The Essence of Teachings on Amitabha Pure Land
1. Where is the real Pure Land?
Actually, the real Amitabha Pure Land is within us. That is our true nature.
Because of ignorance we do not recognize our true nature. We do not recognize all these enlightened qualities. Therefore ignorance, helped by aversion and craving, creates illusion-like samsara, right here and now.
In a big house, there may be a crystal or glass chandelier. When the sunlight touches that glass, from the glass or crystal we see rainbow light and many various lights.
It is similar to our Buddha nature: the real Buddha within us manifests outward as the kayas – Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya. These are the enlightened beings and their environment is Pure Land. All these are pure manifestations of our Buddha nature.
2. Through ignorance you will see samsara
When we don’t recognize our true nature, that is ignorance.
It is through the ‘filter’ of ignorance that samsara manifests!
Normally I give the example of a flame or light in the room. We cover the flame with a glass cover. That glass has scary images like crocodiles, snakes, ghosts, tigers, or whatever. What we see, then, is a room with projections of scary images.
Actually, all these scary images are just images, just light. They are not real tigers or snakes, but they appear as if they were real.
Similarly, when we do not recognize our true nature right now, then that ignorance manifests as samsara.
The six realms are manifestations of the six defilements or kleshas.
Hence:
(a) Anger manifests as the hell realm;
(b) Stinginess manifests as the hungry ghost realm;
(c) Ignorance manifests as the animal realm;
(d) Desire manifests as the human realm;
(e) Jealousy manifests as the demi-god realm; and
(f) Pride manifests as the god realm.
These six realms are manifestations from our own mind.
3. Amitabha Pure Land is a manifestation of the pure transformation of desire
When we recognize the nature of these six kleshas, they will become six wisdoms. Then they are the manifestation of Buddha kayas and pure realms.
The five Buddha families, plus Vajrasattva, becomes a total of six. All these are the pure manifestations – the wisdom manifestation. Amitabha is one of the six Buddhas.
Amitabha Pure Land is the transformation of desire. When we recognize the nature of desire, then it will transform into wisdom. We call it Discernment Wisdom. The Discernment Wisdom manifestation is Amitabha Pure Land.
Where is the Amitabha Pure Realm? It does not have a physical location. Actually, it’s our true nature, and it is within us. But when it manifests outside, there is like an external Amitabha Pure Realm and Amitabha.
Source: Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (Nov 26, 2020)
Tergar Asia — November 27, 2020
Actually, the real Amitabha Pure Land is within us. That is our true nature.
Because of ignorance we do not recognize our true nature. We do not recognize all these enlightened qualities. Therefore ignorance, helped by aversion and craving, creates illusion-like samsara, right here and now.
(Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche)