Buddhism as magic: Amitabha's heaven

The Tale of Amitabha Sutra, [not] spoken of by the [historical] Buddha

(Wisdom Tellers) March 29, 2024: Explore the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhavati) with Buddha Amitabha, [not] spoken by the [historical] Buddha [but added later in apocryphal texts attributed to the Buddha, as many Mahayana sutras are something other than authentic texts spoken by the historical figure of the Buddha and his first enlightened disciples as represented in the Pali language canon].

Join us on a profound journey through the realms of [the journey to] enlightenment. #Amitabha

What is the "pure land"?

Sukhavati (Sukhāvatī, "blissful") is the pure land of Amitābha ("Infinite Light") in Mahayana Buddhism.

• Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") is an amalgamation of Hinduism (Brahminical Brahmanism) taking the historical Buddha's Doctrine (Dharma) and making it align with the very (Vedic) beliefs the Buddha opposed and argued against, revivifying the meaning of obscure texts and stories from the ancient "Knowledge Books" of Proto-India. But the Brahmins had their views and were not going to lose them to this new shramana ("wandering ascetic") movement headed by Shakyamuni Buddha (the Scythian Siddhartha Gautama) and Mahavira (the Nigantha Nattaputta, founder of Jainism).
• Therefore, elements of Mahayana Buddhism are almost indistinguishable from modern Hinduism even if at their core their ambition is different. One would not know it's different because it's clothed in the same sort of fanciful language of a "higher self" (atman) merging with the Infinite (Brahman) until there's no distinction (advaita) and we are returned to our original luminous state of mind. The historical Buddha spoke of "pure lands" as worlds where once-returners and non-returners might be reborn to advance towards arhatship. Such worlds only exist when the teaching of a Buddha still exists in the world because that is how they came to be once-returners and non-returners. It may sound silly, but this is because when someone reaches the first stage of enlightenment (called stream entry), one will at most be reborn seven more times. If one progresses no further, one is nevertheless sure of reaching full enlightenment within seven lives. 
• Although there are other stages detailed in the Path to Freedom (Vimuttimagga), these are abbreviated to four in the later commentarial and exegetical text the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), which is regarded as canonical (official doctrine) in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. This abbreviation results in four classes of enlightened individuals: stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats. There is more than one kind of stream-enterer, who have at most fewer and fewer rebirths to endure.
• With practice, a stream-enterer may become an arhat in the same life. Practicing no further, that same person nevertheless faces no more than seven more rebirths. The next class of noble ones (Aryans) is the once-returner who will at most be reborn in this world one more time. (This seems to open up the possibility of being reborn in a sukhavati, a place where all the beings study the Dharma until they reach liberation without again being reborn in a lower world. As there are more than one such worlds, one can imagine being reborn in more than one of those worlds). Still such attainers are once-returners (sakkadagamis).
• The next stage and class is non-returning, who is no longer liable to being reborn in the human world again. (One of the extraordinary things about stream-enterers and the others is that they have all overcome the possibility of being reborn in any world lower than the human plane). But the non-returner, not returning to this plane of existence, is reborn in a sukhavati (pure abode), there to reach arhatship in however long it takes.
• The arhat is the fully enlightened person, who it must be noted is not the "supremely" enlightened. The enlightenment of a buddha and that of a disciple is the same in many respects. But a disciple is not likely to be able to teach others effectively and can in no way establish the Dharma in the world. This kind of enlightenment is called "supreme" (samma-sam-bodhi, "all the way around enlightenment" with the linguistic and other abilities to be able to establish the Dharma and a Sangha).
• There is another kind of "full" enlightenment between these two, and that is the enlightenment of a pacceka-buddha ("non-teaching" or "silent" buddha). This person sees all and knows all just like a supremely awakened buddha but does not possess the Ten Powers of a Buddha to effectively teach or establish the Dharma.
• All three are nevertheless called arhats; therefore, all buddhas are arhats, but not all arhats are buddhas. It's nitpicking, but it's important to make the distinction for scholarship purposes. The more interesting nitpicking distinctions are those in the first category: Stream entry has four kinds, like those born among noble families and the bija-bija. See The Path to Freedom (Upatissa) for details.

