this article is a continuation of the teaching series,
But before I enter into the details of this topic, we must
remember a few key points. First of all, the
goal of Buddhism is to become a Buddha. Not to paint this life in different
colors, not to become a smart or interesting kind of Buddhist, but to become a
Buddha. The Buddhist path is not a method of relaxation or a tablet for
headache, something like “how can we become happier and calmer people” or a
recipe for momentary happiness, but a road to Buddhahood or complete Freedom for
us and all beings.
It is of utmost importance for those who enter the Buddhist path to have
the aspiration to become a Buddha. Without this aspiration there is no
Buddhism. If we don’t want or don’t feel the urgency of complete freedom from
the many sufferings of repeated births and deaths, then Buddhism will remain
for us only an object of study, an interesting lecture of mythology or an
intellectual delight.
There are, so to speak, two visions one can have about
himself and the world. The first is the ordinary vision depending on one's
cultural education or daily concerns, and the other is the Dharmic vision.
The first represents what is considered normal in various
times, containing limited explanations of the world and almost no interest in
the meaning of human existence or in something which is beyond the present life.
The immediate utilitarianism is fundamental in the non-Dharmic vision of the
world.
On the other hand, the Dharmic vision perceives the world
and personal life through the perspective of the Buddhist teaching (Dharma)
where everything is explained in terms of the preciousness of human birth,
impermanence, the law of karma, and the suffering inherent in all the samsaric
realms of existence (the Four Thoughts). Also, what is truly important is
defined in a different way than immediate utility, and the attainment of
Freedom from samsara for us and all beings is considered to be supreme.
By reading, listening and deeply reflecting on the
explanations offered by the Dharma about the world and our existence, one comes
to understand why it is necessary to become a Buddha. By engaging more and more
in the study of the Dharma, and by deeply understanding the Four Thoughts, we
reach the point when we receive the so called, “Dharmic vision” or “Dharma
eye”. Then, many of our mental constructions that we considered to be solid and
unbreakable will break down and the world will start to empty itself of the
false colors projected on it and taken as the true reality.
Walking the Buddhist path with the aspiration to become a
Buddha and having the Dharmic vision on our side, we become more intimate with our
own karma, that is, we start to know ourselves better and especially our
spiritual limitations. This stage – the
awareness of our spiritual limitations in comparison with the effort of
becoming a Buddha – is extremely important and especially emphasized in
Jodo Shinshu. As I already explained in the various sections of the Four
Thoughts, nothing is permanent in samsara, especially our so called
"spiritual achievements". Thus, everything we think we attain now can
be gone in the next hours, days or months, because our mental states are always
changing. As death may come at any moment, we really do not have time for the so
called "spiritual evolution" and the influence of our habitual karma
from eons of living in the darkness of delusions and blind passions is always
at work to hinder our most noble aspirations. When we reach the point where we
wish to escape samsara, but realize it is impossible to do it through our own power
and limited capacities, we may become
ready to accept Amida Buddha's helping hand that is extended to us and all
beings. If we listen deeply to Amida's simple message of salvation, entrust to
Him, say His Name in faith and wish to be reborn in His Pure Land, we will
finaly arrive at the end of our insane journey in samsara. This means that we
become assured of birth in the Pure Land of Amida, and after we die we'll be
reborn there and attain perfect Enlightenment.
By fully understanding the Four Thoughts as they were
explained in this book, we easily come to accept the Three Pillars of Jodo Shinshu, that is, 1) we
aspire to attain Buddhahood (perfect Enlightenment), 2) we realize our
limitations and the imposibility of attaining this goal through our own power, and
3) we entrust to Amida Buddha in order to attain Buddhahood in His special
Enlightened realm where, unlike our samsaric environment, everything there
is conducive to Enlightenment.
Faith (shinjin) as it is understood in Jodo Shinshu contains
this twofold profound conviction (nishu jinshin): 1) we know that we are
persons of deep karmic limitations, incapable to attain Buddhahood through our
own power; and 2) we know that only Amida Buddha can save us through His Vow
Power, without asking anything from us.
To aspire to become a Buddha is fundamental but this
aspiration remains just an unfulfilled desire like many others if our personal
capacities cannot lead us to this goal. It is not necessary to become a saint
or some kind of special kind of person in order to have the aspiration to
become a Buddha, but to be successful in attaining Buddhahood we'll need
efforts and qualities infinitely greater than our ordinary capacities. So, in
the moment we realize that it is
impossible to attain this state through our own power, we are ready to hear
the message of the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha.
It is very important to understand that Jodo Shinshu doesn’t
require to consider ourselves incapable in our daily activities, but only in
matters of attaining supreme Liberation. To become a Buddha is not the same
thing with being a good electrician, business man or anything we want in our
private life. Such a difference should be very well discerned.
