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Pure Land Buddhism: The Mahayana Multiverse
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- brought to you by one dream pure land buddhism is likely the most prevalent and diverse expression of buddhism in the world and yet among many popular
- writers and scholars in the english-speaking world pureland buddhism is also among the least studied and thus most misunderstood form of buddhism in
- the world so today we're going to answer what is pure land buddhism pure land buddhism is an aspect of mahayana buddhism which if you remember
- from episode 1 in this series is one of the main branches of buddhism mahayana buddhists emphasize the bodhisattva path the word bodhisattva means enlightened
- being and indicates a practitioner who strives not just for their own awakening but also to become a buddha so they can guide other beings to awakening as well
- therefore the bodhisattva path was often said to take much longer lasting countless lifetimes over limitless eons however diverse mahayana traditions
- promote practices that are said to shorten the path considerably the pure land approach to the bodhisattva path is one of these approaches it seems that in
- the early buddhist environment between when the buddha taught and the first sutras were written down some buddhists came to believe that beyond our world of
- death and rebirth there exist limitless purified realms with living buddhas and bodhisattvas presently teaching and through different forms of meditation
- one may encounter these beings in the form of visionary experiences these purified realms inhabited by cosmic buddhas and bodhisattvas are not
- heavens and these beings are not gods according to the traditional buddhist worldview heavens are still in samsara the cycle of death and rebirth and these
- enlightened beings live and teach in worlds beyond samsara where one may pursue the bodhisattva path to enlightenment more easily at the same
- time in some mahayana schools of thought these buddhas and bodhisattvas may also be thought of as expressions of awakening ultimate reality as symbolic
- forms for deeper truths about our place within the universe in that sense these pure lands are not so far away after all these other worlds that we call pure
- lands in english comes from a literal reading of the chinese term jingtu which is one of several translations of the sanskrit term buddha kashitra or
- buddhisphere buddhas and bodhisattvas are said to purify their spheres of influence hence pure land we can think of these different pure lands as a
- mahayana multiverse and this multiverse is sometimes also referred to by the phrase pure lands of the ten directions the eight cardinal directions on a
- compass as well as above and below the historical origin for this pure land teaching is hard to pin down with any certainty buddhist sutras were
- originally written down in pali and sanskrit but due to a variety of reasons ranging from the humid climate to periods of political instability often
- the earliest evidence we have for any particular sutra comes from later chinese translations buddhist scriptures claim to be the teaching of the buddha
- but some are demonstrably quite late that said many of the elements we associate with mahayana buddhism and pure land buddhism in particular
- actually evolved within a diverse early buddhist environment to which we have little to no historical access whatever the original context was for the
- production of mahayana sutras our earliest sources as we have them today already take the pure land cosmology for granted the most popular pure land of
- mahayana buddhism often simply referred to as the pure land is the pure land sukhavati the land of bliss the buddha who resides in sukhavati is named
- amitabha or amitayus what you're looking at here on screen is the great buddha of kamakura a huge statue at the kotokuing buddhist temple in japan but many people
- don't realize that this is a statue of amitabha more on this buddha a bit later as with the concept of nirvana some buddhists tend to think of the pure land
- sukhavati as fundamentally beyond our world as a concrete place outside of samsara where you can be reborn to pursue the bodhisattva path and achieve
- nirvana more easily for mahayana buddhists sukhavati largely serves as a generic afterlife destination asukawati and the buddha amitabha are presented in
- literally hundreds of sutras and the ritual manuals known as tantras however some mahayana buddhists also see sukhavati as a mythic symbol for the
- unity of samsara and nirvana and the nature of awakening itself as a dynamic force active within this world and within the minds of beings in other
- words the pure land is another way of talking about nirvana and from the perspective of an enlightened being it's really here and now for many mahayana
- texts and traditions these two perspectives the pure land as a generic postmortem destination and the pure land as a symbol for the unity of nirvana and
- samsara actually function together it goes something like this from the perspective of a fully enlightened being like a buddha this world and nirvana are
- really one and the same but for us ordinary beings who are not yet fully awakened we require myth symbol ritual meditation and art to transform our
