Very good introduction. I grew up Christian and first tried Theravada Buddhists practices and felt disheartened when I couldn’t meditate. Was fortunate to have found Jodo Shinshu Buddhism which opened my heart and mind to the boundless wisdom and compassion outside of me. There is active wisdom and compassion that constantly reminds me of the Dharma. As westerners were often hung up on trying to generate compassion and enlightenment inside ourselves. Sometimes you just need to bow your head in humility and say thank you. I bow to Amida Buddha in appreciation for all the opportunities I have to hear the Buddha Dharma. Namo Amida Butsu 🙏🏼📿🙏🏼📿🙏🏼📿
I'm also Jōdo Shinshū (not officially yet but I think I'll get my homyo in a few years) and it's a constant reflection on our ignorance, opening our heart to Amida and wisdom!
Unfortunately, I think that meditation is over emphasized as well as underexplained. The meditative practices really only make sense within the philosophical context of Buddhism. Understanding interdependent nature is really is really quite important. The philosophical concepts are the foundation. It seems that many peoples idea of Buddhism is meditating really hard until you transcend yourself or something. I found pure land Buddhism to veer from Theravada, and is more like church than what I consider "real Buddhism". There seems to be a focus on deity and ideals rather than just practicing the whole point of Buddhism, to extinguish suffering. The mindful practices are only to aid in that, and help recognize the forces that challenge one in life. The path itself is not really a path. You dont have to get so stuck on meditation.
I want to say something to all people here. There is nothing official to do when it comes to Pure Land Buddhism. Everyone is welcomed in Sukhavati (the western pure land) as long as you joyfully entrust Amitābha Buddha and say the name according to his vow. Again, everyone is welcomed! No one is cut off (except people who commit rhe 5 great offenses and slander the right Dharma, but I'm not well informed on this) and everything is embraced by Amitābha's incommensurable light. You just need to whole-heartedly chant the name (Namo Amitabha, Namo Amituofo, Namu Amida Butsu) and entrusting and rhe worldly benefits such as joy, more wisdom and more peace of mind will come. You can start chanting the name today, in this very moment! Namu Amida Butsu 🪷🙏 may you all enter the pure land
@riccardosbalchiero7345 This is why I follow Buddhism. The 4 immeasurable attitudes are extended to all sentient beings without exception. There is no exclusivity in it like other religions. All the Buddhas are venerated because of the awesome power of their merits and the vows they have taken to liberate all beings from suffering for as long as it takes. Awesome 👌
NAM MÔ A DI ĐÀ PHẬT - Vietnamese Pure Land Chant - Pure Land is practiced along with Zen in Vietnamese-American temples. This is a beautiful form of Buddhism!
Thank you for talking about Pure Land Buddhism. Although easier said then done, if samsara is on your mind, you will be drawn to seek refuge in samsara. If Amitabha is on your mind, you’ll be drawn to seek his Pure Land when the time comes. I’m a practitioner and vow to only be reborn in his realm when the time comes.
@@John3.36 There were times when all it took was one sentence for an individual to realize the Dharma while others with years of citation and living a seclusive life to grasp a bit of it. Im not qualify to give you a satisfactory answer. Each one of us have our own liberation to work toward, our own karmic actions to account for, eons of ignorance to cleanse, limitless beings in the same boat as us that need guidance. Do your due diligence and practice, believe in Amitabha’s vows, believe in your own resolution and action. And In time, hopefully you can answer your own question.
😊🙏 Thank You So Much to illuminate the Practices of the Universal Loving Kindness & Compassion with Wisdom & Forgiveness & Non-Grasping of the duality & false-ego of " i " or " mine " ... & slowly entering into the Pure & Clean Enlightenment of Pure & Whole Good Merits & Wisdom! All Great Buddhas' True Teachings are to release our Consciousness from these illusory but painful & suffering from the attachments onto these 6 Realms of Sufferings & to enter into the Pure & Clean Enlightenment of the Buddha Purelands , leaving behind all births , ageing , sickness & death! We have to quickly jot down these Rare Teachings , Practice Them , make offerings of Good Merits & Wisdom to All the Buddhas & Maha Bodhisattvas in order to receive these Good Blessings , & to repent our past infringements to reduced our bad karmic energies before they ripen! 😊🙏 Many Happy Good Blessings in Return to You All! 🙏 NÅMÖ ÅMÏTÅBHÅ BÜDDHÅ 🙏 ÖM ÅMÏ ĐÈWÅ HŘÏH 🙏 🕯🌷🌿🍊🌏✌💜🕊
All praise to the Buddha of the western direction. His pure land of ultimate bliss is beyond perfection. Beings should aspire to be reborn there. They will receive the precious teachings that lead to Nirvana.
In China there's also the traditional Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, but the interpretation is also integral with Chan and other Mahayana schools. And almost all the Chan schools also practice the Pure Land method to exit Samsara (as most realized they cannot realise enlightenment in one lifetime). And also for Pure Land practitioners in China we also study prajnaparamita (the doctrine of Shunyata), as the Pure Land Dharma is also guided by the principle of Shunyata. But the methods of Pure Land School and Chan are still a bit different (traditionally Chan's interpretation focused more on the Pure Land as the Pure Mind rather than seeking rebirth to Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land, whereas Pure Land schools recognise indeed we have Pure Land in our mind/heart, but still too difficult to achieve Pure Land in the Here Now, so just go to Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land first and realised Buddhahood there). But more and more the Chan schools also recognise it's indeed difficult to achieve this Pure Land in the Here Now and realise our inherent Amitabha Buddha, so they will also rely on Amitabha Buddha's power to seek rebirth to the Pure Land with faith vow and practice like the Pure Land school). Thanks for the video to introduce the Pure Land Buddhism. Amituofo
Thank you very much for the clear description. I hope that you, Buddhists and friends will join hands in spinning the Dharma wheel for the benefit of all beings. May the merit and virtue accrued from this work, Adorn the Buddhas' Pure Land, Repaying four kinds of kindness above, And aiding those suffering in the paths below. May those who see and hear of this, All bring forth the resolve for Bodhi, And when this retribution body is over, Be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
😮🙏 Many Buddhas have been cultivating their practices before they upgraded into Dewas , Maha Dewas , Bodhisattvas & Maha Bodhisattvas for billions of their past life times in their respective human realms before becoming Buddha , as it's difficult to find & practice Buddha teachings in the animal , ghostly & hellish realms! Don't waste this precious human life & miss the opportunity to Practice these Rare Gems of Buddha Teachings to end our birth , ageing , sickness & death in the six realms of suffering! 😐🙏🕯🌷🌿🍊🌍🕊
Thank you very much ! I will send this video to my Father, I hope he will enjoy, understand clearly about the true spiritual source. I have been a Buddhist for more than 40 years, I strongly believe there is a Pure Land AMITABA it's true I am also practicing chanting, meditating and reciting the Buddha's name. Aspiration after death to be reborn in the pure land of AMITABA
I hope to be like you one day I have been studying Zen for 3 years and only pure land mostly just the Nembutsu to help me with my alcoholism my mala helps me to practice its a good tool to remind me buddha isn't that far way
In Chinese Mahayana Buddhism as regards to Pure Land Buddhism,the 3 conditions for birth in the Pure Land of Amitabha are Faith,Vows,and practice. Yes there are many Buddhist Pure Lands,but the Amitabha Buddha has an affinity with us beings of this Saha World. And when we practice and see the Amitabha Buddha we see all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
@@AlanPeto Well Alan I been involved with Pure Land study & practice since the early 1990' and I don't have all the answers but I can say to you that after you've been in Pure Land practice for a while you'll understand the reasons about Amitabha and why we in our time should seek rebirth in Amitabha' Western Pure Land.
Thank you. This video was really informative and especially since Buddhism is so wide and deep. And you might be laughing now, but when I converted to Buddhism in Vietnam 2012 it was in a pagoda where they practiced pure land. I didn't understand what it was back then. I just got that they liked Thich Nhat Hanh, and as you described he is also into pure land. I didn't know that either before this video. So for all these years I haven't been an active practitioner of my Buddhist path, but a piece here and there and maybe it could start to fall in place.