These being
said, lets talk in more detail about the benefits of being born in the Pure
Land.
Where do we learn about these benefits? First, from Amida
Buddha himself as He promised in many of His vows[1] that
we'll experience them after being born in His Pure Land. Second, from Shakyamuni
Buddha who made great efforts to convince us about the existence of Amida
Buddha and His Pure Land, by telling the
story of Amida, describing His Enlightened Realm whenever He had the occasion,
and by showing both of them to Ananda and the audience gathered on Vulture Peak.
Third, from the Masters of our lineage and other lineages who also taught about
the various benefits of being born there.
In order
to show that people must accept the existence of Amida Buddha, and His
Enlightened realm where we should aspire to be born, Shakyamuni Buddha revealed
them to His audience, when He taught the Larger
Sutra. Here is what happened:
 |
| Shakyamuni Buddha teaching about Amida Buddha on the Vulture Peak |
“The Buddha said to
Ananda, ‘Rise to your feet, rearrange your robes, put your palms together, and
respectfully revere and worship Amitayus (Amida)[2].’ […] Ananda stood up,
rearranged his robes, assumed the correct posture, faced westward, and,
demonstrating his sincere reverence, joined his palms together, prostrated
himself on the ground, and worshiped Amitayus. Then he said to Śhakyamuni
Buddha, ‘World-honored One, I wish to see that Buddha, His Land of Peace
and Bliss, and its hosts of bodhisattvas
and sravakas’
As soon as he had said this, Amitayus emitted a great light, which illuminated all the Buddha lands. The Encircling Adamantine Mountains, Mount Sumeru, together with large and small mountains and everything else shone with the same [golden] color. That light was like the flood at the end of the period of cosmic change that fills the whole world, when myriads of things are submerged, and as far as the eye can see there is nothing but the vast expanse of water. Even so was the flood of light emanating from Amitayus. All the lights of sravakas and bodhisattvas were outshone and surpassed, and only the Buddha’s light remained shining bright and glorious. At that time Ananda saw the splendor and majesty of Amitayus resembling Mount Sumeru, which rises above the whole world. There was no place that was not illuminated by the light emanating from His body of glory[3]. The four groups of followers of the Buddha in the assembly saw all this at the same time. Likewise, those of the Pure Land saw everything in this world.
As soon as he had said this, Amitayus emitted a great light, which illuminated all the Buddha lands. The Encircling Adamantine Mountains, Mount Sumeru, together with large and small mountains and everything else shone with the same [golden] color. That light was like the flood at the end of the period of cosmic change that fills the whole world, when myriads of things are submerged, and as far as the eye can see there is nothing but the vast expanse of water. Even so was the flood of light emanating from Amitayus. All the lights of sravakas and bodhisattvas were outshone and surpassed, and only the Buddha’s light remained shining bright and glorious. At that time Ananda saw the splendor and majesty of Amitayus resembling Mount Sumeru, which rises above the whole world. There was no place that was not illuminated by the light emanating from His body of glory[3]. The four groups of followers of the Buddha in the assembly saw all this at the same time. Likewise, those of the Pure Land saw everything in this world.
Then the Buddha said
to Ananda and Bodhisattva Maitreya, 'Have you seen that land filled with
excellent and glorious manifestations, all spontaneously produced, from the
ground to the Heaven of the Pure Abode?' Ananda replied, 'Yes, I have.' The
Buddha asked, 'Have you also heard the great voice of Amitayus expound the
Dharma to all the worlds, guiding sentient beings to the Way of the Buddha?'
Ananda replied, 'Yes, I have.'"[4]
The
passage is clear and can’t be misinterpreted. Ananda asked Shakyamuni to see
Amida and His Pure Land - “I wish to see that Buddha, His Land of Peace
and Bliss”, and then he actually saw Him – “Ananda saw the splendor and majesty of Amitayus”. In fact, not
only him, but all those gathered there on Vulture Peak to listen to the Larger Sutra, saw Amida and the Pure
Land – “the four groups of followers of
the Buddha in the assembly saw all this at the same time”. Both those in
this world and those in the Pure Land, saw each other – “likewise, those of the Pure Land saw everything in this world”.
No
sincere follower and reader of the above lines can possibly misinterpret what
happened there. The revelation of Amida Buddha and His Land really took place,
and the audience literally saw them before their very eyes. There is no hidden,
metaphorical or symbolical meaning in this. I repeat, the audience literally
saw them before their very eyes[5].
