Showing posts with label Mahayana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mahayana. Show all posts
Mortality, Pure Land Practice and Parinirvana: Does the Mind Ever End?
Soh



(Read below for the prompt I used to generate Sukhavati image above using Google Gemini)


Context (paraphrased)

A friend facing worsening health reflected on death and the after-life. They noticed a thought—“I’ll be seeing you all soon”—and questioned whether that’s really how it works. They reasoned that no-self doesn’t necessarily mean no individuality: just as a room can be empty of cows, an individuality can be empty of a self. Perhaps a mind-stream continues, maybe even through a personalized after-death experience. Recently they’ve felt “divine energy,” dream-like intimations of welcoming figures (angels, avatars, archetypes) and a sense of being received “Home.”


They’ve also been contemplating Pure Land Buddhism—not as a permanent escape from samsara, but as a way to avoid involuntary rebirth. From where they stand, the human world feels like “hell” (dukkha), yet there is also stillness amid activity; “both this and that.” They wonder if liberation is experienced differently for different systems, and they’re struck by how medical hardships sometimes catalyze awakening.

My Response

I’ve encountered Tārā, Avalokiteśvara, and other beings. Many others likewise encountered various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in visions. I’m personally convinced that Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and various presences exist—both in this realm and beyond. If Pure Land resonates, I encourage exploring it.

Although Western nondual circles often emphasize Advaita-style inquiry, there are bridges. For example, Greg Goode (well known in Western nonduality) also studied Pure Land and Madhyamaka within Master Yin-Shun’s lineage, which shows there’s serious cross-pollination between these worlds. Stillness Speaks

For a deep, authoritative treatment of Pure Land, I recommend Grandmaster Ōuyi Zhìxū’s classic commentary on the Amitābha Sūtra (English tr. J. C. Cleary). You can read it online or as a PDF:

A Note of Encouragement

May your reflections be supported by wisdom and compassion. If Pure Land practice speaks to you, even simple, sincere nianfo (recitation of Amituofo) with the aspiration for rebirth in the Sukhavati pure land can be a profound anchor—especially when health is fragile. Grandmaster Ōuyi’s commentary beautifully situates faith, vow, and practice within the Mahāyāna path. Urban Dharma+1

Namo Amituofo.

Further Reading


The Friend then wrote: "ome measures of health/symptoms have worsened over the past several days... {Details snipped} ...I went back to the recordings of a Phowa training and practice retreat I took 4 months ago, intending to practice now. So much specialized Tibetan Buddhist languaging and frameworks and visualizations and etc.... I cannot use the intellectual recall that helps me remember and bridge into what they're meaning or pointing to. Just one paragraph, and oy! It doesn't resonate at the heart level, so I've dropped it. I won't try to make myself do it. It's all just conceptual, anyway. Practice-wise, I'm going for the low-hanging fruit, what's resonant and helpful moment by moment. Letting the inner teacher be my guide."

Soh replied: 


"I’m sorry to hear that your health is not getting better. I want to share a simple, steady path that many elders and those who are very ill have leaned on: single-minded recitation of “Namo Amitābha” with a clear wish for rebirth in the Pure Land.


In Taiwan there’s a respected Chan–Pure Land teacher, Master Huilü (慧律法師). He has realised all the insights discussed in AtR, such as anatman, total exertion and emptiness. John Tan and I both think highly of him and his teachings. He is also the lineage holder of both Linji and Caodong school of Chan/Zen. His teaching on sutras are very complete (he has read the entire tripitaka - all the sutras, commentaries and teachings of Buddha, at least three times) and also draws on the Chan traditions (Linji/Caodong currents) while placing Pure Land practice front-and-center for people in difficult conditions. His own temple describes their approach as “Pure Land as the main focus, while being inclusive of other schools.”

