Is it so easy to reach the Pure Land?

[DeadBuddha]

Hello.

I find that if it is possible to reach a Pure Land simply by having a deep faith in Amithaba and reciting his name, then I don't see why becoming a monk would be such a big deal. After all, most of the beings in the universe will continue to wander in samsara for billions of lifetimes, so the technique of being reborn in the Pure Land after our human life is something so great that there is "almost" no difference with the monk who reaches nirvana in this life. Even if the Pure Land is not nirvana, it is still a wonderful place, extremely peaceful, without suffering, without negative thoughts, in which it is easy to awaken and in which one can never fall into samsara.
But if it was really possible, why didn't the Buddha insist much more on this possibility to reach a Pure Land in the next life? Is it really so easy (compared to the monk) to reach the Pure Land?

Thank you in advance.

May all beings become fully awakened Buddhas.

[PeterC86]

The legend goes that the Pure Land is easy to reach here.

[Mahabrahma]

Amida Buddha Pure Land is a good teaching.

Namu Amida Butsu.
Amitabha.
Amitofu.

May you benefit from any Path you choose.

[sakyan]

Imo, Those beings which were able to attain magga-phala in the present life or in the next life were not taught the pureland practice by the Buddha

The Buddha taught pureland path for those beings with inferior faculties and those of inferior faculties of the future generations with not sufficient paramis for magga-phala in the near future.

The video records and testimonals are very authentic. I have full faith in pureland teachings.

I aspire to be reborn in the sukhavati pureland irrespective of whether I attain magga-phala in this life or not.

[santa100]

Is it really so easy (compared to the monk) to reach the Pure Land?

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it is easy. There's no Pure Land texts that say it's easy to reach the Pure Land. Sure, the practice: "just simply by having a deep faith in Amitabha and reciting his name" certainly sounds simple enough, but is it easy enough? I don't think so, for having "deep faith" already implicitly encompass the 3-trainings of Sila/Samadhi/Panna. Obviously one who's not able to observe the Five Precepts woudn't qualify to call himself one who "has a deep faith in Amitabha", would he??

[DeadBuddha]

The legend goes that the Pure Land is easy to reach here.

Thank you I did not know this forum.

Amida Buddha Pure Land is a good teaching.

Namu Amida Butsu.
Amitabha.
Amitofu.

May you benefit from any Path you choose.

I believe in it too.

I also deeply wish for your ultimate liberation.

Imo, Those beings which were able to attain magga-phala in the present life or in the next life were not taught the pureland practice by the Buddha

The Buddha taught pureland path for those beings with inferior faculties and those of inferior faculties of the future generations with not sufficient paramis for magga-phala in the near future.

The video records and testimonals are very authentic. I have full faith in pureland teachings.

I aspire to be reborn in the sukhavati pureland irrespective of whether I attain magga-phala in this life or not.

Thank you. Good analysis. But frankly, I'm not 100% convinced. It leaves me with a weird feeling. I find it a bit odd, because the majority of human beings to be liberated are unlikely to follow the path of the monks, so logically, the Buddha should have insisted on the Pure Lands for the laity to pay attention to.

Is it really so easy (compared to the monk) to reach the Pure Land?

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it is easy. There's no Pure Land texts that say it's easy to reach the Pure Land. Sure, the practice: "just simply by having a deep faith in Amitabha and reciting his name" certainly sounds simple enough, but is it easy enough? I don't think so, for having "deep faith" already implicitly encompass the 3-trainings of Sila/Samadhi/Panna. Obviously one who's not able to observe the Five Precepts woudn't qualify to call himself one who "has a deep faith in Amitabha", would he??

Serious precepts like "do not kill your parents" are fundamental to enter the Pure Land of Amithaba. But otherwise, there are a lot of precepts that are not necessary. Not killing an animal is not necessary. Besides, not following the precepts does not mean that one does not have deep faith in Amitābha, because you know how paradoxical samsara is, so that desires and impulses are not necessarily restrained by our deep faith. I have deep faith in the Buddha, yet if bed bugs come to invade my home, anger will take me to kill those poor bugs.

[santa100]

Serious precepts like "do not kill your parents" are fundamental to enter the Pure Land of Amithaba. But otherwise, there are a lot of precepts that are not necessary. Not killing an animal is not necessary. Besides, not following the precepts does not mean that one does not have deep faith in Amitābha, because you know how paradoxical samsara is, so that desires and impulses are not necessarily restrained by our deep faith. I have deep faith in the Buddha, yet if bed bugs come to invade my home, anger will take me to kill those poor bugs.