Anybody who tells you that you should not actually take into consideration this
vision of Amida and His Land, as it was described in the sutra, is a person who
lacks faith and who is consciously or unconsciously deceiving you, so please
stay away from such people.
Not only
that Shakyamuni showed Amida Buddha and the Pure Land to the audience, but He
also asked them to confirm what they saw and heard:
“Have you seen that
land filled with excellent and glorious manifestations, all spontaneously
produced?”
To this, Ananda
replied, “Yes, I have”.
“Have you also heard
the great voice of Amitayus?”
Ananda, also replied:
“Yes, I have”.
Why do
you think Shakyamuni Buddha asked them to confirm what they just saw and heard?
Why He insisted to hear Ananda say with his own mouth, “yes I have seen” and “yes, I
have heard”? It is because He wanted all beings, including us, disciples of
later generations, to accept Amida as a real Buddha, and His Land as a real
enlightened place where we should wish to go after death. It was for our sake
that He told the story of Amida Buddha and enabled the audience to see Him and
His Land:
“I have expounded this
teaching (sutra) for the sake of sentient beings and enabled you to see
Amitayus (Amida) and all in his Land. Strive to do what you should. After I
have passed into Nirvana, do not allow doubt to arise."[6]
Also, beside showing Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, Shakyamuni
Buddha described that Enlightened Realm whenever He had the occasion. For
example, in the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo), Shakyamuni describes the Pure Land to Shariputra in
an ecstatic manner not even giving time to His listener to ask questions. He
starts preaching that sutra without being asked and He says on and on something
like: “Shariputra, it is wonderful, that place is supreme in beauty….
Shariputra, in that land there are so and so places and so and so precious
treasures…. Shariputra …….Shariputra…”. It seems that Shakyamuni doesn’t even
allow himself time to breathe when He speaks about the beauties of the Pure
Land, such is His enthusiasm in presenting them.
Also, again in order to show that Amida’s Pure Land is not a
metaphor, but a real place in which people can actually aspire to be born after
death, the land is given a direction - the Pure Land of the West.
Some say that the direction “west” and the marvelous
descriptions of the Pure Land are a proof for its non-existence or for its
existence as a symbol or metaphor only.
But the truth is that by making the effort to describe in many words the
wonders of the Pure Land and by pointing to a direction where to face the Pure
Land when worshipping Amida Buddha, Shakyamuni wants to emphasize its actual
existence as a place where sentient beings should aspire to be born without
worry and doubt.
It is as though I speak to you about a beautiful park I
would like you to visit. If I tell you, “it’s there, in the West part of town”
and I start describing it to you, then you will have no doubt about its
existence and you will wish to see it. It’s the same with the expression “Pure
Land of the West”.
The exaltation with which Shakyamuni Buddha described the
Pure Land of Amida in the Smaller Amida
Sutra (Amida-kyo) without even being asked to do it (Amidakyo is a sutra spontaneously delivered, not in response to a
question), or the radiant light that emanated from His body when He delivered
the Larger Sutra in which He
expounded the story of Amida and His 48th vows, are both an indication that His
words were true and His listeners should accept Amida as a living Buddha and
His Pure Land as a real place.
Again, in
order to deny that the Pure Land is a real enlightened place with forms and
manifestations, and stop you from awakening the true aspiration to be born
there, some would try to present the Pure Land only as a state of
consciousness. But you should not be fooled by them, because states of consciousness do not exclude
forms and manifestations! In fact, depending on the states of consciesness
one dwells in, various forms appear. Thus, for unenlightened beings, samsaric
bodies and realms come into existence as effects of their specific karmic
obscurations. When one becomes a Buddha, transcendental manifestations arise as
the effect of Enlightenment and the wish to save all beings.
There will always be
forms and manifestations, no matter we are enlightened or unenlightened. When
unenlightened conditions are present, unenlightened forms which lead to more
attachements and blind passions, appear. When Enlightenment is present,
enlightened forms or manifestations appear - this is why all Buddhas assume
various trancendent bodies and create special spheres of influence which are
called Pure Lands.
Buddhas do not depend on forms and their minds are always
free of forms, but this does not mean they reject forms. Only deluded
practitioners can fall in the wrong view of attachement to emptiness and negate
forms, saying that everything, including the Pure Land is just a state of mind.
In our samsaric world everything is the effect of
our unenlightened karma and so, we live in a garden of never ending desires and
suffering. Contrary to this, the Pure Land is the effect or the manifestation
of Amida Buddha's Enlightenment and of His wish to save all beings. Thus, everything there is conducive to
Enlightenment. Shakyamuni Buddha clearly explained the Pure Land
of Amida as a real place with various forms which He insisted that they are not
the product of unenlightened karma, but the manifestations of Amida. For
example, describing the birds in the Pure Land, Shakyamuni Buddha said:
“Shariputra, you
should not assume that these birds are born as retribution of their evil karma.