Below are a few concise lines from Master Huilü that speak directly to this time:
1. 「念佛法門是老少咸宜。只要專心持誦『南無阿彌陀佛』。」
“The Buddha-name practice suits young and old. Just single-mindedly recite ‘Namo Amitābha.’”
2. 「年歲大了……七十歲：七分念佛、三分聽經；八十歲：八分念佛、兩分聽經。」
“When older… At 70: 70% recitation, 30% listening to sutras; at 80: 80% recitation, 20% listening to sutras.”
3. 「找來找去，還是念佛最穩當！」
“After looking everywhere, reciting the Buddha-name is still the surest way!”
4. 「臨命終那一念是最重要……因此臨命終要執持佛號。」
“That single thought at life’s end is most important… so at the end, hold to the Buddha-name.”
5. （臨終關懷要點）「放下萬緣，至誠念佛，往生極樂。」
“(At the end) let go of everything, sincerely recite the Name, and aspire for rebirth in the Land of Bliss.”
6. （發願往生）「先要明瞭發願往生淨土的意義和目的……然後發起歡欣喜悅之心。」
“First understand the meaning of vowing for rebirth in the Pure Land… then arouse a joyful heart.”

If elaborate visualizations feel heavy right now, Master Huilü keeps it very simple: clear, unhurried recitation of “Namo Amitābha,” guarding that one thought, with family or friends softly supporting if helpful.

I’d also like to recommend this channel that shares clear Pure Land guidance and many moving and miraculous testimonies of rebirth: https://youtube.com/@purelandbuddhism?si=D2UnIjcndGSphyK0
...

Master Huilü: Honest Recitation of the Buddha’s Name, Concentrating the Mind in One Place

(2011-02-13)

If someone were to ask me: “Master, I’m already in my seventies and could pass away at any time. It’s too late for me to engage in Chan meditation and awaken to the Way, and I don’t have much time to visit wise teachers. Could you tell me which method of practice is the fastest and most direct?”

I would tell him: In fact, it isn’t only those approaching death who can recite the Buddha’s name—anyone can cultivate this Dharma-gate. The Buddha-name recitation method is suitable for both the young and the old. One need only single-mindedly recite the Six-Character Great Name—“Namo Amitābha.”

When reciting the Buddha’s name, you must recite clearly and distinctly. Do not rush for speed or chase numbers so that the Buddha-name runs together and the syllables can no longer be distinguished, reciting on and on like that. In such a way, the mind cannot be gathered, and of course it will be of no help to cultivation. Therefore, recite neither hurried nor sluggish, with utter clarity and precision—only then will there be accomplishment.

There is nothing exotic in cultivating the Path; the only secret is a long, steady flow—no mixing, no interruption—just go straight on. If you take the Pure Land Dharma-gate as your main practice, Master Yinguang taught us the following daily regimen:
In the morning, recite the Universal Gate chapter and chant the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī twenty-one times.
In the evening, recite the Sūtra Spoken by the Buddha on Amitābha, the six-character Buddha-name “Namo Amitābha,” and the holy name of Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva hundreds or thousands of times.

Practice should be focused—enter one gate deeply. Don’t practice this method today and another method tomorrow; in the end, you will not master any of them. There was an elderly layman who had not studied Buddhism and had never really had the causes and conditions to hear the Dharma. He had only heard that reciting the Buddha’s name was beneficial, so he took it up on his own like this: “Namo Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva; Namo Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.” One day, when he lay dying in bed, he suddenly did not know whether he should recite “Amitābha” or “Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva.” Although with sincerity and the power of vow one can also be reborn in the Western Pure Land, the efficacy is still not as great as single-mindedly upholding one sacred Buddha-name.

Therefore, ordinarily learning to train and control one’s mind is extremely important. In the Sūtra of the Buddha’s Bequeathed Teachings it is said: “Concentrate the mind in one place, and nothing will remain undone.” Even from a worldly perspective, if one can invest all of one’s energy, wisdom, emotion, and reason into doing one particular thing, success naturally comes more easily. Cultivation is of course the same: when the mind is focused in one place, immeasurable wisdom will be elicited.