😮🙏 From the Diamond Sutra , before Prince Siddharta became Šyäkyämûnï Buddha , He already practiced the Buddha Teachings under 84,000 Million Buddhas as a Maha Đëwä before coming down from the Tüsitä Heavenly Realm to be reborned as His last human birth as Prince Siddharta with the help of NÅMÖ Ävälökitèshvärä Maha Bodhisattva ( The Goddess of Mercy QuanYin Pu Sa ) in Northern India some 2,600 years ago , since it averagely took 4Billions or 5Billions years for one Buddha to emerge in any human realms , we are indeed very fortunate to have been borned just 2,600 years after Syåkyåmünï Buddha departure! Be very grateful for this Great & Rare Opportunity to Practice Buddha Dharma of Šyäkyämünï Buddha or Åmïtåbhå Buddha! 🙏🕯🌷🌿🍊🌏🕊
Thank you for taking the time to present this spiritual option in a very sincere manner, clear and thoughtful, taking care to show the congruency with the fundamentals of Shakyamuni's teaching. All my respects to Buddha Amitabha and his adherents. I follow a different religious tradition, but still I am convinced that there are such Pure Lands to help our spiritual advancement. We should have faith, treasure the teachings we have been given, and continually renew our aspiration for such a place.
Thanks so much for this teaching. I follow the Theravada tradition but want to understand other schools of Buddhism as well. I have always been puzzled by Pure Land Buddhism because it seemed to deny impermanence. Your explanation helped me to understand it better in line with the basic tenets of Buddhism. Would you consider doing a video on the concept of transferring merit. Again I find this concept hard to understand given the Buddha’s insistence that we have to be a lamp for ourselves, to make an island for ourselves. I would be very interested in hearing you explain the concept of transferring merit from the Mahayana perspective.
Amitabha Buddha Amitabha means infinite, infinite light, infinite life. So Amitabha Buddha also means infinite enlightened ones or infinite Buddha. Thus, Amitabha Buddha is also the name of all Buddhas; therefore, reciting this name/mantra, you are connecting with all Buddhas and the Buddha in yourself. When you recite a Buddha's name, you are thinking of the Buddha; you want to be with the Buddha; you want to be Buddha. And what does Buddha mean? Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and all that Buddha taught, and the compassion in vows they take, and trained so hard and long to achieve. So when you are reciting the name of Buddha, you are focusing your action, your mind, and your senses on Buddha, and not wandering on a deviant path. At the same time, we are practicing letting go of all thoughts, good or bad, letting go of the wrongful attachment of the body, letting go of this illusion of life, for the sake of attaining enlightenment so we can help all others. As before we are enlightened, the I, the self, is one of the "others" that we should help. Since we are in an era where our mind is trained almost ADHD-like compared to people in the old times, it's much harder to concentrate, to let go, and achieve no mind. By focusing on the recital of Amitabha Buddha, the name, the mantra, it's much easier. And instead of focusing on breathing, candle-light, flowers, or any other things, by focusing on Amitabha Buddha, the name of all Buddhas, your mind is tuned to the most positive wavelength/deed there can be. The more you understand Buddha and his teaching, the more meaningful this practice becomes, as every recital reminds you of what Buddha means and encompasses, and the compassion of Amitabha Buddha's vows. It is in this way that it's all-encompassing, and no mind, no self. Be Buddha. And what do you want to do when you become Buddha? Check out Amitabha Buddha's 48 vows for some amazing copyright-free templates. All vows are features and functions aimed to help others reach enlightenment, none to seek one's own enlightenment, nor free self of suffering. That's pure compassion, and the right path. In Pure Land Buddhism, the ultimate goal in this life is to practice the way of Buddha and be notified of the time of your own death, and to leave this world the way you choose, to Amitabha's pure land. Some leave standing, some leave sitting cross-legged, some lying down. But those who practiced well leave knowingly and peacefully. In Taiwan, we also have "Helpers Chant Groups" that take turns and chant Amitabha Buddha/Amituofo next to the deceased for 8-12 hours after the death, to help the deceased in the last league of their journey. To be able to stay calm and clear-minded at the moment of death is really hard; that is the true test. All the chanting in your life is to practice for this moment. We have seen some people that leave with the last chant echoing in their mouth (very few). Some died with a face in fright/agony, but gradually turned peaceful and the body became soft instead of rigid. So unlike what some would think, that Pure Land Buddhists only have to chant the mantra and do not need to follow Buddha's teaching, in Pure Land Buddhism, we adhere to the teachings of Buddha as much as we can, and learn as much as we can in the teachings of Buddha so as to strengthen our faith and understanding, so as to prevent "obstacles," cold feet, and wrongful habits from showing up their bad karma at the moment of death. Master Yin Guang said: "Do all that is good, refrain from all that is bad, clear/purify your mind/intent, and that is Buddhism. And chant as if death is here today." Do things that you "have to do" (eat, sleep, work to put food on the table, and requests for help that you are able to provide), and the moment you are done or have a break, let all thoughts go, and chant to remember the way of Buddha. When people praise you, pay no mind, and chant Amitabha. When people criticize you or make you suffer, thank them for ridding you of more bad karma, pay no mind and chant Amitabha. Because nothing in this impermanent world that we will leave should you attach yourself to, and cause your own suffering over. Join the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, and be enlightened, so that you can help all those connected to you who are suffering because they think all is real, and that they are suffering. All these mindsets and understanding, we reinforce and delve deeper into with every recital of Amitabha Buddha. And when all you think is Buddha and see Buddha and Bodhisattvas in everyone, in everything, and respect them and love them as much, you make this life Pure Land. There are mainly two sutras available in Chinese that talk about Pure Land Amitabha Buddha (The Sutra On Contemplation Of Amitayus, and Amitābha Sūtra), and these are among the very few sutras that Buddha spoke without being asked. But there are also vital references to Pure Land Amitabha Buddha in other Sutras that it is the go-to practice by prominent bodhisattvas through which they obtained their enlightenment. (There are many levels of enlightenment, and many levels of bodhisattva.)
Thank you, Alan, for this video. I understand that your channel caters to the Western Mind as they need proper assistance and help like you provide on how Buddhism can be practiced such as the Pure Land Tradition which I am currently practicing. I'm from the Philippines and as a Filipino I can easily relate to the Western Mind as we are the most Western-oriented cultures all over Southeast Asia historically and culturally. Here in the Philippines, we consider Buddhism as our best kept secret just like Eastern Orthodoxy is in the US. With the exception of most Chinese-Filipinos, we Native Filipinos surprisingly have significant ignorance on what Pure Land Buddhism is and how it is actually practiced including all the Benefits it can bring to our lives. Strictly speaking, we Filipinos still think that Amitabha Buddha or his image at least is either a statue decor for the home, a Chinese Garden restaurant or even a massage parlour! Seriously I'm not joking. 🙏 Even with us Filipinos when it comes to Buddhism we only think of four things: 1. Shaolin Kung-Fu 2. Feng Shui 3. Chinatown/Chinese New Year 4. Pampaswerte or Good Luck Charms. Disappointing but True. In any case, thanks again for sharing your insights on the Pure Land. I was hoping if I could also share my own insights as well to the points you have discussed; and here it is: Whether Amitabha Buddha is real or inseparable from one's mind is not the point. Whether the Pure Land is a real place or a state of mind is not the point. The point is that you practice. Period. And see where it takes you. Famed Yogi and Visionary Kyabje Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev stated: "What you know, you know; what you do not know, you do not know. The moment you accept that you do not know the opportunity to know will open before you. (Ibid.)" The main problem with us is that the moment we turn our practice into belief everything else outside of it becomes our enemy. This is how wars and persecutions are made. We must do better, be better. Just practice. That's it. That's what Pure Land Buddhism really teaches. Thank you. Namo Amitabhaya Buddhaya. 🙏
🙏🏻Amitabha to Xavier and Alan. Firstly, I would like to thank Alan for the great explanation of Buddha’s teachings. As Pureland practitioner, here I would like to say that in order to seek reborn in Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland we need to believe and have faith in Amitabha Buddha’s 48vows as written in his Amitabha Buddha’s sutra of Infinite Life (无量寿经) You may also watch TH-cam videos of Pure Land Buddhism. You’ll get some good information about Amitabha Buddha’s teachings too. 🙏🏻
Amitabuddha's Pure Land matrix is separate from the Samsara matrix, which has both extremes of good and bad, the highest heavens to the worst level of hell. The Pure Land matrix was created by Amitabuddha and so completely lack any existence of all the bad elements. Everything are perfect in that land. Beings there can will anything and it will manifest instantly. All manifestations are good. It is said that it is extremely far from the Samsara matrix that we're in and yet upon death, the Buddha would come to deliver the soul to the Pure Land in an instant. Instantly arriving at the Pure Land matrix. But that soul has to be willing to go there. The Buddha will not take the unwilling to his Pure Land matrix. It is said that even the very idea of hell is non-existent in the minds of the beings born there. They are all born out of their own lotus flower. It is said that beings in the Pure Land can live an immeasurably, unfathomably long time span, possibly far longer than the time span of the universe we're in, so that they have almost eternity to practice to be enlightened to reach Nirvana. Once you're there, you're guaranteed to reach Buddhahood and enter Nirvana. You'll never have to be perpetually rebirthing between all the heavens and hells and in between. The physical beauty of the beings born in the Pure Land also far exceeds the physical beauty of the beings born in the highest heaven within the Samsara matrix. It is also said that beings there could remember every detail of the countless lives they had lived through when they were trapped inside the Samsara matrix. They could traverse immeasurably wide spans of space in an instant.