The reason is that none of the three evil realms exists in that Buddha-land.
Shariputra, even the names of the three evil realms do not exist there; how
much less the realms themselves? These
birds are manifested by Amida Buddha so that their singing can proclaim and
spread the Dharma”.[7]
This clearly shows that the Pure Land is both an
existing place and a place of Enlightenment.
The foundation of samsara is ignorance and blind passions;
the foundation (essence) of the Pure Land is Nirvana or Perfect Enlightenment. Both ignorance and Enlightenment are
accompanied by forms. Ignorance and blind passions give rise to various
samsaric realms, while perfect Enlightenment manifest Pure Lands. Thus, the
Pure Land of Amida Buddha is the effect of His Enlightenment and the wish to
save all beings as expressed in His 48 Vows. This is the right teaching on the
Pure Land.
If somebody tells you that the Pure Land is only a state of
consciousness or that it is only a place, he is not teaching the true Dharma.
The first is a variant of the wrong view of “nihilistic voidness" and
“attachment to emptiness”, while the second is the wrong view of considering
the Pure Land as a mere place of samsara.
Again, the right way to define the Pure Land in our human
language is - the enlightened realm
of Amida Buddha.
It is extremely important to understand that 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… Just like 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 forms which lead to Enlightenment.
As we have seen above, in Shakyamuni's explanations, 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 hells,
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 Bodhisattva Dharmakara’s[8] Vows
which were brought to fulfillment when He became Amida Buddha.
The joys and pleasures of those born in the Pure Land do not
come from attachement to senses or sense objects, but from Enlightenment and
the enlightened nature of that realm. Thus, they go beyond any pleasure of the
gods or unenlightened superior beings. As Master Genshin said:
"Even the
pleasures of the hundred million thousand years of life in Toriten[9] or the pleasures of
the deep ecstasies of Mahabrahman’s palace are not to be regarded as pleasures
in comparison with these pleasures of the Pure Land. When the karma of reward
is exhausted the one living in Toriten or Mahabrahman’s palace falls at last
again into the cycle of change and he cannot escape from the three evil realms[10], but this one who has
been born into the Pure Land is now resting thankfully in the arms of Kannon
(Avalokitesvara Bodhisttva)[11] and he is dwelling
securely on the Treasure Lotus Seat[12]. Having passed a long
period of time in crossing the Sea of Suffering, he has now for the first time
been born into the Pure Land, and his happiness is thus beyond the power of
words to describe."
In His 32nd Vow, Amida Buddha made the following promise
about His Pure Land:
“If, when I attain
Buddhahood, all the myriads of manifestations in my land, from the ground to
the sky, such as palaces, pavilions, ponds, streams and trees, should not be
composed of both countless treasures, which surpass in supreme excellence
anything in the worlds of humans and devas, and of a hundred thousand kinds of
aromatic wood, whose fragrance pervades all the worlds of the ten quarters,
causing all bodhisattvas who sense it to perform Buddhist practices, then may I
not attain perfect Enlightenment.”[13]
These transcendent manifestations also show that the Pure
Land surpasses all other places in the world of suffering – “surpass
in supreme excellence anything in the worlds of humans and devas”.
In fact, the Pure Land is beyond samsara and cannot be
compared with the realms caught in the power of birth and death, thus subject
to impermanence. Humans, devas (gods) plus other kinds of sentient beings and
the environments in which they are born are the product of their unenlightened
karma, but the Pure Land of Amida is the manifestation of His supreme
Enlightenment and pure merits, so all its treasures and manifestations are
supreme in beauty while in the same time they have the power to deepen and
strengthen the dedication of those engaged in the practice of liberating
themselves and others (bodhisattvas):
“a hundred thousand
kinds of aromatic wood, whose fragrance pervades all the worlds of the ten
quarters, causing all bodhisattvas who sense it to perform Buddhist practices.”
Again, it is clear that the treasures found in the Pure Land
are not intended for the enjoyment of the six senses but for expressing the
Dharma, calling beings to the Dharma, praising Amida’s virtues and showing the
supreme place this enlightened land occupies among other Buddha lands. They are
spiritual treasures, even if they are described using the terms we are familiar
with, like palaces, pavilions, ponds, streams and trees, aromatic wood, etc.