Therefore, in reciting the Buddha’s name you must recite until ‘one-pointedness without distraction’; in this way, at the end of life, you will naturally be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss."


P.s. This discussion led to a question about what these beings fundamentally are.

Mr. A asked Soh Wei Yu:

I'm called to ask, what do you believe these beings to really be Soh?

Archetypal forms arising from your past karma? Passing impressions that your consciousness has organized into being something it recognizes? Or real beings?

Soh Wei Yu replied:

Mr. A They are conventionally real beings who used to be like us practicing on the path, then they attained Buddhahood.

Mindstreams do not cease upon Buddhahood (Theravadins may not agree).

Mr. A responded:

Soh Wei Yu - Thank you for responding.

This passage from ATR seems relevant: "Where does [the fire] go after the fire is blown out?... For what dependently originates does not come into being, and what ceases upon the ending of conditions has no destination, nor can it be said that a 'thing' has been 'annihilated'... Fire is empty of IT-ness. There is no fire-ness of fire"

Soh Wei Yu added:

Mr. A afflictive twelve links due to ignorance ceases, gnosis and unafflicted play of dependent origination never ceases conventionally. Although gnosis too is not taken as substantially existent.

The Nature of Nirvāṇa: Purification, Not a Place

To build upon the idea of an unceasing mindstream, the conversation turned to the Mahāyāna definition of Nirvāṇa—not as an end, but as a total purification.

Soh Wei Yu shared a post from Kyle Dixon:

In chapter 2, sections 69 through 80, The Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtra says:

Noble ones, the bodhisattva mahāsattvas know through these ten qualities that the Tathāgata Arhat Samyaksaṃbuddha correctly and truly teaches that there is a great passing into nirvāṇa.

What are these ten?

First, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas have completely eliminated the obscuration of the kleśas and the obscuration of knowledge.

Second, nirvāṇa means that the tathāgatas know that there is no self in the individual and no self in phenomena.

Third, nirvāṇa means that there is a transformation of the body and of qualities.

Fourth, nirvāṇa means that there is a spontaneous guidance of beings.

Fifth, nirvāṇa means that there is sameness in the dharmakāya because there is no differentiation of characteristics through the truth becoming manifest.

Sixth, nirvāṇa means that there is no duality between the nature of samsāra and nirvāṇa.

Seventh, nirvāṇa means that purity is manifested through the realization of the essence of phenomena.

Eighth, nirvāṇa means that there has been the skillful accomplishment of all phenomena being devoid of birth and devoid of destruction.

Ninth, nirvāṇa means that there is the attainment of the gnosis (jñāna) of the equality of the true nature, the dharmadhātu, and the ultimate conclusion.

Tenth, nirvāṇa means that there is the knowledge that there is no difference between the nature of all phenomena and the nature of nirvāṇa.

https://84000.co/translation/toh556

Soh Wei Yu also shared another quote from Kyle Dixon on the topic:

"Nirvana is just a total purification of the mindstream, not a place that is entered or departed from."

"Does the mind-stream continue after Parinirvana?

"Yes, it is unceasing. Nirvana etc., is only the total purification of the mindstream."

On the Nature of Dharmakāya

The discussion then touched upon the ultimate nature of reality itself, the Dharmakāya, challenging any notion of it being a substantially existent entity, which refines the understanding of the "unceasing mindstream."

Soh Wei Yu posted a dialogue involving Dzogchen teacher Acarya Malcolm Smith:

Malcolm wrote: Not even dharmakāya is "truly existent".

smcj wrote: There is not 100% agreement on that.

Malcolm wrote: People who think dharmakāya is truly existent are simply wrong, and suffer from an eternalist bias.

In reality the three kāyas are also conventions.

The Annihilationism Debate: "If Beginningless Then How to End?"

With a Mahāyāna view established, the conversation contrasted it with the interpretation—often attributed to some schools of Theravāda—that Parinirvāṇa is a complete cessation of consciousness.

