Buddhas create Pure Lands. Amitabha is a Buddha. Amitabha’s Pure Land is called Sukhavati. Those who have faith in that Buddha hope to be received into that Pure Land. As Amitabha has promised to receive all who have faith, as soon as one does turn to Amitabha, whether in this or any other life, one is already received as a citizen of Sukhavati, even if one cannot go there immediately. As Pureland Buddhists, therefore, we live as citizens of Sukhavati whatever realm we may be travelling in. This is our version of the bodhisattva path. We have our spiritual passport. Thus we naturally live to the best of our ability in accordance with that identity, helping all Buddhas to generate Pure Lands wherever we happen to be.
A Pure Land is a domain where the conditions for awakening are optimum. We hope to have such conditions and we hope that the Buddhas will use us in their great work of creating such conditions for others. Awakening does not eliminate dukkha, it transforms the way that it is experienced so that it becomes a doorway onto the eightfold path rather than an obstruction. There is no particular fixed map of consecutive insights. Where these exist in Buddhism they are upaya – skilful means – within the framework of this or that self-power approach. However, we trust that the Buddhas will open our eyes in whatever way is best for us according to our need, as and when. This means that each person’s path is unique. We all have the same faith but we experience it each according to our need.
Since we rely upon the Buddhas and especially upon Amitabha, we do not need to understand such abstruse concepts as the selfless nature of mind and so on, though we take it that all Buddhist teachings do indicate reality. It is not by we ourselves mastering such doctrines that salvation comes. Rather it is a grace, a free gift, that comes especially to bombu beings such as ourselves. It is thus more useful to become directly aware of one’s bombu nature – one’s vulnerability to uncontrollable impulses, proneness to error, and general foolishness – than to seek for philosophical understanding. There is nothing wrong with such understanding, but , on the one hand, one needs to guard against falling into arrogance and, on the other, there is a danger of being sidetracked into intellectualism as a substitute for real practice.
The fundamental practice is to call the name of Amitabha and to hear Amitabha’s call. All other practices are auxilliary to that. This calling is also a way of “making offerings to all Buddhas”. To call one Buddha is to call all Buddhas. Those who live in the Pure Land spend their time making offerings to innumerable Buddhas. Thus our activity as citizens of Sukhavati is to call the Buddha’s name and make offerings to all Buddhas. These are two ways of saying the same thing.
On the Pureland path, insights are by-products, gifts of the Buddhas. We do not seek them. There are no techniques for attaining them. When they happen one is grateful, but they bring responsibility. We trust that we will be given what we need at the right time.
The correct basic attitude in Pureland is gratitude. The Dharma is already in the world. The Buddhas are doing their work. Our rebirth is already fortunate. When we say Namo Amida Bu we are saying thank you. Namo Amida Bu.