*
Certainly, the
most important benefit of birth in the Pure Land through the Gate of Faith is
the attainment of Nirvana or complete Buddhahood:
"When a person
has entered completely into the Pure Land of happiness, he or she immediately
realizes the supreme Nirvana; he realizes the supreme Enlightenment".[14]
From this benefit, all other benefits emerge like branches
of a tree. Thus, once we become Buddhas
in the Pure Land, we’ll have access to the ultimate reality beyond form
(Dharmakaya), we’ll dwell forever in transcendent form (Sambhogakaya) in
Amida’s Pure Land, and in the same time we’ll go in all the places of the
universe in various Bodies of Accomodation or Transformation (Nirmanakayas) to
save all beings. The promise of attaining Buddhahood and returning to
help all beings was made by Amida Buddha in His 11th[15] and 22ndVow[16]
respectivelly.
Because in the Pure Land we'll be dwelling in Nirvana, we'll
have "noble and majestic countenance, unequaled in all the worlds" and our appearance will be "superb,
unmatched by any being, heavenly or human". We'll be "endowed
with bodies of Naturalness, Emptiness, and Infinity."[17]
To have the body of Naturalness, Emptiness and Infinity, is
surely a proof that we'll attain Buddhahood or supreme Enlightenment (Nirvana).
Shinran Shonin also said:
“Their countenances
are dignified and wonderful, surpassing things of this world. Their features,
subtle and delicate, are not those of human beings or devas; all receive the
body of naturalness or of emptiness, the body of boundlessness.”[18]
Amida Buddha promised in His 3rd Vow that we'll have "the
color of pure gold"
while in His 4th Vow He said we'll "be of one appearance",
without "any difference in beauty".
As we know, unenlightened samsaric beings have various forms
and shapes, color and beauty, being very different from one another due to the
different types of karma they inherit from past lives. But once we are born in
the Pure Land and become Buddhas we are liberated from the shackles of karma
and go beyond form, color and any differences. This is what is meant by “all
be of one appearance”. To be of the color of pure gold also means to have
transcendent bodies of the qualities of Enlightenment.
Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said:
'In Amida’s infinite
and accommodating realm there is no bad purpose or foolish wisdom. There is no
illumination in evil causes but only natural progress in the Buddha Way. If one obtains birth there he will be
unmoved and he will attain full Enlightenment."[19]
In His 21st Vow Amida Buddha promised that after birth in
His Pure Land we'll be “endowed with the thirty-two physical characteristics
of a Great Man”. Shakyamuni Buddha too, said the same in the Larger
Sutra:
“Ananda, the sentient
beings born there all fully posses the thirty two physical characteristics of a
Great Man as well as perfect wisdom, with which they penetrate deeply into the
nature of all dharmas[20] and reach their
subtle essence. Their supernatural powers know no obstruction and their
physical senses are sharp and clear”.[21]
Master Genshin also said:
"The beings in
the Pure Land, having bodies of golden color and being pure inwardly and
outwardly, give forth a brilliant light and thus mutually glorify each other.
They have thirty-two forms and they are so sublime, upright and marvelous that
there is nothing with which to compare them in this world. [...] If we should
compare the masters of the Six Devalokas[22] with the beings of
the Pure Land it would be like a beggar standing alongside of a king."
In His 15th Vow Amida Buddha promised that we'll have
unlimited life-spans[23],
which means that our Sambhogakaya (transcendent) body in the Pure Land will
have no end, and that we will forever manifest in various forms (Nirmanakayas)
all over samsara to save beings, maintaining those manifestations as long as we
wish. Actually, as Enlightened ones,
we'll go beyond birth and death, so we can be in the Pure Land and in other
worlds at the same time.
In His 5th Vow, Amida Buddha promised that after being born in
the Pure Land we'll remember “all previous lives” and know “the
events which occurred during the previous hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of
kalpas”, while in the 6th Vow He promised we'll “possess the divine eye
of seeing even a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands”. In the 8th Vow He assured us that we'll have
“the faculty of knowing the thoughts of others”, and in the 9th
Vow that we'll be able to go “anywhere in one instant, even beyond a hundred
thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha-lands” so that we can always be together with any being we want to
help.
Master Genshin said:
"As those born in
the Pure Land have power to understand their own destinies, they talk to each
other about their former lives, namely, as to what country they lived in, how
their mind became enlightened by this and that scripture when they were seeking
the way of the Buddha, how they kept this and that precept, and learned such
and such teachings and thus developed the Good Root, and how they gave such and
such alms. In this way they talk with one another about the virtues which they
enjoyed, or they tell in detail the story from beginning to end of how they
came to be born into the Pure Land." [...]
