices as the cause,
the Pure Land came into existence. In the same
way, because of the ultimate reality as the condition and unenlightened/evil
karma as the cause, the phenomena which we call hell, human realms, or gods
realms, etc, came into existence.
I hope these
explanations can help. Please remember that we talk here about things we’ll
know better when we will be born in the Pure Land
and become Buddhas ourselves.
Only for Buddhas
the hell realms are like non-existent,
because they are awake and they do not have the karma to sleep and suffer in the
samsaric dream, but for unenlightened beings, the hell and other samsaric
realms are real and they exist as forms manifested by their unenlightened
karma. A Buddha cannot manifest evil or unenlightened realms because He is
Awake and Enlightened, so He can only manifest a Pure Land while He can also go (as a Free Enlightened
Person) to all worlds manifested by the collective karma of various beings and
preach the Dharma to them there, or do various actions to help them. Both
unenlightened beings and Buddhas are surrounded by forms and manifest forms,
the first due to their ignorance, while the second due to their Perfect Wisdom
and Compassion.
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