净土宗介绍：
Introduction To The Pure Land Tradition:
净土教理之30常见问题
30 Frequently Asked Questions On The Pure Land Teachings
[1] Question: Who taught the Pure Land (净土) teachings?
Answer: Śākyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛) and all other Buddhas.
[2] Q: Who is a Buddha?
A: One who is a perfected Bodhisattva (圆满菩萨), having realised Buddhahood (佛果), attaining True Happiness, immeasurable meritorious virtues (无量功德), with perfect compassion (慈悲) and wisdom (智慧), for helping all beings to do the same.
[3] Q: When were the Pure Land teachings taught?
A: Around 3000 years ago, during the Buddha’s time in India, as recorded in more than 300 sūtras, in terms of Āmítuófó’s (Amitā[bha] Buddha: 阿弥陀佛) Pure Land.
[4] Q: What is a Pure Land?
A: The most paradisiacal, blissful and skilful Dharma school free from suffering, as created by a Buddha, to train all for attainment of Buddhahood without fail. All magnificent attributes experienceable through the senses in Āmítuófó’s Pure Land express the principles and practices (理事) of the Triple Gem (三宝).
[5] Q: Why were the Pure Land teachings taught?
A: To most efficiently expedite all beings’ attainment of Buddhahood.
[6] Q: How many Pure Lands are there?
A: As immeasurable as Buddhas are.
[7] Q: Where are Pure Lands?
A: In all directions, in many other world systems, the most famous being Āmítuófó’s Western Pure Land Of Ultimate Bliss (西方极乐世界), a trillion worlds away.
[8] Q: Who is Āmítuófó?
A: A Buddha who attained Buddhahood 10 kalpas ago. His Sanskrit (梵文) name ‘Amitā’ (无量) means ‘Amitābha’ (Immeasurable Light: 无量光) and ‘Amitāyus’ (Immeasurable Life: 无量寿), representing his immeasurable wisdom and compassion that pervades all space and time. He thus stands for the Dharmakāya (法身), the universal truth body of all Buddhas.
[9] Q: When was Āmítuófó’s Pure Land created?
A: 10 kalpas (劫) ago, when he attained Buddhahood.
[10] Q: How long will his Pure Land last?
A: For immeasurable time, as Āmítuófó’s compassion and meritorious virtues for guiding via his Pure Land are immeasurable.
[11] Q: How many Pure Land practitioners are there in our world?
A: As the most popular Mahāyāna (Great Vehicle: 大乘) tradition, an estimate is 100 million.
[12] Q: How many beings can his Pure Land hold?
A: Immeasurably many, as his compassion and meritorious virtues are immeasurable.
[13] Q: How are Pure Lands created?
A: Through much efforts of perfecting compassion, wisdom and meritorious virtues.
[14] Q: Why must Pure Lands exist?
A: Just as even we unenlightened beings do what we can to create good Dharma schools, fully enlightened ones will do their best to create the best ones and invite us to them.
[15] Q: Why the particular focus on Āmítuófó’s Pure Land?
A: [1] As it is praised and recommended by all Buddhas to help us focus, due to our scattered minds. [2] It also serves as a central for access to all other Buddha Lands (佛土) pure and defiled, for learning from Buddhas and helping other beings. [3] All Buddhas also mindfully protect (护念) all who are mindful of Āmítuófó.
[16] Q: Why should we reach Āmítuófó’s Pure Land?
A: It is wise to heed all Buddhas’ universal recommendation, to reach the best Dharma school possible, for the swiftest progress to Buddhahood, especially if ambivalent or lost in without spiritual direction.
[17] Q: Why should we propagate the Pure Land teachings?
A: [1] This is to follow the Buddha’s example in doing so, in his time and even up to 100 years after the Dharma-Ending Age (末法时期), to most effectively direct beings to the best Dharma school. [2] Death is eventual and it can be sudden, which threatens to wipe out all past lives’ memories, even of the Dharma learnt, which makes spiritual progress difficult. In the Pure Land, there will be the full power of hindsight, along with further and full insights into the Dharma available.
[18] Q: When can Pure Land be reached?
A: At any time, when the Three Provisions (三资粮) are sufficient, but usually when approaching the end of this life naturally.
[19] Q: What are the Three Provisions for reaching Pure Land?
A: They are deep Faith (深信) in Āmítuófó and sincere Aspiration (切原) to reach his Pure Land expressed through wholehearted (一心) true Practice (实行) of mindfulness of his name (念佛). This is especially crucial as the last thought for connecting to Āmítuófó, before taking rebirth.
[20] Q: Who can reach Pure Land?
A: Anyone who can give rise to the Three Provisions, including Bodhisattvas, Arhats (阿罗汉), heavenly beings (天人), human beings and all other ordinary beings (凡夫).
[21] Q: Who have reached the Pure Land (and returned)?
A: Many Great Bodhisattvas and even Āmítuófó himself.
[22] Q: What is proof of successful Pure Land practice?
A: The ability of good practitioners to calmly, clearly and accurately announce in advance the time of Āmítuófó’s arrival for guiding their departure for his Pure Land, without attachment to this worldly life, aversion to death, and delusion of what is to come. There are also many other possible auspicious signs (瑞相).
[23] Q: Who can help us reach Āmítuófó’s Pure Land?
A: All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
[24] Q: Who can guide us in Āmítuófó’s Pure Land?
A: Āmítuófó is the ‘principal’ teacher, with Contemplator Of The World’s Sounds Bodhisattva (观世音菩萨) and Great Power Arrived Bodhisattva (大势至菩萨) as key assistant teachers, with many other Bodhisattvas, Arhats and more as senior schoolmates. All other Pure Lands, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are accessible too.
[25] Q: How do I return to this world from Pure Land?
A: Via Self (自力) and/or Other-power (他力) of Āmítuófó’s blessings.
[26] Q: How long will I stay in Pure Land?
A: For as long or short as aspired, before or till the brink of Buddhahood. Once reached, Pure Land can be returned to at will, even after leaving, with no possibility of spiritual retrogression (退转) before Buddhahood.
[27] Q: Is going to Pure Land forsaking of beings in Saṃsāra‘s (cycle of birth and death)?
A: No, as it is simply going for the best spiritual training to become the most skilful Bodhisattvas to best help all beings. Not going, we will require help by other Bodhisattvas instead. As such, being model examples, even Great Bodhisattvas vow to reach the Pure Land, and vow to guide beings to it, as the most skilful means to lead all towards Buddhahood.
[28] Q: What about the idea of ‘Pure Land here and now’?
A: Unless already a Buddha, short ‘glimpses’ of ‘Pure Land’ are not sustainable here, while this world is full of suffering and distractions, without unsurpassable benefits of the actual Pure Land that guarantees Buddhahood in one life.
[29] Q: Are Pure Land teachings similar to god-centric faiths?
A: No, as practitioners do not aspire to be born in any so-called ‘eternal heaven of an almighty all-good and wise creator god’, which according to the Buddha, does not exist.
[30] Q: Does Pure Land practice help us beyond our last moments?
A: Mindfulness of Āmítuófó is also tuning to our Buddha-nature (佛性), thus to practise the Threefold Learning (三学) to uphold the precepts (持戒), cultivate meditative concentration (禅定) and develop wisdom (智慧). It offers many unsurpassable benefits due to connection to Āmítuófó, whose blessings can be shared in many protective and nurturing ways.
[31] Q: How can I learn more about the Pure Land teachings?
A: Join the courses listed at https://t.me/purelanders and enquire here below.