- misguided perception of reality to see things in a new way to see things as they really are this doesn't mean that the pure lands are just imaginary rather
- the teachings and practices of mahayana buddhism are said to transform what we think we mean by real or imaginary in the first place so that we may come to
- see things like a buddha and become free from suffering and anxiety while sukhavati is perhaps the most popular pure land mahayana buddhist texts
- present a diverse pantheon of buddhas and bodhisattvas each with their own pure land remember it's like a multiverse for example the buddha was
- often described as a great doctor capable of providing a teaching that would serve as a remedy for whatever affliction one may have this idea of the
- buddha as a doctor seems to have given rise to the idea of a medicine buddha the medicine buddha's pure land is said to be filled with the gemstone lapis
- lazuli and exists to the east of our world remembering from earlier that these pure lands are often described as the pure lands of the ten directions the
- medicine buddha is associated with healing rituals in this life and spiritual healing in the next life and was especially popular among the kings
- of tibet china korea and japan one of the many benefits said to arise from being reborn in this pure land is that once you're in the medicine buddha's
- pure land you can more easily travel to the pure land of amitabha another example is avalokiteshvara the bodhisattva of compassion who is one of
- the attendants of amitabha buddha in sukhavati and arguably one of the most popular objects of devotion in the mahayana buddhist world the pure land of
- avalokiteshvara is potalaka many locations have been associated with potalaca including the potala palace in tibet which is the former home of the
- dalai lama as well as mount putuwa in china the bodhisattva kashiti garba known as jizo in japanese is regarded as the protector of children and travelers
- and is often depicted as a plainly dressed monk while most other bodhisattvas have elaborate jewelry this plain dress indicates that instead of
- building a pure land jesus bodhisattva remains in the six realms of samsara to guide beings to a better rebirth perhaps in sukhavati maitreya bodhisattva the
- next buddha for our world is revered by those who may aspire to be reborn in tusta the heaven where maitreya currently lives and the mahayana
- tradition because maitreya is almost a buddha tushta is almost a pure land in east asian buddhism maitreya bodhisattva is often depicted as the jovial monk
- buddha manjushri the bodhisattva of wisdom is said to have entered the bodhisattva path through the practice of buddha contemplation a practice commonly
- associated with pure land buddhism so as you can see from these examples mahayana buddhism has an expanse of pantheon of buddhas such as amitabha buddha and the
- medicine buddha as well as a host of bodhisattvas on the cusp of awakening like aviloki cheshvara and manjushri these buddhas and bodhisattvas are
- sometimes presented as superhero superhero-like beings helping those of us stuck in the realm of death and rebirth along the path to awakening for
- example in the 25th chapter of lotus sutra it is said that if beings call upon avalokiteshvara you will be saved if you've been imprisoned call upon this
- bodhisattva and the bars of the prison will disappear if you're falling from a great height and call upon this bodhisattva you will be suspended in the
- air at other times these beings are understood to be symbolic expressions of awakening itself within and all around beings the bodhisattva of compassion can
- thus serve as a symbol for love and compassion within human relationships let's turn back now to arguably the most popular pure land sukhavati or the land
- of bliss and its associated buddha amitabha the grand cosmic mythical drama of the buddha amitabha is presented in the sukhavati view hasutra dateable to
- the first or second century ce though elements of the sutra may stretch back further this sutra tells the story of how countless eons ago a king renounced
- their throne to pursue the bodhisattva path with a buddha named lokashvaraja this bodhisattva was named dharmakara which means storehouse of the dharma and
- he wished to create the perfect pure land so all beings could achieve awakening upon achieving buddhahood this being came to be known by two names
- amitabha limitless light and amitayus limitless life as a symbol for limitless light and life this buddha signifies the universality of wisdom and compassion as
- fundamental dynamic aspects of awakening in the sukhavati view hasutra as is common across mahayana sutras in general bodhisattva dharmakara makes a series of
- vows one of these vows states that if beings think upon or simply call upon the name of this buddha even 10 times they'll be able to attain rebirth in the
- pure land in their next life and achieve awakening based on these vows many mahayana buddhists lay people and monastics alike have made contemplation
- of amitabha and the pure land and even just the simple recitation of the name of this buddha a central part of their buddhist practice especially as a death
- bed practice in esoteric or tantric buddhist texts there's also numerous spells and mantras as well as mandalas or mandalic depictions of the pure land
