Guiding All Beings Reborn to the Amitabha Pure Land

Guiding All Beings Reborn to the Amitabha Pure Land
Feb /18/ 2023–Feb/ 19/ 2023

Hello everyone, welcome to our Dharma talk at Dharma Rain Meditation Center.

Why Shakyamuni Buddha recommended and guided people to reborn in the Sukhavati AKA Amitabha Pure Land. How exactly is the Amitabha Pure Land? We’ve read a short description of Buddha Expounding Amitabha Sutra; you must be impressed by the world which ground is made of gold however you may still be confused by the meaning or function of the things like ponds made of seven kinds of jewels and filled with water with eight types of merits, what are those for except fitting our human taste? According to the Buddha Spoke on The Sutra Of Eternal Life Of Great Vehicle With Adornment, Purity And Equal Enlightenment Sutra:

“The powerful spiritual lights emitted by Amitabha Buddha is the foremost and the most honoured. The Buddhas in the ten directions are unable to bring on a comparison. His lights pervasively illuminate The Buddha-lands in the Eastern direction, as numerous as the Ganges sand. It also illuminates the Southern, Western and Northern directions, the four corners and the upper and lower positions. The round lights transform from the summit of His Head shine forth to the lengths of one, two, three and four yojanas or shine forth to the heights of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions yojanas. The lights emitted by the other Buddhas may illuminate one or two Buddhalands or hundreds of thousands of Buddha-lands. Still, the lights of Amitabha Buddha pervasively illuminate uncountable, immeasurable, innumerable Buddha-lands. The lights emitted by The Buddhas and the lights’ lengths depend on their vows, merits, and virtues that were different, they may be either great or minor while they were practising and seeking the Ways in their former lives. Every one of them will obtain whatever they had vowed for when they achieved Buddhahood. These lights come forth naturally with no prediction nor planning. The pure, kind lights emitted by Amitabha Buddha is much brighter than the lights from the sun and moon by thousands and billions of times. His Light is the most honoured among all Buddhas’ Light. That is why The Buddha of Eternal Life is also known as The Buddha of Immeasurable Lights. He is also known as The Buddha of Unlimited Lights, the Buddha of Unobstructed Lights and the Buddha of not comparable Lights, the Wisdom Lights, the Forever Illuminating Lights, The Pure Lights, The Joyful Lights, The Lights of Liberty, The Lights of Great Ease, The Lights that Surpass The Sun and The Moon, and The Inconceivable Lights. These lights pervasively illuminate all the worlds in the ten directions. If there are living beings who have the chance to meet His lights, their impurities will come to extinction, and their good roots will flourish. Their bodies and minds will be gentle and suppliant. If the living beings who are experiencing acute sufferings in the three evil paths see the lights, their sufferings will come to an end, and they will rest at ease. At the end of their lifespans, they will all obtain liberation. If there are living beings who have heard of the spiritual powers, merits and virtues of His lights, and are able to be mindful of the lights wholeheartedly, throughout the days and nights unceasingly, they will be born in that land as they have vowed.

This passage says that due to the great vows, merits and virtues of Amitabha. His Light pervasively illuminates all the pure land in the ten directions and any beings, even the creature who is suffering in hell, can ease their pain and take a rest after seeing this Light. In other words, the entrance admission in Amitabha pure land has a wide range of choice, at the same time it is easy to see it to know it, which, of course greatly increasing the probability of our chance to reborn there. This point also coincides with the eighteenth wish of the Amitabha Great forty-eighth vows which is said: “When I become a Buddha, The living beings in the ten directions, when they have heard of my Name, Will bring forth the Bodhi Mind. They will cultivate all kinds of merits and virtues, uphold and practise the six paramitas firmly with no retreat. Again they will transfer all their good roots and vow to be born in my land. They will be mindful of me wholeheartedly throughout the days and nights unceasingly. When their lives come to an end, together with all the Bodhisattvas, I will appear in front of them. In just a fraction of a second, they will be born in my land and become the non-retreating Bodhisattvas. If I am unable to obtain such vows, I will not attain The Proper Enlightenment.” So we can see from this passage, we can easily make connections with Amitabha by hearing his name of just seeing his Light. What do you need to do if you want to reborn to the Amitabha Pure Land? Nothing big deal but having and keeping the faith of Amitabha and his Pure Land, corresponding with Amitabha in every minute, then when you are dying the Three Saints of the West will naturally come and pick you to the pure land. As it is so simple and natural, it fits most the beings. No matter how your capacities, whether rich or poor, smart or clumsy, healthy or sick, we have equal opportunities. Furthermore, everyone stands a massive possibility to reborn in Amitabha Paradise. This is one of the main reasons that the Buddha Sakyamuni recommended and guide us to reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. As the miraculous of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, we can also find something from Sutra we mentioned above:

The Buddha told Ananda, “The Buddha of Eternal Life has a long-lasting, immeasurable, ineffable lifespan. There are also uncountable Sound Hearers there. These Sound Hearers are endowed with clear, penetrating spiritual powers. They are powerful and at great ease in all circumstances. They are able to uphold all the worlds in their palms. Among my disciples, the Great Maudgalyayana also possesses the most significant spiritual penetration. He can know the numbers of all the living beings in all-stars in the Three Thousand, Great Thousand, World Systems in just one day and night. Suppose all the living beings in the ten directions were to become the Conditioned Awakened. Ones and each of them were to live millions of billions of years and possess great spiritual penetrations just like the Great Maudgalyayana. To the end of their lifespan, if they were to fully use up their powerful wisdom and together try to count the number of Sound Hearers in the assemblies of That Buddha, they will only be able to count less than a fraction of the thousands of millions of Sound Hearers, just like the great, deep, spacious and limitless sea, if a person were to take a fine strand of hair and differentiate it into a hundred portions, each will be as tiny as a dust mote. And with such a dust mote size of hair portion, he will dip a drop of water from the great sea, the water on such a dust mote hair, if compared to the great sea, which would be more? Ananda, the number that is known by the great sages like the Great Maudgalyayana will just be like the water on the dust mote of hair. The number that is unknown by them will be as much as the great sea. The lifespan of That Buddha and the lifespan of The Bodhisattvas, the Sound Hearers and the heavenly beings are uncountable; nobody would be able to finish counting them.

There is a Bodhi Tree in the Bodhimanda. It is four million miles in height, with a trunk that is five thousand yojanas in circumference and the leaves and branches that cover a circumference of two hundred thousand miles. It is naturally formed from a combination of all kinds of precious gems. The flowers and fruits are mature and grow in abundance, with lights that pervasively illuminate all directions. There are also many kinds of mani gem, red, green, turquoise green and pure white in colour. The best precious gem will form the ornaments. The jewellery pillars are decorated with many precious locks. The golden pearls and small precious bells pervasively line up between the branches and stems. The precious and wonderful nets cover the top of the Bodhi Tree. Billions of lights will illuminate and reflect upon each other to decorate the Bodhi Tree. Uncountable bright lights shine forth to the realms of infinity. All these adornments will appear as one wishes to see.

When the gentle breeze blows by, it passes by those branches and leaves and produces innumerable subtle Dharma sounds and tunes. Dharma sounds are pervasively heard in all Buddha-lands, in such a pure, fluent and clear pattern, with subtle and gentle tones. The sound is the foremost among the sounds in the worlds in the ten directions. If there are living beings who are able to see the Bodhi Tree, to hear the sounds, to smell its fragrance, to taste its fruits, to be touched by its lights and shadows, and to be mindful of the merits and virtues of the tree, They will then be able to obtain the pure and clear six sense organs. They will have no more worries and anxieties but will dwell in the non-retreating position until they become Buddhas. And also because of seeing the trees, they will obtain three kinds of endurance. Firstly, the persistence of sounds and echoes, secondly, the endurance of gentleness, thirdly, the endurance of non-production of Dharmas.” The Buddha told Ananda, “The Buddhaland such as this, with flowers, fruits and trees that are able to teach the Buddhist Dharmas to all living beings, are all formed from the result of the spiritual power from The Buddha of Eternal Life, His original powerful Vows, His fulfilment of the Vows, and His Vows that are firm and ultimate with perfect clarity.”