Thank you. Very clear and precise. Interesting about Thay and that he has pure land teachings. I read some of his book 25 years ago. When I first set out on my search.
It’s very common in Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhism. However, westerns tend to not be interested in it so be articulates it a different way. Most see him as a “Zen” monk, but that’s only half the story. Chan (original Chinese version of zen) and Thiền (Vietnamese version) are often intermixed in the same Buddhism tradition with pure land. Most westerners are used to the Japanese version who separated the schools, but that’s not always typical. There is a great book by Thay on pure land practice.
Thank you so much Alan ! I'm a practitioner. Unfortunately I live in a country where there is no buddhist temple (North Africa . Tunisia) . I would like to open a little free center of meditation and dedicate it to Amitabha. I have 2 questions : - May I give my little temple the name of "Sukhāvati" or is it irrespective ? - May we chant also for Medicine Buddha ? Thank you so much Alan if you take a little time to answer me . Silvia
Hi Silvia! Good questions. If you're looking to start a Pure Land temple, it would mostly consist of the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name rather than only meditation (meditation is mostly found combined practice with Pure Land in the rest of the East Asian countries except for Japan). A temple is usually one where monastics reside, so you might want to create a lay-Buddhist group which is very common. You might want to reach out to an organization to see if they have any structure in place for lay-organizations to create a center/group. That way, you can get some guidance and structure/support to help you. Although this isn't the only organization, here's the one I'm affiliated with (Fo Guang Shan). Although not close to you, they have some in South Africa (www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/africa.php) but also plenty in Europe which might be close (www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/europe.php). I'd recommend emailing info@ibps.org to see if they can give you guidance on setting up a local group. The lay-Buddhist organizations that are affiliated with them are called Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA). Let me know how it goes for you!
Very informative video! Would referring to the pure land as a formation of our own pure mind, and Amitabha as our own Buddha-nature, imply that Amitabha Buddha is metaphorical? Or is it a realization of oneness with the celestial buddha and with the pure land? If it is the latter, would this imply all sentient beings are one?
Good question. In Pure Land Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha is very much an actual celestial Buddha. One goes to his Western Pure Land to learn under him and other Bodhisattvas so they too can become Buddhas. The practice described here illustrates that cultivation of the mind can begin at any time and should. It is like taking college classes in high school before getting to college - you are getting a head start. Most Buddhist traditions (including Theravada) nowadays consider this the age of decline in the Dharma, meaning enlightenment (as others had achieved when Shakyamuni Buddha was on this earth) is next to impossible. So, the focus is on the cultivation of merit for future rebirths conducive to the path (and think of this as going on all the way until the next Buddha, Maitreya, comes to this earth in the far future). With Pure Land Buddhism, rebirth is going right to the Western Pure Land to achieve this instead of waiting around for the next Buddha on Earth. Back to your question, there is nothing preventing us from actually achieving enlightenment here and now - it's just very (very!) challenging. But if one does, it is no different than seeing Amitabha as our inner Buddhanature and the Pure Land of our own mind. So, at least in Chinese and Vietnamese traditions, the dual practice of Meditation (Ch'an in China and Thien in Vietnam) is encouraged alongside Pure Land. I compare it to a two-fisted boxer in a ring, compared to just fighting with one hand. And we are fighting (illustratively of course) our own greed, anger, and delusion that prevents us from becoming enlightened.
There could be varied reasons, but a common one is that it may look similar in context to the religion they grew up in, and wish to avoid devotional in their interpretation of Buddhism. Another is that some of the fundamental/deep meanings of practice aren't relatable, or they don't understand, so it comes across as something not needed in their practice.
@4:38 I think there is a bit of a confusion about pureland here. In most Buddhist texts, Western Pureland of Amitabha is NOT impermanent as it is already outside of the six realms of Samsara. Amitabha pureland is outside of the six impermanent realms namely (Heavenly realm, Asura realm, Human realm, Animal realm, Hungry ghost realm, and Hell realm) th-cam.com/video/Dgta72TqXNI/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the feedback! At the timestamp you linked to, I'm talking about beings, not the Pure Land, being impermanent there. The purpose of going to a Pure Land is to train under a living Buddha (and attendants, such as Bodhisattvas, etc.) to help one eventually attain enlightenment, with the end goal of becoming a Buddha (goal in Mahayana, of which Pure Land is part of). So, one can't just become a Buddha in the Pure Land and stick around, they should have rebirth in the human realm (for instance) to liberate other sentient beings from samsara/our saha world. th-cam.com/video/1ExLydYBL7E/w-d-xo.html Thanks for linking Pure Land Buddhism's TH-cam channel, she has a lot of videos and I've watched some before!
Fantastic video! I did want to say It's correct Buddha's aren't eternal, up until you get to the lotus Sutra. The lotus sutra makes it clear, Buddha is omniscient and omnipresent. Paranibbana is skillful mean, and he abides forever, it's made very clear.
I didn't dig as deep in this video into that (which I should cover in another video), but yes, in Mahayana Buddha's do indeed have a sort of 'eternal' presence due to the three bodies of a Buddha. The Buddha[s] we have in a conditioned state are impermanent (and very important fo us), but their Dharma body can continue as you describe.
I have a video about Nichiren Buddhism on the to-do list! In all Mahayana schools, Nichiren and Pure Land included, we all have inherent Buddha-nature. All paths are different skillful means towards enlightenment.
Do you encourage fellow practitioner to preach medative Zen, or other practice in Pure Land practice? All we need to do , is just to practice reciting Namo Amitofo...And one day we will be able to reborn in the pure land . One day , we find that our own nature is Amitofo , And everything is pure. And when we 'die', we will be able to be reborn in the Pure Land. The Buddha taught 84,000 ways, but the pure land practice is just one of them. Especially in the Dharma-ending age, which is NOW. Billi
Would it be accurate to think of Pure Land Buddhism as a sort of "hack"? What I mean is, if 1) the cycle of death and rebirth is suffering and inevitable, and 2) this cycle can be avoided by the dharma and nirvana, even though that is next to impossible in this age, _but_ 3) since this particular Buddha has created a place to be reborn where it _is_ possible, you can skip line to this last reincarnation and do it right this time, this seems like playing the dharma/karma thing against itself. Gaming the system, metaphysically speaking, if you will. And that's good.