The various beings of
the Pure Land have all the five mysterious communications whose marvelous
nature cannot be comprehended. They live a life of freedom according to their
heart’s desire. If, for example, they wish to look across the universe without
taking a step they can do so. If they wish to hear the voice of anyone in the
universe they can do so without moving from their seats. Not only this, but
they can hear also the things of the infinite past as if they were happening
today. They know the inmost thoughts of the beings of the six realms as if they
were reflected in a mirror. They can go and come freely as if all the lands of
the Buddha in all the ten directions lay beneath their feet. They can do
anything they please in the realm of infinite space and in the realm of endless
time. [...]
For beings in our
world it is impossible to see without sun light or lamp-light; and, without
moving, it is impossible to approach an object. We cannot see through even one
sheet of paper. We know nothing of the things in the past; we know merely the
things of the present moment. We are still confined to the cage and obstructed
in every direction. But as for the beings in the Pure Land there is not one
which does not have this power (of mysteriously transcending space and time).
Even though for a period of a hundred Great Kalpas they have not planted the
seed (karma) of the Special Characteristic Forms and have not created the cause
for the Mysterious Communications, during the Four Meditations, they still have this power as a natural
consequence of having been born into the Pure Land. How happy, then, they
must be!".
He also said:
"The things men
seek after while living in this world are not really in accordance with their
hearts’ desires. The tree seeks to be quiet but the wind blows without ceasing.
The son wishes to take care of his parents but the parents do not survive long
enough. And even though the parents should live, the son, in the case of a poor
family, cannot provide what his filial piety would prompt him to do even though
he would be ready to 'burst his bladder' in the attempt. If he goes far away
from home or business he will be unable to look upon the graceful faces of his
parents in the morning or care for them in the bed-chamber in the evening. As
all this is impossible for him, he breaks his heart in vain in the effort. The
same thing is true in the relationship of master and servant, teacher and
disciple, husband and wife, friend and friends, among relatives and with all
people, to whom one owes an obligation. By worrying thus with a heart of
foolish love one only increases the work of karma.
Every man knows where
he is now and what kind of life he is living in the six realms and the four
births. But who knows that the animal in the field or the bird on the mountain
may not once have been our parents in their former existence. This thought is
expressed in an old poem which reads: 'There is a cuckoo in the hillside field
crying ‘Cuckoo! Cuckoo!’ Who knows but that it is my father or my mother.' In a
verse of the Shindikwagyo we read: 'Men in this world commit various sins for
the sake of their children and then they fall down into the realms of hell,
hungry spirits or animals to receive suffering for a long time. Not being
saints nor having the mysterious power of communication they cannot understand
their former transmigrations. All beings fail to make retribution by kindness
to others. All beings are caught on the wheel of birth and death. They pass
around from stage to stage in the six realms
like the wheel of a wagon, without beginning or end. At one time they
are father or mother, at another time may be husband or wife, and they show
kindness to each other during the various lives in this world. But if they are
born into the Pure Land they are endowed with a superior wisdom and their clear
power of mysterious communication reaches unto those who were formerly their
benefactors and to those who were their acquaintances through many lives and
generations, they can attract them freely. Endowed with a heavenly eye, they
can see where they live, and with their heavenly ear they can hear their voice.
Their wisdom of destiny enables them to remember the favors (of their former
benefactors) and with their insight into others’ hearts they understand their
hearts. Their mysterious powers of communication enable them to go where they
are, and by changing their form they can adapt themselves to their needs and in
various ways teach them and lead them in the way of salvation."
In the 7th Vow Amida
Buddha promised that we'll have the “divine ear of hearing the
teachings of at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddhas” and “remember
all of them”, that we'll directly
worship all Buddhas in all the ten directions (24th Vow), make offerings to them (23rd Vow), and hear spontaneously whatever teachings we may wish (the 46th Vow).
Master Genshin said:
"While believers
are still in this present world, seeing and hearing through the scriptures
about the various virtues of the Buddha lands of the Ten Directions, they beget
a heart of longing and they say sadly to each other: 'When shall we be able to
see the pure lands of the ten directions and meet with the various Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas?' But if one should by chance obtain birth into this Pure Land one
can go in the morning and return in the evening or go and come in a moment to
and from all the Buddha lands which lie in the ten directions. There one may
serve the various Buddhas, live with the great teachers and continually hear
about the true Dharma. Such a one obtains entrance into the perfect Enlightenment.
Moreover, such a one can enter the various mundane spheres, engage in the
various Buddhist ceremonies and practice works of benevolence. Is not this real
joy?"
Not only that we'll be able to go to other realms to
worship, make offerings and listen to the teachings of other Buddhas, but many
saints and Enlightened beings will also come to the Pure Land to pay homage to
Amida, so we'll also be able to meet with them there!
Master Genshin said:
"As it is said in
the Scriptures, 'All beings who hear of these pleasures rouse a desire to be
born into this Land. That is because they can meet in fellowship with the
various people of the highest good.' The virtues of the hosts of Bodhisattvas
are wonderful."
 |
Section from the Larger Amida
Sutra Mandala.
