Somewhere beyond time and space, in a place that belongs to the celestial realms, there is a land surrounded by a blue ocean, where precious gems emerge from the ground, and beautiful shiny flowers blossom, welcoming those who have the chance to arrive there, even for just a moment. This is the land of the Amitabha Buddha, who, one day, took a vow: "I shall not return to paradise until the last person behind me can be reborn in the Pure Land".
The Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha
The Pure Land is a state of mind, the highest level of consciousness that one can reach while he or she lives in a physical body. This place belongs to the mental realm and those who seek enlightenment might be reborn in the Pure Land after physical death.
According to the Buddhist teachings, when people die, the consciousness stays in the state that corresponds to the level of purification that they attained during the last incarnation, so cultivating a blissful state of mind and getting rid of the negative emotions, attachments and desires, is the first step towards rebirth in the land of Amitabha Buddha.
Once reborn in the Pure Land, the consciousness may choose to stay there until the end of the cycle, or to return to the physical existence, in order to help others reach enlightenment. Those who choose tor return, are called bodhisattvas, and become great teachers among humans. Those who stay in the Pure Land, attain nirvana and are released from the samsara wheel.
Contemplative Meditation
One of the most widespread practices among followers of the Pure Land path, is contemplative meditation. This kind of meditation allows seekers to catch a glimpse of the Pure Land and transport the consciousness to this fascinating place in the mental realm, by visualizing the landscape, the Amitabha Buddha and the bodhisattvas.
Contemplative meditation helps practitioners purify the mind and open the way to a possible rebirth in the Pure Land after physical death. This concept is based on the Amitabha Meditation Sutra (Amithayurdhyana Sutra), which describes the Pure Land .
The meditation is divided into thirteen exercises in which the instructor describes the the characteristics of the Pure Land and the practitioners, with eyes closed, sitting with erect spine, visualize the land of Amitabha Buddha, in its smallest details.
The visualization starts with the contemplation of the sunset, then the beautiful blue ocean, the ground, trees and flowers, precious gems, the throne made of Lotus petals, in which the practitioner contemplates his or her own birth in the Pure Land, the contemplation of the bodhisattvas that embody Buddha's compassion and finally, the contemplation of Buddha himself.
Buddhist Mantras – Nembutsu or Nianfo
Nianfo (or Nembutsu, in Japanese), is the practice of repeating the name of Amitabha Buddha many times as a mantra in order to help a person focus during meditation, and imbue the practitioner with the consciousness of the Pure Land, allowing him or her to clear the negative karma, which is the main obstacle in the way of those who want to be reborn in the Pure Land.
This practice is based on the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life (Sukhavativyuha Sutra), in which is said that any person can attain samadhi by calling the name of Amitabha mindfully. This is, however, not to be taken literally, as the mindful chanting requires a very high level of concentration. At the end, it is not the name itself that helps a person reach enlightenment, but the concentration and intention that comes with it.
It is, however, a common belief among practitioners, that those who have contemplated the Pure Land and chanted the mantras with the right intention, will receive the visit of Buddha and his attendant bodhisattvas at the time of death.
Devotion in Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhism is considered a devotional branch of Buddhism, but there is much misconception about the role of devotion in Buddhism. The figure of Buddha is not an object of devotion, but rather, his attributes. By reverencing Buddha, one is really reverencing the qualities and attributes that are necessary to attain enlightenment – compassion, detachment, unconditional love, mindfulness.
Every person is a potential Buddha, but since it is so hard for people to see this potential inside them – given the inherent layers of suffering and imperfection that cover a person's true self – the ideal self is projected in the image of Amitabha Buddha. When people devote to Buddha, they are, unknowingly, offering their purest thoughts and feelings to the Being they want to become.
Sources and resources:
- Max Muller (Translator); Richard St. Clair (editor). The Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra or the Sutra on the Buddha of Eternal Life. Retrieved on May 23, 2011.
- Inagaki, Hisao (in collaboration with Harold Stewart) : The Three Pure Land Sutras. Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai English Tripitaka 12-II, III, IV. Numata Center for Buddhist Translations and Research, Berkeley, 1995
- Corless, Roger. Edited by Takeuchi Yoshinori. Pure Land Piety In Buddhist Spirituality, Vol. 1. , New York, Crossroad, 1993.
- Gómez, Luis O. Buddhism as a Religion of Hope: Observations on the ‘Logic’ of a Doctrine and Its Foundational Myth. Eastern Buddhist, 2000...
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