The 48 Great Vows Of Amituofo: Boundless Blessings For This Life & The Next (Part 2 of 2nd Run)

The Fastest Way to Buddhahood is Via Birth in Pure Land

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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

Course: The Faith Factor: Treatise on Ten Doubts About Pure Land (2nd Run)

Course: The 48 Great Vows Of Amituofo: Boundless Blessings For This Life & The Next (2nd Run)

Ten Comparisons of the Suffering of Samsara Vs the Bliss of Pure Land 此彼十苦乐

一者、此土有不常值佛苦；彼土有花开见佛，常得亲近之乐。

First, in this land, there is the suffering
of not frequently encountering a Buddha;
while in that land, there is the blossoming of the lotus flower to see the Buddha,
with the bliss of being constantly close.

二者、此土有不闻说法苦；彼土有水鸟树林，皆宣妙法之乐。

Second, in this land, there is the suffering
of not being able to hear the Dharma;
while in that land, there are waters, birds and trees,
with the bliss of hearing all of them proclaiming the wonderful Dharma.

三者、此土有恶友牵缠苦；彼土有诸上善人，俱会一处之乐。

Third, in this land, there is the suffering
of being entangled with evil friends;
while in that land, there are all beings of superior goodness,
with the bliss of all meeting together in one place.

四者、此土有群魔恼乱苦；彼土有诸佛护念，远离魔事之乐。

Fourth, in this land, there is the suffering
of disturbances from hordes of demons;
while in that land, there is mindful protection of all Buddhas,
with the bliss of being far away from demonic obstacles.

五者、此土有轮回不息苦；彼土有横截(jié)生死，永脱轮回之乐。

Fifth, in this land, there is the suffering
of unceasing rebirth [in the wheel of birth and death];
while in that land, there is horizontal cutting off from birth and death,
with the bliss of eternal liberation from rebirth.

六者、此土有难免三途苦；彼土有恶道永离，名且不闻之乐。

Sixth, in this land, there is the suffering
of difficulty of avoiding the three realms [of hell-beings, hungry ghosts and animals];
while in that land, there is eternal departure from the evil realms,
with the bliss of not even hearing their names.

七者、此土有尘缘障道苦；彼土有受用自然，不俟(sì)经营之乐。

Seventh, in this land, there is the suffering
of the [Dharma] path being obstructed by worldly conditions [affinities];
while in that land, there are natural benefits [that nurture the path],
with the bliss of no waiting or tending.

八者、此土有寿命短促苦；彼土有寿与佛同，更无限量之乐。

Eighth, in this land, there is the suffering
of lifespans being of short durations;
while in that land, there is lifespan similar to the Buddha's,
with bliss, furthermore, without measure.

九者、此土有修行退失苦；彼土有入正定聚，永无退转之乐。

Ninth, in this land, there is the suffering
of retrogression from cultivation of [Dharma] practices;
while in that land, there is entry into the stage of definite assurance of enlightenment,
with the bliss of eternal non-retrogression.

十者、此土有佛道难成苦；彼土有一生行满，位居补处之乐。

Tenth, in this land, there is the suffering
of difficulty of attaining the Buddha path;
while in that land, there is completion of practice in one lifetime,
with the bliss of attaining the stage of one lifetime from Buddhahood.

~ 慈云大师 (Great Master Ci Yun)
   沈时安译 (Translated by Shen Shi'an) 

Mentioned in Amituojing Class:

The 48 Vows of Amituofo
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/275
The 37 Limbs of Enlightenment
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/167
The Five Corruptions
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Amituofo/message/68

Can Samsara Lead to Buddhahood More Efficiently than Pureland?

Question: Some believe that Samsara is a good place for spiritual cultivation exactly because of its imperfections, and the 'friction' it provides. How does this reconcile with going to Pureland to practise?

Answer: This is a good question, and the answers are manifold, as below.

[1] If Samsara is the best place for cultivation, why are most beings in Samsara unenlightened, while all beings in Pureland are steadily advancing towards Buddahahood? More personally, if Samsara is so good for practice, why are we still far frrom enlightenment after all this time? As the Buddha taught, all phenomena rise and fall - including the state of how well the Dharma is generally easy to be practised and propagated in Samsara. According to various sutras, the state of the Dharma will generally decline in our time (Dharma-ending age). If so, Samsara will become less and less a 'good place' to cultivate, with more and more channels for distractions and delusions to fester. At the same time, it is also taught that the Pureland method will be the safest to practise for breaking free of Samsara within this period of time.