Samantabhadra is seen near Shakyamuni Buddha on his white elephant.Maitreya and Manjushri are also depicted in the right and left ofthe Buddha. |
Then he mentioned the names of various Enlightened
Bodhisattvas we can meet in the Pure Land, among which there are,
Samantabhadra, Manjushri, Maitreya, Ksitigarbha, Avalokitesvara,
Mahasthamaprapta, etc
He also said:
"The great
Bodhisattvas are numberless like the grains of sand on the Ganges river. Their
color and form is beautiful and they are full of virtue. They live continually
in the Pure Land and gather about Amida Nyorai. [...]
The Pure Land is
filled with a throng of holy beings who have a common life, see each other and
hear each other’s voice and who seek after the same way. There is no difference
among them. There are numberless beings and Bodhisattvas from the Buddha lands
of the ten directions, as numerous as the grains of sand on the Ganges river.
Each one of these reveals his mysterious power of communication and comes to
the Pleasant Country (Pure Land) where he looks upon the precious face of Amida
Nyorai and makes offerings to Him in reverence. Some of them make offerings of
wonderful heavenly flowers, some burn a wonderful kind of incense, and some
offer priceless garments. There are some who make heavenly music and praise the
Nyorai with soft and calm voices. Some listen to the scriptures or propagate
the teaching. There is no hindrance in their going and coming night and day.
Some go away to the east while others are coming from the west. Some go away to
the west while others are coming from the north. And again some return to the
north while others are coming from the south. Thus the throngs come and go from
the four corners, the eight directions and the directions up and down. It is like a flourishing marketplace.
To hear once the names of such saints does not happen by accident. How much
more likely then, must it be to meet with one through the hundred, thousand,
ten thousand kalpas! And the beings in the Pure Land gather together
continually in one place and talk with each other, exchange stories, ask
questions, act with prudence, respect and are friendly toward one another and
become intimate with each other. Is this not real enjoyment?
Nagarjuna said, 'The
various children of Buddha, coming from the ten directions, reveal clearly the
mysterious power of communication. They behold the precious form of Amida and
do Him reverence continually. Therefore I bow down before Amida Nyorai and
worship Him.'”
We will also never “give rise to
thoughts of self-attachment” as
promised by Amida Buddha in His 10th Vow. To be free of self
attachment is to go beyond limited visions of “I and others”, to perceive all
beings with equanimity and non-discrimination. This is the same with having
understood emptiness of all phenomena. Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Larger Sutra about those born in the
Pure Land:
“Whether going or coming, proceeding or remaining, their
hearts are unattached, their acts are in accordance with their will and are
unrestricted, and they have no thought of discrimination. In them there is no
idea of self or others, no idea of compensation or dispute. With the heart of
great Compassion to benefit all living beings and with tenderness and
self-control, they bear no enmity or grudge against anyone. Free of mental
hindrances, they are pure in mind and without indolence. […] Their samsaric
bodies and evil passions have been extinguished together with their remaining
karmic tendencies. […]Their wisdom is like the ocean, and their Samadhi, like the
king of mountains. [….They are like the great earth, because they have no
discriminative thoughts, such as pure or impure, beautiful or ugly. […] They
are like the sky, because they have no attachments. […] They are like a flock
of playful birds, because they do not store things. [….] They are like the vast
sky, because their great Compassion reaches everywhere without discrimination.
They have destroyed envy by not being jealous of the
superiority of others. […] Thus they become lamps to the world and fields of
supreme merit; they always become teachers and harbor no thought of
discrimination, aversion or attachment”.[24]
According to the 16th Vow, no wrongdoing will be found in us
after we attain Buddhahood in the Pure Land, no ignorance and blind passions,
but only perfect hapiness as also promised in the 39th Vow. Thus,
because of the absence of ignorance and blind passions, in the Pure Land there
are no lower realms (1st Vow) and no so called "higher realms", and
once born there we'll never fall again in samsaric existence (2nd Vow).
According to the 25th Vow, 29th, and the 30th Vow, we will
have unsurpassed and "all-knowing wisdom" for
instructing beings everywhere in accordance with their capacities. More than
this, we'll be “endowed with the body
of the Vajra-god Narayana” (26th
Vow). Vajra- god Narayana is in fact Vajrapani (from Sanskrit vajra,
"thunderbolt" or "diamond" and pani, lit. "in the
hand"), one of the most important Enlightened Bodhisattvas[25] of
Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector of Buddha Dharma, and He represents the
Power of all Buddhas. Just as Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, mentioned in the 22nd
Vow, represents the endless saving activity of all Buddhas, Vajrapani
represents the immense and all surpassing Power of the Buddhas. After birth in
the Pure Land we'll be exactly like these two Enlightened Bodhisattvas. Just
like Samantabhadra we'll always be active in samsara, and like Vajrapani we'll
be all-powerful. And because Vajrapani is a protector of the Dharma, we will
also become Dharma protectors and destroyers of wrong views.
