Question: Why is it not possible to attain immeasurable life in this life by practising mindfulness of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life And Light (Amituofo) well?
Answer: It is extremely difficult to attain immeasurable life in this life due to various reasons. The fact that we wish to stay in Samsara instead of being born in Pure Land usually means we are already bound by excess worldly attachments. Such heavy defilements means our minds are far from being purified.
Thus, it is hard to continually tune in to and experience the endless stream of merits shared by Amituofo to deserve immeasurable life here and now. We are simply currently neither pure nor meritorious enough due to negative karmic forces of habit and ill environmental influences.
However, if our minds are sufficiently pure during our last moments, as built up from the momentum of regular attempts to purify our minds in everyday life, while being mindful of Amituofo with the right Faith, Aspiration and Practice, this will be adequate in connecting us to Amituofo, to let his immeasurable merits mingle with our limited merits, and bridge us across to his Pure Land, where actual immeasurable life will be attained.
The Dharma suffused environment there does not allow its inhabitants to create negative karma, while much merits are created daily, thus sustaining our qualification for immeasurable life. This is why birth in Pure Land is invaluable. The moment of death thus offers a unique opportunity for upgrading our spirituality, as the nature of our final thoughts links us to a future life of similar nature.
Note though, that ‘immeasurable life’ in Pure Land is not ‘infinite’. It is immeasurable in the sense that individuals can take as long as required to stay there to learn and practise the Dharma, but departure is a matter of time. This is so as Pure Land is a school for training us to become enlightened, so as to undertake the great tasks of Bodhisattvas; it is not a destination for eternal rest, relaxation or ‘retirement’.
Even if some take some time to ‘graduate’, one will still do so eventually and most swiftly. After all, it is the best school with the best teachers! Thereafter, we will return to Samsara as enlightened Bodhisattvas to guide other beings to Pure Land and/or enlightenment, thereby becoming Buddhas.
Related Articles:
Can I Stay In Pure Land Forever?
https://purelanders.com/2020/04/13/can-i-stay-in-pure-land-forever
Can I Stay In Pure Land And Not Create Another?
https://purelanders.com/2020/04/13/can-i-stay-in-pure-land-and-not-create-another
This question is rather moot or irrelevant, since all human beings will have to die a short lifespan of less than 100 yrs. LOL
Vincent, open your eyes wide and think before you say anything. LOL 🙂
Unless you identify my error specifically, I say the same to you.
The question was: “Why is it not possible to attain immeasurable life in this life ….” Have you heard of any human beings attain immeasurable life in this life?
The question is not about whether there are any humans with immeasurable life but why is it not possible. Why insist the question is not sensible? There is nothing wrong with asking why sheep is white, and the answer need not simply be the counter-question of ‘Have you heard of any black sheep?’ (And yes, they do exist.) Likewise, the article answers the said question.
The question was ‘why is it not possible’, and the reply does answer. Not all humans die under 100: http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/sep/27/super-old-how-many-centenarians
Thank you. It makes a lot of sense now, and I regret asking any questions actually.