a buddhist perspective

In the Earth Treasure Sutra, we see that it is difficult to save sentient beings who have already descended into the hell realms. Earth Treasure Bodhisattva has great wisdom and great extraordinary abilities, thus he can help the sentient beings in the hell realms to even reach the Western Pure Land. But, because of our habitual behavior, when we are able to move up to the heaven realms, we continue to commit wrongdoings. And after life in the heaven realms has ended, we will again fall into the hell realms. But to Earth Treasure Bodhisattva it is as if we have returned after only having been gone for a few days!

Once in the hell realms, as we experience continuous suffering we will be unable to cultivate. Thus, our hatred and resultant negative karma will increase and become more binding. The sutras clearly explain this for us. From this, we can begin to understand how difficult it is to help sentient beings who have descended into the hell realms.

When can we be helped?

After we have committed wrongdoings, but before we pass on and descend into the hell realms. During this time, we must awaken so that through feelings of intense remorse and fear, we will diligently forgo thinking, saying, or doing anything that is bad and only do that which is good. In this way, we will maintain purity of mind. And in this way, we can change our present conditions and transform a bad situation into a good one.

It would be even better if we could bring give rise to the great Bodhi mind. If at the moment of death, we sincerely regret as we recite “Amituofo” one to ten times and we seek birth into the Pure Land, we will be reborn there. And we will do this even though we had been about to go to the lowest of the hell realms. We will be born in the Pure Land as non-retrogressive bodhisattvas, beings who will never fall back in their practice. Once there, we will have the opportunity to return to our world to help those whom we have an affinity with to transcend the hell realms.

Question: I have deep faith in Buddhism as a logical and systematic approach, almost philosophical, to life. But the other bits of it, the rebirth bits (where do we find proof? I know many people are said to be able to remember their past lives but perhaps they're just over imaginative? coincidental recounting of incidents that are taken as one's past life, or even schizophrenic people?), as well as the parts of being reborn in the Pure Land if one were to harbour pure thoughts while reciting Namo Amitabha - but how can it be fair to the poor man who spends his entire life reciting it well but nearing his death, loses concentration for a split second because of something beyond his control, e.g loud noise outside his hospital ward which is something beyond his control, thus, losing a wonderful chance to be reborn in the Pure Land, as opposed to someone who has never chanted Namo Amitabha and suddenly, converts to a Pure Land follower and goes to the Pure Land just before he dies? It's so unfair.

Response: First, those who can truly remember their past lives are extremely rare and have much good fortune. Others may be "over imaginative" as you said or perhaps unable to really tell what the "memories" are.

Second, those who are reborn in the Pure Land exhibit certain signs such as saying in advance when they will pass from this life, passing away without any sign of illness, passing away at will, remaining standing or sitting after passing. Or the body may remain flexible and maintain a good color many hours after death. The signs indicating rebirth are to be carefully checked and validated before being made public. 

As for the conditions surrounding our death, we need to conserve our good fortune to create the right condition as we are dying. No other time is as important as this as our last moments lead us to our future rebirths. The person who suddenly encounters bad conditions, like that loud noise, did not have enough good fortune to ensure a peaceful, quiet environment. 

And that person who hears of the Pure Land at the last moments and dies while chanting is unbelievably rare! We cannot count on that happening to us. This exceptional occurrence happens because the person was a practitioner in past lifetimes and conserved his good fortune in this lifetime. So he had the wonderful conditions to be conscious, to encounter a good spiritual advisor, to immediately and completely believe in the Pure Land, and to be able to practice, all while facing death. The coming together of all these conditions is unbelievably rare and the direct result of profound previous practice.    

Question: I was wondering, I don’t have any 'altruistic' desires, to help the world. But I do want to stop my own suffering and improve my own happiness.

By ridding myself of the negative deeds, mental and physical, if I say to myself that it's enough for me to simply be happy and do these things, without having a desire to 'save the world', so to speak, does it mean that Buddhism is not for me because it seems from the thread above, to reach enlightenment is the ultimate aim we should strive for, which I don't. Doesn't this also mean that Buddhism is not the religion for me because foremost, I don't want to be a Buddha, and that being happy is just good enough for me, even if I continue to be in samsara, but in good rebirths?

Response: The mind to help all beings takes time to develop. Initially, we do not have this mind, only the wish to end our own suffering. We start from where we are, so you can still learn from and practice Buddhism. In the US, many of the people I teach are Christians. They feel Buddhism enhances their own beliefs and that there is no conflict as Buddhism is not a religion but a teaching of how to awaken. 

The basic teachings are to do no harm, to do what is good, and to purify the mind. You don't need to want to become a Buddha to practice these three precepts. The Buddhadharma teaches us to be moral and self-disciplined. Living a moral life is necessary for us to enjoy good rebirths. The Buddhadharma also teaches us to conserve our good fortune and how to keep creating more. We need good fortune as well if we are to enjoy good rebirths.

So the Buddha's teachings show us how to have good rebirths and how to have a happy life now.  

Question: In adverse circumstances, I contrarily find it difficult to believe that I had “owed” these nasty people debts and that now all that had happened was simply a repayment.

I find it hard to believe that it was a past that is back to haunt me; a past that I can't see.

How can I see more clearly that the law of cause and effect really exists from life to life? I know that we can see the law of cause and effect in many aspects of life but surely we cannot extrapolate a universal principle thus, because of this? Could you advise?

Response: During the night of the Buddha’s enlightenment, he saw causality occurring. The boundaries of past, present, and future had dropped away and he saw the past and future as clearly as we see the present. He did not extrapolate the Dharma with it’s principles like cause and effect, he experienced them. He then encouraged us to experience them as a way to build our confidence.

As we begin to experience cause and effect in this lifetime (for example, when I am angry, I feel agitated and unsettled), we will begin to see that it also explains the consequences we are unable to link back to causes in previous lifetimes.

Initially, it is not necessary to believe in rebirth to benefit form the teaching. In fact, in the Kalama Sutra, we read how the Buddha postulated a scenario contrary to his experience—one where there is no rebirth and no karmic retribution. He did this so that those who were doubtful could still benefit from his teachings. He showed that even within such a scenario, one who remains free of greed, anger, and their resultant suffering will be truly happy!

As the Buddha showed, they do not have to accept rebirth in order to reap the benefits. Those who are free of greed, anger, and their ensuing suffering have a mind of loving-kindness, compassion, appreciation, and equanimity in this lifetime. They no longer experience greed, no longer crave the emotional high from acquiring that which is new—they simply appreciate what they already have. Craving and its shadow, disappointment, are eliminated as people become contented with their situation. 

A person who feels no anger will not feel angry or unsettled but will, instead, always feel calm and peaceful. Such a person will always be happy and at ease, and thus always be welcomed wherever he or she goes. Without craving and without anger there will be no suffering—just happiness, a lifetime of happiness. And all this can happen here and now, because even if one does not believe in rebirth, one will still benefit if one lives a life free of craving, animosity, and unhappiness.

And gradually, as one experiences the results of living in accordance with the Buddha’s teachings, one will have experienced enough to believe in what cannot yet be proven through direct experience.

Questions: I hope you can clarify my question on the Pure Land practice - an eternal realm of bliss and peace after passing on, a godhead like figure full of compassion and wisdom, a practice based on faith, devotion and "other power", I don't know but it sure sounds a lot like the Christian faith to me. Am I wrong? If it's not and different, can I know in what ways is it different besides the naming of the place and the head figure?

Response: Thank you for the opportunity to try to clarify further the difference between Christianity and Pure Land Buddhism.

Buddhas were ordinary beings—just like us—who have awakened and no longer have attachments, wandering thoughts, or discriminations. Since any being can awaken, and innumerable beings have, there are innumerable Buddhas. In Christianity, there is one God who is omniscient and all powerful. Buddhas (for whom the boundaries of past, present, and future no longer exist) know “everything” but have no power to change what we have destined for ourselves through our past karmas (thoughts, speech, and actions). So Buddhas, although they are filled with compassion and wisdom, are not “godhead-like figures” since they do not have the power to save us.

So Buddhas are not gods. Buddhas are teachers.

Our “faith” is not of a religious nature but more of a sense of unwavering belief. Master Ouyi wrote in his commentary on the Amitabha Sutra that we were to have belief in:

So our faith is not of a religious nature. Faith for us is unwavering belief.

Since there are innumerable Buddhas, Amitabha is one of those Buddhas. His Pure Land is not a place for the enjoyment of bliss but rather an ideal learning environment—the perfect university with the best teachers (Amitabha Buddha and all the bodhisattvas who are there) with perfect learning conditions (no tuition, no need to prepare meals, no feeling tired, no illness, etc.) for us to learn all we need to in order to fulfill our vows to help all sentient beings.

So we go to the Pure Land not for our own benefit but for the sake of all beings.

Merriam-Webster’s Third Edition Unabridged dictionary defines devotion as “earnestness and zeal in the performance of religious duties and observations: religious fervor.” But since the Buddha himself asserted that he was not a god but an awakened being, Buddhism is not a religion. What the Buddha taught was the Way, which was the principles, methods, and states of awakening.

So there is no “devotion.” There is utmost respect and gratitude.

Yes, there is “other power” but not in a godlike way. Pure Land practice is the coupling of both “other power” and “self power.” Think of the Buddha as a facilitator, not as a savior. His other power is to teach and to have created the Pure Land that is sustained by his virtues and the virtues of all the beings who dwell there. But without our “Self power” he cannot help us to the Pure Land. We have to form the connection with him through our chanting. To form this connection we must have been the “good men and good women” spoken of in the Amitabha Sutra.

So there is not “other power” in the sense of a savior. There is both other power and self power.

We must reach out to Amitabha Buddha before he can reach back to us.