Pure land

Pure Land is unique because it believes the attainment of enlightenment is no longer practical or even possible in our present degenerated error.

Therefore, the goal of Pure Land practitioners is not often enlightenment itself within this lifetime, but instead to take rebirth in the Pure Land and achieve enlightenment there.

Pure Land is known for its practice of accumulating millions of mantra recitations within their lifetime, which is what allows them to be reborn in the Pure Lands.

Traditionally, Pure Land Buddhism was predominantly found in China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.

Today it thrives in many countries throughout the world.

It's more of a lay practice.

People often cite that it seems oddly similar to Judeo-Christian religions with its idea of praying your way to heaven.

The Pure Lands aren't aren't heaven realms, they're realms.

So last time we studied vow 12, definitely attaining perfect enlightenment, one of the most important vows amongst 48 great vows of Amitabha Buddha.

So that's why we should really aspire for attaining rebirth in Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land in this lifetime, because Amitabha Buddha guarantee that we will definitely attaining perfect enlightenment once we arrive in Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land.

So there is no doubt about that.

Okay, today we'll continue to look at the next verse.

So Amitabha Buddha is really the Buddha associated with light, infinite light, boundless light.

So the twelve links review the extraordinary qualities and merits of Amitabha Buddha's light.

So in Pure Land Buddhism, we often said Amitabha Buddha carries out his work through his light, using his light to guide and welcome sentient beings in the ten directions.

So when you go to Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land, Amitabha Buddha, how he teaches, he doesn't have to speak like us here, blah, blah, blah.

Namo Buddhaya Namo Amitabhaya Hello everyone so in the previous videos we look at all the different extraordinary spiritual abilities that we will attain once we attain rebirth in Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land and today let's continue to study the 48 great vows vow 12 definitely attaining perfect enlightenment so first let's look at the sutra text When I attain Buddhahood, all beings born in my land will keep far away from discrimination and will be tranquil in all their faculties.

If they are not all bound to attain equal and perfect enlightenment and realize the great nirvana, may I not attain perfect enlightenment? 12.

The vow of definitely attaining perfect enlightenment okay so this paragraph actually contains two different vows so let's break them down so first Amitabha Buddha promises that for all the beings who attain rebirth in his pure land we will all be far away from discrimination and will be tranquil in all our faculties so this is actually the most important extraordinary spiritual power so in Buddhism we talk about six different types of spiritual powers first we have the divine eye second divine ear third recollection of past lives fourth telepathy and fifth is spiritual travel and transformation and sixth is what's the most important extinguish of all mental deformance so in the previous vows Amitabha Buddha promised us that we will have the first five spiritual powers now we actually maybe don't want to recollect all our past lives if we cannot have tranquility in all our faculties if we cannot be far away from discrimination So why is that? For instance, if you know from your past lives, you have heard many beings, even killed many beings, how can you attain peace of mind upon knowing that? So this extinguish of all mental defilements to be far away from discrimination and will be tranquil in all our faculties, this extraordinary spiritual power is actually the most important.

and according to the Buddha only the sixth type of spiritual power that is extinguish of all mental defilements it was the most worthy to pursue so for arahants once they realize arahants they will be able to extinguish all mental defilements but even for arahants when they activate the spiritual power of recollection of their past lives they know all the evil deeds that they have done in the past when they sweat they sweat blood instead of normal sweat so yes indeed because we have been in samsara for countless eons so we have committed many evil deeds and if we can have recollection of all our past life we will be extremely terrified but thankfully Amitabha Buddha promises that we will all be far away from discrimination and will be tranquil in all our faculties so we have the six faculties our eyes our ears our nose our tongue our body our consciousness so now we don't really have tranquility in our faculties because we have too many discriminations separation attachment when our eyes sees the forms immediately we develop likes and dislikes and when our nose smells again we have likes and dislikes when our tongue tastes the different tastes we give rise to likes and dislikes and when our ears hears the sound we give rise to likes and dislikes as the example goes on so now we don't have tranquility in our faculties because we don't know how to tame our six roots For Pure Land practitioners, we can tame our six roots by practicing Nian Fo continuously throughout our daily life.

