“The Buddha said
to Ananda, ‘The lifespan of Amitayus (Amida) is so long that it is impossible
for anyone to calculate it. To give an illustration, let us suppose that all
the innumerable sentient beings in the worlds of the ten directions were reborn
in human form and that every one became a sravaka or pratyekabuddha. Even if
they assembled in one place, concentrated their thoughts, and exercised the
power of their wisdom to the utmost to reckon the length of the Buddha’s
lifespan by the number of kalpas, even after a thousand million kalpas they could
still not reach its limit. So it is with the lifespan of sravakas,
bodhisattvas, heavenly beings, and human beings in His land. Similarly, it is
not to be encompassed by any means of reckoning or by any metaphorical expression.
Again, the number of sravakas and bodhisattvas living there is incalculable.
They are fully endowed with transcendent wisdom and free in their exercise of
majestic power; they could hold the entire world in their hands.’”[1]
This fragment is
related with the 13th Vow of Amida, which I already explained in the
section dedicated to the 48th Vows.
“The lifespan of Amitayus (Amida)” refers to Amida as a manifestation in His Pure
Land for the sake of saving sentient beings. It does not refer to ultimate
Dharmakaya beyond form which is the ultimate nature of Amida and all Buddhas.
In fact, Amida is in
three places in the same time: 1) in ultimate Dharmakaya beyond form, 2) in
Sambhogakaya form in the Pure Land, and
3) in various, unlimited manifestations or Nirmanakayas which are spread
everywhere in the ten directions.
Amida’s Dharmakaya has
no beginning and no end, because it is uncreated, and always existing. This is
the Buddha nature which does not depend on causes and conditions.
Amida’s Sambhogakaya
or transcendental (recompensed) body which He has manifested in the Pure Land
has a beginning, when Dharmakara attained Enlightenment and became Amida, and
will have no end, as He promised in His 13th Vow and as this
fragment confirms.
The various Nirmanakayas (accommodated/transformed)
bodies have a beginning when Amida in Sambhogakaya form decides to emanate them
and an end if He decides to terminate them [2].
This fragment from the
sutra shows again the impossibility to calculate the lifespan of Amida’s
Sambhogakaya body in His Pure Land. Why it is impossible? Because it has no
end.
The allegory presented
by Shakyamuni with all sentient beings who, if reborn in human form and become
Sravakas or Pratyeka Buddhas, still cannot measure Amida’s Life suggests that
it is in fact, immeasurable or infinite. Only great Buddhas can understand Amida’s Light and Life, but this
cannot be explained to others bellow their level, so we use the terms
Infinite or Immeasurable to point to something which is impossible to express in
human language or bellow the language of great Buddhas.
Not only Amida’s
lifespan in the Pure Land is infinite, but also the lifespan or Sambhogakaya
bodies of those born there.
As I already explained, the beings born in the
Pure Land are sometimes called “humans and devas (gods) in my land“
or “His (Amida’s) Land”, which
doesn’t mean that in the Pure Land there are the six unenlightened realms of
existence, namely the hells, hungry spirits, animals, humans, fighting spirits
(demigods) and gods. Shakyamuni himself explained that when the expression “humans
and devas (heavenly beings/gods)” in the Pure Land appears in this sacred
discourse it is only in relation with the states of existence prior to their
birth in the Pure Land:
“They are all
of one form, without any differences, but are called 'heavenly beings'(devas)
and 'humans' simply by analogy with the states of existence in other worlds.
They are of noble and majestic countenance, unequalled in all the worlds,
and their appearance is superb, unmatched by any being, heavenly or human. They
are all endowed with bodies of Naturalness, Emptiness, and Infinity."[3]
Also, the term “bodhisattvas in His land” are referring to the same type of
beings – all those who are born in the Pure Land through the Gate of the Primal Vow (the gate of simple faith in Amida) and who, after attaining Buddhahood
there, return to samsara as Enlightened Bodhisattvas to save all beings. If “humans and heavenly
beings” were terms related with the states of existence prior to their
birth in the Pure Land, the expression “bodhisattvas
in His land” show what these beings became after being born in the Pure
Land and attained Buddhahood – Enlightened Bodhisattvas, that is, Buddhas who
manifest themselves as Bodhisattvas, like Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta,
Vajrapani, etc.
Usually
“sravaka” is used in the sense of a person who seeks to realize Nirvana for
himself, just like a Pratyeka Buddha who actually attained personal freedom from
birth and death, but does so without having a teacher and without acting to save
all beings. However, sravaka has another meaning too, which is that of
“disciple” or “hearer”. Thus, in this fragment “sravaka” means that all beings born
in the Pure Land are the personal disciples of Amida Buddha. Also, it may indicate the previous state of one who is now in
the Pure Land, just like in the case of “humans
or heavenly beings”. Thus, it may refer to the fact that many who are now in
the Pure Land were at the spiritual level of sravakas in their former life but at
one point they heard Amida Dharma, and entrusted to Amida, now being not only liberated
from birth and death, but fully Enlightened Buddhas capable to help all beings.
The lifespan or
the Sambhogakaya bodies of all those born in the Pure Land is infinite and
their number too is infinite or “incalculable”.
This is also because they come to be born there from all corners of the
universe and will continue to do so in the never ending future.
“They
are fully endowed with transcendent wisdom and free in their exercise of
majestic power; they could hold the entire world in their hands” – this shows that they are really Enlightened, and in possession of
all the features of perfect Buddhas, capable to manifest everywhere in the
worlds of the ten directions to save sentient beings.
To “hold
the entire world in their hands” means they are not inside the world, nor
caught in samsara, but outside of it. Only if one is beyond the samsaric
universe and fully Enlightened can hold the world in His hand. This is such a
wonderful expression.
[1] 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.26
[2] However, Amida can maintain a Nirmanakaya form forever, if He so wishes.
[2] However, Amida can maintain a Nirmanakaya form forever, if He so wishes.
[3] Shinran himself made refference to that passage in
the Larger Sutra, in his work Passages on the Pure Land Way [REALIZATION]:
“Further the sutra states:
The words "human beings" and
"devas" are used simply in accordance with the usage elsewhere. 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.”
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