[2] If Samsara is the ideal place to practise the Dharma, there would be no need for the Buddhas to create Purelands and sing praises of them to urge beings in Samsara to seek birth there - as there would be no advantages for doing so for anyone at all. Pureland does and must churn out enlightened beings more swiftly than Samsara. If otherwise, there would be absolutely no point to create even a single Pureland - because it would deter beings from swift enlightenment by slowing them down.

[3] It is perfectly natural that there will be one ultimately super-skilful teaching that all Buddhas unanimously agree to be the best means to swiftly guide beings of all capacities to full enlightenment. That means is the (Amituofo) Pureland method. There is no other comprehensive method that all Buddhas agree that it's a must to propagate. As stated in the Amitabha Sutra, it is universally propagated by all Buddhas to beings of their lands. This is done obviously because Pureland very efficiently trains beings to be enlightened, along with the provision of various other advantages. If not, it would not be sensible for all Buddhas to heavily market the Pureland path.

[4] Pureland provides a bird's eye view of the universe, including Samsara, due to the availability of the divine eye for its beings, as empowered by Amituofo's merits. Because of this, it is actually easier to give rise to Bodhicitta with great compassion to aspire to help all beings in Samsara. Pureland is not a paradise that is blind to Samsara's imperfections and suffering. The ability of Purelanders to be highly aware of Samsara's suffering provides powerful impetus for advancing towards Buddhahood.

[5] Pureland is the perfect physical embodiment of the Middle Path, as manifested from Amituofo's boundless merits. Here, the Middle Path does not wrongly refer to a balance of push factors to enlightenment versus pull factors away from enlightenment - because there would be no advantage this way. Pureland's Middle Path refers to its environment not spurring slackness in Dharma practice, while not forcing beings to practise, while all the physical elements in Pureland speak of the Dharma in spiritually pleasing (not sensually indulgent) ways to urge continual practice. Pureland's environment does not create any unnecessary friction against spiritual practice, while it provides the best 'lubrication' for advancing on the expressway of expedited practice without any jams.

[6] We need to remember that the Pureland, as created by Amituofo, is praised by Buddhas of ALL directions for its excellence. In short, it is endorsed by ALL beings (Buddhas) who have perfect compassion and wisdom. This universal endorsement also means that even if ALL Buddhas put their compassion and wisdom together, they cannot create a Pureland that is any more excellent. Thus, it would be a serious mistake to think that birth in Pureland slows down the path to enlightenment instead of speeding it up. No single Buddha would design a Pureland that decelerates instead of accelerates the path to enlightenment. If any one does, that being cannot be a Buddha, as perfect compassion and wisdom are requisites to be Buddhas, and having these qualities, no Buddha would create a sloppy Pureland (that cannot be called a Pureland). The fact that his Pureland speeds up the path to enlightenment is also an expression of Amituofo's universal compassion because he wants to train beings swiftly to help other beings in Samsara. When ALL Buddhas urge beings of their worlds to seek birth in Pureland, they are also expressing the same perfect compassion.

[7] The two chief requisites for Buddhahood are perfect merits and wisdom. In Pureland, one can have access to Buddhas of all directions, while having Pureland as the home-base. This is a very precious advantage because one would be able to make offerings to countless Buddhas in person, thus swiftly accumulating much merits, and learn from them in person too, thus swiftly accumulating much wisdom!

Amituofo, Shen Shi'an

More Pureland Articles: http://tinyurl.com/namoamituofo

Is Pureland Within or Beyond Samsara?

Question: Is Pureland within or beyond the six realms of existence? I asked two Buddhists, who gave me different answers.
Answer: Pureland can be seen as both within and/or beyond the six realms of existence (Samsara). (There is a third answer too.)

(1) It can be seen as within Samsara because:

(a) Being born in Pureland does not equate to exit from Samsara immediately, as one needs to practise there.
(b) If being born in Pureland is to exit Samsara straightaway, Pureland would be the same as Nirvana already.

(2) It can be seen as beyond Samsara because:

(a) Being born in Pureland equates to a sure exit from Samsara within that lifetime (unless one made other vows).
(b) Being born in Pureland equates to never being subject to samsaric rebirth again (even upon return to help in Samsara).

(3) It can be seen as between Samsara and Nirvana because:

(a) Being born in Pureland is to be on the brink of leaving Samsara due to the above.
(b) Being born in Pureland is to be on the brink of attaining Nirvana due to the above.

Amituofo, Shen Shi'an