Does the "Emptiness" Buddhism Speaks of Deny Amitabha and the Land of Ultimate Bliss? | Master Jingben
【Q&A Series】
Does the "Emptiness" Buddhism Speaks of Deny Amitabha and the Land of Ultimate Bliss?
To me, Amitabha Buddha's Land of Ultimate Bliss truly exists, Amitabha's vows truly exist, and Amitabha Buddha himself truly exists; when I took refuge, Master even said that I am now "a child of Amitabha."
But here is what happened: I am in an online group, and someone there said: Buddhism teaches "emptiness," and even the Pure Land is no exception — because, he added, Master Shandao received the teaching from Master Daochuo, Master Daochuo from Master Tanluan, and Master Tanluan's transmission can be traced back to Bodhisattva Nagarjuna — and Nagarjuna is renowned precisely for his treatises expounding "emptiness."
Hearing this, I felt uneasy, and I also find the concept of "emptiness" in the Pure Land very hard to understand. Could it be that the truth of "emptiness" denies the real existence of Amitabha Buddha and the Land of Ultimate Bliss? I sincerely request Master's compassionate guidance.
Master Jingben Answers: Namo Amitabha. Please set your heart at ease: by the time you finish reading, you will find that what you believe in — "Amitabha is real, the Pure Land is real" — is entirely sound.
1. First, Understand: "Emptiness" Does Not Mean "Non-Existence"
Many people, upon hearing "emptiness," take it to mean "nothing exists, nothing is real" — this is the most common misunderstanding of "emptiness."
The "emptiness" that the Buddha-Dharma speaks of means that all things lack a fixed, unchanging, independently existing essence — everything arises from causes and conditions; but "emptiness" is by no means a nihilistic "nothingness." Quite the opposite: precisely because things are empty and dependently arisen, all things can manifest in accordance with conditions. So Buddhism has a very important saying — "true emptiness, wondrous existence": true emptiness does not obstruct wondrous existence, and wondrous existence does not obstruct true emptiness. "Emptiness" and "existence" are not two opposing sides, but two faces of one reality.
If one clings only to "existence," without the wisdom of emptiness behind it, that is the "existence" of samsara, which brings only affliction.
If one clings only to "emptiness," unable to give rise to the realm of "wondrous existence," that is merely the one-sided emptiness of the Hinayana — a theory that cannot truly deliver sentient beings.
Only the Mahayana, with the wisdom of "emptiness" and the compassion of "wondrous existence" inseparably together, is able to deliver sentient beings.
2. The Land of Ultimate Bliss Is Precisely the Manifestation of "Wondrous Existence"
The Land of Ultimate Bliss is precisely the "wondrous existence" that Amitabha Buddha accomplished through five kalpas of contemplation and countless eons of practice — adorned by his vow-heart, brought to completion by his vow-power: a truly existing, majestic land manifested from real vow-power. And behind the "wondrous existence" of the Pure Land lies, inseparably, the true principle of "emptiness." That is why, when we reach the Pure Land, far from being defiled by its splendors, we give rise to joy and accomplish the Buddha Way.
Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, in the Treatise on Rebirth, describes in detail the many majestic virtues of the Land of Ultimate Bliss, and in the end gathers them all into "one Dharma-phrase" — "the phrase of purity: the unconditioned Dharma-body of true wisdom." This is precisely to say: the myriad adornments of the Pure Land (wondrous existence) and the Buddha's unconditioned Dharma-body (true emptiness) are perfectly merged without obstruction — originally one. So "emptiness," far from denying the Pure Land, shows exactly this: the Pure Land is the real majesty manifested from the most real vow-power and Dharma-body.
3. The Most Wonderful Proof — Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, Two Bodhisattvas Bearing Witness in Person
That friend in the group said: the Pure Land lineage can be traced back to Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, and Nagarjuna is renowned precisely for his treatises expounding "emptiness" — he was only half right, and the other half is precisely the most powerful answer:
In the history of Buddhism, there are two great masters of the "emptiness" and "existence" schools — Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, who profoundly expounded ultimate emptiness, is the father of the "school of emptiness"; Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, who widely propagated Consciousness-Only, is the father of the "school of existence." And here is the wonder of it: these two great Bodhisattvas — one of emptiness, one of existence — are both patriarchs of our Pure Land school!
Nagarjuna, who understood "emptiness" best, in the Chapter on the Easy Practice personally distinguished the "path of difficult practice" from the "path of easy practice," teaching us: to rely on Amitabha Buddha's vow-power and recite the Buddha's Name is like sailing with the current — peaceful and easy. He never once said "the Pure Land is empty, no need to be reborn there"; on the contrary, he was the earliest patriarch to urge us to recite the Name and rely on the Buddha's power.
Vasubandhu, the greatest exponent of "existence," composed the Treatise on Rebirth, whose very first line reads: "World-Honored One, with one heart I entrust my life to the Tathagata of Unhindered Light Pervading the Ten Directions, and aspire to be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss." — With one heart entrusting his life, aspiring to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
You see: the one who understood emptiness most deeply urges us to recite the Name; the one who most widely propagated existence single-heartedly aspired to be born there. Emptiness returns to the Pure Land; existence returns to the Pure Land. These two Bodhisattvas long ago answered your question perfectly with their own example: "emptiness" and "reciting the Name to be reborn in a real Pure Land" have never been in contradiction.
4. Our Duty as Ordinary Beings — "The Direction Pointed Out, the Form Established": Simply Recite the Name
Then must we, right now, master the profound principle of emptiness? No — for such principles are often exceedingly deep.
Master Shandao knew well the capacities of us ordinary beings: the mysterious and profound essence is beyond our reach, and cannot be relied upon. So the Buddha, in his compassion, "pointed out the direction and established the form" — clearly indicating the West and establishing its adornments: there truly is Amitabha Buddha, there truly is the Land of Ultimate Bliss; recite the Name, and you will truly be reborn. This is the solid, down-to-earth path paved for us ordinary beings.
As for the profound meaning of "true emptiness, wondrous existence" — after we are reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, when the lotus opens and we behold the Buddha, we will naturally realize and understand it for ourselves. It is like crossing the sea by ship: we need only board the ship with a settled heart; the principles of how the ship works will become clear of themselves once we reach the other shore. There is no need to stand on the dock refusing to board until we have studied it all out.
5. Closing Words
So please, set your heart at ease: everything you believe in — that Amitabha Buddha truly exists, that the Land of Ultimate Bliss truly exists, that Amitabha's vows are true and not empty, that you are a child of Amitabha — is entirely correct, and is precisely the pure teaching handed down in the lineage of Master Shandao.
As for the various abstruse discussions on the internet — listen if you will, but do not be swayed. Let us simply, honestly and steadily, single-mindedly recite "Namo Amitabha" and aspire to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss — this is the whole of what the great patriarchs Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, Tanluan, Daochuo, and Shandao have together taught us. Namo Amitabha
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