If Nobody Is Born, Who Gets Reborn?
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Pureland Buddhism is often reductively understood as a mode of faith-based Buddhism, where the devout pray for salvation in a distant life. A dualistic view that is to be disregarded. But that could not be further from the truth. As Yōuxī demonstrates in this short text, Pureland is inseparable from the profound metaphysical view of the Mahayana tradition. As the Author writes:
“Thus, all day long is there birth that has never been apart from non-birth. All day long, there has been non-birth, which does not obstruct birth."
In the following ten gates, the reader will find that Pureland Buddhism is not embedded in a duality between oneself as an ordinary person here and a blissful world ‘out there’. Instead, the foundations of Pureland are an acknowledgement of the mutual interfusion of all phenomena, the inseparability of Buddhas and beings, and a profound meditation on the union of the three truths.
About the Author: Yōuxī Chuándēng
Yōuxī was a giant of his time, bringing the ancient Tiāntāi out of obscurity during the Late Ming Dynasty, which saw a new golden age of Buddhist studies in China. In the turmoil of Mongol Empires collapse and the stagnation of Buddhist institutions during the early Ming, Buddhism had entered a state of internal turmoil as monks sought to return the Dharma to the flourishing state of earlier times.
Yōuxī was one of these figures, originally trained in Chan. He encountered Tiāntāi through the syncretic text Yǒngjiā’s Chán Collection, after which he became enamoured with the school's profound teachings. He finally attained awakening under his teacher, Bǎisōng, who was the first monk to formally revive the Tiāntāi lineage.
“One day I entered [the master's] room where there was no one else. I knelt and put my palms together to ask about the Great Concentration [in the Śūraṃgama Sūtra]. The master simply opened wide his eyes and looked around, keeping silent without a word. At that moment, I had a great awakening.”
During his life, Yōuxī sometimes used the pen name "Limitless Transmission of the Lamp" and there is no more apt title for this great master, for all modern Chinese Tiāntāi lineages trace back to Yōuxī and his master.
I stumbled upon the above text this morning and wanted to share it here on my little corner of the web. Though it comes from a Mainland tradition, I think it offers valuable insight into an often misunderstood dimension of Mahayana philosophy.
Remember, Honen's admonition to consider oneself "an ignorant person who knows not a single letter" was a warning against spiritual elitism and intellectual pride, not a prohibition of deeper study.
The universality of Pure Land Buddhism is incredible, whether one is seeking radical simplicity or profound metaphysics. The illiterate farmer and the great sage are on the same path, both guided to the same end by the Vow of Amida Buddha.