Sukhavati Pure Land is also called the "Land of Bliss" or the "Western Paradise" and is the most well-known of the Buddhist pure lands due to the popularity of faith-based Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia.

Etymology and names

Sukhavati the word is the feminine form of the Sanskrit word sukhāvat ("full of joy," "blissful") [1, 2] from sukha ("delight," "joy") and -vat ("full of") [3].

Sukhavati is known by different names in other languages. East Asian names are based on Chinese translations, and longer names may consist of the words "Western," "Blissful," and "Pure Land" in various combinations.

Some names and combinations are more popular in certain countries. Due to its importance, Sukhavati is often simply called "The Pure Land" without distinguishing it from other pure lands. Wiki: Sukhavati

#Amitayus #Amitayur #Amituofo #AmidaButsu #Öpamé #UltimateBliss #Sukhavati #Dharma #Enlightenment #BuddhaLand #PureLand

When it's time to die and you're next (audio)

Ajahn Jayasaro, "Our Real Home: A Talk to an Aging Lay Disciple Approaching Death" by Ajahn Chah, Sangha at Wat Pah Nanachat (trans.), 1983dukkha, Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah (2012), a complete collection of talks translated into English, recorded by Abbot Ajahn Amaro, Amaravati, England.

.

This body is hurtling toward destruction.

Now determine in your mind to listen with respect to the Dhamma (the Dharma, the Buddha's Teaching). During the time that I am speaking, be as attentive to my words as if it were the Buddha himself sitting in front of you.

Close your eyes and make yourself comfortable, compose your mind, and make it one-pointed. Humbly allow the Triple Gem of wisdom, truth, and purity to abide in your heart as a way of showing respect to the Fully Enlightened One.

"We practice to learn letting go." - Ajahn Chah

Today I have brought nothing material of any substance to offer you, only Dhamma, the teachings of the Buddha. Listen well. You should understand that even the Buddha himself, with his great store of accumulated virtue [good karma], could not avoid physical death.

When he reached old age he relinquished his body and let go of its heavy burden. Now you, too, must learn to be satisfied with the many years you've already depended on your body. You should feel that it's enough.

You can compare it to household utensils you've had for a long time — your cups, saucers, plates, and so on. When you first had them they were clean and shining, but now after using them for so long, they're starting to wear out. Some are already broken, some have disappeared, and those that are left are deteriorating. They have no stable form, and it's their nature to be like that.

Your body is the same way: It's been continually changing right from the day you were born, through childhood and youth, until now it's reached old age. You must accept that. The Buddha said that conditions (sankharas), whether they are internal conditions, bodily conditions, or external conditions, are not-self (impersonal), their nature is to change. Contemplate this truth until you see it clearly.

One day, black and blue, this body is a log.

This very lump of flesh that lies here in decline is sacca-dhamma, the truth. The truth of this body is sacca-dhamma, and it is the unchanging teaching of the Buddha. The Buddha taught us to look at the body, to contemplate it and come to terms with its nature.

We must be able to be at peace with the body, whatever state it is in. The Buddha taught that we should ensure that it's only the body that is locked up in jail and not let the mind be imprisoned along with it.

Now as your body begins to run down and deteriorate with age, don't resist that, but don't let your mind deteriorate with it. Keep the mind separate. Give energy to the mind by realizing the truth of the way things are.

The Buddha taught that this is the nature of the body. It can't be any other way: Having been born, it gets old and sick, and then it dies. This is a great truth you are presently encountering. Look at the body with wisdom and realize it.

Amaravati Buddhist Monastery, England

Even if your house is flooded or burnt to the ground, whatever the danger that threatens it, let it concern only the house. If there's a flood, don't let it flood your mind. If there's a fire, don't let it burn your heart. Let it be merely the house, which is external to you, that is flooded and burnt. Allow the mind to let go of attachments.

