One of the most
outstanding characteristics of the practice of Buddha mindfulness is that it
enables one to be swiftly born in Pure Land within this life (if one truly
aspires and practises accordingly with the right faith). And upon reaching Pure Land,
one is able to swiftly attain Buddhahood, without backsliding or obstacles. It is truly the expressway to Buddhahood.
Usually, for ordinary
beings to become Buddhas, we need to go through 52 stages of attainments (菩萨五十二位) -
namely, the 10 Faiths (十信), 10 Abodes (十住), 10 Practices (十行), 10 Transferences (十回向), 10 Grounds
(十地) and Universal Enlightenment (等觉; highest Bodhisattvahood), before reaching Supreme
Enlightenment (妙觉; Buddhahood). In terms of time, this requires 3 great
Asankya-Kalpas (阿僧祗劫). [1 Asankya-Kalpa is 1000, 0000, 0000, 0000, 0000, 0000, 0000,
0000, 0000, 0000, 0000, 0000 Maha-Kalpas (or 1048 Maha-Kalpas) while
1 Maha-Kalpa (大劫) is 13, 4384, 0000 years. 3 great Asankya-Kalpas is thus 13, 4384,
0000 x 1048 years.] As this calculation is from the first stage of
the 10th Abode onwards, the time spent in prior unsubstantial or trial-and-error
practice is not added yet! As such, the time needed for ordinary beings to
practise to become a Buddha is more than 3 great Asankya-Kalpas.
However,
in the Amitabha
Sutra (佛说阿弥陀经), we know that Amitabha Buddha attained Buddhahood (and
created his Pure Land)
only 10 Maha-Kalpas (130, 4384, 0000 years) ago. This is tremendously
shorter
than 3 great Asankya-Kalpas. Yet, according to the sutra, despite this
short
period of time, 'In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, among the beings born
there, all are Avaivartikas, many of whom are in the Stage of Becoming a
Buddha after One More Life (Stage
of Universal Enlightenment). Their numbers are great and cannot be known
by
calculation, but can be spoken of with [the time of] immeasurable and
boundless
Asankya-Kalpas.' (极乐国土，众生生者，皆是阿鞞跋致，其中多有一生补处，其数甚多，非是算数所能知之，但可以无量无边阿僧祇说。) What is inconceivable is that within just 10 Maha-Kalpas,
there are already countless beings in Pure Land
who are on the brink of Buddhahood. This bears testimony to the efficiency of Pure Land
in training beings for Buddhahood.
Though the stages
attainable in Pure
Land are in greater
detail below, they should not be a key concern, as whatever stage one first
realises there will be non-retrogressible and only lead towards steady progression in spiritual practice. Due to
the supremely blessed environment of Pure
Land, it is not necessary
to ascend all the 52 stages to Buddhahood one by one. Pure Land
is as such, the most accelerated and thus swiftest path towards Buddhahood.
The
Contemplation Sutra
(佛说观无量寿佛经) states that beings of the lower level of the lower grade of
birth (下品下生) [who have
done the 5 heinous misdeeds (五逆罪) and the 10 unwholesome deeds (十恶业),
who repent and
practise (行) sincerely with faith (信) and aspiration (愿) for birth in
Pure Land) will be
reborn there from lotuses after 12 Maha-kalpas, and give rise to
irreversible Bodhicitta
(菩提心; aspiration for Buddhahood). This is in sharp contrast with being
reborn in Avici hell (阿鼻地狱) to suffer relentlessly for an unimaginably
long duration
of no certain limit, thereafter being reborn gradually in better lives
to 'restart' spiritual cultivation. Due to the bountiful merits of
Amitabha Buddha
which he is ready to share, mindfulness of Buddha is the only way to
escape
from otherwise certain rebirth into the hells, including the worst, as
above.
The middle level of the lower grade of birth (下品中生) requires 6 Maha-Kalpas to give
rise to Bodhicitta, while the higher level of the lower grade of birth (下品上生) requires
only 10 Small Kalpas (160,798,000 years) to realise the First Ground (初地) of
Bodhisattvahood. If we are sincere and proficient Dharma practitioners, we are
likely to be born in higher levels and grades, thus taking even less time to
realise Buddhahood.
For the lower level of
the middle grade of birth (中品下生), one realises the Stage of Stream-Winner (入流) after 7 days
of birth and the Stage of Arhathood (阿罗汉) after 1 Small Kalpa (小劫; 16,798,000 years). For
the middle level of the middle grade of birth (中品中生), one realises the Stage of
Stream-Winner after 7 days of birth and the Stage of Arhathood after half of 1
Small Kalpa. For the higher level of the middle grade of birth (中品上生), one realises
the Stage of Arhathood almost immediately when born.
For the lower level of the higher grade of birth (上品下生), one is born from a
lotus after 1 day and 1 night, and able to realise the Stage of the First
Ground (初地) of Rejoice (喜地) after 3 Small Kalpas. For the middle level of the higher grade of
birth (上品中生), one realises the Stage of the Eighth Ground (八地) of Unshakability (不动地) after 7 days
and realises the Patience of the Non-birth of Dharmas (无生法忍) after 1 Small Kalpa. For
the higher level of the higher grade of birth (上品上生), one will realise the Patience of
Non-birth of Dharmas (which is equivalent to the Eighth Ground) upon birth,
immediately becoming a Dharmakaya Bodhisattva (法身大士). Even great Bodhisattvas who have realised Universal Enlightenment like
Samantabhadra (普贤) and Manjusri (文殊) need to practise mindfulness of Buddha, to aspire to
be born in Amitabha Buddha’s Pure
Land – because the path
to Buddhahood there is very swift and cannot be compared with other worlds.
All beings who reach Pure Land are Avaivartika (阿鞞跋致) because they are non-retrogressible (不退转) in three ways (三不退) – in terms of
attainment (位不退: one will never backslide to rebirths in the lower
realms and is bound for at least Arhathood), practice (行不退: one will
never backslide to goals lesser than Buddhahood), and mindfulness (念不退: one will never backslide from moment-to-moment mindfulness of awakening,
and is aligned in every thought with the vast and deep ocean of the wisdom of
Buddhas. A remarkable aspect of being born in Pure Land
is that though one might not have technically realised non-retrogression in
all three ways immediately when it is reached, one is nevertheless on the
non-retrogressible path of realising them fully.
From the above, we can
note that beings who can be born in Pure
Land are unlimited in
nature. They range from those who have done great evil, to those who are
average, to those who are not even Stream-winners yet, to those who are good
Dharma practitioners, to those on the brink of Buddhahood (Bodhisattvas who
have realised Universal Enlightenment - who can reach there instantly via
mindfulness; not via lotus births). As indicated in the Contemplation Sutra,
the first attainment one realises in Pure
Land depends on one's
prior diligence in Dharma practice. They range from Stream-entry to Arhathood,
from giving rise to irreversible Bodhicitta to realising the First Ground (up
to the Eighth Ground). All these will lead up to Universal Enlightenment, and
Supreme Enlightenment upon 'graduation' from Pure Land.
With the practice of Buddha mindfulness, the aspiration for Buddhahood will no
longer be a distant dream for anyone!
Related Articles:
Can Samsara Lead to Buddhahood More Efficiently than Pure Land?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/176
Are Purelanders Truly One Life from Buddhahood?
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/180
- Namo Amituofo, Shen Shi’an