Soh Wei Yu wrote:

John Tan too expressed disbelief at those who teach an annihilationist (actually many Theravadins think this way) view of parinibbana as a lights-out end of all awareness and mindstream: “I wonder how is one to teach a mind stream that can persist for eons of life, such immense and unimaginable life force can come to an end suddenly and he is still a 'physicist' in the past. Can't believe that.”

Another friend joked, “Michael Jackson will be an Arahant with his high use of propofol”

Another friend of his commented on this view: "At least it is accurate. Most interpret nibbana as cessation into nothing and nothing after parinibbana. It doesn't make sense. If beginningless then how to end."

This sentiment resonated with John Tan:

Haha yeah. This is the part that puzzles me.

Means one can get infinite rebirths and comes to an extinction. It puzzles me for many reasons, whether from physical science, spirituality, experiential or logical, I don't understand how one can come to that understanding.

Another friend added:

"That's why. I don't either. And if it is extinction that we are moving towards, what is the meaning? I mean, how is the path meaningful, if we practice for births after births just to achieve a state of anaesthesia"

John Tan concluded:

Yes but not only that. I am okay with people subscribing to the view of annihilation like the materialists or some (secular) Buddhists subscribing to the view of no-rebirth, but not infinite rebirths then complete annihilation.

The Mechanics of Cognition and Awareness

Finally, the dialogue pivoted to a granular analysis of consciousness, exploring the causal relationship between moments of awareness from a Dzogchen perspective.

Malcolm wrote:

There is no such thing as a universal undifferentiated ultimate awareness in Buddhadharma.

A user named PadmaVonSamba wrote:

I am not referring to cognition, rather, the causes of that cognition.

Malcolm replied:

Cognitions arise based on previous cognitions. That's all.

If you suggest anything other than this you wind up in Hindu La la land.

This led to a deeper exchange on causality and awareness:

Each moment in the continuum of a knowing clarity is neither the same as nor different than the previous moment. Hence the cause of a given instant of a knowing clarity cannot be construed to be itself nor can it be construed to be other than itself. This is the only version of causation which, in the final analysis, Buddhadharma can admit to on a relative level. It is the logical consequence of the Buddha's insight, "When this exists, that exists, with the arising of that, this arose."

PadmaVonSamba wrote:

I am talking about even the awareness of these four things [space, the two cessations and emptiness].

Malcolm responded:

Yes, I understand. All awarenesses are conditioned. There is no such thing as a universal undifferentiated ultimate awareness in Buddhadharma. Even the omniscience of a Buddha arises from a cause.

PadmaVonSamba pressed further:

isn't this cause, too, an object of awareness? Isn't there awareness of this cause? If awareness of this cause is awareness itself, then isn't this awareness of awareness? What causes awareness of awareness, if not awareness?

If awareness is the cause of awareness isn't it its own cause?

Malcolm clarified:

Omniscience is the content of a mind freed of afflictions. Even the continuum of a Buddha has a relative ground, i.e. a the rosary or string of moments of clarity is beginingless.

Origination from self is axiomatically negated in Buddhadharma.



Mr. A said:


Soh replied:

"Rebirth and continuity of consciousness is not a speculation for many practitioners, including the Buddha himself.


I discussed this in details in https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/07/on-supernatural-powers-or-siddhis.html

Also here's an excerpt from elsewhere: https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/12/reincarnation-without-soul.html

"Continuing consciousness after death is, in most religions, a matter of revealed truth. In Buddhism, the evidence comes from the contemplative experience of people who are certainly not ordinary but who are sufficiently numerous that what they say about it is worth taking seriously into account. Indeed, such testimonies begin with those of the Buddha himself.

Nevertheless, it’s important to understand that what’s called reincarnation in Buddhism has nothing to do with the transmigration of some ‘entity’ or other. It’s not a process of metempsychosis because there is no ‘soul’. As long as one thinks in terms of entities rather than function and continuity, it’s impossible to understand the Buddhist concept of rebirth. As it’s said, ‘There is no thread passing through the beads of the necklace of rebirths.’ Over successive rebirths, what is maintained is not the identity of a ‘person’, but the conditioning of a stream of consciousness.

