In Buddhism there are many realms and worlds. The world we reside in here on earth is referred to by Buddha as the Saha world, which is translated as the world of endurance. It is a world full of suffering for its inhabitants. The Buddha is able to traverse an uncountable number of worlds. Worlds with beings of all different types and abilities. In our Saha world the beings suffer from a lot of ignorance which prevents them from seeing truth. But there are other worlds which are pure where one can constantly hear the dharma being taught; these worlds are called Pure Lands. While there are many Buddha Pure Lands the most popular one for many Buddhists today is the Western Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha.
The Buddha discussed the Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land in the Infinite Life Sutra. In the sutra, the Buddha spoke of a world and time where there arose a Buddha named Lokesvararaja. In that world there was a bhikkhu (monk) named Dharmakara. After worshipping and praising Lokesvararaja, Dhamakara declared his intentions to never cease the practice of the dharma until he had obtained the absolute knowledge, even if it meant abiding in hell always. And so Dharmakara concentrated on the perfection of the dharmas in countless lands and through measureless time. Lokesvararaja seeing the will of Dharmakara felt the time was proper for Dharmakara to speak to the assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Dharmakara stated that he will not obtain the highest perfect knowledge (become a Buddha) until he has satisfied 46 vows to create a Buddha land that will be "endowed with all inconceivable excellences and good qualities." Described in the 46 vows was to be a Buddha Land where the inhabitants would be "born" from lotuses, with no physical differences in the inhabitants, where all have the power of the divine eye and divine ear able to see and hear countless Buddhas, where there is constant sweet sounds and fragrances to aid in the study of the dharma, where no inhabitants would ever regress, with no hell, no animals, no ghosts. To gain entry to the Buddha Land of Amitabha a person would have to direct their thoughts toward the highest perfect knowledge, and meditate on Amitabha with serene thoughts at the moment of death.
If you are like me, then you have many questions after hearing about the Pure Lands because they seem to counter Buddhist principles like karma and self responsibility. Below are some such questions:
FAQs
1) Isn't the existence of a Buddhist Pure Land sort of like a "cheat" way to attain enlightenment?
There is no cheat way to attain enlightenment, but enlightenment is not a multiple choice test, so there is not just one right answer. Some might think that going to a Buddhist Pure Land is easier, but this is not necessarily the case, because in a pure land there is no suffering, but there is still karma. If you have bad karma attached to you when you are reborn in the pure land, you will not have the opportunity to relinquish the bad karma, as you can't suffer and you can't "help" others as you can in the saha world.
2) So can a murderer go to the Amitabha Pure Land if he repents his crimes before death and meditates to Amitabha?
First off, just because someone says he repents does not mean he really repented, but let's say that the repentance was honest, is he forgiven? the answer is "no." No amount of praying and meditation can get a one into Amitabha Pure Land if has committed a major "sin" like murder. "even those who have only ten times repeated the thought of that Buddha country, barring always those beings who have commued the five deadly sins and who have caused obstruction and abuse of the good law."*
3) Is there still death in the Pure Land?
All beings even Buddhas die. So there is death in the Pure Land. However, there is no regression, so when you die in the Pure Land you do not regress to the Saha world. In there Pure land there are still levels of progression (beginner, intermediate, etc...) so there is still much existence in the Pure Land.
4) Is the Pure Land the Buddhist Heaven?
In Buddhism, there is no equivalent of Heaven as described in other religions. In Buddhism there are realms called heavens, but they are not eternal. Beings in Buddhist heavens are born and die. The lives in Buddhist heavens are pleasant and worry free as compares to the Saha world. The inhabitants live longer, but once they die they will inevitably regress, after one has "exhausted" his good karma. Pure Lands are different from Heaven in that you are not there for enjoyment, but study. While the surroundings are beautiful and pure, you are there to learn the dharma not to enjoy in pleasures.
5) How many Pure Lands are there?
There are countless Pure Lands as there are countless Buddhas. The Buddha mentioned one for each direction from our world (North, South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest, Nadir, and Zenith). Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land is the most popular among pure land practitioners, but many people also pray to be reborn in the Eastern Pure Land of the Medicine Buddha.
6) If I pray to Amitabha will I be guaranteed to go the the Western Pure Land?
