What does the Larger Pureland Sutra have to say about multi-faith work
Sunday, 20. April 2008, 20:33:22
As a spiritual practitioner part of our practice is to maintain good relations with other religious groups. The surprising thing for most people is that this practice is actually supported textually in the Pureland Buddhist tradition. It is quite natural to assume that religious scriptures are not about work in a multi-faith world, however, my teacher has pointed out that there are many passages in the Larger Pureland Sutra, one of our core texts, that promote interfaith activities.
The term Buddha means one who is 'awakened' and in the following passages one can take Buddha to mean any one of the important figures in any of the religions in the history of mankind, to name just a few off the top of my head; Jesus, Mohammad, Guru Nanak, Baha'u'llah, etc. Anyone really who carries and exemplifies a 'good' and 'upright' character and who lives up to all the ideals of what I think of when I think of religion; love, wisdom, ethics, and faith (hmmm, funny how my list of historical figures only contains men).
The term Bodhisattva can be taken to mean any follower of any religion found on this planet. It includes real people who have devoted their lives to serving the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged such as Mother Theresa and many many others (the list is too long but I had to include at least one woman).
The following passages are the ones that I think pertain to the cultivation and importance of interfaith work and activity:
In the actual vows that the protagonist in the sutra makes, there are quite a few that have to do with revering all the Buddhas, going to different 'faith' communities, and making offerings that would be acceptable to that respective community.
[The 22nd Vow - Bodhisattva Path] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, all those reborn in my Pure Land are not only one more rebirth away from complete nirvana, except for those who choose otherwise and adopt bodhisattva vows:
who don the armour of great vows for the welfare of the whole world,
who are single-mindedly devoted to the well-being of all,
who are dedicated to bringing all living beings to spiritual maturity,
who travel freely to practise the bodhisattva practice in all worlds,
who wish to serve and revere all Buddhas,
who instruct, lead and transform beings as numerous as sand grains in the Ganges, and
who cultivate the virtues of Samantabhadra.
[The 23rd Vow - Respect for Other Sanghas] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the bodhisattvas of my land, moved by the Buddha’s power, cannot honour and revere all Buddhas everywhere in any part of the universe and do so in no more time than it takes to eat a morning meal.
[The 24th Vow - Respect for the Ways of Other Sanghas] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the bodhisattvas of my land should not manifest their roots of merit and offerings before other Buddhas in forms entirely conforming to what is acceptable and desirable to those Buddhas.
[The 27th Vow - Unmeasurable Splendour] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the devas and humans of my land should, even with the divine eye, be able to fathom and know, by name or number, all the vast extent and diversity of resplendent forms and appearances of objects in that land.
[The 31st Vow - Mirror of All Buddha Lands] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, my land does not have mirror purity such that the lands of all other Buddhas, inconceivably countless, throughout the ten directions, are completely reflected in it.
[The 37th Vow - Faith Inspires Respect] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, beings in all Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my name, prostrate in faith, rejoice and adopt the bodhisattva way shall not be respected by humans and devas throughout all worlds.
[The 42nd Vow - The Samadhi in which All Buddhas and Buddha Lands Stand Before One] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, bodhisattvas of Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my name should not be able to attain the auspicious samadhi in which all the Buddhas and Buddha lands stand before them and they experience themselves making offerings to them all.
[The 45th Vow - Samadhi of Universal Equality] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, bodhisattvas of Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my Name should not attain the Samadhi of Universal Equality, and, in that state, be conscious of the innumerable, inconceivable Tathagatas.
--------------------------
[The bodhisattvas of Amitayus] *
80. [116] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“All the bodhisattvas in the land of Amitayus will ultimately reach the stage of Once Returners, the only exception being those who have made and resolved upon the great and meritorious vow to return many times for the sake of sentient beings.
81. [117] “Ananda, each shravaka in Amitayus’ Buddha Land has a halo of light of at least one fathom around his body. The light of the bodhisattvas shines hundreds of leagues. [118] That of the two most majestic bodhisattvas reaches thousands of millions of miles reaching everywhere.”