Additionally, Buddhism speaks of successive states of existence; in other words, everything isn’t limited to just one lifetime. We’ve experienced other states of existence before our birth in this lifetime, and we’ll experience others after death. This, of course, leads to a fundamental question: is there a nonmaterial consciousness distinct from the body? It would be virtually impossible to talk about reincarnation without first examining the relationship between body and mind. Moreover, since Buddhism denies the existence of any self that could be seen as a separate entity capable of transmigrating from one existence to another by passing from one body to another, one might well wonder what it could be that links those successive states of existence together.

One could possibly understand it better by considering it as a continuum, a stream of consciousness that continues to flow without there being any fixed or autonomous entity running through it… Rather it could be likened to a river without a boat, or to a lamp flame that lights a second lamp, which in-turn lights a third lamp, and so on and so forth; the flame at the end of the process is neither the same flame as at the outset, nor a completely different one…"


The 'Unborn' as quoted in that sutta is also often misinterpreted. Not that you're making that mistake, I'm just using this opportunity to bring this up:

https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/01/the-deathless-in-buddhadharma.html

"Nana/Geoff: "“Firstly, while the translation of asaṃskṛta as “the unconditioned” is fairly common, it’s a rather poor translation that all too easily leads to reification. The term asaṃskṛta refers to a negation of conditioned factors, and the meaning is better conveyed by “not-conditioned.” Secondly, for Sautrāntika commentators, and many mahāyānika commentators as well, an analytical cessation (pratisaṃkhyānirodha) is a non-implicative negation (prasajyapratiṣedha), i.e. a negation that doesn’t imply the presence of some other entity, and therefore nirvāṇa simply refers to a cessation that terminates the defilements and fetters that are abandoned by the correct practice of the noble path. It doesn’t refer to an entity or state that is substantially existent (dravyasat).” "

Nana/Geoff: "One has to be careful with such descriptions which may seem to be pointing to some sort of truly existent "unconditioned ground." Nibbāna is the extinguishment of the mental outflows (āsavā). The liberated mind is measureless (appamāṇa). This is not a "state of oneness with all of existence." It's an absence of identification (anattatā). It's non-indicative (anidassana), unestablished (appatiṭṭha), and not-dependent (anissita). None of these adjectives entail any sort of metaphysical "ground of being" or "unconditioned absolute." They are all negations. An arahant has simply "gone out."

tiltbillings: "There is no "deathless." That is a bad translation leading to an objectification/reification of the idea of awakening. With awakening, there is no more rebirth, one is free from death. (31 words.)""

Loppon Namdrol/Malcolm: “When you have eradicated all afflictions which cause rebirth, this is all the deathlessness you need. No more birth, BAM! no more death.”

Buddha: "SN 43 Asaṅkhata Saṃyutta (1-44 combined & abridged):

And what, monks, is the not-fabricated (asaṅkhata)? The elimination of passion, the elimination of aggression, the elimination of delusion: this is called the not-fabricated.

And what, monks, is the not-inclined (anata)? The elimination of passion, the elimination of aggression, the elimination of delusion: this is called the not-inclined.

And what, monks, is the outflowless (anāsava)? The elimination of passion, the elimination of aggression, the elimination of delusion: this is called the outflowless."

etc (continued in https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2018/01/the-deathless-in-buddhadharma.html )


On recalling past lives (many in the AtR group also had similar experiences of recollecting past lives), the Buddha also said:

https://suttacentral.net/an3.58/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=plain&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

"When my mind had become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—I extended it toward recollection of past lives. I recollected many kinds of past lives. That is: one, two, three, four, five, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand rebirths; many eons of the world contracting, many eons of the world expanding, many eons of the world contracting and expanding. I remembered: ‘There, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn somewhere else. There, too, I was named this, my clan was that, I looked like this, and that was my food. This was how I felt pleasure and pain, and that was how my life ended. When I passed away from that place I was reborn here.’ And so I recollected my many kinds of past lives, with features and details.