Thanks for your thoughts and question! The way I understand it is that Buddhas are able to create 'Buddha Fields' (which we commonly call Pure Lands) out of their great compassion to help others in a more conducive environment towards awakening. In Mahayana, Samsara and Nirvana are looked at as essentially two sides of the same coin. So, escaping Nirvana is not necessarily the goal, because Samsara is not necessarily something to escape 'from'. Buddhas like Amitabha (the most popular and the one in Pure Land Buddhism) made a vow to create their pure land. It's sort of like a 'boot camp' or 'college' where rebirth occurs into, one trains as a Bodhisattva or Buddha (Bodhisattvas aspire to become Buddhas) and return to the 'world' to help other sentient beings. So, they don't stay in that pure land permanently. The 'age of decline' is one of a few reasons why Pure Land Buddhism is popular. It is the most popular form of Buddhism with laypersons for many reasons, but also that achieving enlightenment in this age that is centuries past the time of a living Buddha, is challenging or impossible. Only with that guidance of a living (in this case celestial) Buddha, is that feasible until the return of another Buddha of our era (which will be Maitreya). So, in a way, you can look at it as simply going to train under a living Buddha since we don't have one in our mundane life/world right now. On a deeper level, Amitabha Buddha is your inner Buddhanature, and the Pure Land is the environment you create (done through recitation/chanting which follows meditative concentration to settle the mind, focus on the pure qualities of a Buddha, etc., where no deluded thoughts can arise and only insight can arise).
@@AlanPetoThank you so much, Alan. Your channel and this video and your comments are the gems to me. I grew up listening to Master Chin Kung's sermons and struggles to find that form of Buddhism in America. Now that I come across this video, everything you said in English reminds me of everything Master Chin Kung talked about. Thank you for delivering this to us.
This was tremendous. Thank you so much. Are you aware of any sources that help explain the way in which Buddhism evolved as it spread along the Silk Road? I am curious as to how local culture impacted Buddhist practices.
Great question Steven! I don't have an article or video entirely on that. The closest I have is the Buddhist Scriptures (alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-scriptures). However, there is a lot of history as you can imagine. Here is one of many websites and pages about it: silkroadfoundation.org/artl/buddhism.shtml, and Wikipedia has a nice summary and map/images on it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Buddhism This might be a good topic for a future article/video!
I'm in Humanistic Buddhism as taught by Fo Guang Shan, which is a form of Chinese Buddhism. That means it's often a dual-practice of Ch'an ("zen") and Pure Land!
I prefer recitation over meditation. Meditation has never worked for me, but I love reciting beautifully written vows or mantras. Is it fine to focus on recitation over meditation, or does that defeat the purpose of Buddhism?
You can do recitation / chanting. In fact, the vast majority of Buddhists only do this. Sitting meditation for laypersons is a fairly recent thing in the history of Buddhism. Even among monastics it wasn’t widely practiced until recent history (tradition depending).
@@AlanPeto That's great to hear. I'm also shocked no one had told me this. Meditation was the biggest hurdle for me in terms of possibly committing to Buddhism. It's nice to know it's not effectively mandatory as others have seemed to imply to me. As of now, I've gone through the Manuel of Zen Buddhism and the Pureland vows, copying and pasting my favorite gathas into a word doc. Are there any major resources where I could consult more gathas? I pretty much want to make gatha recitation my main practice.
Great question Adam! Is there a particular tradition you are looking into? I might be able to offer some suggestions that way. A resource to check out is the Buddhanet Word Buddhist Directory. Here is Europe: www.buddhanet.info/wbd/region.php?region_id=5. Note that it may not always be the most up-to-date as temples/groups may close or open. The organization I practice in is Fo Guang Shan (FGS) which is Humanistic Buddhism (based on Chinese Buddhism). So, it is Ch'an (Zen) and Pure Land schools. Here is a list of their temples and affiliates in Europe: www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/europe.php. Note you would need to check with them (just like any other temple you are looking at) to see if they offer classes or other services in your language. With any tradition/school/temple, you will likely be practicing in some form of their original country's Buddhism which includes cultural practices and even chanting (etc.) in that language. Not to worry, as there is often documents that show you how to pronounce that language (such as Chinese) with your own language/words. Keep an open mind and follow along with the practices. They often have deep Buddhist teachings embedded in the reason there is a practice, along with cultural influences. You'll gain both an understanding of another country's culture and unique ways to learn and practice Buddhism! (here's some background on that: alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-superstition/)
To my understanding, not astral projection. One may be able to visualize Amitabha Buddha and/or his Pure Land in a way similar to being able to "open your eyes" to it. Even in the time of the Buddha, there is a sermon where one of his disciples who was able to see is parents who had experienced rebirth in different realms. However, the Western Pure Land is not for monks alone. Pure Land Buddhism is about all practitioners having the capability to 1) have rebirth there to progress on the path towards Buddhahood and 2) the ability to develop the pure land of their mind and achieve enlightenment (although the second is much harder to achieve without a living Buddha, which is why the Pure Land exists).
The pure land is NOT in your mind, The Pure Land exists as a Real Enlightened realm outside of our mind, the pure land is a real place and not in our mind, This is wrong view you’re speeding Shakayamuni never said anything like oh the pure land is in your mind, when he clearly stated that it is a real place which we can go to, also Āmitābhā’s live is “INFINITE” why? Because due to the effect of his vows, his life is Infinite, and has no end
Thanks for the comment! I've addressed this same question before in the comments, but yes, Amitabha's pure land is a place. But in many traditions of Buddhism that practice Pure Land, it is also an analogy for our spiritual development. This is most common (but not always) in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, where dual-practice Buddhist traditions exist ("Zen" & Pure Land). These teachings go back centuries by several Buddhist masters. You can even find contemporary teachers, such as Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh and Ven. Master Hsing Yun, have explained this. If one becomes enlightened in this life, great, if not, there is still the Pure Land.
Yes many rebirth cases and eyewitness of Amitabha Buddha particularly in China where Pure Land Buddhism has been practised for over 1600 years. Amituofo True Rebirth Cases: th-cam.com/play/PL-RSgVFbZXSycbQdFZ-poQcVMGNPa41nc.html
Very good introduction. I grew up Christian and first tried Theravada Buddhists practices and felt disheartened when I couldn’t meditate. Was fortunate to have found Jodo Shinshu Buddhism which opened my heart and mind to the boundless wisdom and compassion outside of me. There is active wisdom and compassion that constantly reminds me of the Dharma. As westerners were often hung up on trying to generate compassion and enlightenment inside ourselves. Sometimes you just need to bow your head in humility and say thank you. I bow to Amida Buddha in appreciation for all the opportunities I have to hear the Buddha Dharma. Namo Amida Butsu 🙏🏼📿🙏🏼📿🙏🏼📿
I'm also Jōdo Shinshū (not officially yet but I think I'll get my homyo in a few years) and it's a constant reflection on our ignorance, opening our heart to Amida and wisdom!
Unfortunately, I think that meditation is over emphasized as well as underexplained. The meditative practices really only make sense within the philosophical context of Buddhism. Understanding interdependent nature is really is really quite important. The philosophical concepts are the foundation. It seems that many peoples idea of Buddhism is meditating really hard until you transcend yourself or something.
I found pure land Buddhism to veer from Theravada, and is more like church than what I consider "real Buddhism". There seems to be a focus on deity and ideals rather than just practicing the whole point of Buddhism, to extinguish suffering. The mindful practices are only to aid in that, and help recognize the forces that challenge one in life. The path itself is not really a path. You dont have to get so stuck on meditation.
Namo Amida butsu
I want to say something to all people here.
There is nothing official to do when it comes to Pure Land Buddhism.
Everyone is welcomed in Sukhavati (the western pure land) as long as you joyfully entrust Amitābha Buddha and say the name according to his vow. Again, everyone is welcomed! No one is cut off (except people who commit rhe 5 great offenses and slander the right Dharma, but I'm not well informed on this) and everything is embraced by Amitābha's incommensurable light. You just need to whole-heartedly chant the name (Namo Amitabha, Namo Amituofo, Namu Amida Butsu) and entrusting and rhe worldly benefits such as joy, more wisdom and more peace of mind will come. You can start chanting the name today, in this very moment!
Namu Amida Butsu 🪷🙏 may you all enter the pure land
Amituofo 🙏
@riccardosbalchiero7345 This is why I follow Buddhism. The 4 immeasurable attitudes are extended to all sentient beings without exception. There is no exclusivity in it like other religions. All the Buddhas are venerated because of the awesome power of their merits and the vows they have taken to liberate all beings from suffering for as long as it takes. Awesome 👌
Was it ever a thing where not everyone is welcome to practice Buddhism? Just wondering. I haven't lived everywhere.
This form of Buddhism has been a blessing for me.
NAM MÔ A DI ĐÀ PHẬT - Vietnamese Pure Land Chant - Pure Land is practiced along with Zen in Vietnamese-American temples. This is a beautiful form of Buddhism!
Agreed thanks for sharing!
@@AlanPeto Mr. Alan, do you adhere to Pureland Buddhism?
Thank you for talking about Pure Land Buddhism.
Although easier said then done, if samsara is on your mind, you will be drawn to seek refuge in samsara. If Amitabha is on your mind, you’ll be drawn to seek his Pure Land when the time comes.
I’m a practitioner and vow to only be reborn in his realm when the time comes.
How much work/effort does it take to be able to 'seek his Pure Land when the time comes' as you put it?
@@John3.36 There were times when all it took was one sentence for an individual to realize the Dharma while others with years of citation and living a seclusive life to grasp a bit of it. Im not qualify to give you a satisfactory answer.
Each one of us have our own liberation to work toward, our own karmic actions to account for, eons of ignorance to cleanse, limitless beings in the same boat as us that need guidance.
Do your due diligence and practice, believe in Amitabha’s vows, believe in your own resolution and action. And In time, hopefully you can answer your own question.
Wonderful video. I am a Westerner and I recently took refuge at a vietnamese pureland temple near me.
That's fantastic! A great tradition.
😊🙏 Thank You So Much to illuminate the Practices of the Universal Loving Kindness & Compassion with Wisdom & Forgiveness & Non-Grasping of the duality & false-ego of " i " or " mine " ... & slowly entering into the Pure & Clean Enlightenment of Pure & Whole Good Merits & Wisdom! All Great Buddhas' True Teachings are to release our Consciousness from these illusory but painful & suffering from the attachments onto these 6 Realms of Sufferings & to enter into the Pure & Clean Enlightenment of the Buddha Purelands , leaving behind all births , ageing , sickness & death! We have to quickly jot down these Rare Teachings , Practice Them , make offerings of Good Merits & Wisdom to All the Buddhas & Maha Bodhisattvas in order to receive these Good Blessings , & to repent our past infringements to reduced our bad karmic energies before they ripen! 😊🙏 Many Happy Good Blessings in Return to You All! 🙏 NÅMÖ ÅMÏTÅBHÅ BÜDDHÅ 🙏 ÖM ÅMÏ ĐÈWÅ HŘÏH 🙏 🕯🌷🌿🍊🌏✌💜🕊
Purelands are the reflections of the great compassion of Boddhisatva and Buddha.
All praise to the Buddha of the western direction. His pure land of ultimate bliss is beyond perfection. Beings should aspire to be reborn there. They will receive the precious teachings that lead to Nirvana.
In China there's also the traditional Chinese Pure Land Buddhism, but the interpretation is also integral with Chan and other Mahayana schools. And almost all the Chan schools also practice the Pure Land method to exit Samsara (as most realized they cannot realise enlightenment in one lifetime). And also for Pure Land practitioners in China we also study prajnaparamita (the doctrine of Shunyata), as the Pure Land Dharma is also guided by the principle of Shunyata. But the methods of Pure Land School and Chan are still a bit different (traditionally Chan's interpretation focused more on the Pure Land as the Pure Mind rather than seeking rebirth to Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land, whereas Pure Land schools recognise indeed we have Pure Land in our mind/heart, but still too difficult to achieve Pure Land in the Here Now, so just go to Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land first and realised Buddhahood there). But more and more the Chan schools also recognise it's indeed difficult to achieve this Pure Land in the Here Now and realise our inherent Amitabha Buddha, so they will also rely on Amitabha Buddha's power to seek rebirth to the Pure Land with faith vow and practice like the Pure Land school). Thanks for the video to introduce the Pure Land Buddhism. Amituofo
Amituofo!
By “Chan” in Chinese Pinyin, the commenter means “Zen”.
@@lotus-lotus Shaolin Buddhism, right?
Thank you very much for the clear description.
I hope that you, Buddhists and friends will join hands in spinning the Dharma wheel for the benefit of all beings.
May the merit and virtue accrued from this work,
Adorn the Buddhas' Pure Land,
Repaying four kinds of kindness above,
And aiding those suffering in the paths below.
May those who see and hear of this,
All bring forth the resolve for Bodhi,
And when this retribution body is over,
Be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
😮🙏 Many Buddhas have been cultivating their practices before they upgraded into Dewas , Maha Dewas , Bodhisattvas & Maha Bodhisattvas for billions of their past life times in their respective human realms before becoming Buddha , as it's difficult to find & practice Buddha teachings in the animal , ghostly & hellish realms! Don't waste this precious human life & miss the opportunity to Practice these Rare Gems of Buddha Teachings to end our birth , ageing , sickness & death in the six realms of suffering! 😐🙏🕯🌷🌿🍊🌍🕊
Thank you very much !
I will send this video to my Father, I hope he will enjoy, understand clearly about the true spiritual source. I have been a Buddhist for more than 40 years, I strongly believe there is a Pure Land AMITABA it's true
I am also practicing chanting, meditating and reciting the Buddha's name. Aspiration after death to be reborn in the pure land of AMITABA
I hope to be like you one day I have been studying Zen for 3 years and only pure land mostly just the Nembutsu to help me with my alcoholism my mala helps me to practice its a good tool to remind me buddha isn't that far way
@@thevoiceinthewalls Hang in there. You will make it! Namo Amitabha.
In Vietnam, Pure Land is called TỊNH ĐỘ (The Pure Way or the Pure Path).
Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏🏽✨❤️☸️📿
🙏
Alan - this was exactly the information I've been searching for! Thank you so much for taking the time to put this video together.
That’s great to hear Jef! Let me know if any questions.
Namo amituofo
Welcome back home my friend .
In Chinese Mahayana Buddhism as regards to Pure Land Buddhism,the 3 conditions for birth in the Pure Land of Amitabha are Faith,Vows,and practice. Yes there are many Buddhist Pure Lands,but the Amitabha Buddha has an affinity with us beings of this Saha World. And when we practice and see the Amitabha Buddha we see all the Buddhas of the ten directions.
Thanks for adding more to this, Dwight! Yes, many pure lands, but Amitabha Buddha’s is the most popular for some great reasons.
@@AlanPeto Well Alan I been involved with Pure Land study & practice since the early 1990' and I don't have all the answers but I can say to you that after you've been in Pure Land practice for a while you'll understand the reasons about Amitabha and why we in our time should seek rebirth in Amitabha' Western Pure Land.
Thank you. This video was really informative and especially since Buddhism is so wide and deep. And you might be laughing now, but when I converted to Buddhism in Vietnam 2012 it was in a pagoda where they practiced pure land. I didn't understand what it was back then. I just got that they liked Thich Nhat Hanh, and as you described he is also into pure land. I didn't know that either before this video. So for all these years I haven't been an active practitioner of my Buddhist path, but a piece here and there and maybe it could start to fall in place.
Thank you!
I thought Thich Nhat Hanh was a Zen Master.
😮🙏 From the Diamond Sutra , before Prince Siddharta became Šyäkyämûnï Buddha , He already practiced the Buddha Teachings under 84,000 Million Buddhas as a Maha Đëwä before coming down from the Tüsitä Heavenly Realm to be reborned as His last human birth as Prince Siddharta with the help of NÅMÖ Ävälökitèshvärä Maha Bodhisattva ( The Goddess of Mercy QuanYin Pu Sa ) in Northern India some 2,600 years ago , since it averagely took 4Billions or 5Billions years for one Buddha to emerge in any human realms , we are indeed very fortunate to have been borned just 2,600 years after Syåkyåmünï Buddha departure! Be very grateful for this Great & Rare Opportunity to Practice Buddha Dharma of Šyäkyämünï Buddha or Åmïtåbhå Buddha! 🙏🕯🌷🌿🍊🌏🕊
Thank you. Very clear, suitable and instructive for Western people who are trying to understand Pure Land Buddhism. 南無阿弥陀仏 🙏🏻
🙏
Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏☸️🙏
Thank you for taking the time to present this spiritual option in a very sincere manner, clear and thoughtful, taking care to show the congruency with the fundamentals of Shakyamuni's teaching. All my respects to Buddha Amitabha and his adherents. I follow a different religious tradition, but still I am convinced that there are such Pure Lands to help our spiritual advancement. We should have faith, treasure the teachings we have been given, and continually renew our aspiration for such a place.
