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Pure Land

opiumpoetryopiumpoetry Delaware, Ohio, USA Explorer

For anyone who is inclined to dismiss Pure Land as a lazy short-cut to Bodhi, perhaps this website will put things into perspective: https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/who-is-amida-buddha/

lobsterBunksShoshin1Shim

Comments

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @opiumpoetry said:
    For anyone who is inclined to dismiss Pure Land as a lazy short-cut to Bodhi, perhaps this website will put things into perspective: https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/who-is-amida-buddha/

    Hello there. I started a thread on pure land Buddhism some time ago.
    https://newbuddhist.com/discussion/26641/pure-land-buddhism/p1

    Shoshin1opiumpoetrylobster
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    A discussion on Pure Land for those new to the practice.

    Amituofo 🙏❤️

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    From the video above:

    “The Buddha taught us many ways in his decades of teaching to practice the Buddhadharma.
    Mapped out in 80,000 discourses and Sutras.
    Some of these are learning practices, such as Sutra recitations.
    Others are vastly intricate and beautiful such as Vajrayana visualisation Sadhanas.
    Yet, for most of us, the sublimely simple practices, are the best way to approach the Dharma.
    From Mindfulness practice, to the most misunderstood of practices, chanting Amituofo.”

    Alex
  • … sublimely simple practices

    Ah ha … suits me
    Namo Amitabha

    https://buddhismnow.com/2017/08/04/wu-wei-you-cant-do-it-wrong-by-john-aske/

    Bunks
  • AlexAlex UK Veteran
    edited January 2022

    @bunks Hope you are well ? I’m recently dipping my toes more deeply in Pure Land (Japanese) and I have to say that I’m rather enjoying the warmth and simplicity of the practice (accepting that there is additional underlying depth should one pursue it). I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I’m just not going to be poring over reams of sutras in Pali or Sanskrit and immersion in a simpler and more homely practice suits me better.

    Jeroenlobster
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Alex said:
    @bunks Hope you are well ? I’m recently dipping my toes more deeply in Pure Land (Japanese) and I have to say that I’m rather enjoying the warmth and simplicity of the practice (accepting that there is additional underlying depth should one pursue it). I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I’m just not going to be poring over reams of sutras in Pali or Sanskrit and immersion in a simpler and more homely practice suits me better.

    Nice one Alex. I hope you find peace and comfort mate. Japanese Pure Land is a more simple practice than it’s Chinese counterpart that tends to mix other practices in with simple Nianfo (Nambetsu). I think the Japanese focus more just on the 18th vow while the Chinese look at the 19th vow. See which suits you.

    Alex
  • AlexAlex UK Veteran

    @Bunks Thanks mate 🙏🏻Are you still practicing with a group ? I seem to remember you sending me a zoom link somewhere back there

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Alex said:
    @Bunks Thanks mate 🙏🏻Are you still practicing with a group ? I seem to remember you sending me a zoom link somewhere back there

    No, not anymore. I left. What do they call it? “Creative differences”? :p

    AlexJeroen
  • AlexAlex UK Veteran

    @bunks Ah, like the Beatles ! Are you practising a particular strand of Buddhism, or carving your own path ?

    Bunks
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Alex said:
    @bunks Ah, like the Beatles ! Are you practising a particular strand of Buddhism, or carving your own path ?

    I mix Theravadan and Pure Land. Chalk and cheese but they taste nice =)

    AlexJeroenFleaMarket
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @Alex said:
    @bunks Hope you are well ? I’m recently dipping my toes more deeply in Pure Land (Japanese) and I have to say that I’m rather enjoying the warmth and simplicity of the practice (accepting that there is additional underlying depth should one pursue it). I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that I’m just not going to be poring over reams of sutras in Pali or Sanskrit and immersion in a simpler and more homely practice suits me better.

    Some forms of Buddhism are more like spiritual comfort food. I hope it proves beneficial to you, @Alex

    Alex
  • VimalajātiVimalajāti Whitby, Ontario Veteran

    Some observations have secret thorns. I hope it proves beneficial to the observer.

