Buddhism after the Appearance of Mahayanism

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Buddhism after the Appearance of Mahayanism

• Multi-Buddhas theory
• Multi-World systems
• universes are as numerous as the sands of
  Ganges
• Some of the world systems are Buddha fields
  (lands) in which a Tatagata lives and teaches the
  Dharma
• Each Buddha land is a pure landa pure world
  formed by jewels, gems, diamond bodies,as
  opposed to impure worlds formed by organic
  matters.

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Better-Known Buddha Lands

• Abhirati, Land of Light in the East, presided by
  the Buddha Aksobhya, which means immovable or
  imperturbable
• This pure land and the Buddha Aksobhya are not
  popular in East Asia, but are relatively popular
  in Tantrism
• In art, he is represented in blue, holding a
  diamond in his right hand his left hand is in
  the earth-witness gesture, with a blue elephant
  for his mount.

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The Buddha Aksobhya
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• Sukhavati, Land of Utmost Bliss in the West,
  presided by the Buddha Amitabha (Amitayus), which
  means immeasurable light/life span
• Story about this Buddha
• Found in the Longer/Larger Sutra (one of the
  three major Pure Land Sutras)
• Amitabha song 1
• Amitabha song 2

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Three Pure Land Sutras

• The Shorter/Smaller Sutra on Amitayus, The
  Longer/Larger Sutra on Amitayus, The Sutra on
  Contemplation of Amitayus
• Amitayus (The Buddha of Infinite life) or
  Amitabha (The Buddha of Immeasurable Light)
• O-mi-to fo, Wu-liang-shou fo (Chinese)
• Amida (Japanese)
• Pure Land (Sukhavati)the Land of Utmost Bliss

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Amitayu
Amitabha
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A New Form of Buddhism?

• Early Mahayanists and Hinayanists saw problems of
  a new movement in Buddhist communities the
  emergence of the Pure Land and the Amitabha cult
• It is an aberration from the Buddhas original
  intention, because it no longer follows the
  Buddhas path self-reliance, strict ethical,
  mental, and spiritual disciplines
• Rather, is stresses the worship of the Buddha
  Amitabha and the reliance on his saving
  graceputting ones faith in a powerful other.

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Self-power vs. Others Power

• What caused the shift from self-discipline to
  reliance on others saving grace, and from
  reliance on austerity/effort to reliance on
  faith?
• The Three Stages/Periods Dharma theory
• The Period of the True Dharma (Zhengfa), 500
  years
• The Period of the Outer-Semblance (Xiangfa) of
  the Dharma, 1,000 years
• The Period of the Decay of the Dharma (Mofa),
  10,000 years

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The Shorter/Smaller Sutra

• Chinese translation was done by Kumarajiva
  (344-413)
• Great translator of Buddhist scriptures from
  Kucha
• Arrived in China in 401
• Translated 74 scriptures in 384 fascicles in
  total, including
• the Diamond Sutra
• the Lotus Sutra
• the Amitabha Sutra

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• Major Discourse--four parts
• Shakyamuni describes the land of Utmost Bliss and
  its presiding buddha, the Buddha Amitabha
  (Amitayus)
• He names some of the buddhas in other worlds who
  confirm the truth of his message as they praise
  the virtue of Amitayus
• He explains the nature of the trust and
  commitment required for rebirth in the Land of
  Utmost Bliss
• He explains how difficult it is to attain
  buddhahood and preach the message of the sutra

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• Narrative structure--several voices
• Ananda (narrator)
• an audience of thousands of monks, arhats,
  bodhisattvas.
• Shariputra (a stand-in for the sutras readers
  or audiences)
• Shakyamuni
• Amitayus himself and the inhabitants of his Land

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Pure Land according to the Smaller (Shorter)
Sutra

• Dwellers
• suffer no pain, but enjoy pleasures of various
  kinds
• exquisite flowers offered to numerous buddhas
• dwell in a stage of Non-retrogression
• Nature scene
• seven-jeweled ponds with water of eight excellent
  qualities
• beautiful, fragrant, and pure lotus in the ponds
• Heavenly flowers rain down from the sky

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A World of Gold and Gems

• Constructions
• Seven rows of balustrades, decorative nets, and
  trees
• all made of four kinds of jewels
• Pavilion adorned with seven jewels (gold, silver,
  beryl, crystal, sapphire, rosy pearls, and
  cornelian)

sapphire
cornelian
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A World of Harmonious Music and Sounds

• Heavenly music
• Sounds sung by
• Rare and beautiful birds of various colors
• white geese, peacocks, parrots
• Sound generated by soft breezes wafting through
  the jeweled trees and nets
• People are spontaneously mindful of the Buddha
  when hearing the sounds

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Pure Land of the West, anonymous, Tang Dynasty
(618-905), from the Dunhuang Caves
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Pure Land of the West, Anonymous, Tang Dynasty,
from the Dunhuang Caves
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Rebirth in Amitayus land

• A different type of rebirth
• Suffer no more, enjoy endless bliss
• Enjoy immeasurable life span
• This birth/rebirth gives one a better chance to
  enter nirvana

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Faith and Rebirth

• To attain rebirth in this Pure Land, one must
• accept this sutra
• cultivate faith in Amitayus and His Pure Land
• accept the notion of the Pure Land with trust and
  without question
• aspire to the rebirth in Amitayus land of
  ultimate bliss.
• hold fast to Amitayus name after hearing it
• The state of deliverance
• at death, Amitayus will appear with other holy
  ones
• aspirants mind will not fall into confusion
• aspirant will be born in Amitayus land