Thank you very much for this video, it was very informative. I am beginning to add Amitabha Buddha to my practice and you have helped me a lot.
Thank you, great explanation
Thank you. This cleared up some confusion and hesitation I had.
Thanks so much for this teaching. I follow the Theravada tradition but want to understand other schools of Buddhism as well. I have always been puzzled by Pure Land Buddhism because it seemed to deny impermanence. Your explanation helped me to understand it better in line with the basic tenets of Buddhism.
Would you consider doing a video on the concept of transferring merit. Again I find this concept hard to understand given the Buddha’s insistence that we have to be a lamp for ourselves, to make an island for ourselves. I would be very interested in hearing you explain the concept of transferring merit from the Mahayana perspective.
Great suggestion regarding merit! I do talk about it on my podcast, but let me add this to my to-do for a video.
Cool vid Love your stuff kick on love it
Excellent video, very informative. Thank you!
Thanks, Bill! 🙏
Amitabha Buddha Amitabha means infinite, infinite light, infinite life. So Amitabha Buddha also means infinite enlightened ones or infinite Buddha. Thus, Amitabha Buddha is also the name of all Buddhas; therefore, reciting this name/mantra, you are connecting with all Buddhas and the Buddha in yourself.
When you recite a Buddha's name, you are thinking of the Buddha; you want to be with the Buddha; you want to be Buddha. And what does Buddha mean? Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and all that Buddha taught, and the compassion in vows they take, and trained so hard and long to achieve. So when you are reciting the name of Buddha, you are focusing your action, your mind, and your senses on Buddha, and not wandering on a deviant path. At the same time, we are practicing letting go of all thoughts, good or bad, letting go of the wrongful attachment of the body, letting go of this illusion of life, for the sake of attaining enlightenment so we can help all others. As before we are enlightened, the I, the self, is one of the "others" that we should help.
Since we are in an era where our mind is trained almost ADHD-like compared to people in the old times, it's much harder to concentrate, to let go, and achieve no mind. By focusing on the recital of Amitabha Buddha, the name, the mantra, it's much easier. And instead of focusing on breathing, candle-light, flowers, or any other things, by focusing on Amitabha Buddha, the name of all Buddhas, your mind is tuned to the most positive wavelength/deed there can be. The more you understand Buddha and his teaching, the more meaningful this practice becomes, as every recital reminds you of what Buddha means and encompasses, and the compassion of Amitabha Buddha's vows.
It is in this way that it's all-encompassing, and no mind, no self. Be Buddha. And what do you want to do when you become Buddha? Check out Amitabha Buddha's 48 vows for some amazing copyright-free templates. All vows are features and functions aimed to help others reach enlightenment, none to seek one's own enlightenment, nor free self of suffering. That's pure compassion, and the right path.
In Pure Land Buddhism, the ultimate goal in this life is to practice the way of Buddha and be notified of the time of your own death, and to leave this world the way you choose, to Amitabha's pure land. Some leave standing, some leave sitting cross-legged, some lying down. But those who practiced well leave knowingly and peacefully. In Taiwan, we also have "Helpers Chant Groups" that take turns and chant Amitabha Buddha/Amituofo next to the deceased for 8-12 hours after the death, to help the deceased in the last league of their journey. To be able to stay calm and clear-minded at the moment of death is really hard; that is the true test. All the chanting in your life is to practice for this moment. We have seen some people that leave with the last chant echoing in their mouth (very few). Some died with a face in fright/agony, but gradually turned peaceful and the body became soft instead of rigid. So unlike what some would think, that Pure Land Buddhists only have to chant the mantra and do not need to follow Buddha's teaching, in Pure Land Buddhism, we adhere to the teachings of Buddha as much as we can, and learn as much as we can in the teachings of Buddha so as to strengthen our faith and understanding, so as to prevent "obstacles," cold feet, and wrongful habits from showing up their bad karma at the moment of death. Master Yin Guang said: "Do all that is good, refrain from all that is bad, clear/purify your mind/intent, and that is Buddhism. And chant as if death is here today." Do things that you "have to do" (eat, sleep, work to put food on the table, and requests for help that you are able to provide), and the moment you are done or have a break, let all thoughts go, and chant to remember the way of Buddha. When people praise you, pay no mind, and chant Amitabha. When people criticize you or make you suffer, thank them for ridding you of more bad karma, pay no mind and chant Amitabha. Because nothing in this impermanent world that we will leave should you attach yourself to, and cause your own suffering over. Join the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, and be enlightened, so that you can help all those connected to you who are suffering because they think all is real, and that they are suffering. All these mindsets and understanding, we reinforce and delve deeper into with every recital of Amitabha Buddha. And when all you think is Buddha and see Buddha and Bodhisattvas in everyone, in everything, and respect them and love them as much, you make this life Pure Land.
There are mainly two sutras available in Chinese that talk about Pure Land Amitabha Buddha (The Sutra On Contemplation Of Amitayus, and Amitābha Sūtra), and these are among the very few sutras that Buddha spoke without being asked. But there are also vital references to Pure Land Amitabha Buddha in other Sutras that it is the go-to practice by prominent bodhisattvas through which they obtained their enlightenment. (There are many levels of enlightenment, and many levels of bodhisattva.)
Such a wonderful comment. Namo Amitabha
Thanks very much Alan for the explanation! Amituofo 🙏
Amituofo!
Thank you, Alan, for this video.
I understand that your channel caters to the Western Mind as they need proper assistance and help like you provide on how Buddhism can be practiced such as the Pure Land Tradition which I am currently practicing.
I'm from the Philippines and as a Filipino I can easily relate to the Western Mind as we are the most Western-oriented cultures all over Southeast Asia historically and culturally.
Here in the Philippines, we consider Buddhism as our best kept secret just like Eastern Orthodoxy is in the US. With the exception of most Chinese-Filipinos, we Native Filipinos surprisingly have significant ignorance on what Pure Land Buddhism is and how it is actually practiced including all the Benefits it can bring to our lives.
Strictly speaking, we Filipinos still think that Amitabha Buddha or his image at least is either a statue decor for the home, a Chinese Garden restaurant or even a massage parlour!
Seriously I'm not joking. 🙏
Even with us Filipinos when it comes to Buddhism we only think of four things:
1. Shaolin Kung-Fu
2. Feng Shui
3. Chinatown/Chinese New Year
4. Pampaswerte or Good Luck Charms.
Disappointing but True.
In any case, thanks again for sharing your insights on the Pure Land.
I was hoping if I could also share my own insights as well to the points you have discussed; and here it is:
Whether Amitabha Buddha is real or inseparable from one's mind is not the point.
Whether the Pure Land is a real place or a state of mind is not the point.
The point is that you practice. Period. And see where it takes you.
Famed Yogi and Visionary Kyabje Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev stated: "What you know, you know; what you do not know, you do not know. The moment you accept that you do not know the opportunity to know will open before you. (Ibid.)"
The main problem with us is that the moment we turn our practice into belief everything else outside of it becomes our enemy.
This is how wars and persecutions are made.
We must do better, be better. Just practice. That's it. That's what Pure Land Buddhism really teaches. Thank you.
Namo Amitabhaya Buddhaya. 🙏
🙏🏻Amitabha to Xavier and Alan. Firstly, I would like to thank Alan for the great explanation of Buddha’s teachings.
As Pureland practitioner, here I would like to say that in order to seek reborn in Amitabha Buddha’s Pureland we need to believe and have faith in Amitabha Buddha’s 48vows as written in his Amitabha Buddha’s sutra of Infinite Life (无量寿经)
You may also watch TH-cam videos of Pure Land Buddhism. You’ll get some good information about Amitabha Buddha’s teachings too. 🙏🏻
Amitofo! 🙏
Amitofo! 🙏
Thank you for another interesting video Alan.
