Disciple: How did Amitabha create his pureland?
Phurpa Tashi Rinpoche: Many people think in this way even when it comes to the
purelands of Buddhas — they like to apply their worldly concepts to Buddhism.
If we assume that Sukhavati was created by Amitabha Buddha, then Sukhavati must be relatively newly created. A
Buddha named Amitabha must have created Sukhavati at some point of time. It
follows that before Amitabha created Sukhavati, it did not exist… Anything that is created will eventually
perish. This is the natural law.
Like a building. Suppose an engineering
team built this building at some point in time. Was there a building here
before that? No. The only difference is that Sukhavati was built by Amitabha,
while this building was built by a construction team.
Since they are both creations, they are impermanent and will perish in
time. This is a universal truth. What is created must go out of existence one
day…
In fact, we don’t know when Sukhavati was created historically. And so we can’t
even be certain if it still exists now. We might even say that if Sukhavati exists
right now, it could be quite old and out of date by now, given how long ago
Amitabha built it! (Audience laughs)
Isn’t it the same with buildings? In the big cities, some people live in very
old-fashioned houses built in the '60s or '80s, and now they are falling apart.
So, it's likely that Sukhavati isn’t in a brand new condition either. If we go
there now, we might even be a little too late!
It’s like visiting a newly opened restaurant; because everything is new, it
feels better. But if the restaurant is old, with chipped bowls and stained
chopsticks, we might prefer somewhere cleaner.
Likewise, if we enter the grand palaces of Sukhavati, they might not be that
pristine anymore. The tiles on the floor could be peeling, and the lotus
flowers that have been there for so long might be wilting! (Audience laughs)
So, sometimes I don’t need to explain things directly. I can make a joke and you’ll
understand. Is Sukhavati really built by Amitabha? Is it truly a “constructed
place”?
Now, if we want to go to Sukhavati, where is it exactly? If it’s in a specific
location, then right when someone starts to believe in Buddhism, they should
not stay still but start travelling in that direction! (Audience laughs) We
should head in the direction where Amitabha once built the Sukhavati celestial
palace!
Of course, if Sukhavati were on this planet, we could look for it here. But if
it’s not, then it gets difficult. Even though some technologically advanced
countries say they’ve sent people to other planets but it’s only a handful of
people. It’s not very practical to hope that every one of us can go to another
planet.
In present times, we have some
hope of space travel to other planets, but in the past ages, this was
impossible because we lacked this technology, so how could the lineage Gurus have gone to Sukhavati? It’s even more unlikely because all these
accomplished masters were beggars and could not have the money to afford space
travel.
We know that the Chan master Huineng once said, “For those with a pure mind, Sukhavati is right in front of them.” Sukhavati is an appearance arising in a pure mind.
To explain it simply: suppose
you’re at home with your partner. If you’re in a peaceful and joyful mood,
you’ll feel happy to see them. But when you’re stressed or annoyed from your
activities outside, if they make even a little mistake, all of a sudden, the
person who made you happy yesterday becomes your enemy today.
Their appearance hasn’t changed, they are still your partner —
someone you can’t bear to part from, but today you’re frustrated with them!
Just seeing them irritates you, and you’re tempted to look for the kitchen
knife! (Audience laughs)
So, in other words, what was your Sukhavati yesterday
became the hell realm today. But ultimately, it’s your mind which engineered this change.
Thus, there is no need for anyone to “construct” Sukhavati. Because anything that
is constructed or designed is impermanent, no matter how well-built it is, it
will inevitably grow old and even be destroyed. All things created are subject
to the laws of nature and will ultimately perish. This is for sure.
That’s why I advised beginning practitioners to read “Words of My
Perfect Teacher” and “Notes to the Words of My Perfect Teacher”. The purpose is
to gain a more profound understanding of Buddhism. Even if you can’t gain a
deep realization merely by reading — as realizations only arise through
practice — it is necessary to get a deeper understanding on a theoretical level
through words. Otherwise, it is
impossible for you to progress further.