  • I was on another forum and one of the regulars was a purelander. And … she had entered the Pure Land in this very life, in this very realm.

    How? By visiting Pureland temples, practicing. Immersing herself and sharing the visits with photos …
    https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/cleaning-our-minds-and-seeing-the-pure-land/

    BunksAlexFleaMarket
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @lobster said:
    I was on another forum and one of the regulars was a purelander. And … she had entered the Pure Land in this very life, in this very realm.

    How? By visiting Pureland temples, practicing. Immersing herself and sharing the visits with photos …
    https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/cleaning-our-minds-and-seeing-the-pure-land/

    Nice.....there are many Pure Lands.......

    Alexlobster
  • @Bunks said:
    Nice.....there are many Pure Lands.......

    Yes indeedy. My garden is a pureland. Here is the Buddha holding the last of the Holly and the Ivy …

    Spring bulbs are shooting skyward. Jasmine all over is in bud. A nasturtium is still flowering. Snowdrops about to flower. My 'Advent Star', Winter Rose has five buds ready to flower. Hell has frozen over. It is winter. It is a Pureland …

    AlexBunksJeffreyWalker
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    How to practice when my life is so busy?

  • How to practice when my life is so busy?

    Exactly.
    Simplicity and Great Faith and instant absence of noodling (yum … oops … just like noodles with stir fry :3). As mostly Westerners, we have a tendency to overcomplicate, think ourselves silly/impeded and generally waste our time.

    Repetition of a simple formula works very well for some.

    I have my own Pureland it is reserved for:

    Highlanders and Lowlanders, Buddhas and demons, fish fry and ex-bodhi. Mystics from all religions or nun. Nones and Monks. Animals and trees. Dimensions undiscovered.
    OM YA HA HUM
    https://yinyana.tumblr.com/post/57234975984/buddhist-mantra-faqs

    Bunks
  • @lobster said:

    How to practice when my life is so busy?

    Exactly.
    Simplicity and Great Faith and instant absence of noodling (yum … oops … just like noodles with stir fry :3). As mostly Westerners, we have a tendency to overcomplicate, think ourselves silly/impeded and generally waste our time.

    Repetition of a simple formula works very well for some.

    I have my own Pureland it is reserved for:

    Highlanders and Lowlanders, Buddhas and demons, fish fry and ex-bodhi. Mystics from all religions or nun. Nones and Monks. Animals and trees. Dimensions undiscovered.
    OM YA HA HUM
    https://yinyana.tumblr.com/post/57234975984/buddhist-mantra-faqs

    Do you have multiple mantras for different states of being?

    Is a pet-name a type of relationship mantra?

    Bunks
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @FleaMarket said:
    Is a pet-name a type of relationship mantra?

    You know, thats an interesting question. I would say a pet name calls the animal to mind, and so also what it means to you. So probably yes, but it isn’t a proper mantra in that it was not given with a certain empowerment in mind.

    Bunks
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    The Way to be Reborn in the Pure Land

  • Do you have multiple mantras for different states of being?

    Yes. Sure.
    The Being is drawn into the associated mantra. So for example, just finished a 'Medicine Buddha' practice.
    https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/advice-benefiting-animals

    Bunks
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @Bunks said:
    The Way to be Reborn in the Pure Land

    So faith, vows and practice. For me, faith and vows fade from the mind unless they are periodically renewed. So while i can (and have done) the practice, i doubt whether i fulfill their requirements.

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Jeroen said:

    @Bunks said:
    The Way to be Reborn in the Pure Land

    So faith, vows and practice. For me, faith and vows fade from the mind unless they are periodically renewed. So while i can (and have done) the practice, i doubt whether i fulfill their requirements.

    Yes, the three supposedly strengthen each other.

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Are the teachings of Pure Land Buddhism at odds with Theravadan Buddhism?