The time is ripe. You've been alive a long time. More

Deeper: The Four Noble Truths (audio)

Ajahn Chah (ajahnchah.org), "The Four Noble Truths" via Ajahn Jayasaro, 3/17/13; Ajahn Amaro; accompanying Wiki text edited by Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Ellie Askew, Wisdom Quarterly

The Collected Teachings of Ajahn Chah was published in 2012. This is the complete collection of talks by Ajahn Chah that have been translated into English.

During the winter of 2012, Ajahn Amaro, abbot of Amaravati Monastery, was giving daily readings recorded as audio files. They were collected as rough-hewn edits. This talk is by guest reader Ajahn Jayasaro, author of Stillness Flowing: The Life and Teachings of Ajahn Chah.

These talks are being made available until the final version is ready. That collection will include a Q&A and will soon be published.

The Four Ennobling Truths

The Four Noble Truths (Sanskrit catvāri āryasatyāni, Pali cattāri ariyasaccāni) are regarded as the core summary of the Buddha's teaching. These ennobling (enlightening) truths are said to provide a conceptual framework for all Buddhist thought.

They explain the nature of our fundamental existential problem:

1. dukkha or disappointment (commonly translated as "suffering," "unease," or "unsatisfactoriness")
2. its causes (craving rooted in ignorance)
3. its cessation (nirvana), and
4. the path leading to its cessation.

The first noble truth explains the nature of dukkha, which is said to have the following three aspects:

1. The obvious physical and mental suffering associated with rebirth, aging, illness, and dying.
2. The anxiety or hardship of trying to hold on to things that are constantly changing.
3. A basic disappointment (inability to find fulfillment) pervading all existence, due to the fact that all forms of rebirth are unsatisfactoriness, impermanent, and without any inner core or enduring substance.

On this level, the term indicates a lack of anything that can satisfy, fulfill, or complete us, the sense that things never measure up to our expectations or standards.

The focus on dukkha in this core Buddhist teaching has caused many observers to consider Buddhism to be pessimistic. However, this emphasis is about as pessimistic as a doctor focusing on an illness to cure it. It is very optimistic because there is a solution, and the path to it is perhaps the most important of the truths.

The truths present a realistic and practical assessment of our problem in the Cycle of Rebirth (samsara) — this unending round of wandering. All beings experience disappointment and pain at some point in their lives, including the inevitable suffering of illness, aging, and death.

Contemporary Buddhist teachers and translators emphasize that while the central message of Buddhism is optimistic, the Buddhist view of our situation in life (the conditions that we live in) is realistic.

The second noble truth is that the origin (causes) of dukkha can be known and undone. The origin of dukkha is commonly explained as craving (tanha) conditioned by ignorance (avijja).

Craving is the proximate cause, but on a deeper level the root cause of dukkha is ignorance of the true nature of things.

The third noble truth is that the complete cessation of dukkha is possible. That cessation of all suffering is called nirvana.

The fourth noble truth identifies a path to this cessation called the Noble Eightfold Path.

According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha first taught the Four Noble Truths in the very first sutra or sermon he delivered after enlightenment, as recorded in the "Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of Truth" (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutra).

The Buddha further clarified their meaning in many subsequent teachings.

Ajahn Chah: How to be Cool (audio)

Ajahn Chah, A Taste of Freedom via Ajahn Jayasaro; Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Wise words from a British monk (video)

Ajahn Jayasaro via Culture Exchange Blog; Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

A stupa in the mist, Amaravati (Jake Barnes)

Ajahn Jayasaro (born Shaun Michael Chiverton) is a British monk who trained with the famous Thai forest tradition Meditation Master Ajahn Chah.

Ven. Jayasaro was at Amaravati, a Theravada Buddhist monastic center in England, when he delivered this talk: "Your Ultimate Classroom is Here and Now."

Stillness Flowing (Jayasaro)

It is slow, calming, and remarkable for its depth of wisdom and the usefulness of its advice. It's easy for us to start meditating in a way that is ineffective. Then a little advice from the heart puts us back on track.

The talk begins with a quote from Chekov who once ended a message, "I'm sorry this is such a long letter; I didn't have time to write a shorter one." Brevity and editing are the heart of wisdom.