 “Moreover, the Lecture Hall and fine living quarters of The Buddha of Eternal Life, the towers and railings all come to appearance naturally from the transformations of the seven gems. They are covered with interlacing white mani pearls and many gems that brightly shine forth without comparison. The palaces of those Bodhisattvas are also decorated in the same way. Some Bodhisattvas are speaking the Dharmas on the ground; some are chanting the Sutra, some are listening and receiving the Sutra on the ground, some are walking on the ground and are mindful of the Sutra. In contrast, others are mindful of the Dharma of Practices and sitting in meditation. Also, Bodhisattvas is lecturing on the Sutras, listening, receiving, and chanting the Sutras in space. Some are walking mindfully, thinking of the Dharma or sitting in meditation in the space, or some have attained the Srota-apannas, or have achieved the position of Sakradagamin, or have attained the position of Anagamin and Arhat, the fourth fruition of sagehood. Those who have not yet attained the Avarvartyas can be certified to such a position. All of them are mindful of The Buddha Dharma, talking about the Dharma and practising the Dharma. Nobody is unhappy.”

“And also there are streams and ponds that flow interchangeably on the left and right sides of the Lecture Hall. The length, width and depth of the ponds are each of suitable sizes. Some are ten yojanas, twenty yojanas or until there are those of hundreds and thousand yojanas. They are all filled with pure and fragrant water that is enhanced with the eight virtues. There are innumerable sandalwood trees and also the good luck trees beside the ponds and streams. These trees forever produce the fragrance and fruits that illuminate everywhere with their brilliant lights. Their long branches and abundant leaves cover intertwiningly above the ponds. They produce all kinds of fragrance that nobody in the world would be able to bring on a comparison. And blown by the light breeze, the fragrance is scented in the flowing streams. The ponds are also decorated with the seven gems. The bottom of the ponds is covered with golden sand. There are green lotus flowers(Utpala), red lotus flowers(Padma), yellow lotus flowers(Kumuda), white lotus flowers(Pundarika) and lotus flowers with mixed colours and abundant lights that pervasively cover the surface of the water. If those living beings who are to bathe in this water and wish that the water will reach their feet, knees, waists, necks or totally cover their bodies, or if they wish to bathe in cold water, warm water, in fast streams or gentle flows, the water will reach each accord with the wishes of the living beings. And it brings relaxation and happiness to their bodies and spirits. The water is so pure as if it is without form. The precious sand can be seen clearly through the water. The images of the sand shine forth from all depths. The ripples flow on in small circles, overlapping one another in their flows. The waves sing forth in uncountable subtle sounds. Maybe one would be able to hear of the sounds of The Buddha, The Dharma and The Sangha, the sounds of paramitas, The sounds of silence, pure immovable contemplation, The sounds of non-production and non-extinction, The sounds of the Ten Strengths of Bravery. The sounds of no-self nature, no-doers and non-self. The sounds of great kindness, great compassion, joy, and renunciation and the sounds of Anointing The Crown with fragrant dews to attain Dharma Prince’s position. After listening to these sounds, everyone would obtain a pure mind, with no more discriminating thoughts, a proper, straight mind and inequality that can bring good roots to maturity. Whatever a person hears of will be following the Dharmas. Whatever he wishes to hear, only will he alone hear of it. Those that he does not wish to hear will not be heard by him. He will never retreat from the Bodhi Mind of Anuttara- samyak-sambodhi. All those who have arrived from the worlds in the ten directions will be born naturally from transformations, in the lotuses in the ponds of seven gems. Everyone will obtain a light and pure body, just like the empty space which is absolutely in existence. They will not hear of names such as The Three Evil Paths, defilements, anxieties, tortures and sufferings. There would be no examples of those names, much less will one have to undergo such sufferings. But all will hear of the sounds of perfect happiness naturally. That is why that land is entitled as The World of Ultimate Bliss.”