When their mind has become immersed in samādhi like this—purified, bright, flawless, rid of corruptions, pliable, workable, steady, and imperturbable—they extend it toward knowledge of the death and rebirth of sentient beings. With clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds: ‘These dear beings did bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. They denounced the noble ones; they had wrong view; and they chose to act out of that wrong view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These dear beings, however, did good things by way of body, speech, and mind. They never denounced the noble ones; they had right view; and they chose to act out of that right view. When their body breaks up, after death, they’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm.’ And so, with clairvoyance that is purified and superhuman, they see sentient beings passing away and being reborn—inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, in a good place or a bad place. They understand how sentient beings pass on according to their deeds. This is the second knowledge that they attain. Ignorance is banished and knowledge has arisen; darkness is banished and light has arisen, as happens for a meditator who is diligent, keen, and resolute."



Excerpt from https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2025/03/what-does-ending-suffering-mean-why.html

John Tan, 2006: "Life is like a passing cloud, when it comes to an end, a hundred years is like yesterday, like a snap of a finger. If it is only about one life, it really doesn’t matter whether we are enlightened. The insight that the Blessed One has is not just about one life; countless lives we suffered, life after life, unending…Such is suffering.

It is not about logic or science and there is really no point arguing in this scientific age. Take steps in practice and experience the truth of Buddha’s words. Of the 3 dharma seals, the truth of ‘suffering’ to me is most difficult to experience in depth.

May all take Buddha’s words seriously."

Excerpt from https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2025/09/meeting-notes-with-john-tan-and-yin.html

John mentioned recalling rebirth should not be dismissed as “impressions.” Clear examples (like Sim Pern Chong) show credible past-life recall.
He recommended Dr. Ian Stevenson’s books and those of his students, who risked much to collect rigorous data on children’s past-life memories.
He felt people should respect such research rather than laugh at it.
For example, cases where children recalled leaving items hidden in previous lives, which were later verified, carry strong credibility.
He advised quoting such examples in the future.


...


There is a common misunderstanding of nibbana as some sort of blackout state, but based on what you said I don't think you are holding such views. It is rather a frequent misunderstanding of certain Theravadins. "Something that was never there to begin with cannot be annihilated. But this doesn't mean something is lost. It implies something much closer to infinite beauty, without obstruction. Beauty so beautiful there is no need for any beauty."

Yes. And the infinite beauty is also not some faraway wonderland but as direct and immediate as 'in the seen just the seen'.

I like how Geoff puts it:

https://www.awakeningtoreality.com/2012/09/great-resource-of-buddha-teachings.html

This is the freedom of absence which is revealed through the complete recognition of selflessness. Ud 1.10 Bāhiya Sutta:

‘The seen will be merely the seen, the heard will be merely the heard, the sensed will be merely the sensed, the known will be merely the known.’ This is how you should train, Bāhiya.

When, Bāhiya, for you the seen will be merely the seen, the heard will be merely the heard, the sensed will be merely the sensed, the known will be merely the known, then Bāhiya, you will not be that. When, Bāhiya, you are not that, then Bāhiya, you will not be there. When, Bāhiya, you are not there, then Bāhiya, you will be neither here nor beyond nor between-the-two. Just this is the end of unsatisfactoriness.

This is noble liberation which is the elimination of craving and clinging. MN 106 Āneñjasappāya Sutta:

This is death-free, namely, the liberation of mind through not clinging.
This is the effortless clarity of consciousness which is non-abiding and not established (appatiṭṭha viññāṇa). SN 22.53 Upaya Sutta:

When that consciousness is not established, not increasing, not concocting, it is liberated. Being liberated, it is steady. Being steady, it is content. Being content, he is not excited. Unexcited, he personally attains complete nibbāna. He discerns that, ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, done is what had to be done, there is nothing further here.’