When we chant Amitabha Fo, recite Amitabha Fo with our lips, we can tame the root of tongue.

When we think of Amitabha Fo with our mind consciousness, we can tame the root of consciousness.

when we use our ears to listen within of our own recitation we can tame the root of ear so this is extremely important if you know how to tame even just the root of mind the root of ear all the other roots will be tamed automatically and that's how you can obtain tranquility in your faculties but this is easier said than done if you really want to have tranquility in your faculties then you really need to keep the mindfulness of Amitabha continuously all the time so this is actually not easy but after we attain rebirth in Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land Amitabha Buddha promises that we will definitely have tranquility in our faculties and be far away from discrimination.

This is extremely important, extremely beneficial for all of us.

It's especially, this Nei Zhang has 24 exercises.

So it's 24 exercises connected with 24 pure lands.

And this idea of being able to access different dimensions in yourself through breathing, through yoga, through opening up the channels.

And it's really simple.

And so that's the connection with this idea that your physical body is created to.

So microcosm and macrocosmic connection.

So this is the idea that actually pure lands or pure dimensions actually live within your own subtle body.

So it's when you do very simple exercises, there's a way that you can have an access.

So the meaning is not the most important, but it's to use this to help you let go of your attachment and delusions, and then maybe you can realize some kind of peace, truth, whatever.

For us, what's our great mantra? What's the unparalleled, surpassed, supreme mantra for us, for Pure Land practitioners? Very good.

Yeah, so the mantra can be like this, the mantra can be like this, the mantra can be like many many things, okay? The mantra is like a secret code that if one keeps practicing, one can attain something, or again, nothing to attain.

So, yes, so what's maybe difficult about Buddhism is that it's not theory.

It's not I said, it's Buddha predicted clearly.

Buddha said at this time, it's impossible for people to actually realize enlightenment through their self-effort.

So, At the Dharma Ending Age, the Pure Land Path is highly recommended, and that's what we've been doing here.

Why we chant Amitabha? First of all, it's to help us attain peace of mind in the here and now, and also at the time of our death, if we remember to chant Amitabha, we say, Namo Amitabha, Amitabha Buddha, with faith and vow, then we will see the Buddha to come to receive us to the Pure Land.

Is it difficult? extremely difficult, right? We're going to have attachment with our body and all that.

That's why here we practice nirvana meditation, recite the name of Amitabha Buddha with the hope to attain rebirth in his Pure Land.

If you go to the Pure Land, you don't need to sever all your attachment.

You can bring your attachment there to the Pure Land.

You can think of the Pure Land as a very ideal environment or university for cultivating Buddhism to get your PhD in Buddhism.

So here we actually cannot actually rely on our self effort to get rid of attachment.

Even if you try really hard, I tried really hard before, I also tried to be like the Buddha sitting under the tree for like 49 days.

And I tell you, you cannot get rid of your attachment by your self effort, particularly at this age.

You go wherever you think of.

So make a habit of the pure land of your choice.

This is where many Tokus choose the country of their rebirth.

They go there.

Because you don't have to be an advanced practitioner.

The mantra of Mani Padme Hum will get you there too, since Chenrez is an aspect of Amitabha.

If you are a more advanced practitioner, you have the option of choosing among several other pure lands.

Guru Rinpoche's copper-colored mountains, The green northern forest of Tara.

He appears to you, you know, like a monk or something like that.

Then, Amitabha guides you in the blissful realm, Amitabha's pure land.

Then, if you're born there, it is impossible to be born again in the Lord's realm.

That's for sure.

If you were born there, then you have to pray.

So what is definite is that he never gave up on the Lord in a sense of that kind.

But since Lama Tsongkhapa's collection of teachings, since there's a lot of emphasis, there's many prayers, you know, to be born, I met up a pure land.

To be born, I met up a pure land.