- said to lead to rebirth in the pure land the pure land of amitabha buddha is said to reside in the west the west is associated with the setting sun which
- itself is a symbol for the end of life change and rebirth all important symbols associated with the pure land tradition the setting sun symbolism is also
- associated with warmth compassion and love and this is why the buddha amitabha is often depicted as red in color especially in the ritual manuals called
- tantras turning now to the diversity of pure land buddhism amitabha and sukhavati are mentioned in literally hundreds of
- mahayana sutras and tantras but the pure land dimension of the bodhisattva path takes on many different forms in these texts the extremely influential
- pratyukana samadhi sutra encourages the practitioner to contemplate the pure land and amitabha buddha until they have a vision of the buddha face to face this
- reality bending experience is said to lead to the realization of shunyata of all phenomena shunyata is often translated as emptiness or openness and
- unifies some fundamental buddhist teachings number one nothing is permanent number two nothing arises independently and three nothing
- possesses an inherent essence shunyata encapsulates in one word the anti-essentialist quality of mahayana buddhism reality is fluid and always
- changing one of the things that buddhist practice is meant to accomplish is to transform how we construct our reality by breaking this down we're able to see
- the inherent shunyata of all things in india this philosophical perspective was systematized by nagarjuna a second century indian philosopher who's
- credited with founding the madhyamaka school of mahayana philosophy legend has it that nagarjuna received some sutras known as the perfection of wisdom sutras
- from the dragon king and then systematized the concept shunyata nagarjuna famously said for whom shunyata is possible all things are
- possible in east asia he was thought of as an important pure land thinker as well many indian and central asian
- translators who made their way to china ended up transmitting texts dealing with the pure land of amitabha and various philosophical traditions as well this
- suggests that in ancient india these diverse areas of study overlapped and were studied alongside one another this is also the case for pure land thought
- and practice in tibetan and chinese cultural spheres of influence as well in an important sense the pure land mythos serves as a dynamic symbol for shunyata
- and even nirvana itself causing the practitioner to realize that the pure land is neither more nor less real than this world in the same way that shunyata
- may be used to distill concepts like impermanence no self and dependent arising into one concept the pure land has been used to distill the whole of
- the buddha dharma collapsing the path to awakening and the attainment of awakening into one concept the veema lakirti sutra translated into chinese by
- the 3rd century is another influential early mahayana text that explores the concept of shunyata and the pure land this sutra begins with a buddha's
- disciple named sharaputra questioning why is it that this world presumed to be the pure land of shakyamuni buddha himself is so well impure the buddha
- responds by revealing an amazing vision at this the buddha pointed to the earth with his toe and instantly the multiverse was as if ornamented with a
- hundred thousand jewels the entire great assembly exclaimed at this unprecedented event and they all saw themselves sitting on many jeweled lotus flowers
- the buddha told sharaputra you should now observe the purity of this buddhaland sharaputra said so it is world-honored one originally i did not
- see it originally i did not hear it now the purity of the buddha's country is entirely apparent the buddha said to sharapotra my pure land is always pure
- like this it is only so as to save inferior persons here that i manifest it as a defiled and impure land sharaputra if a person's mind is pure he sees the
- merits and ornaments of this land in other words things are not always as they seem the world of our experience is conditioned by our past karma and
- progress on the path and thus manifests as impure but buddhas and bodhisattvas help beings to see the bigger picture this world is already pure the lotus
- sutra which teaches that all paths ultimately lead to buddhahood inspired movements that believe vulture peak the site where shakyamuni buddha preached a
- lot of sutra may be regarded as a kind of pure land where devotees are reborn to bask in the glow of shakyamuni's eternal preaching of the lotus i'd like
- to share now a brief overview of how pure land thought and practice developed over time starting with some major figures and movements in china and tibet
- before ending in japan first we have the chinese buddhist teacher huayuwen he was an early proponent of what are called white lotus pure land societies wherein
- practitioners supported one another through communal meditation practice these practices drew upon the pratyupana samadhi sutra and were said to lead to
- visions of the buddha amitabha and the realization of sunyata then there's jury of mount tientai who came to be regarded as the founder of the tian thai lineage
