Question: How do you feel about the pure land? do most people see it as a physical place or a state of mind? since it’s called “the WESTERN paradise”, i often tend to see it as more of a state of mind, but that wouldn’t go with the concept of being reborn in the pure land and amitabha and other teachers guiding us to englightenment.
Maybe it’s a little bit of both. The way I personally study and teach the Amitabha sutra is that the Pure Land is a state of mind. When we read the Amitabha sutra we are visualizing this beautiful paradise through the eyes of an enlightened being, or a being on the right path toward enlightenment. So even during this life, we can “reach” the Pure Land. Because what happens when we finally truly understand and are freed from the three poisons (ignorance, greed and anger), we see the world as beautiful and special as it really is, even through all the chaos it may have.
The concept of the Pure Land and Amitabha is also just a parable. The Buddha introduced them to us to give us a visual and a means of being diligent with our practice to cut through the illusions of the world and see it for what it really is. Buddhism is heavy with visuals and parables. Only in some of the bigger Mahayana sutras does it include visuals of immeasurable worlds and scenes. So Amitabha and his Pure Land were introduced to give specific direction and specific practices to bring those visuals to life.
Smile and be well!