He then quotes Ajahn Chah: "You have to bring your heart to the Dhamma (Dharma). You don't bring the Dhamma to your heart." You don't pick and choose. There is a subtle difference of great significance.

• READ FREE: Stillness Flowing (abhayagiri.org)

Give time sitting as an offering to the Buddha

We gave the Buddha many things. What he wanted was for us to practice what he taught.

Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words...

The Amaravati Sangha (Sn 1.8; Khp 9); Ellie, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

"Love is what we are."

This is what should be done
     By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
     Let one be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
     Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied,
     Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,
      Not proud or demanding in nature.
Let one not do the slightest thing
     That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
     May all beings be at ease!
Whatever living beings there may be,
     Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
     The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
     Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,
     Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
     Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
     Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
     Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
     Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
     Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
     Whether standing or walking,
seated or lying down
     Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
     This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed [wrong] views,
     The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
     Is not reborn again into this world.

Slightly modified version of ©1994 English Sangha Trust. From Chanting Book: Morning and Evening Puja and Reflections (Hemel Hempstead: Amaravati Publications, 1994) revised for AccessToInsight.org on Nov. 2, 2013.

• Four alternate translations: Ven. Ñanamoli, Ven. Buddharakkhita, Ven. Piyadassi, Ven. Thanissaro

India's Telugu history (World Conference)

Gudipoodi Srihari, "Reviewing the Glorious Past" (The Hindu, 12-27-12); Wisdom Quarterly

All of the states of India using the Telugu language (mapsofindia.com)

 

Students at Sri Venkateswara U., Tirupati

Even as we celebrate the fourth World TELUGU Conference, it is time to work towards restoring the past glory of Telugu's language and culture.
 

Telugu land produced numerous scholars like Nagarjuna the founder of Mahayana Buddhism, Apasthamba the celebrated author of sutras, the reputed logician Dignaga, and others. A university of merit flourished in Amaravati. 

India The Boss (thehindu.com)

The Buddhist burial mounds (stupas) and carvings of Amaravati and Nagarjunakonda are reflected in the Ajanta cave complex. Their empires stretched from India to Nepal in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. 

Telugus gave India the era of Salivahana, who colonized the west coast of Burma. 

Andhra’s oldest communities are said to date back to 500 BCE, as mentioned in Aitareya Brahmana literature. Buddhist "Rebirth Tales" (jatakas) show that their reign extended from the river Telavaha in the central province to the present Telangana region and to Tirupati in the south. 

  
The Hatigumpha inscription of Kharvela (180 BCE) indicates that the powerful Satavahana Dynasty established by Srimukha ruled over the Deccanin the last quarter of the third century. The Mughals invaded these lands after the rule of Chalukyas, Satavahanas, and Kakatiyas. 

Greater India (Maha Bharat) before partition

People in the region gradually developed their language, literature, and culture. Enterprising rulers -- Pallavas of Kanchi, Rayas of Vijayanagara, and Nayakas of Tanjore and Madurai -- were all Telugus. 

 

According to Prof. Dubreuil, the Pallava Prince Mahendravarman ruled the Telugu region; rock-cut temples were commissioned by him in Kanchi along the lines of buildings in Amaravati.

These kings not only acquired political identity but also patronized great architecture. The literature from the time of Hala down to Vijayanagara was enriched by poets in their royal courts. 

Works based on the Puranas and epics by Nannaya down to Ketana, Nachana, Pothana, and Srinatha enriched their  literature. Ships sailed from the Krishna and Godavari rivers to distant Burma, Indo-China, and Java (Indonesia), all indicated on coins that Satavahana and Pallava princes minted.

The later period of Krishnadevaraya, who ruled most of the south with Vijayanagara as his capital, bore a great history that is still cherished. More

• TIBET-IN-EXILE: Dharmasala, India Festival
• Iran warns off foreign planes overhead

Beloved monk leaves California monastery

Ajahn Amaro leaves Abhayagiri Monastery

Special to the Ukiah Daily Journal

Ajahn Amaro, the founding abbot of California's Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley, will be moving to England this month to fill the role as abbot of Amaravati Monastery near London.

