How Does a Pure Land Aspirant
Practice “Bodhichitta”?
Buddhistdoor International Alan Kwan
2015-06-12
Pure
Land practitioners are puzzled by a moral
dilemma
Despite the
fact that aspiring to be reborn in the Land of Bliss is the same as
bodhichitta (to pursue Buddhahood by delivering sentient
beings from samsara), how should a Pure Land practitioner relate to
worldly matters in their intention to liberate sentient beings from
suffering, such as relief work after natural disasters, charitable
activities to help disadvantaged minorities, emergency assistance
for people in danger, and volunteer work to help communities and
societies?
Pure Land
aspirants are often accused of being “cowards” who wish to escape
from the defiled land (our world) to the Pure Land (the Land of
Bliss) while leaving their fellow beings adrift in the sea of
suffering. I know that many Buddhist friends are reluctant to
aspire to be reborn in the Land of Bliss for this very reason. They
further blame Pure Land practitioners for taking
Amitabha-recitation as their exclusive practice and not
participating actively in social networks to develop a good karmic
relationship with others.
Many Pure
Land practitioners may be puzzled by this moral dilemma. How can a
Pure Land practitioner contribute to society without resorting to
“self-power?” How should he or she care for people who are
suffering in this world at present but also remain focused on
attaining rebirth in the Land of Bliss without being called a
“coward”?
Awareness of the limitations of our karmic
practices
It is both
practical and realistic that all Buddhists should care about the
well-being of their communities and contribute to the good of
society. However, as practitioners in the pristine Pure Land
school, we seek Amitabha’s deliverance because we have reached a
dead end and found no way to escape from samsara through our own
power. Thus, we have to reflect honestly and carefully examine our
own conscience and ask, “Can ordinary beings like us really deliver
all sentient beings and lead them to ultimate
happiness?”
Birth and
death are the primary cause of suffering in our world, as we are
all bound tightly by the karmic forces within the Six Realms. But
how can we rescue drowning people if we ourselves cannot swim? The
bodhisattva Nagarjuna said, “Pouring hot water onto an icy lake
melts a small amount of ice, but the hot water will also turn to
ice in a short while.”*
Unlike all
other Buddhist teachings, the school of pristine Pure Land Buddhism
is one that relies completely on “other-power.” We have deep faith:
whatever we do, think, or believe, we are still ordinary, foolish
beings because our mind is deluded and discriminative and our
karmic actions are conditioned and unreal. Moreover, as ordinary
beings, our karmic practices create impure, conditioned, and unreal
merits and virtues that cannot be dedicated toward attaining
rebirth in the Land of Bliss, which is a pure, unconditioned, and
real land of reward.**
Acting as mirrors which help to reflect Amitabha’s
light
Although we
cannot deliver sentient beings to ultimate liberation, it does not
mean that we should sit back and do nothing. We should perform
virtuous and meritorious deeds out of a sense of duty and
responsibility, according to our karmic circumstances and capacity.
However, in doing so, we should know that there is no standard we
need to meet, no stress to reach a goal, and no personal fame and
fortune involved. It is similar to the attitude toward the Three
Meritorious Deeds as discussed in my last article.
As Pure Land
practitioners, all we need to do to ensure our rebirth in the Land
of Bliss is to exclusively recite Amitabha’s name with the
aspiration to return “home” to the Pure Land. And we should share
our religious experience and encourage other people to aspire to be
reborn in the Land of Bliss as well. We can also dedicate the
merits and virtues of reciting Amitabha’s name and pray for people
who are suffering and in need of help.
Jingxing, a
Pure Land practitioner in Norway, recently shared his reflections
on contributing to the wider community in his article titled “The
Greenest and Freest Source of Energy.” He wrote: “But energized and
supported by the Fundamental Vow [Amitabha’s 18th vow], we attain
inexhaustible energy [in the form of Amitabha’s infinite light]
through exclusive Amitabha-recitation; thus we can cast off all
self-involvement and worry, and act as mirrors which help to
reflect Amitabha’s light into a dark and pain-stricken
world.”***
Instead of
driving himself to “contribute” to society and “deliver” other
people as a bodhisattva would, he shares the “surplus” energy he
receives from Amitabha with them. Devoid of any idea of
“self-power,” he acts as one guided by Amitabha Buddha. The energy
is entirely Amitabha Buddha’s, and the resulting merit, if any, is
also Amitabha’s. This is the attitude of a practitioner in the
pristine Pure Land school towards bodhichitta, one of the
core teachings in Mahayana Buddhism.
To conclude,
as soon as a Pure Land practitioner settles his mind on Amitabha’s
deliverance, he or she has taken Refuge in Amitabha Buddha. Not
just the matter of rebirth in the next life, but all his or her
personal affairs in this world fall under the compassionate care of
Amitabha Buddha.
Exclusively
reciting Amitabha’s name is really the only job done by the
practitioner; the rest is guided by Amitabha Buddha. We entrust
ourselves sincerely and joyfully to Amitabha, who acts in our best
interests in all mundane and supramundane matters.
Because of
the embrace and deliverance of Amitabha Buddha, we have no selfish
interest in our service to the communities of this world. We are
not trying to earn our deliverance. Even if benefits accrue and
merits are attained, these are attributed to Amitabha Buddha, not
to us. This is how an aspirant in the pristine Pure Land school
practices bodhichitta.