There is no more seeking of any kind. There is no more personal agenda. There is no identifying with any phenomena or turning anything into a fixed reference point. There is no “here” nor “beyond” nor “between-the-two.”

The awakened mind is measureless (appamāṇacetasa), free from any sort of measuring (pamāṇa). In evocative terms, an awakened one is deep (gambhīra), boundless (appameyya), and fathomless (duppariyogāḷha). Utterly free from any reference to specifically fabricated consciousness (viññāṇasaṅkhayavimutta). “Gone” (atthaṅgata), the measureless mind is untraceable (ananuvejja) even here and now. It doesn’t abide in the head, or in the body, or anywhere else for that matter. It doesn’t have size or shape. It’s not an object or a subject.

Just as the sky is formless and non-illustrative, the measureless mind is non-illustrative and non-indicative (anidassana). This effortless clarity is unmediated by any specific fabrication or volitional intention. It is unaffected knowing: The seen is merely the seen (diṭṭhamatta). The heard is merely the heard (sutamatta). The sensed is merely the sensed (mutamatta). The known is merely the known (viññātamatta). But there is no you there. Of course, this liberating gnosis and vision can’t adequately be pointed out or indicated by words alone. It is to be individually experienced (paccatta veditabba).



—-

Here is the prompt I used to generate Sukhavati image using Google Gemini:


Research-and-Create Prompt: “Sukhāvatī (Amitābha’s Pure Land), as described in the sutras”


Use this prompt verbatim (or adapt) to 1) study the primary sources on Amitābha & Pure Land and 2) generate the most text-accurate image possible of Sukhāvatī.


A) Brief


Study the Three Pure Land Sutras and closely related sources, extract all visual details of Sukhāvatī and Amitābha’s form, then compose an image that matches those descriptions—nothing extraneous. Cite your sources inline as you work. Primary base text: BDK, The Three Pure Land Sutras (Inagaki, tr.). 


B) Sources to consult (priority order)


  1. BDK – The Three Pure Land Sutras (Larger/Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha & Amitāyurdhyāna/Contemplation Sutra). Use for canonical descriptions and the 48 vows.  
  2. For Sanskrit/philological cross-checks (optional): Fujita, The Larger and Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtras (2011); Mueller/St. Clair English from Sanskrit (legacy).  
  3. Secondary orientation on the triad (Amitābha flanked by Avalokiteśvara & Mahāsthāmaprāpta) only for iconographic sanity-check—not to override the sutras. (Museum Taima Mandala entries.)

Notes you should know up front

• These three sutras are the core Pure Land scriptures; Inagaki notes ~290 canonical texts mention Amitābha across the Chinese canon—stick to the three for visuals, and use the rest only if they add unambiguous detail. 

• The Contemplation Sutra supplies the most explicit visualization specs (trees, ponds, pavilions, nets, ground, lotus throne, Buddha’s bodily marks). 



C) Extract these must-have visual details (quote + page if possible)


From the Smaller Sukhāvatīvyūha (Amidā/Amitābha Sutra):


  • Seven rows of balustrades/nets/trees made of jewels, covering the whole land.  
  • Seven-jeweled ponds with eight excellent qualities; gold-sand beds; stairs of gold/silver/beryl/crystal; lotus as big as chariot wheels: blue/yellow/red/white lotuses radiate matching colored light.  
  • Golden ground, heavenly music, māndārava blossoms falling six times day and night.  
  • Birds (geese, peacocks, parrots, śāris, kalaviṅkas, jīvaṃjīvakas) that sing and teach Dharma; they are manifested by Amitāyus (not karmic rebirth) and prompt mindfulness of Buddha/Dharma/Saṅgha.  