- which influenced basically all of east asian buddhism jury systematized the diversity of buddhism emphasizing shunyata and the universal teachings of
- the lotus sutra jury's approach to meditation also drew upon the pratupana samadhi sutra proposing that when meditators begin to feel tired they
- should chant the name of amitabha the tiantai lineages in china and its offshoots chonte and korea and tendai and japan went on to inspire new pure
- land movements next there's the teacher shondell who promoted a revolutionary egalitarian view of the pure land path arguing that even ordinary beings could
- attain buddhahood through pure land practices as a result of the efforts of teachers like shaun dao and others pure land buddhism became an important path
- for laypeople and monastics elites and commoners and women and men alike we should also mention padma sambhava one of the great systematizers of tantric
- buddhism in tibet and in fact was even said to have been an emanation of amitabha buddha all of these thinkers and their schools of thought demonstrate
- the huge diversity of peerland buddhism and how it impacted the history of buddhism for example pure land thought and practice has also been fundamental
- to the history and development of chan buddhism which emerged as the dominant form of buddhism in china by the song dynasty chan buddhists often emphasize
- the non-duality or oneness of samsara in nirvana finding enlightenment in ordinary life chan monks have often promoted deep inquiry into the true
- nature of amitabha buddha as an aspect of one's own mind but it's important that we devote some extra time to japanese pure land buddhism as we've
- just seen pure land buddhism is diverse and may be defined broadly as a fundamental dimension of the mahayana tradition but it can also be defined
- more narrowly as a movement within medieval japan that emerged out of the revolutionary teachings of two men honen and shinron honan was a buddhist priest
- trained in the philosophy and rituals of the mahayana tradition but he was also a religious reformer he seems to have become disillusioned with the politics
- and elitism of his era and came to focus on pure land contemplation and the recitation of the name of amitabha for rebirth in the pure land honan posed a
- simple question which is a better example of buddha's compassion practices reserved for elite men or practices that are easily accessible for all beings
- regardless of gender marital status or ability living in a time of disorder and violence honen taught monks and laypeople women and men commoners and
- elites to embrace the simple practice of reciting namo amidabuzu the elites of honen's day really did not like his revolutionary teachings so much so that
- he was eventually defrocked and exiled and several of his disciples were executed what the authorities did not count on though is that by sending honen
- and his group of highly educated disciples into the provinces they inevitably spread honen's pure land movement this growth of the movement
- included one of honan's disciples shinran who is regarded as the founder of jodo shinshu also known as shin buddhism which is the largest form of
- buddhism in japan and one of the oldest and largest forms of buddhism in the americas as well following a crisis of faith shinron
- joined honan's community and building upon his teacher argued against any kind of mechanistic understanding of reciting the name of amitabha it's not through
- one's own limited efforts that lead to pure land rebirth but rather awakening is a dynamic force that is limitless already present within beings and
- guiding them to awakening therefore according to shinron one should say the name as an expression of gratitude shinron famously declared himself to be
- neither monk nor layman and married the nun ashini who supported his missionary efforts women like ashini have played an important role in the history of shin
- buddhism in particular for example their daughter kakushini established a mausoleum as a gathering place for his communities basically providing an
- institutional foundation for shin buddhism to flourish so basically we've just skimmed over one thousand years of pure land buddhist
- history from huay wen to shinron each one of these thinkers deserve their own video and we've only scratched the surface of the diversity and influence
- of pureland thought and practice within the buddhist world the early academic study of buddhism in the western world was largely concerned with texts and
- doctrines and was carried out with little interest in living buddhist cultures especially people for whom pure land forms of practice are extremely
- important contemporary scholars are increasingly turning away from viewing buddhism through an essentialist lens the sort of lens that we discussed in
- episode 1 that overly emphasizes text doctrine and philosophy at the expense of viewing buddhism as a living pan-asian religion with culturally
- specific ritual practices with these new priorities among scholars it's likely that pure land buddhism will emerge as a major field of study focusing on aspects
- of mahayana buddhism broadly conceived as well as specific movements that emerged in the context of early medieval japan
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