The Pure Land practice has been overpromised as an alternative easy path to escape samsara. Rebirth into the Western Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha is not just travel to enjoy heavenly life in the Buddha of Amitabha Buddha in order escape from the life of suffering on earth The purpose of rebirth into the Pure Land is to attain Buddhahood. Attaining Buddhahood is to obtain Enlightenment like the Amitabha Buddha. The Larger Amitabha Buddha Sutra sets three primal contigent conditions for the rebirth into the Pure Land . The first primal condition is the accumulation merits through ethical living to avoid evils and to do good. The resonates with morality aspect in original Buddhism. The second primal condition is the development of One Mind of Non-distraction. This resonates with concentration aspect of original Buddhism. The third primal condition is the attainment of the Enlightened Mind of Non-perversion. This resonates with the wisdom aspect of original Buddhism. Therefore, Buddha name recitation in Pure Land practice is also comprised of tranquility meditation to develop samadhi (concentration) followed by insight meditation to develop wisdom that eliminates mental perversion in order to purify the mind and cleanse the heart. The geograhical or physical travel from the earth to the remote Western Pure Land is a conventional teaching. The ultimate teaching is that rebirth into the Pure Land is Birth of No Birth. It is merely a transformation of consciousness transcending the space of from being here to being there and from the present time to the future time . Space and time are illusions. Physical description of Pure Land paradise is just an Upaya. The Upaya is an illusion. ~W.H.Wong
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 09:01:13 +0000