Question: “Would you mind describing what the buddha-worlds are? and how does one come to the point where they are able to decide which one they are born into?”
We are in the world of Sakayamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. We are in his land, the Saha World. That is the world we are born into and the world everything and everyone else around us are in. There are countless Buddha worlds! Innumerable! The only worlds we know of by name are the one’s mentioned in the sutras. One of the most popular Buddha worlds is the land of Amitabha Buddha, the Pure Land. And the world of Maitreya, the future Buddha in his heaven of Tushita. There are hundreds of Buddha lands mentioned in hundreds of sutras. That is one way of knowing and learning about the lands.
We can choose which Buddha land to be born into once we’ve accumulated a great deal of merit and good karma. In the Pure Land school, the continuous chanting of Amitabha’s name and sutra is said to guarantee your entrance into his land. But even his Pure Land isn’t a permanent destination. It’s simply a place where it’s going to be much easier to attain enlightenment. Once achieved, Nirvana! Otherwise, the accumulation of merit and good karma allows you to see all the Buddha’s and choose to be reborn into their world.
Smile and be well!