Is Āmítuófó And His Pure Land Within Or Without The Mind? 阿弥陀佛与他的净土是在心里还是心外？

阿弥陀佛与他的净土是在心里还是心外？
Is Āmítuófó And His Pure Land Within Or Without The Mind?

Question: The Elder Venerable Xūyún (虚云老和尚) taught, ‘The Buddha’s that spoken Dharma, thousands of sūtras and ten thousand commentaries, always want sentient beings to understand their minds. If people know their minds, the great earth is without an inch of land. (佛所说法，千经万论，总是要众生明自己的心。若人识得心，大地无寸土。)

Sentient beings, from immeasurable kalpas since, by objects those transformed, are all looking for the “Dharma” external of their minds, not knowing their self-nature. Fundamentally without one object, the ten thousand dharmas (i.e. phenomena) are completely unattainable. With false attachment to existing “Dharma” external of their minds, forming evil “knowledge” and evil views.’ (众生无量劫来，被物所转，都是心外见法，不知自性。本来无一物，万法了不可得，妄执心外有法，成邪知邪见。) How do these Chán (禅) teachings relate to the Pure Land (净土) teachings?

Answer: The Pure Land teachings are likewise inclined towards understanding of the mind, doing so by focusing wholeheartedly (一心) on mindfulness of Āmítuófó’s (阿弥陀佛) great name of ten thousand virtues (万德洪名), which is an empowered ‘key’ with great blessings, for ‘unlocking’ our Buddha-nature (佛性) within, with which there will be advancement towards realisation that ‘form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form’ (色不异空，空不异色), as taught in the Heart Sūtra《心经》.

When we practise Niànfó (念佛: mindfulness of Buddha) above, we are not looking for the Dharma external of our minds; we are aligning to our self-nature (i.e. Buddha-nature) to awaken innate wisdom (开智慧). There is thus no grasping at any external phenomena, that is defiled (污秽), impermanent (无常) and without self (无我). This is how only right knowledge and right views (正知正见) arise.

Question: If that external of the mind should not be attached to, when we recite Āmítuófó’s name, is this Āmítuófó external or internal, (within us)?

Answer: Since Āmítuófó’s name should be recited wholeheartedly, this is connecting to the actual Āmítuófó, via our self-nature Āmítuófó (自性弥陀), which is our Buddha-nature, that is not different from Āmítuófó’s Buddha-nature. They are thus connected together. While reciting, there is no need to have any fixation about Āmítuófó being within or without.

Since we are still dualistic (二元对立) beings, due to not being enlightened, when we are not reciting now, the actual Āmítuófó is as if outside our minds. Even so, this ‘external’ Āmítuófó can still be connected to, when we have internal connection to him, as above. This is alright, as we are not expected to be enlightened to connect to him, while we can connect to him, to reach his Pure Land, to become enlightened.

Consider this koan (公案: public case) called ‘A Piece Of Stone In The Mind’ (片石在心): Chán Master Luóhàn Guìchēn pointed at a piece of stone, and towards his disciple Master Fǎyǎn Wényì said, ‘The Patriarchs often say the three realms (of desire [欲界], form [色界] and formlessness [无色界]) are mind-only, and that the ten thousand dharmas are consciousness-only. Then, do you think this piece of stone is within the mind, or is without?’ (罗汉桂琛指着一片石块对弟子法眼文益说：「祖师们常说三界唯心，万法唯识；那你认为这片石块是在心内还是心外？」) Master Fǎyǎn replied, ‘Within the mind.’ (法眼答：「在心内。」) Chán Master Luóhàn Guìchēn asked in return, ‘Why are you placing a piece of stone in your mind?’ [Is it not heavy?] (罗汉禅师反问：「你放一片石块在心头做什么？」)

The koan highlights that even if all phenomena are mind-only, it should not be attached as being within the mind, while negating it as experienced outside the mind. To be attached to mind-only in principle, while being opposed to that experienced outside the mind in practice (i.e. practically) is also falling into the duality of having two extremes (堕二边). The ultimate truth is actually non-dualistic (不二).

As ‘all (phenomena) are mind-only created’ (一切唯心造), with the mind encompassing all phenomena, ‘there is no phenomena outside the mind, and outside phenomena is no mind’ (心外无法，法外无心). (Āmítuófó’s Pure Land was created and is sustained by his pure mind.) However, there is no denying that we do experience this defiled land (秽土) we are in as being outside now. Even our most beloved ones are as if outside our minds. We thus have to function accordingly, till we realise otherwise. Likewise, the Pure Land is as if outside now.

