Search found 154 matches
- Tue Sep 16, 2014 7:18 am
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Trikaya (Buddha's 3 Bodies), Pure Land
- Replies: 56
- Views: 11509
Re: Trikaya (Buddha's 3 Bodies), Pure Land
Then my problem lies there. If Amitabha is a Reward Body, why does he manifest Paranirvana? The same happens with Akshobya, In Akshobya Sutra it's even describes that some people in his Pure Land will refuse to learn the Dharma. It's like unacceptable to believe that a Land which is a Sambhogakaya L...
- Fri Sep 12, 2014 3:04 am
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Trikaya (Buddha's 3 Bodies), Pure Land
- Replies: 56
- Views: 11509
Re: Trikaya (Buddha's 3 Bodies), Pure Land
I know there's a harsh debate wheter Pura Land and Buddha's are Sambhogakaya or Nirmanakaya. If we assume that a Buddha is Nirmakaya, does that mean that such Buddha have a body that everyone can see, like Shakyamuni, manifested in a impure world? Or a Nirmanakaya can be manifested just to one being...
- Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:50 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
I have read the two Sukhavati sutras plus the Amitayur dhyana sutra several times, and I haven't seen there anything like "dharma ending age in the Sukhavati"! I mean the older translations of F. Max Muller and the newer ones by Luis O. Gomez, and also some other translations available in...
- Fri Jun 06, 2014 7:55 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
What I still don't know is: how does this match within the Pure Land framework? It is said that Sambhogakaya Buddha's are limitless... Then why is described in the Sutras that Amitabha, Akshobya and every other transcended Buddha will attain Paranirvana and their Pure Land will pass through the Dhar...
- Fri May 30, 2014 3:29 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
Hello, So long after I created this thread. I was thinking on this. It is said that Akshobhya sutra is one of the first dealing with Pure Land doctrine. The Trikaya doctrine wasn't, perhaps, fully developed already. Also I read this from Paul Williams: "According to such texts as the Dazhidulun...
- Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:37 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: How do you experience PL?
- Replies: 49
- Views: 11864
Re: How do you experience PL?
I think that Zamotcr is not interested in questioning about the nature of reality here. He his assuming - I think - that real means so real like the moon, the sand, me, you,etc. Is the PL so real (or even more) that the daily stuff we see? Or is just a metaphor? Thats the main question I suppose, o...
- Thu Mar 27, 2014 5:18 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
I was thinking again in this Pure Land. "Sariputra, after the extinction of the true Dharma, there will be a great light illuminating all the worlds in the ten directions, and all the earths will quake, making a great sound. However, [you should know that] the true Dharma cannot be destroyed by...
- Thu Mar 27, 2014 2:38 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: How do you experience PL?
- Replies: 49
- Views: 11864
How do you experience PL?
How do you know Amitabha (or any other Buddha) and his Pure Land (or any other PL) are real? We know that Pure Land sutras were not spoken by historical Buddha, neither any of the Mahayana sutras, as far as we know. Almost all academic agreed on this. So, how do you validate your beliefs? How do you...
- Wed Mar 26, 2014 6:07 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
- Replies: 22
- Views: 7358
Re: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
What I concluded is that whatever a Pure Land is or where is it, the important thing is that Pure Lands are real and they do exist, but we cannot comprehend it. We are limited by our mind. I only know that our "impure world" is created by our karma, and the pure lands are created by Buddh...
- Wed Mar 26, 2014 4:59 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
- Replies: 22
- Views: 7358
Re: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
According to the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha established his Pure Land on Vulture Peak. This is part of the reason Vulture Peak is considered a major pilgrimage spot. Well, it could be yeah. On a subtler level, a level our eyes cannot see, perhaps the Buddha is there, perhaps in his Reward Body ...
- Fri Mar 21, 2014 1:53 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
- Replies: 22
- Views: 7358
Re: Buddha-lands and Pure-Lands
It is part of the bodhisattva work to establish one's own buddha-land when becoming a buddha. The difference between buddhas and lands is explained by the difference in their specific vows. When a Bodhisattva becomes a Buddha, he establish a Pure Land. So, one could possible think that Shakyamuni e...
- Wed Mar 19, 2014 7:56 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Pure Land location
- Replies: 34
- Views: 6781
Re: Pure Land location
Well, I was thinking around this. Yeah, this doubt still bother me some times :shrug: But, I found my error. Taking sutras literally is a wrong way to go. I read the sutras and the commentaries and you will find a lot of differences and contradictions. Some Masters will tell you that Pure Land is a ...
- Thu Jan 02, 2014 2:06 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Cosmology and Pure Land
- Replies: 37
- Views: 8070
Re: Cosmology and Pure Land
Physical in Buddhism means that something is perceived by the five bodily senses. The only purely mental realm in Buddhism is called the arupaloka, where no form exists at all. That means that from Avici to Akanishta everything is physical. Since Sukhavati has many physical characteristics, as desc...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:44 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
Amitabha will manifest death when he enters parinirvana and hand over Sukhavati to Avalokiteshvara. Yes, that what it is said. And here we will enter a debate of whether Amitabha is a Sambhogakaya or Nirmanakaya. According to Shantao, Amitabha's Paranirvana is just illusory, because otherwise he wi...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:31 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
Amitabha will manifest death when he enters parinirvana and hand over Sukhavati to Avalokiteshvara. Yes, that what it is said. And here we will enter a debate of whether Amitabha is a Sambhogakaya or Nirmanakaya. According to Shantao, Amitabha's Paranirvana is just illusory, because otherwise he wi...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:18 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
But the idea is what you said, but it is said that Buddhas won't die. From an ultimate point of view, neither do we. But provisionally, we do get born and perish at death. For the Buddha forms in their purelands, most are ascribed to their sambhogakaya aspects, which is a Buddha's rupakaya (form bo...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:09 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
We should not try to accommodate Pure Lands into space and time, Buddha's are eternal, they don't die. We should be careful with such a view, as it easily tilts towards eternalism. All things are non-arisen, hence in truth there is no birth and death. True, true. I used the wrong words because I wa...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 5:51 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
Sukhavati is an unconditioned realm of nirvana. From The Larger Amitayus Sutra... That Buddha-land, like the realm of unconditioned Nirvana, is pure and serene, resplendent and blissful. Saying something is and something is like makes a world of difference in my poor opinion... but yes, that's anot...
- Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:10 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
I asked a Chinese correspondence friend about this questions of dharma ending age and such: Dear Alan, It is possible for a Pure Land come to an end? I mean, they last eternally? All my doubts started when I was reading Lotus Sutra, and I read about a Pure Land called Ratnasaṃbhava, and Lotus Sutra ...
- Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:43 pm
- Forum: Pure Land
- Topic: Akshobhya Pure Land end
- Replies: 71
- Views: 21514
Re: Akshobhya Pure Land end
My personal view is that a Buddha, through his inconceivable sovereign powers (acintyaprabhava), can choose to create a domain that serves as a training environment that would be conducive to sentient beings of certain proclivities. Since there are infinite number of sentient beings, their proclivi...