According to the Buddha, one of Amiabha's vows was to create a pure land that would accept any beings that earnestly sought its refuge at the time of death, before he would become a Buddha. And since the monk Dharmakara has in fact become the Buddha Amitabha, his Pure Land does exist.
The Buddha discussed the Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land in the Infinite Life Sutra. In the sutra, the Buddha spoke of a world and time where there arose a Buddha named Lokesvararaja. In that world there was a bhikkhu (monk) named Dharmakara. After worshipping and praising Lokesvararaja, Dhamakara declared his intentions to never cease the practice of the dharma until he had obtained the absolute knowledge, even if it meant abiding in hell always. And so Dharmakara concentrated on the perfection of the dharmas in countless lands and through measureless time. Lokesvararaja seeing the will of Dharmakara felt the time was proper for Dharmakara to speak to the assembly of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Dharmakara stated that he will not obtain the highest perfect knowledge (become a Buddha) until he has satisfied 46 vows to create a Buddha land that will be "endowed with all inconceivable excellences and good qualities." Described in the 46 vows was to be a Buddha Land where the inhabitants would be "born" from lotuses, with no physical differences in the inhabitants, where all have the power of the divine eye and divine ear able to see and hear countless Buddhas, where there is constant sweet sounds and fragrances to aid in the study of the dharma, where no inhabitants would ever regress, with no hell, no animals, no ghosts. To gain entry to the Buddha Land of Amitabha a person would have to direct their thoughts toward the highest perfect knowledge, and meditate on Amitabha with serene thoughts at the moment of death.
If you are like me, then you have many questions after hearing about the Pure Lands because they seem to counter Buddhist principles like karma and self responsibility. Below are some such questions:
FAQs
1) Isn't the existence of a Buddhist Pure Land sort of like a "cheat" way to attain enlightenment?
There is no cheat way to attain enlightenment, but enlightenment is not a multiple choice test, so there is not just one right answer. Some might think that going to a Buddhist Pure Land is easier, but this is not necessarily the case, because in a pure land there is no suffering, but there is still karma. If you have bad karma attached to you when you are reborn in the pure land, you will not have the opportunity to relinquish the bad karma, as you can't suffer and you can't "help" others as you can in the saha world.
2) So can a murderer go to the Amitabha Pure Land if he repents his crimes before death and meditates to Amitabha?
First off, just because someone says he repents does not mean he really repented, but let's say that the repentance was honest, is he forgiven? the answer is "no." No amount of praying and meditation can get a one into Amitabha Pure Land if has committed a major "sin" like murder. "even those who have only ten times repeated the thought of that Buddha country, barring always those beings who have commued the five deadly sins and who have caused obstruction and abuse of the good law."*
3) Is there still death in the Pure Land?
All beings even Buddhas die. So there is death in the Pure Land. However, there is no regression, so when you die in the Pure Land you do not regress to the Saha world. In there Pure land there are still levels of progression (beginner, intermediate, etc...) so there is still much existence in the Pure Land.
4) Is the Pure Land the Buddhist Heaven?
In Buddhism, there is no equivalent of Heaven as described in other religions. In Buddhism there are realms called heavens, but they are not eternal. Beings in Buddhist heavens are born and die. The lives in Buddhist heavens are pleasant and worry free as compares to the Saha world. The inhabitants live longer, but once they die they will inevitably regress, after one has "exhausted" his good karma. Pure Lands are different from Heaven in that you are not there for enjoyment, but study. While the surroundings are beautiful and pure, you are there to learn the dharma not to enjoy in pleasures.
5) How many Pure Lands are there?
There are countless Pure Lands as there are countless Buddhas. The Buddha mentioned one for each direction from our world (North, South, East, West, Northeast, Southeast, Northwest, Southwest, Nadir, and Zenith). Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land is the most popular among pure land practitioners, but many people also pray to be reborn in the Eastern Pure Land of the Medicine Buddha.
6) If I pray to Amitabha will I be guaranteed to go the the Western Pure Land?
According to the Buddha, one of Amiabha's vows was to create a pure land that would accept any beings that earnestly sought its refuge at the time of death, before he would become a Buddha. And since the monk Dharmakara has in fact become the Buddha Amitabha, his Pure Land does exist.