Since moving to Redwood Valley in 1996, Amaro has been generous in sharing the teachings of the Buddha with our local community. He has offered many classes, guided meditations, and daylong mini-retreats at the monastery as well as at Yoga Mendocino in town. Larry Restel, an investment adviser from Ukiah, first met Amaro in 1990 in England:

"I've seen him grow up as a monk. He feels like a brother to me," Restel said. "He's always been amazing. When he gives one of his well-known talks, if he has to finish by ten o'clock, he'll be finished at ten. He weaves his stories so intricately, with so many different branches, but when there's only a minute to go he ties up all the knots. The tradition with Theravada Buddhist monastics is that people keep coming and going. So to me it seems natural that he's heading to England."

Amaro, who was born in England and just two years ago gained American citizenship, enjoys talking about the environment. He notes that the weather seems to be reversing between these two countries. "This year, Mendocino County, cold and rainy, experienced what we once thought of as being English weather," Amaro said.

"My sister, a gardener back in England, recently reported that once-green fields are already parched from too much sun, certainly what we in Mendocino County consider to be our weather." Although he is looking forward to seeing the seasons change, Amaro has mixed feelings about leaving Abhayagiri. More>>

Life outside the monastery

• Could MBAs be the answer to monks' prayers?
• Burma rebels to walk free after 12 years in Indian jail
  (BBC) A group of 34 Burmese rebels held in an Indian jail for 12 years have entered a plea bargain in a Calcutta court to pave the way for their release.
• India: Protesters, police face off on streets of Kashmir
• China: Beijing starts gating, locking migrant villages
• Ireland: Belfast leaders decry youths' zeal for rioting
• Africa: 5 die in new religious violence in Nigeria
• Libyan ship carrying aid for Gaza heads for Egypt

Jesus through Buddhist eyes

Ajahn Candasiri ©

Ajahn Candasiri is a senior nun at the Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in Hertfordshire.

• Listen to Ajahn Candasiri's talk (13:31 mins)
  Lent Talks: Jesus through Buddhist eyes, 2002, BBC Radio 4

His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, speaking to a capacity audience in the Albert Hall in 1984 united his listeners instantly with one simple statement: "All beings want to be happy; they want to avoid pain and suffering." I was impressed at how he was able to touch what we share as human beings. He affirmed our common humanity, without in any way dismissing the obvious differences.

When invited to look at Jesus through Buddhist eyes, I had imagined that I would use a "compare and contrast" approach, rather like a school essay. I was brought up as a Christian and turned to Buddhism in my early thirties, so of course I have ideas about both traditions: the one I grew up in and turned aside from, and the one I adopted and continue to practise within. But after re-reading some of the gospel stories, I would like to meet Jesus again with fresh eyes, and to examine the extent to which he and the Buddha were in fact offering the same guidance, even though the traditions of Christianity and Buddhism can appear in the surface to be rather different.

• Buddhanet -- a critique of fundamentalist Christianity (PDF file)
• Was Jesus a Buddhist? (Buddhist-Christian Studies)
• Jesus through Hindu eyes

A little about how I came to be a Buddhist nun

Having tried with sincerity to approach my Christian journey in a way that was meaningful within the context of everyday life, I had reached a point of deep weariness and despair. I was weary with the apparent complexity of it all; despair had arisen because I was not able to find any way of working with the less helpful states that would creep, unbidden, into the mind: the worry, jealousy, grumpiness, and so on. And even positive states could turn around and transform themselves into pride or conceit, which were of course equally unwanted.

Eventually, I met Ajahn Sumedho, an American-born Buddhist monk, who had just arrived in England after training for ten years in Thailand. His teacher was Ajahn Chah, a Thai monk of the Forest Tradition who, in spite of little formal education, won the hearts of many thousands of people, including a significant number of Westerners. I attended a ten-day retreat at Oakenholt Buddhist Centre, near Oxford, and sat in agony on a mat on the floor of the draughty meditation hall, along with about 40 other retreatants of different shapes and sizes. In front of us was Ajahn Sumedho, who presented the teachings and guided us in meditation, with three other monks. More>>