Although Āmítuófó and us have the same Buddha-nature, with the first having realised his, while we have yet to, we are as if cut off from one another. Thus do we need to connect our limited Self-power (自力) to his great Other-power (他力) for blessings, to help us awaken to the ultimate truth that there is no difference between dualistic Self and Other. As this is not easy to realise here, it is to be realised in his skilful Pure Land.

Question: As there is the teaching that ‘with the mind pure, then is the land pure’ (心净则国土净), does this mean that we have to purify our minds to experience Pure Land?

Answer: Technically, only Buddhas karmically deserve to experience their Pure Lands as they are the ones who have purified their minds completely. However, with great compassion sharing his meritorious virtues (功德), upon reaching his Pure Land, Āmítuófó empowers us to experience his Pure Land too. Thus, while we should purify ourselves best we can to reach the Pure Land, we do not need to be completely pure to experience it. It is in the Pure Land, that we will completely purify ourselves, to experience the Pure Land’s true nature completely.

Question: As there is the principle of ‘mind-only Pure Land’ (唯心净土), does this mean Āmítuófó’s Pure Land is only within our minds?

Answer: As above, ‘within’ and ‘without’ are dualistic delusions. Accordingly now, the Pure Land is as if both within and without the mind, but more towards the latter. Thus, Śākyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛) taught in the Amitābha Sūtra《阿弥陀经》that Āmítuófó’s physical Pure Land is ‘from here, in the western direction, passing a hundred thousand koṭis of Buddha lands’ (从是西方，过十万亿佛土). ‘In that land, is a Buddha, named Āmítuófó’ (其土有佛，号阿弥陀). Both the Pure Land and Āmítuófó are tangible.

The Pure Land and Āmítuófó being far away is due to great estrangement from our Buddha-nature. Yet, as the Pure Land can be reached via our mindfulness of Āmítuófó, it and he are within our pure(r) minds (or Buddha-nature) too. It is by reaching the Pure Land, that we can realise the mind-only Pure Land fully with further learning from Āmítuófó there, and with further practice there. In the mean time, staying on the Middle Path (中道), there is no need to have extreme views (边见) of Āmítuófó and his Pure Land being either within or without only.

Although Āmítuófó and his Pure Land can be within and/or without interconnectedly, depending on how they are understood and experienced, the key practice to remember is that it is, ‘With the sincere mind reciting Āmítuófó’s name, and the sincere mind listening to Āmítuófó’s name, with this mind connecting to Āmítuófó, is reception and guidance to his Buddha Land (Of Ultimate Bliss).’ (至心念佛，至心听佛，心感弥陀，接引佛国。)

With connection, as the Amitābha Sūtra also explains, ‘when these persons approach life’s end, Āmítuófó, with many in his noble assembly will appear before them. When these persons’ lives are ending, their minds will not be inverted, and they will immediately attain rebirth in Āmítuófó’s Land Of Ultimate Bliss.’ (其人临命终时，阿弥陀佛，与诸圣众，现在其前，是人终时，心不颠倒，即得往生阿弥陀佛极乐国土。) This guarantees reception and guidance (接引) for reaching the Pure Land, which is impossible to enter by ourselves due to our weak Self-power as non-Buddhas.

In summary, as the Pure Land Tradition’s Tenth Patriarch Great Master Jiéliú (Xíngcè) (净土宗十祖截流[行策]大师) taught in his ‘Exhortation To Give Rise To True Faith’ 《劝发真信》, ‘I, although have obstacles deep and evil karmas heavy, and long dwelt in suffering’s land, am a sentient being in Āmítuófó’s mind within. Āmítuófó, although has ten thousand meritorious virtues’ majesty, as far away as one hundred thousand koṭis of lands, he is the Buddha in my mind within. (我虽障深业重，久居苦域，是弥陀心内之众生；弥陀虽万德庄严，远在十万亿刹之外，是我心内之佛。)

Since our mind-nature is not two, naturally will there be connection and response for mutual interaction. My this pressing sincerity is definitely able to connect, and the Buddha’s loving-kindness and compassion are definitely able to respond, like a magnet attracting iron, without that to doubt.’ (既是心性无二，自然感应道交。我之苦切必能感，佛之慈悲必能应，如磁石吸铁，无可疑者。)

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