Adorn yourself not with the gems of this world 

but with those of the Western Pure Land. 

In samsara, people have long adorned themselves and their dwellings with precious metals and gems. The more good fortune they had, the more wealth they acquired, the more gold, silver, etc. they could amass.

Precious metals and gems, including gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and crystal, exist in the Western Pure Land too. But in that land, they are enjoyed by all and are not mere compounded elements. In that land, they are virtues. Arising from Amitabha Buddha’s mind and the minds of all the beings there, the virtues are so prolific they manifest everywhere. 

Which virtues?

Permanence, which occurs when beings use their pure mind.

Joy, which arises from practicing and learning daily.

True self, which is to control one’s thoughts and, thus, attain great freedom.

And purity, the mind free of attachments.

Why seek to possess physical gems for a few brief years, when in the Pure Land, we will permanently attain real gems?

After We Become a Buddha

Question: After we become a Buddha in the Western Pure Land, do we create our own pure land and help people? Or do we we stay in the Pure Land and help people from there?" 

Response: When we are still practicing in the Pure Land as Bodhisattvas, we can have (1) reward body that stays in the Pure Land to learn from Amitabha Buddha and (2) manifestation body that can be anywhere we need to be to help beings.

After one becomes a Buddha in the Pure Land, one may continue to assist Amitabha Buddha in teaching beings and also manifest in any of the Ten Dharma Realms to help beings.

Do we need to create another Pure Land to help beings?

It depends on what one's causal vows (vows made when one is a Bodhisattva cultivating to become a Buddha) are. When one becomes a Buddha, one's causal vows will be fulfilled. One can also vow to help all beings become Buddhas by teaching them to attain rebirth into Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land. Since the Pure Land is the best school there is to help beings to become Buddhas, it is not necessary to create another Pure Land. Actually, the Pure Land is a manifestation of the pure mind. When our minds are pure, though we are here on Earth, we are already in the Pure Land. All Buddhas help Amitabha Buddha to help beings become a Buddha.

Do We Come Back From the Pure Land to Help Others?

Question: When we born in Pure Land, do we come back to to the world to help others?

Response: The first of the Four Great Vows is "Sentient beings are innumerable, I vow to help them all." We go to the Pure Land not just to end our own suffering, but to help all beings end theirs.

This vow becomes the underlying inspiration for our cultivation, practice, and learning.

In the Pure Land, we learn all the different methods to be able to skillfully and wisely help others. We are thus able to come back to this world, and to others, to help those we have affinities with. We do so through the strength of our vows, not the pull of our karma. Our true being remains in the Pure Land when we come back so we are never separated from the Pure Land and run no risk of again being lost in samsara.

This way we always continue to progress towards Buddhahood and help others progress as well.

I Understand and Appreciate . . . But . . .

Question:

I understand the "theory" of Pureland Buddhism, and can logically appreciate it, but I have a very hard time believing in the literal descriptions of the Pureland in the sutras, and to a great extent, believing in a literal Amitabha (and other bodhisattvas). 

Response:

As Venerable Master Chin Kung has explained, the Amitabha Sutra is a condensation of the Infinite Life Sutra, which is a condensation of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Thomas Cleary’s translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra is about 1600 pages. We can only imagine the difficulty of trying to condense 1600 pages into a dozen pages!

The Buddha was trying to describe for future ordinary, unawakened beings a wonderful and pure land. But he knew this land was beyond our ability to visualize even if he elaborately described it to us. It would have been like trying to describe a color to a person who was color blind. And so the Buddha used terms and imagery that we were familiar with, knowing that with the passage of time, wise masters would study, learn, and practice the sutra and its teachings. They would then explain what the Buddha was speaking of to those who were less accomplished.

They would explain that the golden ground symbolized purity, unlike the dirt in our world that can become muddy or rock hard. That the four precious jewels represent the four qualities of enlightenment: permanence, joy, true self, and purity, unlike the “jewels” in our world that often represent greed. That the ability to wish for clothing or food actually means that everything is as one desires so there is no anger that someone else has something and I don’t.

So to truly appreciate and believe the sutra, we need to study and learn it, and practice its teachings. Fortunately, we have Great Master Ouyi’s commentary titled Mind-Seal of the Buddhas, which has been translated by J. C. Cleary to study. The master explained in terms that people today can understand the symbolism in the sutra. A copy of the book is available here.

As for believing in a literal Amitabha, Sakyamuni Buddha, our historical Buddha, spoke of the Pure Land and/or Amitabha Buddha in over 200 sutras. Believing in the Buddha who lived in our world 3000 years ago and believing he only spoke the truth would, to me, logically lead to believing what he said. And he spoke of Amitabha Buddha and the Western Pure Land. If we believe the Buddha was enlightened and his wisdom was perfect, how could he have spoken so much about a Buddha and a land that does not exist?