What Made Amitaba Buddha's Pureland Speical to Sentient Beings - Essay Example

? What Made Amitabha Buddha's Pureland Special to Sentient Beings Word Count 005 What made Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland special to sentient beings was the fact that the Pureland was accessible to: anyone who was ordinary; anyone who had not committed one of the five inexpiable sins; and anyone who had right intentions. One of the biggest criticisms about Buddhist practices was that certain people could not achieve levels of nirvana in Buddhism. However, Pureland Buddhism exalted the idea that even people who had no special knowledge could eventually one day reach the purelands if they had the desire to reach them. Pureland Buddhism stresses that “…ordinary beings are not born in a land of [a buddha in his body of] glory [because they have not ... can earn this distinction if they take refuge in the Vows of Amitabha Buddha and aspire for Birth in his Pure Land…”1 This is a revolutionary concept because usually it has been necessary for someone to devote his or her life to religious practice before one can become an arhat, or person who is a foe destroyer. A foe destroyer is basically a person who has cleansed himself of all delusions, any hatred, and any greediness. Once the person becomes an arhat, he or she is enlightened and has reached the pinnacle of his or her spiritual practice. What is so amazing about Pureland Buddhism is that one can reach the stage of nirvana in Pureland practice, without having to be an arhat. This is significant because it was previously thought, in many situations, that a person would have to dedicate his or her entire lifetime in order to attain the worlds of the purelands available. However, it is now known that one need not be anyone special or revered in order to attain buddhahood in Pureland Buddhism. Simply the desire to want to have that knowledge grants the person to reach the purelands. Any ordinary, feeling or “sentient” beings have access to the Purelands if they so desire. That leads one to the next point. As long as someone had not committed one of the five inexpiable sins in Buddhism, reaching the purelands was possible for an ordinary person. These five inexpiable sins—which are basically sins that cannot be atoned for—include the following: 1) killing one’s mother; 2) killing one’s father; 3) killing an arhat (foe destroyer); 4) drawing blood from a tathagata (a buddha’s body); and 5) causing dissension within the sangha (the spiritual community). These are sins that cannot be forgiven. As long as none of these sins have been committed, the person is still able to achieve getting to the level of navigating any purelands through which the person desires to travel. Sentient beings, feelings beings, therefore, must not commit any of the five inexpiable sins in order to be able to attain the level of entering into the purelands. Anyone who had right intentions as a sentient being also was able to access the purelands with his or her own mind. Multiple worlds lay just beyond the reach of the ordinary person whose heart was in the right place. As such, that is how Pureland Buddhism differs from other branches of Buddhism. “[T]he most important statement of the buddha's covenant with sentient beings [was] promising to bring them to his Pure Land if they have the right attitude…”2 In Pureland Buddhism, what is most essential is a person’s intentions. If the seeker has the right attitude, and he or she has a pure and good heart—it is much more likely that the seeker will find what is being searched for, which are the purelands. In search of the purelands, it is thought that anyone who sincerely has the desire to attain them will indeed be able to access them—not including those people who have committed any of the five inexpiable sins. In order to have proper intentions, it is important that the seeker purify his or her mind and make sure that his or her heart has only good and true intentions. That means that he or she is honest with everyone in every sense of the word. Some people are truthful but they are emotionally dishonest—deceiving only themselves. Thus the intentions of their hearts are tainted. Emotional dishonesty can be harder to detect because the person is lying to himself or herself—while being completely honest to other people. Emotional dishonesty must be detected by the person who is utilizing the practice. This requires a certain amount of reflection and self-directed assessment. For someone who is not sensitive to their own feelings, having these insights may be difficult or impossible. Thus, it is important to always have outsiders try to divine how one is doing on the spiritual plane. Insight can be very useful, and as such, the Pureland Buddhist should try to reach buddhahood by meditating on at least one koan—or contradiction—per day. An example of a koan might be the following two questions: “What is the sound of one hand clapping?”; and, “If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?” Meditating on koans to find the answer(s) will keep one’s mind sharp and increase one’s mental acuity and mental faculties. One of the most important exercises, of course, should be to try to access the purelands as much as one can. Sentient beings, as long as their intentions are pure, may access the purelands. Pureland Buddhism is characterized by being special to sentient beings because the purelands are: accessible to people who are ordinary individuals, and not arhats; accessible to any sentient being who has not committed any of the five inexpiable sins; and accessible to anyone who has a pure heart with the right attitude and intentions. Pureland Buddhism, in its essence, allows all ordinary sentient (or “feeling”) beings with the right attitude, who have not committed any of the inexpiable sins—to enter into the purelands without difficulty. This is the triumph of Pureland Buddhism and all who seek to attain it. BIBLIOGRAPHY Blum, Mark L. The Origins and Development of Pure Land Buddhism: A Study and Translation of Gyonen's Jodo Homon Genrusho. U.S.: Oxford University Press, USA, 2002. Trainor, Kevin, ed. Buddhism: The Illustrated Guide. U.S.: Oxford University Press, USA, 2004. Read More