As already mentioned, you'd have to provide a Pure Land sutta's exact quote that says it's easy to enter the Pure Land and that it is ok to kill bed bugs and still be able to be reborn there. Otherwise even serial killers and rapists can claim their "deep faith in Amitabha" and still carry on with their murdering and raping!

[DeadBuddha]

Serious precepts like "do not kill your parents" are fundamental to enter the Pure Land of Amithaba. But otherwise, there are a lot of precepts that are not necessary. Not killing an animal is not necessary. Besides, not following the precepts does not mean that one does not have deep faith in Amitābha, because you know how paradoxical samsara is, so that desires and impulses are not necessarily restrained by our deep faith. I have deep faith in the Buddha, yet if bed bugs come to invade my home, anger will take me to kill those poor bugs.

As already mentioned, you'd have to provide a Pure Land sutta's exact quote that says it's easy to enter the Pure Land and that it is ok to kill bed bugs and still be able to be reborn there. Otherwise even serial killers and rapists can claim their "deep faith in Amitabha" and still carry on with their murdering and raping!

The 18th vow of Amithaba Buddha says that all beings who have once sincerely believed in him and recited his name will be reborn in the Pure Land, EXCEPT those who have committed the 5 grave faults and offended the dharma.

[santa100]

The 18th vow of Amithaba Buddha says that all beings who have once sincerely believed in him and recited his name will be reborn in the Pure Land, EXCEPT those who have committed the 5 grave faults and offended the dharma.

And how exactly did He define "sincerely believed in him"? Where in the suttas did He say it's ok to kill bed bugs and/or murder or rape AS LONG AS one "sincerely believed in him" ?

[DeadBuddha]

The 18th vow of Amithaba Buddha says that all beings who have once sincerely believed in him and recited his name will be reborn in the Pure Land, EXCEPT those who have committed the 5 grave faults and offended the dharma.

And how exactly did He define "sincerely believed in him"? Where in the suttas did He say it's ok to kill bed bugs and/or murder or rape AS LONG AS one "sincerely believed in him" ?

He mentioned the conditions of entering the pure land in the vow. Not killing insects is not mentioned in the conditions. So a priori it is not a condition.

[santa100]

He mentioned the conditions of entering the pure land in the vow. Not killing insects is not mentioned in the conditions. So a priori it is not a condition.

But that's the whole point, killing insects is not mentioned, neither is mass murder and serial raping! (as long as those who are killed and raped are not one's own parents, in order to satisfy that Five Heinous crimes minimal requirement). So going with your logic, if it was ok for you, the insect-killer to enter Pure Land, it should also be ok for mass murderers and serial rapists too. And if even mass murderers and serial rapists could enter Pure Land, then everyone should be able to go there and there'd be no need for Amitabha to make His 48 vows in the first place!

[DeadBuddha]

He mentioned the conditions of entering the pure land in the vow. Not killing insects is not mentioned in the conditions. So a priori it is not a condition.

But that's the whole point, killing insects is not mentioned, neither is mass murder and serial raping! (as long as those who are killed and raped are not one's own parents, in order to satisfy that Five Heinous crimes minimal requirement). So going with your logic, if it was ok for you, the insect-killer to enter Pure Land, it should also be ok for mass murderers and serial rapists too!

I don't see a problem with that

[DeadBuddha]

And if even mass murderers and serial rapists could enter Pure Land, then everyone should be able to go there and there'd be no need for Amitabha to make His 48 vows in the first place!

Why ?

[Mahabrahma]

So they don't decide to do it in the Pure Land, then seeing they could not, fall down back to the Saha World. Buddhism requires the Highest Morality for success. Don't give up.

[Coëmgenu]

Pure Land Buddhism is a very late-stage development among the latter sects that call themselves "Mahāyāna," which is quite ironic, because so-called "Pure Land" materials are present among the oldest manuscripts ever found from India.

In the larger Sukhāvatīvyūha, the promise of birth in the Western Paradise due to sundry actions like merely reciting Amitābha's name is included in the prose, but very much absent from the earlier verse sections. The verse summarizes the prose, and the prose expands the verse. At one point, the verses were "expanded" to include these radical antinomian teachings that eschew morality, and no one also added them similarly to the verse summations.

It's harder to add things seamlessly into the verses, because you mess up the ślokas. It takes a master of Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit to doctor an old Buddhist gāthā. Anyone with a quill can add this or that to a chunk of prose.

Take from that what you will, if anything.