From the description above, we can find out how wonderful the Western Paradise is, but we have to understand this wonderful is not for satisfying our desires or enjoying life, they are designed to help our cultivation and eventually to rise our life energy level. Take an example as the Bodhi Tree, because of seeing the trees; people will obtain three kinds of endurance–the endurance of sounds and echoes, the endurance of gentleness and the endurance of non-production of Dharmas. Such as Lecture Halls are built to help people attain the Srota-apannas, Sakradagamin nd Anagamin and Arhat, the fourth fruition of sagehood. As long as the seven gems ponds and eight virtue water, the waves sing forth in uncountable subtle sounds, if someone could hear of the sounds of The Buddha, The Dharma and The Sangha, the sounds of paramitas, the sounds of silence, pure immovable contemplation, the sounds of non-production and non-extinction, the sounds of the Ten Strengths of Bravery, the sounds of no-self nature, no-doers and non-self, the sounds of great kindness, great compassion, joy and renunciation and the sounds of Anointing The Crown with fragrant dews so as to attain the position of Dharma Prince. After listening to these sounds, everyone would obtain a pure mind, with no more discriminating thoughts, a mind that is proper, straight and inequality which is able to bring the good roots to maturity and eventually help beings attain the anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. As for the appearance, everyday food and clothing, the Sutra said:

 “In The World of Ultimate Bliss, all the living beings are born with wonderfully handsome features that are adorned in subtle colours which far surpass those in this world. Seldom will one be able to see this. All of them are of the same kind with no difference in their form appearance. But just to accord with the cultures of the other worlds, there appears to have names such as heavenly beings.” The Buddha told Ananda, “Just like a poor beggar in this world, if he were to stand beside a king, can his facial features and the form body be the same as the king? But if a king in this world were to compare to the Wheel Turning Sage King(Cakra-varti-raja), the king would then look simple, low and ugly just like the beggar who is standing beside the king. The Wheel Turning Sage King is the most powerful and handsome man in the world, however, if he were to compare to the Heavenly King of Trayastrimsha Heaven, again he would be looking ugly and low. If the Sakra King were to be compared to the Heavenly King in the Sixth Heaven, he would never be of the same kind as the latter by hundreds and thousands of times the Sixth Heavenly King, if he were to be compared to the Bodhisattvas and Sound Hearers in The World of Ultimate Bliss whose bright and subtle form features will be not comparable by millions or billions of times. The palaces where they dwell, their clothing, food and drinks would just be like the Great At Ease Heavenly King of the Heaven of Transformation From Others, their powers and virtues, positions, spiritual penetrations and transformations would be not comparable by all the Heavenly Kings by hundreds of thousands of millions of billions times, till there is no calculation which would enable one to make a comparison. So, Ananda, you should know: in The World of Ultimate Bliss of The Buddha of Eternal Life, the merits, virtues and adornments such as these are inconceivable.”

“Moreover, in The World of Ultimate Bliss, all the living beings such as those who have been born, or those who are now being born, or those who will be born in the future, can obtain the wonderful form body just as mentioned. Their forms and facial features are proper and adorned. All of them are endowed with uncountable blessings and virtues, clear and penetrating wisdom and everyone is naturally born with spiritual penetration. Everything they need will be in abundance without lacking. Palaces, clothing with decorations, fragrant flowers, banners and umbrellas and all the adorned things will come forth just as he has hoped for. When they wish to take food, the seven precious gems bowls and dinner sets which contain a hundred kinds of food and drinks that are of different tastes will naturally appear in front of them. Though there appear to have the food, in actuality nobody is really eating. Just to see the colours and smell the fragrance, they will be satisfied in their mind. And the energy will increase without excrement and urine. Their bodies and minds are supple and gentle, and nobody will attach to the taste of food. After eating, the food, drinks and dinner sets will disappear and to appear again in time for lunch. Also, there are different types of precious, beautiful clothing, headwears and necklaces with innumerable bright lights. Hundreds and thousands of kinds of wonderful colours will naturally and fully appear and adorn their bodies. The mansions where they dwell will be suitable for their forms and features. There are precious nets that cover the mansions with different types of especially wonderful and valuable precious bells which hang down and decorate the buildings pervasively in different positions. They shine forth in different bright, colourful lights with such beauty and adornments that are indescribable. There are also towers, railings, halls, chambers and balconies which are either wide or narrow, circular or square and of different sizes. Also, there are those buildings dwelling in space or on even ground. All of them are quiet and peaceful, with a wonderful happiness. And they appear before anyone who has wished for. Nobody will be completely and fully equipped.”

