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I have updated the note today, Tuesday 9th March 2010: Pure Land Buddhism, Dialogues with Ancient Masters
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Buddhism is a tradition that focuses on gaining a deep insight into the nature of life. It teaches that all life is interconnected. Because of this, compassion and loving-kindness are key virtues.
Buddhism is 2,500 years old. It began with the teaching of the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama after he found enlightenment.
The essence of his investigation is into duḥkha (Sanskrit; dukkha, Pali). This is a word that has no easy translation into English. It is often translated as “suffering”. But its meaning is a great deal more subtle. It covers a whole spectrum from dissatisfaction to pain, disease, and death. Here, I will translate it as “stress”.
The Buddha said that he taught only stress, and the ending of stress[1]. But this is a positive message, not a negative one. Because in understanding how stress comes about, we can find the way to ending it forever. To walk the Buddhist path is to move towards overcoming stress.
Two essential parts of Buddhist teaching you have probably heard about already. These are the Four Noble Truths, and the Noble Eightfold Path. But these are usually taught to Buddhists later in their career[2]. Another practice Buddhists are well known for is meditation.
To read a little more on Buddhism, can I suggest the BBC Religions website?
For a more detailed investigation, can I suggest two more sites?
- Access to Insight (from the Southern or Theravada tradition).
- Buddhanet.
Pure Land Buddhism offers a path to enlightenment through devotion. It is still consistent with Buddhist teaching. Pure Land Buddhism arises from the Compassionate Vows of the Buddha Amitabha.
Pure Land Buddhism is 1,800 years old. Like early Buddhism, it began in India.
The essence of practice is the chanting of the name of Amitabha Buddha with devotion. Practitioners believe they will be reborn into the Pure Land. There it is much easier to reach enlightenment.
Amitabha Buddha (Sanskrit, “Infinite Light Buddha”) was once a king, as Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was once a prince. He saw the stress that existed in the world, and became a monk, Dharmakara. He vowed to become a Buddha himself, creating a Buddha-land after enlightenment. In the 18th of his 48 vows, he said:
“If I were to become a Buddha, and people, hearing my Name, have faith and joy and recite it for even ten times, but are not born into my Pure Land, may I not gain enlightenment.”[3]
Having gained enlightenment, he created the Pure Land, Sukhavati (Sanskrit, “Land of Bliss”). This, also known as the Western Pure Land, is where practitioners believe in rebirth.
To read a little more on Pure Land Buddhism, can I suggest the BBC Religions website?
(I will suggest a site for more detailed investigation later.)
[1] Alagaddupama Sutta: The Water-Snake Simile, MN22: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.022.than.html#dukkha
[2] (Pending).
[3] (Pending).
Page created: 2010 February 08 Monday
Page updated: 2010 March 09 Tuesday