  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    They say Mahayana teachings include Theravada buddhism, but how true is that? I don’t see Mahayanists being trained to the same extent in self-reliance, etc. Perhaps one would have to spend time in a Theravada culture and in a Mahayana culture in order to find out.

    Bunks
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    A couple of recent purchases made.

    A Seed in Amitabha's Hands is an excellent book written by a Spanish Layman about his journey on the path and also covers Mahayana Buddhism in general.

    The Land of Pure Bliss is more of an academic book explaining the history of Pure Land Buddhism and the Masters who have practiced and passed it down through the years. It also has a full translation of the Pure Land Sutras.

    Both good reads for different reasons.

    JeroenAlex
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Enlightenment of the Cosmic Buddhas

    https://t.co/oreMF1qz7C

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    A reminder that there is a 24 hour Nianfo zoom channel available.

    Also, a one week retreat will be held each month. All details below.

    FleaMarketAlex
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Namo Amituofo 🙏🏻❤️

    lobsterFleaMarket
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Pureland Practitioners are no longer of this saha world, they are people of another realm, by Master Jingzong

    Individual people and the world resemble a tightly sealed boiler. Humankind’s afflictions of greed and anger are like the fire, while the constraints imposed by worldly laws and ethics are the walls of the boiler. People are like the water in the container.

    The rapid development of technology today has facilitated the extensive expression of human creativity. At the same time the pursuit of material desires has greatly intensified, and conflicts and crises have multiplied. The constraints of conscience are weakening and moral values are falling by the wayside. This is like the fire burning ever more fiercely inside the boiler, even as the container’s walls are being corroded. The water boils and the pressure from the steam builds steadily; the boiler is in danger of exploding any time.

    The reality is that more and more people, unable to bear the intense pressure, are taking their own lives. Indeed, the whole world is like a powder keg that could ignite at any minute!

    Thinking people are all worried about the situation. These problems would naturally be solved if practitioners could douse the flames of greed and anger, and achieve a realization of emptiness. In that case, the fire would be extinguished, the water cooled – and the pressure would vanish. Yet ordinary beings today are incapable of accomplishing this. So while this is a door to a solution, it is a door that is closed.

    Buddhism’s Pure Land school teaches us to cultivate an aversion towards our Saha world and a joyful aspiration to the Land of Bliss. It is like removing the fire underneath and opening the boiler’s top. Though the flames of greed and anger have not been put out and the water of wisdom have yet to form, the pressure is quickly released. We feel at peace, relieved and happy.

    Today’s Pure Land practitioners have not extinguished their inner flames of greed and anger. But they understand deeply the suffering and unease that such afflictions bring to themselves and others, to the nation and to the world. With their basic attitude of aversion and letting go, they no longer wish to experience intense conflict with either themselves, other people or the world as a result of personal pursuits. Such actions would only worsen the suffering all around.

    At a fundamental level, Pure Land practitioners have no expectations of this world. They chase after nothing, and have neither powerful loves nor hatreds. They are not judgmentally attached to notions of good and evil. They have let go, and their minds are unfettered and calm. They view themselves, others and the world with a sense of peaceful harmony. A Pure Land practitioner thinks, “What can I really do for others?”

    The minds of Pure Land practitioners are settled and at ease, focused on the Land of Bliss a hundred thousand koti Buddha-lands away. There, their minds find repose and comfort, and are energized. Their eyes too are focused there. They are no longer of this world, and they have no desire to possess a single tree or blade of grass here. They are people of another realm.

    (Pure Land Perspectives on ‘Humanist Buddhism’, By Dharma Master Jingzong, English translation by Householder Jingtu, pages 19-20)

    🙏 Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏

    lobsterJeffreyAlex
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Dr. Andrew M Henry (a scholar of religious studies) speaks about the history of Pureland Buddhism.

    Namo Amitabha Buddha <3

    FleaMarket
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Have started a YouTube channel dedicated to the Pure Land path. Nothing special. Just a few short audio clips. Will update and post new talks as I complete them.