From the Contemplation Sutra (Amitāyurdhyāna):


  • Visualize the ground and jewel-trees: seven rows of trees, leaves/blossoms/fruits of the seven jewels, enormous scale; pearl nets; palaces between rows; jewel lights like suns/moons; breezes move and sound proclaims Dharma.  
  • Ponds fed by a wish-fulfilling maṇi: fourteen streams, jewel-colored waters, diamond sand, immense jewel lotuses; flowing water and hanging instruments produce teachings (impermanence, no-self, pāramitās, marks of the Buddhas).  
  • Amitāyus/Amitābha’s form: body like Jambu River gold, vast height; white tuft (ūrṇā) between the eyebrows radiates immense light; start the visualization from the ūrṇā—then the eighty-four thousand marks appear. (Render symbolically rather than literal cosmic dimensions.)  


From the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha (Infinite Life Sutra):


  • Dharmākara’s 48 vows establish the land and its salvific features; know these to avoid contradicting essentials (e.g., teaching by sounds, pervasive light, etc.).  


D) Guardrails for accuracy

  • Prioritize sutra-described features; do not add deities/architecture not attested in the texts.
  • Include the triad only if arranged per sutra/visualization context: Amitābha central on lotus throne, Avalokiteśvara at the viewer’s left and Mahāsthāmaprāpta at the right (standard Pure Land triad), but keep them subordinate to the sutra’s scene-building. (Use museum mandalas only as stylistic references.)
  • Keep palette tied to textual cues: golden ground, jewel tones, lotus blue/yellow/red/white with matching radiance; avoid fantasy colors that contradict descriptions.  
  • Show breezes, music, and teaching sounds subtly (e.g., suspended instruments, rippling banners), not as text bubbles.  
  • Include falling māndārava blossoms and jewel nets aloft.  


E) Deliverables

  1. One-paragraph synthesis of Sukhāvatī’s key visuals with citations.
  2. Final image (4:5 poster or square).
  3. Appendix listing which sutra lines justify each major element.




F) One-shot image prompt (ready to paste into an image generator)


“Create a faithful scene of Sukhāvatī, the Land of Utmost Bliss, exactly as described in the Pure Land sutras. Center Amitābha (Amitāyus) seated on a vast lotus throne, body radiating like Jambu-River gold, with a luminous white ūrṇā between the brows. Optionally flank him with Avalokiteśvara (viewer’s left) and Mahāsthāmaprāpta (viewer’s right) as graceful attendants. Surround them with seven rows of jeweled balustrades, jeweled nets, and seven rows of towering jeweled trees whose leaves, blossoms, and fruits are of the seven kinds of jewels and draped in pearl nets. Lay out seven-jeweled ponds of water with the eight excellent qualities, beds of gold sand, and stairs of gold, silver, beryl, and crystal. Fill the ponds with immense lotus flowers—blue, yellow, red, and white—each emitting light of the same color. Render a golden ground, heavenly music and suspended instruments in the air; show subtle breezes that make the trees and nets produce delicate Dharma-teaching sounds. Include auspicious birds (white geese, peacocks, parrots, śāris, kalaviṅkas, jīvaṃjīvakas) singing in harmony to evoke mindfulness of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Let māndārava blossoms drift down softly from the sky. Compose the architecture and pavilions in harmonious symmetric terraces reminiscent of classical Taima-mandala layouts—but ensure every element is directly traceable to the sutras. Use jewel tones and warm golds; avoid modern/fantasy props or non-canonical deities. High detail, serene, devotional.”



Why these details


  • Seven rows, ponds, golden ground, flowers, birds that teach, and soft breezes producing Dharma-sounds come directly from the Smaller Sutra account of Sukhāvatī’s adornments.  
  • Jewel-trees, pearl nets, palaces, wish-fulfilling gem waters, jewel lotuses, and the “sound-teaches-Dharma” motif are specified in the Contemplation Sutra visualizations.  
  • Amitābha’s golden radiance and the ūrṇā focal-point for visualization are from the Contemplation Sutra’s body meditation.  
  • The 48 vows frame the land’s qualities (light, lifespan, salvific function) in the Larger Sutra; keep consistency with them.  




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