Rebirth in the Blissful Pure Land

The descriptions of the Blissful Pure Land are merely partial glimpses of its unimaginably rich qualities.

In reality, even celestial eyes cannot see all of these qualities, which are infinite, and even buddhas cannot explain them all, for words are inadequate.

According to the sutras, the vow of the Buddha of Infinite Light is so powerful that if you remember him, you will not only be reborn in his pure land, but you will see him in person in your lifetime and also in dreams or visions.

At the time of your death, the Buddha of Infinite Light will appear before you amid his oceans of disciples.

Especially if you remember the buddha of Infinite Light in the bardo, that memory will cause you to take rebirth in his pure land.

That is because in the bardo, it is easier to change your situation.

To take rebirth in the pure land, you need not have achieved any high meditative realization.

Because of the power of the vow of the buddha, what you need is to practice the four causes to open your mind and make it receptive to such a possibility.

The only condition is that you must not have committed any of the five immeasurable offenses or renounced the Dharma.

Shakyamuni Buddha taught the four causes thus:

O Ananda, there are people who

[1] Think of the details of the Buddha [of Infinite Light and his pure land] again and again.

[2] They create many, immeasurable merits.

[3] They develop the mind of enlightenment [bodhichitta].

[4] They dedicate their merits and make aspirations to take rebirth in the Blissful Pure Land.

When they die … they will take rebirth in the universe of the Blissful Pure Land.”

By cultivating devotion and remembrance of the Buddha of Infinite Light, we assure our rebirth in his wondrous Blissful Pure Land, a universe of everlasting peace and sublime joy, and become a source of serenity and contentment to others.

This amazing opportunity is the promise of the Buddha of Infinite Light to each of us.

The truth of this promise was proclaimed by the historical Buddha himself.

It has been the proven path traveled by Buddhist sages and devotees through the ages.

Some Buddhists who regard themselves as “nontheistic” might assume that the Blissful Pure Land is only for devotees with a more theistic approach.

Consider, however, the example of Nagarjuna.

He was the most important proponent of the emptiness doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, a nontheistic school that denies the extremes of existence, nonexistence, both existence and nonexistence, and neither existence nor nonexistence.

Yet the historical Buddha himself prophesied that “a monk named Naga[rjuna] . . . will take rebirth in the Blissful Pure Land when he leaves his body.”

So if the most important master of Buddhism’s greatest nontheistic school was to be born in the pure land, any follower of Buddhism, whether theistic or not, could aspire to be reborn there.

To facilitate rebirth in the pure land, it is important for the dying to have a support system both in and around them.

Source: Based on Thondup, Tulku. Peaceful Death, Joyful Rebirth: A Tibetan Buddhist Guidebook. Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

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