All of those are so attractive, aren’t they? Those fantastic appearances, palace, heaven cloth and flowers etc. Yes, for most people, they are attractive enough, but for the Buddhism practitioners, there are more valuable things for us in the World of Ultimate Bliss.

“In this Buddhaland, when it is time for eating, The breeze of virtue will naturally come Forth and blow upon those nettings and all the precious trees so that they will bring forth wondrous sounds. They speak of sufferings, emptiness, impermanence, no-self and all the paramitas. The breeze will spread by millions of kinds of the gentle fragrance of virtues. Those who have smelled the fragrance will forever and naturally be freed from all kinds of sufferings and defiling habits. When the breeze blows and touches his body, he will feel calm and relax, just like the Bhikshu who has obtained the Samadhi of Absolute Extinction. Again the breeze will blow by the forest of seven gems and blowdown groups of flowers which consist of different kinds of colourful lights that pervasively fill-up the Buddhaland. The flowers would fall down and gather together according to their colours, with no mixture or confusion. They are soft, gentle, bright and clean, just like a heavenly carpet. If anyone were to step upon the flowers, his feet would sink to the depth of four fingers. When anyone raised the foot from the flowers, they will resume their shapes as the origin. After lunchtime, all the flowers will naturally disappear. The Great Land is then clean, with no dust. And again more new flowers will be rained down. According to the time, the flowers that appear then will pervasively cover the land, just the same as before; such occurrence will be repeated for six times in one day.”

 “Also there are all kinds of precious lotus flowers that grow pervasively in this world. Every one of the precious lotus consists of hundreds and thousands of billions of petals. The flowers are bright and shining with immeasurable types of colours. The green color will reflect green lights while the white color will reflect white lights. Each of the black, yellow, red and purple colors will also produce the lights just as the reflected colors. Also, there are uncountable precious gems and hundreds of thousands of mani pearls that reflect their decorations upon one another. These precious gems are as brilliant as the sun and moon. The lotuses are also of different sizes. Some are half yojanas; others are one, two, three or four until hundreds and thousands of yojanas. Every one of the lotus will produce thirty-six hundreds of thousands of billions of lights. And every one of the lights will produce thirty-six hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, each with the form body in the golden purplish colours and the facial features which are specially and handsomely adorned. Every one of those Buddhas will again emit hundreds and thousands of brilliant lights. Pervasively they will speak the wonderful Dharmas to the living beings in the ten directions. And the Buddhas like these will each teach and transform uncountable living beings so as to dwell on the Proper Way of Buddha.”

 In that Buddha land, there are no phenomena of darkness, lights from the fire, sun, moon and stars, day and night. There are also no names such as years, months and numbers of kalpas. Also, there are no dwellings of families and relatives. Wherever we go, not only do we not find signs and names, neither can we see any differentiation of attachment or renunciation, but only enjoy the pure, supreme happiness. If there are any good men or good women who have already been born there, or who are going to be born there, all of them will dwell in proper concentration and are sure to be certified to the Anuttara- samyak- sambodhi. Why is it? Because those who have entered the deviant concentration, and those who are in the unsettled concentration will be unable to understand and cultivate properly the suitable causal condition.”

It sounds much more attractive, right? The virtuous breeze and the flower rain speak of sufferings, emptiness, impermanence, no-self and all the paramitas. All kinds of precious lotus flowers that grow pervasively in the World, Everyone of the lotus will produce lights, and every one of the lights will produce Buddhas who peak the wonderful Dharmas to the living beings in the ten directions. All of the beings will dwell in proper concentration and are sure to be certified to the Anuttarasamyak- sambodhi. In this pure land, there is no low realm; there is no temptation, no evil opinions, which means you do not stand any chance to degenerate to change your mind of cultivation. The unique thing you have to do is cultivate until you attain the Anuttara- samyak- sambodhi.

To sum up, we can easily understand the good intentions of the Buddha Sakyamuni and why he guides us to the Amitabha Pure Land. We should cherish this guide and recommend by trying to correspond with Amitabha and his pure land. When you are reciting the name of Amitabha without a second thought, your heart is the pure land at the moment.

 thank you for the listening!