82. Ananda asked:
“What are the names of those two bodhisattvas?”
The Buddha replied:
“One is called Quan Shi Yin. The other is called Tai Shih Chih. They both practised as bodhisattvas here in this my Buddha Land and then were reborn by transformation into that Buddha Land of Amida Tathagata.
85. [121] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“The bodhisattvas of Amitayus’ land, moved by that Buddha’s majestic presence, go out into the innumerable regions of the cosmos, yet return in time for their meal. Everywhere they go they make offerings to Buddhas, world Honoured Ones: flowers, incense, music, canopies, banners, all appearing as if by magic, instantly and precisely in response to their thought. [122] These offerings are rare and marvellous, like nothing in this world, As these offerings are made they remain suspended in space and turn into flowers - great canopies of blossom filling the sky. The colours are dazzling and the fragrance pervades everywhere. Each flower is four hundred miles round. Hanging there they gradually expand until the universe of infinite worlds is completely covered. As new ones appear old ones disappear. The bodhisattvas, themselves also suspended in space, are all delighted, laugh, clap, play music, make wonderful sounds and praises, singing with their exquisite voices of all the superlative qualities of the Buddhas. They listen to the Dharma, worship all the Buddhas, and then return home before their meal.
88. [125] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“The bodhisattvas of that land expound the Dharma whenever it is appropriate to do so and so do with complete, unerring and enlightened wisdom.”
89. [126] Toward the ten thousand things in that land, they have no thought of attachment or possessiveness. Coming and going, advancing or retiring, they act without attachment. Their wishes and their reality are always coincident; they are free and in command; nothing displeasing occurs for them. [127] They do not think in terms of self and others and so have no sense of rivalry or competition. They have the heart of great compassion, the will to benefit all beings. They are tender and tame. They bear no resentment, no enmity. Being free of mental hindrances they are pure and reliable, unbiassed, noble, sincere and steady. In their hearts they revere, delight and rejoice in the Dharma. They extinguish the passions as they arise and so are free from all tendency to fall into the lower realms. [128] So these are bodhisattvas of limitless virtue, accomplished in all that a bodhisattva should be. They tame their hearts by the Dharma of Buddha, generating samadhi and siddhi, realisations and insights, and all the seven factors of enlightenment.
90. [129] With the physical eye they see clearly, discriminating without error;
with the divine eye they reach everywhere;
with the Dharma eye they have insight and understand the ways of Buddhas and bodhisattvas;
with the wisdom eye they see Truth and so attain the Other Shore;
with the Buddha eye they see the true nature of all dharmas;
with unhindered wisdom they expound the Dharma to others;
with the eye of equality they see past, present and future empty and unreal.
95. [134] Their envy is gone: they do not feel ill when others are superior. Their joy is in seeking the Dharma, pursuit of which they never tire. They love to expound it, never wearying. Strike the Dharma Drum! Raise the Dharma Banner! Shine forth the Dharma Sun! Dispel the gloom of avidya!
96. They cultivate the six harmonious relations and the Dharma gift shows in all that they do. Strong and diligent they do no falter. They are a lamp to the world and a supreme field of merit, always acting as wise teachers, free of greed and hate, delighting only in finding the right path, unconcerned with anything else. They extract the thorn of passion and bring peace to the throng of beings. Their extraordinary virtue inspires the respect of all.
99. They have revered, worshipped and made offerings to innumerable Buddhas;
They have been praised by them;
They have mastered the paramitas;
They have practised the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness and desirelessness;
They have entered the samadhi gate of non-arising and non-ceasing;
They have left the stages of pratyekabuddhas and shravakas behind.
100. [137] Ananda, the bodhisattvas of that land are endowed with such innumerable virtues as these. Yet my description of them is only a brief outline. A fuller account could fill a thousand million kalpas and still be incomplete.”
The term Buddha means one who is 'awakened' and in the following passages one can take Buddha to mean any one of the important figures in any of the religions in the history of mankind, to name just a few off the top of my head; Jesus, Mohammad, Guru Nanak, Baha'u'llah, etc. Anyone really who carries and exemplifies a 'good' and 'upright' character and who lives up to all the ideals of what I think of when I think of religion; love, wisdom, ethics, and faith (hmmm, funny how my list of historical figures only contains men).
The term Bodhisattva can be taken to mean any follower of any religion found on this planet. It includes real people who have devoted their lives to serving the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged such as Mother Theresa and many many others (the list is too long but I had to include at least one woman).
The following passages are the ones that I think pertain to the cultivation and importance of interfaith work and activity:
In the actual vows that the protagonist in the sutra makes, there are quite a few that have to do with revering all the Buddhas, going to different 'faith' communities, and making offerings that would be acceptable to that respective community.
[The 22nd Vow - Bodhisattva Path] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, all those reborn in my Pure Land are not only one more rebirth away from complete nirvana, except for those who choose otherwise and adopt bodhisattva vows:
who don the armour of great vows for the welfare of the whole world,
who are single-mindedly devoted to the well-being of all,
who are dedicated to bringing all living beings to spiritual maturity,
who travel freely to practise the bodhisattva practice in all worlds,
who wish to serve and revere all Buddhas,
who instruct, lead and transform beings as numerous as sand grains in the Ganges, and
who cultivate the virtues of Samantabhadra.
[The 23rd Vow - Respect for Other Sanghas] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the bodhisattvas of my land, moved by the Buddha’s power, cannot honour and revere all Buddhas everywhere in any part of the universe and do so in no more time than it takes to eat a morning meal.
[The 24th Vow - Respect for the Ways of Other Sanghas] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the bodhisattvas of my land should not manifest their roots of merit and offerings before other Buddhas in forms entirely conforming to what is acceptable and desirable to those Buddhas.
[The 27th Vow - Unmeasurable Splendour] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, the devas and humans of my land should, even with the divine eye, be able to fathom and know, by name or number, all the vast extent and diversity of resplendent forms and appearances of objects in that land.
[The 31st Vow - Mirror of All Buddha Lands] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, my land does not have mirror purity such that the lands of all other Buddhas, inconceivably countless, throughout the ten directions, are completely reflected in it.
[The 37th Vow - Faith Inspires Respect] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, beings in all Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my name, prostrate in faith, rejoice and adopt the bodhisattva way shall not be respected by humans and devas throughout all worlds.
[The 42nd Vow - The Samadhi in which All Buddhas and Buddha Lands Stand Before One] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, bodhisattvas of Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my name should not be able to attain the auspicious samadhi in which all the Buddhas and Buddha lands stand before them and they experience themselves making offerings to them all.
[The 45th Vow - Samadhi of Universal Equality] *
Oh Blessed One, may I not come to the complete awakening if, when I have done so, bodhisattvas of Buddha lands throughout the ten directions who listen to my Name should not attain the Samadhi of Universal Equality, and, in that state, be conscious of the innumerable, inconceivable Tathagatas.
--------------------------
[The bodhisattvas of Amitayus] *
80. [116] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“All the bodhisattvas in the land of Amitayus will ultimately reach the stage of Once Returners, the only exception being those who have made and resolved upon the great and meritorious vow to return many times for the sake of sentient beings.
81. [117] “Ananda, each shravaka in Amitayus’ Buddha Land has a halo of light of at least one fathom around his body. The light of the bodhisattvas shines hundreds of leagues. [118] That of the two most majestic bodhisattvas reaches thousands of millions of miles reaching everywhere.”
82. Ananda asked:
“What are the names of those two bodhisattvas?”
The Buddha replied:
“One is called Quan Shi Yin. The other is called Tai Shih Chih. They both practised as bodhisattvas here in this my Buddha Land and then were reborn by transformation into that Buddha Land of Amida Tathagata.