Glad you enjoyed it!
May all living beings obtain illumination
Amitabuddha's Pure Land matrix is separate from the Samsara matrix, which has both extremes of good and bad, the highest heavens to the worst level of hell. The Pure Land matrix was created by Amitabuddha and so completely lack any existence of all the bad elements. Everything are perfect in that land. Beings there can will anything and it will manifest instantly. All manifestations are good. It is said that it is extremely far from the Samsara matrix that we're in and yet upon death, the Buddha would come to deliver the soul to the Pure Land in an instant. Instantly arriving at the Pure Land matrix. But that soul has to be willing to go there. The Buddha will not take the unwilling to his Pure Land matrix. It is said that even the very idea of hell is non-existent in the minds of the beings born there. They are all born out of their own lotus flower. It is said that beings in the Pure Land can live an immeasurably, unfathomably long time span, possibly far longer than the time span of the universe we're in, so that they have almost eternity to practice to be enlightened to reach Nirvana. Once you're there, you're guaranteed to reach Buddhahood and enter Nirvana. You'll never have to be perpetually rebirthing between all the heavens and hells and in between. The physical beauty of the beings born in the Pure Land also far exceeds the physical beauty of the beings born in the highest heaven within the Samsara matrix. It is also said that beings there could remember every detail of the countless lives they had lived through when they were trapped inside the Samsara matrix. They could traverse immeasurably wide spans of space in an instant.
Thanks for sharing!
Very nice. Thank you for the clear information re Pure Land!
🙏 Amituofo!
Thank you.
Very clear and precise.
Interesting about Thay and that he has pure land teachings.
I read some of his book 25 years ago.
When I first set out on my search.
It’s very common in Vietnamese and Chinese Buddhism. However, westerns tend to not be interested in it so be articulates it a different way. Most see him as a “Zen” monk, but that’s only half the story. Chan (original Chinese version of zen) and Thiền (Vietnamese version) are often intermixed in the same Buddhism tradition with pure land. Most westerners are used to the Japanese version who separated the schools, but that’s not always typical. There is a great book by Thay on pure land practice.
I loved your explanation, I was wondering if you could do a video about Nichiren Buddhism
Thanks, Khristian! I will add it to my list to create a video :)
na mo a di da phat. be here now do no harm help others be still close eyes listen to your breathing.
thanks so much. amituofo
Amituofo!
Phowa practice of transference of consciousness to western pure land is one such method.
Thank you so much Alan !
I'm a practitioner. Unfortunately I live in a country where there is no buddhist temple (North Africa . Tunisia) .
I would like to open a little free center of meditation and dedicate it to Amitabha. I have 2 questions :
- May I give my little temple the name of "Sukhāvati" or is it irrespective ?
- May we chant also for Medicine Buddha ?
Thank you so much Alan if you take a little time to answer me .
Silvia
Hi Silvia! Good questions. If you're looking to start a Pure Land temple, it would mostly consist of the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name rather than only meditation (meditation is mostly found combined practice with Pure Land in the rest of the East Asian countries except for Japan). A temple is usually one where monastics reside, so you might want to create a lay-Buddhist group which is very common. You might want to reach out to an organization to see if they have any structure in place for lay-organizations to create a center/group. That way, you can get some guidance and structure/support to help you. Although this isn't the only organization, here's the one I'm affiliated with (Fo Guang Shan). Although not close to you, they have some in South Africa (www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/africa.php) but also plenty in Europe which might be close (www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/europe.php). I'd recommend emailing info@ibps.org to see if they can give you guidance on setting up a local group. The lay-Buddhist organizations that are affiliated with them are called Buddha's Light International Association (BLIA). Let me know how it goes for you!
@@AlanPeto Ohhh thank you so much for your answer and your guidance Alan ! I'm really grateful and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Silvia
Very informative video! Would referring to the pure land as a formation of our own pure mind, and Amitabha as our own Buddha-nature, imply that Amitabha Buddha is metaphorical? Or is it a realization of oneness with the celestial buddha and with the pure land? If it is the latter, would this imply all sentient beings are one?
Good question. In Pure Land Buddhism, Amitabha Buddha is very much an actual celestial Buddha. One goes to his Western Pure Land to learn under him and other Bodhisattvas so they too can become Buddhas. The practice described here illustrates that cultivation of the mind can begin at any time and should. It is like taking college classes in high school before getting to college - you are getting a head start. Most Buddhist traditions (including Theravada) nowadays consider this the age of decline in the Dharma, meaning enlightenment (as others had achieved when Shakyamuni Buddha was on this earth) is next to impossible. So, the focus is on the cultivation of merit for future rebirths conducive to the path (and think of this as going on all the way until the next Buddha, Maitreya, comes to this earth in the far future). With Pure Land Buddhism, rebirth is going right to the Western Pure Land to achieve this instead of waiting around for the next Buddha on Earth. Back to your question, there is nothing preventing us from actually achieving enlightenment here and now - it's just very (very!) challenging. But if one does, it is no different than seeing Amitabha as our inner Buddhanature and the Pure Land of our own mind. So, at least in Chinese and Vietnamese traditions, the dual practice of Meditation (Ch'an in China and Thien in Vietnam) is encouraged alongside Pure Land. I compare it to a two-fisted boxer in a ring, compared to just fighting with one hand. And we are fighting (illustratively of course) our own greed, anger, and delusion that prevents us from becoming enlightened.
Amituofo 🙏🏻🌟🌈
I really wanna promote this video
I love watching your videos 😍.
Please make a video on navyana (new vehicle) Buddhism of modern India. I heard that it is more scientific.
Thank you! Ok, I have that on my list.
why do westerners shy away from anything devotional? It's sad actually
There could be varied reasons, but a common one is that it may look similar in context to the religion they grew up in, and wish to avoid devotional in their interpretation of Buddhism. Another is that some of the fundamental/deep meanings of practice aren't relatable, or they don't understand, so it comes across as something not needed in their practice.
@4:38 I think there is a bit of a confusion about pureland here. In most Buddhist texts, Western Pureland of Amitabha is NOT impermanent as it is already outside of the six realms of Samsara. Amitabha pureland is outside of the six impermanent realms namely (Heavenly realm, Asura realm, Human realm, Animal realm, Hungry ghost realm, and Hell realm) th-cam.com/video/Dgta72TqXNI/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for the feedback! At the timestamp you linked to, I'm talking about beings, not the Pure Land, being impermanent there. The purpose of going to a Pure Land is to train under a living Buddha (and attendants, such as Bodhisattvas, etc.) to help one eventually attain enlightenment, with the end goal of becoming a Buddha (goal in Mahayana, of which Pure Land is part of). So, one can't just become a Buddha in the Pure Land and stick around, they should have rebirth in the human realm (for instance) to liberate other sentient beings from samsara/our saha world. th-cam.com/video/1ExLydYBL7E/w-d-xo.html
Thanks for linking Pure Land Buddhism's TH-cam channel, she has a lot of videos and I've watched some before!
this is great
Namo Buddhay
Fantastic video! I did want to say It's correct Buddha's aren't eternal, up until you get to the lotus Sutra. The lotus sutra makes it clear, Buddha is omniscient and omnipresent. Paranibbana is skillful mean, and he abides forever, it's made very clear.
I didn't dig as deep in this video into that (which I should cover in another video), but yes, in Mahayana Buddha's do indeed have a sort of 'eternal' presence due to the three bodies of a Buddha. The Buddha[s] we have in a conditioned state are impermanent (and very important fo us), but their Dharma body can continue as you describe.
What about Nichiren Shoshu? The LOTUS SUTRA? No reliance there on the merit of Amida, correct? We ourselves are dormant Buddhas.
I have a video about Nichiren Buddhism on the to-do list!
In all Mahayana schools, Nichiren and Pure Land included, we all have inherent Buddha-nature. All paths are different skillful means towards enlightenment.
Do you encourage fellow practitioner to preach medative Zen, or other practice in Pure Land practice? All we need to do , is just to practice reciting Namo Amitofo...And one day we will be able to reborn in the pure land . One day , we find that our own nature is Amitofo ,
And everything is pure. And when we 'die', we will be able to be reborn in the Pure Land. The Buddha taught 84,000 ways, but the pure land practice is just one of them. Especially in the Dharma-ending age, which is NOW. Billi
Amituofo 🙏
Would it be accurate to think of Pure Land Buddhism as a sort of "hack"? What I mean is, if 1) the cycle of death and rebirth is suffering and inevitable, and 2) this cycle can be avoided by the dharma and nirvana, even though that is next to impossible in this age, _but_ 3) since this particular Buddha has created a place to be reborn where it _is_ possible, you can skip line to this last reincarnation and do it right this time, this seems like playing the dharma/karma thing against itself. Gaming the system, metaphysically speaking, if you will. And that's good.
Thanks for your thoughts and question! The way I understand it is that Buddhas are able to create 'Buddha Fields' (which we commonly call Pure Lands) out of their great compassion to help others in a more conducive environment towards awakening. In Mahayana, Samsara and Nirvana are looked at as essentially two sides of the same coin. So, escaping Nirvana is not necessarily the goal, because Samsara is not necessarily something to escape 'from'. Buddhas like Amitabha (the most popular and the one in Pure Land Buddhism) made a vow to create their pure land. It's sort of like a 'boot camp' or 'college' where rebirth occurs into, one trains as a Bodhisattva or Buddha (Bodhisattvas aspire to become Buddhas) and return to the 'world' to help other sentient beings. So, they don't stay in that pure land permanently. The 'age of decline' is one of a few reasons why Pure Land Buddhism is popular. It is the most popular form of Buddhism with laypersons for many reasons, but also that achieving enlightenment in this age that is centuries past the time of a living Buddha, is challenging or impossible. Only with that guidance of a living (in this case celestial) Buddha, is that feasible until the return of another Buddha of our era (which will be Maitreya). So, in a way, you can look at it as simply going to train under a living Buddha since we don't have one in our mundane life/world right now. On a deeper level, Amitabha Buddha is your inner Buddhanature, and the Pure Land is the environment you create (done through recitation/chanting which follows meditative concentration to settle the mind, focus on the pure qualities of a Buddha, etc., where no deluded thoughts can arise and only insight can arise).
@@AlanPetoThank you so much, Alan. Your channel and this video and your comments are the gems to me. I grew up listening to Master Chin Kung's sermons and struggles to find that form of Buddhism in America. Now that I come across this video, everything you said in English reminds me of everything Master Chin Kung talked about. Thank you for delivering this to us.
This was tremendous. Thank you so much. Are you aware of any sources that help explain the way in which Buddhism evolved as it spread along the Silk Road? I am curious as to how local culture impacted Buddhist practices.
Great question Steven! I don't have an article or video entirely on that. The closest I have is the Buddhist Scriptures (alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-scriptures). However, there is a lot of history as you can imagine. Here is one of many websites and pages about it: silkroadfoundation.org/artl/buddhism.shtml, and Wikipedia has a nice summary and map/images on it: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_transmission_of_Buddhism
This might be a good topic for a future article/video!
@@AlanPeto Perfect. These give me a good place from which to start. Thank you.
Namo amituofo , Namo amituofo , Namo amituofo
So, Alan, are you a Pure Land Buddhist----will you attain the Western Pure Land at the end of your present Samsara appearance?
I'm in Humanistic Buddhism as taught by Fo Guang Shan, which is a form of Chinese Buddhism. That means it's often a dual-practice of Ch'an ("zen") and Pure Land!
@@AlanPeto Thank you for your reply.
namo amitabhaya.
I prefer recitation over meditation. Meditation has never worked for me, but I love reciting beautifully written vows or mantras. Is it fine to focus on recitation over meditation, or does that defeat the purpose of Buddhism?
You can do recitation / chanting. In fact, the vast majority of Buddhists only do this. Sitting meditation for laypersons is a fairly recent thing in the history of Buddhism. Even among monastics it wasn’t widely practiced until recent history (tradition depending).
@@AlanPeto That's great to hear. I'm also shocked no one had told me this. Meditation was the biggest hurdle for me in terms of possibly committing to Buddhism. It's nice to know it's not effectively mandatory as others have seemed to imply to me. As of now, I've gone through the Manuel of Zen Buddhism and the Pureland vows, copying and pasting my favorite gathas into a word doc. Are there any major resources where I could consult more gathas? I pretty much want to make gatha recitation my main practice.
Namo Amituofo
Hi Alan, are there any Pureland Temples or places to study here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. when I have asked around, nobody seems to know of any
Hi James, according to the World Buddhist Directory (www.buddhanet.info/wbd/province.php?province_id=558) there is Wat Pa Sukawadee.
Do you know about any good Buddhist groups in Europe? For some reasons Tibetan buddhism is the most popular in Europe.
Great question Adam! Is there a particular tradition you are looking into? I might be able to offer some suggestions that way. A resource to check out is the Buddhanet Word Buddhist Directory. Here is Europe: www.buddhanet.info/wbd/region.php?region_id=5. Note that it may not always be the most up-to-date as temples/groups may close or open. The organization I practice in is Fo Guang Shan (FGS) which is Humanistic Buddhism (based on Chinese Buddhism). So, it is Ch'an (Zen) and Pure Land schools. Here is a list of their temples and affiliates in Europe: www.hsilai.org/en/fgs/europe.php. Note you would need to check with them (just like any other temple you are looking at) to see if they offer classes or other services in your language. With any tradition/school/temple, you will likely be practicing in some form of their original country's Buddhism which includes cultural practices and even chanting (etc.) in that language. Not to worry, as there is often documents that show you how to pronounce that language (such as Chinese) with your own language/words. Keep an open mind and follow along with the practices. They often have deep Buddhist teachings embedded in the reason there is a practice, along with cultural influences. You'll gain both an understanding of another country's culture and unique ways to learn and practice Buddhism! (here's some background on that: alanpeto.com/buddhism/buddhist-superstition/)
@@AlanPeto thanks for your answer I looking for something like this. 👍👍
nam mo a di da phat
Dong minh tan Buddhist name
nam mo a di da phat Vietnamese for Nam mo Amituofo
Do Monks astrally project during meditation to these pure lands ?
To my understanding, not astral projection. One may be able to visualize Amitabha Buddha and/or his Pure Land in a way similar to being able to "open your eyes" to it. Even in the time of the Buddha, there is a sermon where one of his disciples who was able to see is parents who had experienced rebirth in different realms. However, the Western Pure Land is not for monks alone. Pure Land Buddhism is about all practitioners having the capability to 1) have rebirth there to progress on the path towards Buddhahood and 2) the ability to develop the pure land of their mind and achieve enlightenment (although the second is much harder to achieve without a living Buddha, which is why the Pure Land exists).
Thank you for this informative video, and thank you for the links - they are good for my "monkey-mind" 😁
Glad it was helpful! :)
Buddhism is religion
🙏🙏🙏
🙏🙏🙏🪷🪷🪷
Nichiren
The pure land is NOT in your mind,
The Pure Land exists as a Real Enlightened realm outside of our mind, the pure land is a real place and not in our mind,
This is wrong view you’re speeding Shakayamuni never said anything like oh the pure land is in your mind, when he clearly stated that it is a real place which we can go to, also Āmitābhā’s live is “INFINITE” why? Because due to the effect of his vows, his life is Infinite, and has no end
Thanks for the comment! I've addressed this same question before in the comments, but yes, Amitabha's pure land is a place. But in many traditions of Buddhism that practice Pure Land, it is also an analogy for our spiritual development. This is most common (but not always) in China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, where dual-practice Buddhist traditions exist ("Zen" & Pure Land). These teachings go back centuries by several Buddhist masters. You can even find contemporary teachers, such as Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh and Ven. Master Hsing Yun, have explained this. If one becomes enlightened in this life, great, if not, there is still the Pure Land.
What is there empirical evidence for any these beliefs about pure lands and Amitabha Buddha?
Yes many rebirth cases and eyewitness of Amitabha Buddha particularly in China where Pure Land Buddhism has been practised for over 1600 years. Amituofo
True Rebirth Cases: th-cam.com/play/PL-RSgVFbZXSycbQdFZ-poQcVMGNPa41nc.html