[1] I explained in more detail all the 48 vows of
Amida Buddha in my book, The 48 Vows ofAmida Buddha, Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova
[2] Amida Buddha has two
aspects, “Infinite Life” (Amitayus) and “Infinite Light” (Amitabha). These two are
merged into the word “Amida”,
which means the Buddha of Infinite Life
and Infinite Light.
[3] Amida's Body of Glory is Sambhogakaya
or Dharmakaya as compassionate means – Amida’s transcendent body. For a
detailed explanation, please read the chapter "The doctrine of the Three
Buddha Bodies and Two Buddha Bodies in relation with Amida Buddha and His Pure
Land" from my book, The TrueTeaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, Dharma Lion Publications,
Craiova, p.88
[4] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from Chinese
by Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and
Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.65-66
[5] According to the Contemplation
Sutra, Amida Buddha and His Pure Land were also shown to Queen Vaidehi,
wife of King Bimbisara from Magadha. Ananda and Mahamaudgalyayana, two of His
main disciples, were themselves present as witnesses of this revelation. For
this, please go to page 82 from my book The
True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, Dharma Lion Publications,
Craiova, 2015.
[6] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from Chinese by Hisao Inagaki in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.70
[7] The Larger Sutra.
[8] Before He became a Buddha, Amida was called
Dharmakara. Please read the chapter, "The story of Amida Buddha as told by
Shakyamuni Buddha", from my book, The True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, Dharma Lion
Publications, Craiova ,
p.66
[9] Toriten, the second of the
Six Devalokas.
[10] Three Evil Realms are
Hell, Realm of Hungry Spirits and Realm of Beasts.
[11] Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta are the two
Enlightened Bodhisattvas who accompany Amida Buddha in His Pure Land, helping
all beings, in various ways, to entrust to Amida and be born there.
[12] One who was born in the Pure Land
[13] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from Chinese by Hisao Inagaki in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai and Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.18
[14]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp for the Latter-Ages, letter 21, The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.555
[15] See my detailed explanations of the 11th Vow in
my book The 48 Vows of Amida Buddha,
Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova
[16] See my detailed explanations of the 22nd Vow in
my book The 48 Vows of Amida Buddha,
Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova
[17] Shakyamuni Buddha, Larger Sutra in The Three Pure Land Sutras, translated by Hisao Inagaki in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, revised second edition, Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley, California, 2003, p.31
[18] The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.300
[19] A poem by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna as quoted by
Master Genshin in his Ojoyoshu.
[20] When the word “dharma” is used with small “d” it
refers to all existence and phenomena in general. When its used with
"D" like in "Dharma" it means the Buddha's teaching.
[21] Three Pure Land Sutras, translated by Hisao Inagaki in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, revised second edition, Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley, California, 2003, p.41-42
[22] Six realms of samsaric existence.
[23] Those
born in the Pure Land are beyond death, so their bodies of manifestations have
unlimited life span.
[24] Three Pure Land Sutras, translated by Hisao Inagaki in
collaboration with Harold Stewart, revised second edition, Numata Center
for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley, California, 2003, p.43-44
[25] There are two types of bodhisattvas:
1.Ordinary type of
bodhisattvas in aspiration who make the vows of becoming Buddhas for themselves
and all beings, but who are still on the path and still unenlightened (not
Buddhas yet). Anyone who now makes the above Bodhisattva vows may call himself
or herself a bodhisattva in aspiration.
and
2. Bodhisattvas who already
attained Buddhahood or perfect Enlightenment but who do not remain secluded in
this Enlightenment. These are in fact, Buddhas who manifest themselves as Bodhisattvas.
Those who are born in the
Pure Land of Amida through the gate of the Primal Vow become such Buddhas who
manifest themselves as Bodhisattvas. Avalokitesvara, Vajrapani,
Mahasthamaprapta, Samantabhadra, etc fall into the category of Enlightened
Bodhisattvas. Please carefully read my explanations in the
chapter “Returning from the Pure Land - explanation of the 22nd Vow"
from The 48 Vows of Amida Buddha,
Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova, p. 66 and my article On the Buddhas who Manifest as Bodhisattvas from
http://amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.ro/2016/09/on-bodhisattvas-who-became-buddhas-but.html
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