85. [121] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“The bodhisattvas of Amitayus’ land, moved by that Buddha’s majestic presence, go out into the innumerable regions of the cosmos, yet return in time for their meal. Everywhere they go they make offerings to Buddhas, world Honoured Ones: flowers, incense, music, canopies, banners, all appearing as if by magic, instantly and precisely in response to their thought. [122] These offerings are rare and marvellous, like nothing in this world, As these offerings are made they remain suspended in space and turn into flowers - great canopies of blossom filling the sky. The colours are dazzling and the fragrance pervades everywhere. Each flower is four hundred miles round. Hanging there they gradually expand until the universe of infinite worlds is completely covered. As new ones appear old ones disappear. The bodhisattvas, themselves also suspended in space, are all delighted, laugh, clap, play music, make wonderful sounds and praises, singing with their exquisite voices of all the superlative qualities of the Buddhas. They listen to the Dharma, worship all the Buddhas, and then return home before their meal.
88. [125] The Buddha said to Ananda:
“The bodhisattvas of that land expound the Dharma whenever it is appropriate to do so and so do with complete, unerring and enlightened wisdom.”
89. [126] Toward the ten thousand things in that land, they have no thought of attachment or possessiveness. Coming and going, advancing or retiring, they act without attachment. Their wishes and their reality are always coincident; they are free and in command; nothing displeasing occurs for them. [127] They do not think in terms of self and others and so have no sense of rivalry or competition. They have the heart of great compassion, the will to benefit all beings. They are tender and tame. They bear no resentment, no enmity. Being free of mental hindrances they are pure and reliable, unbiassed, noble, sincere and steady. In their hearts they revere, delight and rejoice in the Dharma. They extinguish the passions as they arise and so are free from all tendency to fall into the lower realms. [128] So these are bodhisattvas of limitless virtue, accomplished in all that a bodhisattva should be. They tame their hearts by the Dharma of Buddha, generating samadhi and siddhi, realisations and insights, and all the seven factors of enlightenment.
90. [129] With the physical eye they see clearly, discriminating without error;
with the divine eye they reach everywhere;
with the Dharma eye they have insight and understand the ways of Buddhas and bodhisattvas;
with the wisdom eye they see Truth and so attain the Other Shore;
with the Buddha eye they see the true nature of all dharmas;
with unhindered wisdom they expound the Dharma to others;
with the eye of equality they see past, present and future empty and unreal.
95. [134] Their envy is gone: they do not feel ill when others are superior. Their joy is in seeking the Dharma, pursuit of which they never tire. They love to expound it, never wearying. Strike the Dharma Drum! Raise the Dharma Banner! Shine forth the Dharma Sun! Dispel the gloom of avidya!
96. They cultivate the six harmonious relations and the Dharma gift shows in all that they do. Strong and diligent they do no falter. They are a lamp to the world and a supreme field of merit, always acting as wise teachers, free of greed and hate, delighting only in finding the right path, unconcerned with anything else. They extract the thorn of passion and bring peace to the throng of beings. Their extraordinary virtue inspires the respect of all.
99. They have revered, worshipped and made offerings to innumerable Buddhas;
They have been praised by them;
They have mastered the paramitas;
They have practised the samadhis of emptiness, signlessness and desirelessness;
They have entered the samadhi gate of non-arising and non-ceasing;
They have left the stages of pratyekabuddhas and shravakas behind.
100. [137] Ananda, the bodhisattvas of that land are endowed with such innumerable virtues as these. Yet my description of them is only a brief outline. A fuller account could fill a thousand million kalpas and still be incomplete.”
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I once had an experience that enlightenment and faith were the same thing. It was a kind of dream. I saw grass, like a lawn. Just lots of bright green grass. And I understood that enlightenment and faith are the same, but that faith is nothing to do with 'belief'.
By quentinscrisp, # 4. May 2008, 00:44:33
By Susthama, # 4. May 2008, 19:11:11
By quentinscrisp, # 4. May 2008, 22:34:33
By Susthama, # 5. May 2008, 20:44:08
By quentinscrisp, # 5. May 2008, 20:54:42
What I would hope is that people from different religions continue to deepen their understanding of their own religious traditions whilst broadening their interests so that they don't just end up digging a deep and narrow canyon for themselves.
My general sense from my work in multi-faith arenas is that the religious sentiment is what most of us have in common. And so we can come together on that basis and part company when certain practices or doctrines differ too much.
By Susthama, # 5. May 2008, 21:10:21