What's special about Amida Pureland?
Amida Pureland Buddhism is about
• remembering and celebrating Buddha rather than trying to be him
There are basically two approaches in Buddhism. One approach (self-power) is about following in Buddha's footsteps, perfecting various practices, and thereby becoming Buddha oneself. The other (pureland or other-power) approach is about encountering Buddha, remembering and celebrating what that encounter brings or brought into our lives, but not trying to be Buddha oneself.
• being accepted in our imperfect state
Buddha does not condemn us for being what we are even though we ourselves are never really content with ourselves. In Pureland we do not get judged by an outside authority, but neither do we think we are perfect as we are. When we look honestly at ourselves we know that we have many failings and shortcomings. Nonetheless, it is precisely for the likes of ourselves that Amida Buddha's light shines in this world.
• faith rather than knowledge
Again, when reflecting honestly, we know that there are many things we do not know and that there always will be. This kind of Buddhism is not about achieving omniscience - it is about living a reasonably noble life in the midst of our boundless ignorance.
• celebrating unconditional love while admitting that one is incapable of it
It's all about love, isn't it? Yes, of course. Yet, none of us manages to be completely loving and often enough we are far from it. That is the way we are. That circumstance is not comfortable, but it is true. Yet, we all live with the intuition in our hearts of the boundless love that we attribute to fully enlightened beings. Thus we know that we are loved even though we are neither worthy of being so nor capable of so loving ourselves.
• longing and the bitter-sweetness of real life
The very dependency and incompleteness of a human life means that our heart cries out toward that which is whole yet we can never completely embrace it. Amida Pureland Buddhism embraces that very incapacity as the epitome of the human state. It is that very longing that lies at the core of all religion and spiritual experience. Let us not condemn ourselves for it nor, on the other hand, think we can eradicate this poignancy from our lives.
• an orientation to religious feeling rather than achievement of a mental state
States of mind cannot be sustained indefinitely. Awareness fades. Joy passes. Religious life touches our heart in many ways. However, faith, once found, endures through all, and, from an attitude of entrustment, one can express the whole range of religious feelings that one experiences - sometimes joyful, sometimes dejected, fertile, barren, exuberant, arid, grateful, anguished - spiritual life evokes them all and in this path there is a safe and sacred space in which to express them all.
• a spirituality accessible to anybody
The sense of relating to a spiritual power greater than oneself that is loving and a true refuge is common to many religions. However, often enough this greater power is thought to be highly demanding, judgemental and exclusive whereas Amida Buddha is not. The Buddha is our kind spiritual friend who is constantly working to create a Pure Land using ordinary people in their ordinary state if they will but entrust themselves. The teachings of Pureland are very simple in concept yet provide us with a thoroughly workable way of managing and enjoying our spiritual life.
• truly religious path of spiritual equality
Pureland is religious in the sense of being robustly about faith, universal love, and personal commitment and also in the sense that re-lig-ion is about reconnecting, both to the transcendent and to one another. Pureland practice is a celebration, reverent, joyful and dancelike. One can dance alone, but dancing is designed to be a collective activity. Amida Pureland generates a warm and profound bond between people and between them and the Unborn. From a Pureland perspective, religion is about spiritual equality. We are all in the same boat and we are all fellow practitioners with a common faith.
• a path of peace and social engagement
Even in its name, Pureland is about the emergence of a better world, which is the goal of the work of all Buddhas. We do not have to wait until we reach enlightenment or some other elevated spiritual stage before we are capable of experiencing fellow-feeling for the oppressed or becoming involved with others in alternative more wholesome ways of life. Think eternal, act today. Entrusting ourselves to Amida we all find a place in the big story whatever our particular talents or foibles may be.
• a simple path with a simple practice
The simplest Amida practice is to call the Name of Buddha. We can do this in many different ways chanting and singing together or on our own. Whatever expresses our religious feeling in the context of remembering Buddha is Amida practice. It might be writing poetry or other artistic expressions. It might be working together. It may involve beautiful ceremonies. It will always involve listening: listening to one another; listening to the world around us; and listening to Amida calling us to his land of bliss and to the great work of all the Buddhas. It is Namo Amida Bu.