    Namo Amituofo 🙏🏻❤️

    FleaMarketlobsterShoshin1
  • @Bunks said:
    Have started a YouTube channel dedicated to the Pure Land path. Nothing special. Just a few short audio clips. Will update and post new talks as I complete them.

    Namo Amituofo 🙏🏻❤️

    @Bunks Those are quite good, please do. I especially liked your Talk to Householders. 🙏🏻

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @FleaMarket said:

    @Bunks said:
    Have started a YouTube channel dedicated to the Pure Land path. Nothing special. Just a few short audio clips. Will update and post new talks as I complete them.

    Namo Amituofo 🙏🏻❤️

    @Bunks Those are quite good, please do. I especially liked your Talk to Householders. 🙏🏻

    Thank you 🙏

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    5 minute Nianfo with wooden fish

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    We are now living in the Dharma Ending Age…..Amitabha Buddha is our only salvation 🙏🏻❤️📿

    Jeroen
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran
    edited July 2022

    It’s interesting, one of the tricks guru’s would use (according to Joel Kramer’s The Guru Papers) was to call out an apocalypse which would take place sometime in the future, from which their way was the only salvation. This would then bind the followers closer together and draw in others who were seeking salvation… it seems to be a long-established pattern which gets followers to publicise their faith more.

    Very interesting book, The Guru Papers.

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    The Hindrance of Doubt

    Jeroen
  • ToshTosh Veteran
    edited July 2022

    @Bunks said:
    A discussion on Pure Land for those new to the practice.

    Amituofo 🙏❤️

    I can imagine my family bouncing shoes and other heavy objects off my head if I meditated with a chant.

    They're my greatest teachers of patience and tolerance though.

    Can you chant it inside your head?

  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    … there I was in the Pureland of Jhambala … when I realised I had taken a wrong turning …

    https://buddhism.redzambala.com/buddhism/buddha-aspects/who-is-red-zambala-in-buddhism.html

    Bunks
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Tosh said:

    @Bunks said:
    A discussion on Pure Land for those new to the practice.

    Amituofo 🙏❤️

    I can imagine my family bouncing shoes and other heavy objects off my head if I meditated with a chant.

    They're my greatest teachers of patience and tolerance though.

    Can you chant it inside your head?

    Definitely! That’s how I do it most of the time 🙏🏻

    Tosh
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    For some reason this seems like the sound of the universe to me.

    Namo Amida Bu 🙏🏻❤️📿

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Tosh - I’d suggest you mouth the words as you chant though. If that’s not possible you can try mouthing them with your lips closed (if that makes sense).
    This allows greater focus on the words.

    Tosh
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    “If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten quarters who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my (Pure) land, and call my Name, even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”

    Amitabha Buddha’s Primal Vow

    Jeroenlobster
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    "Suppose that a man whom one deeply trusts and of whom one has no cause for suspicion whatsoever, tells you about a place he knows first hand, saying that there is a mountain here, a river there. You believe deeply what he says, and after you have accepted these words, you meet other people who say it is all false. There is no mountain or no river.

    Nevertheless, since what you have heard was said by a person whom you cannot think would speak a mere fabrication, a hundred thousand people might tell you differently but you would not accept it. Rather, you deeply trust what you heard first. This is called trust. Now, believing in what Shakyamuni taught, entrusting yourself to Amitabha's (Primal) Vow, and being without any doubt should be like this."

    • Master Seikaku
  • lobsterlobster Veteran

    … and that is why I still believe in Father Christmas. I trusted my parents …
    … oh wait I am no longer a child … [oops]

    … then there was the time I wrote my own obituary, after someone I trusted informed everyone I had died …

    Trussed and roasted

    • Turkey master
    Bunks
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    I think you trust like that when you have been a child and your trust has never been broken. People around you have spoken the truth and your natural trust is still the same.

    But for most people, they learn that people lie, as they get older their trust fades, they require more proof.

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