“For
what reason, Śāriputra, do you think that Buddha is called Amitābha? Śāriputra,
the Buddha’s light shines boundlessly and without hindrance over all the worlds
of the ten directions. It is for this reason that He is called Amitābha. Again,
Śāriputra, the lives of the Buddha and the people of His land last for
innumerable, unlimited, and incalculable kalpas. It is for this reason
that the Buddha is called Amitāyus.
Śāriputra, ten kalpas have passed since Amitāyus attained Enlightenment. Moreover, Śāriputra, He has an immeasurable and unlimited number of śrāvaka disciples, all of them arhats, whose number cannot be reckoned by any means. His assembly of Bodhisattvas
is
similarly vast. Śāriputra, that Buddha land is filled with such splendid adornments.”[1]
As Shakyamuni confirms, Amida (Amitabha/Amitayus) is now a Buddha because “ten kalpas have passed” since He attained Enlightenment (Buddhahood). This is why in the Larger Sutra or the Smaller Sutra and Contemplation Sutra, He no longer calls Him Bodhisattva Dharmakara which was His name when He was in the causal stage, but “Amitayus”, which means Infinite Life, or “Amitabha” - “Infinite Light”. These two aspects, “Infinite Life” (Amitayus) and “Infinite Light” (Amitabha) are merged in Japanese Buddhism into the word “Amida”[2], which means the Buddha of Infinite Life and Infinite Light. His Infinite Life is the effect of the 13th Vow He made when He was Dharmakara Bodhisattva, while the Infinite Light is the effect of His 12th Vow[3]. So, we cannot separate Amitayus (Infinite/unlimited Life) from Amitabha (Infinite/Boundless Light) because these are the two aspects of the same Buddha as Shakyamuni explained in section 4 of this sutra.
In the Larger Sutra, Shakyamuni also said that Amida “is now dwelling in a Western Buddha-land called ‘Peace and Bliss,’” – which is to be found not here, but “a hundred thousand kotis[4] of lands away from here”:
Ananda
further asked the Buddha, ‘How much time has passed since He attained
Buddhahood?’ The Buddha replied, ‘Since He attained Buddhahood about
ten kalpas have passed.’”[5]
The passage above is extremely important as it shows that there is a clear distinction between this world with its unenlightened beings, and the Pure Land. Shakyamuni did not explain Amida and His Pure Land in ultimate terms and did not say that they are to be found in one’s heart/mind or “here and now”, as some nowadays deluded scholars are trying to convince us. On the contrary, Dharmakara who became Amida Buddha is dwelling in His Pure Land, outside of this samsaric realm.
The fact that Amida is “now dwelling” in His Pure Land, also shows that He is active now in bringing all beings to His realm. This now is everlasting and is referring both to the time when Shakyamuni delivered that discourse (sutra) and also to the time of Shan-tao, Honen, Shinran, Rennyo, we in the XXI century and the future generations that will come after us. Amida is a Buddha of the present in the sense that He has already attained Buddhahood and will act forever for the salvation of all beings. Because He is the Buddha of “Infinite Life”, for Him now is without end.
What about the terms “sravaka”, “arhats” and “Bodhisattvas” that appear in this section?
“He has an immeasurable and unlimited number of śrāvaka disciples, all of them arhats, whose number cannot be reckoned by any means. His assembly of Bodhisattvas is similarly vast.”
I think those terms can have multiple meanings.
Usually “sravaka” is used in the Hinayana sense of a person who seeks to realize Nirvana for himself alone, but in this fragment as well as in various parts of the Larger Sutra, I think it preserves its original meaning of “disciple” and “hearer”. So, it means that all beings born in the Pure Land are the personal disciples (sravaka) of Amida Buddha. Their number is infinite because they come to be born in the Pure Land from all corners of the universe and will continue to do so in the infinite future.
The term “arhat” is also used in two ways in various texts. First, it refers to the arhat of the Hinayana – a being who attained personal freedom from birth and death but did not attain the perfect Enlightenment of the Buddhas[6]. Thus, they do not have Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Compassion and are not interested in saving sentient beings. The second usage of the term is as one of the titles of Shakyamuni and any Buddha, that is, a Fully Enlightened person. This last meaning is intended for those who are born in the center of the Pure Land.
The term Bodhisattva has two meanings:
1) 1) bodhisattvas in aspiration who are still on the path and still unenlightened (not Buddhas
yet). In this category we include anybody who made the four Bodhisattva vows[7] and aspire to attain
Buddhahood for themselves and all beings. Also, those who have entered the stage
of non-retrogression for birth in the Pure Land through total faith in the Power
of Amida are, while still in this world, bodhisattvas in aspiration. This is
because faith in Amida is the same with the Bodhi Mind - the aspiration to
attain Buddhahood for oneself and all beings[8].
2) Bodhisattvas who already attained Buddhahood, but who do not remain secluded in their Enlightenment. These are in fact, Buddhas who manifest as Bodhisattvas and it refers to beings born in the center (fulfilled land) of the Pure Land. They were born there through total faith in the Power of Amida. They are the followers of the Primal Vow.
Thus, the fragment above, “He has an immeasurable and unlimited number of śrāvaka disciples, all of them arhats” may have two meanings, 1) all beings born in the center of the Pure Land are the personal disciples of Amida and are all fully enlightened and 2) all beings born in the border land of the Pure Land are also His personal disciples but for the moment they have attained the limited enlightenment of the arhats, that is, freedom from samsara only. Those born in the center of the Pure Land are part of Amida’s assembly of Enlightened Bodhisattvas while those born in the border land are part of the assembly of those free from samsara but not Buddhas yet.
Also,
just like the phrase “humans and devas (gods) in my land “
from section 17 of the Larger Sutra that Shakyamuni used only in relation with
the states of existence prior to their birth in the Pure Land, the words
sravakas, arhats and bodhisattvas might refer to the previous state of the
present dwellers of the Pure Land who were at the spiritual level of sravakas,
arhats of the Hinayana or bodhisattvas in aspiration in their former life,
prior to birth in the center (fulfilled land) of the Pure Land.[9]
to be continued
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