Pure Land Buddhism and Sikhi

There is a sect in Buddhism know an "Pure Land Buddhism," in which has a very unique idea on liberation. There Buddha, who is known as Amitabha Buddha, stated that anyone who recites his name once with full faith will be liberated into the "pure land." Thus, all one has to do in order to be liberated is call upon Amitabha Buddha's name just once with full faith, and they will get liberated.

When I first heard about this concept, I found it funny. Why the need to do anything in life, one can even literally on his death bed call upon Amitabha Buddha and become liberated. However, even though this is all one must do, there are still Monks in this tradition, who spend hours on meditation everyday. I thought myself what is the point of this, why the need to spend hours on meditation if one will be liberated by reciting his name just once.

Then I looked at it from what I've learned through a Sikhi perspective. How hard is it to give away your mind to a higher power. These monks must train years and years just to be able to reach a point where they fully call upon this Buddha with full faith. The true path of Gurmat is the same. At the heart, its such an easy concept when you look at it from the outside, similar to Pure Land Buddhism. All one must do is focus on Naam with full concentration, and full faith, and then one becomes liberated. Yet this is no easy task, it takes years and years of practice, to become even remotely focused. How many can claim to have been fully focused on a single path, a single shabad, or even fully 100% concentrated on gurmantar even once in their lives. Test it out on yourself, repeat vaheguro just once, and see how much the mind falters in that short period of time. We (me at least) don't even have the ability to focus fully on ONE word.

It's a long and strenuous path indeed, one that won't be accomplished by waiting for our elder years. Everyday is a battle, and bit by bit we get closer to that ultimate goal of ek man ik chit. Let's not waste a single minute, second, or even breath. We can't put Sikhi off to a later time, if we don't have full faith now, if we our not fully concentrated now, then there is no way this will become any easier when we are older.

However, we do have one aid on our side, we have a Satguru, and the happier we make him, the easier it will become. Its sad to see the amount of meditating that these monks do, sitting in one posture for hours on end, and they don't even have a true Guru! Not to mention the amount of aid Guru Sahib has given. He has given us Akkhandh Patths, and Akkhand Keertans, Seva, he has made the path of Sikhi so fun for us, let us not waste this golden opportunity!

Dass, Gurman Singh

Ang 372

ਆਂਗਨਿ ਮੇਰੈ ਸੋਭਾ ਚੰਦ ॥
Within the courtyard of my heart, the glory of the moon shines.

ਨਿਸਿ ਬਾਸੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਿਅ ਸੰਗਿ ਅਨੰਦ ॥੨॥
Night and day, I have fun with my Beloved. ||2||

Vaheguroo Jeeo

gurman singh jee,

aapaan rozana shaam no parde haige aaa


ਆਸਾ ਮਹਲਾ 1 ॥

ਆਖਾ ਜੀਵਾ ਵਿਸਰੈ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਉ ॥
ਆਖਣਿ ਅਉਖਾ ਸਾਚਾ ਨਾਉ ॥
ਸਾਚੇ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਲਾਗੈ ਭੂਖ ॥
ਉਤੁ ਭੂਖੈ ਖਾਇ ਚਲੀਅਹਿ ਦੂਖ ॥
ਸੋ ਕਿਉ ਵਿਸਰੈ ਮੇਰੀ ਮਾਇ ॥
ਸਾਚਾ ਸਾਹਿਬੁ ਸਾਚੈ ਨਾਇ ॥ਰਹਾਉ ॥
ਸਾਚੇ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਤਿਲੁ ਵਡਿਆਈ ॥
ਆਖਿ ਥਕੇ ਕੀਮਤਿ ਨਹੀ ਪਾਈ ॥
ਜੇ ਸਭਿ ਮਿਲਿ ਕੈ ਆਖਣ ਪਾਹਿ ॥
ਵਡਾ ਨ ਹੋਵੈ ਘਾਟਿ ਨ ਜਾਇ ॥
ਨਾ ਓਹੁ ਮਰੈ ਨ ਹੋਵੈ ਸੋਗੁ ॥
ਦੇਦਾ ਰਹੈ ਨ ਚੂਕੈ ਭੋਗੁ ॥
ਗੁਣੁ ਏਹੋ ਹੋਰੁ ਨਾਹੀ ਕੋਇ ॥
ਨਾ ਕੋ ਹੋਆ ਨਾ ਕੋ ਹੋਇ ॥
ਜੇਵਡੁ ਆਪਿ ਤੇਵਡ ਤੇਰੀ ਦਾਤਿ ॥
ਜਿਨਿ ਦਿਨੁ ਕਰਿ ਕੈ ਕੀਤੀ ਰਾਤਿ ॥
ਖਸਮੁ ਵਿਸਾਰਹਿ ਤੇ ਕਮਜਾਤਿ ॥
ਨਾਨਕ ਨਾਵੈ ਬਾਝੁ ਸਨਾਤਿ ॥

guroo sahib has stated, the it is extremely difficult to chant the true name. Of course one can sit for hours and do swaas giraas, but those rare gems are able to attain double the fruit in half the time, because when they chant it, they form a connection with sach khand.

The concept of "Pure Land" and Amitabha Buddha is not found in old Pali scriptures of Buddhism. The original texts are preserved by the Theravada (Hinayana) sect of Buddhism. The original Buddha (Shakyamuni) did not preach such practices as chanting Amitabha's name and getting Nirvana. His path was different from that. The concept of Amitabha Buddha seems to have entered the Buddhist faith through the sect called Mahayana. Mahayana is practiced by countries like China, Japan, Mongolia etc. It seems like the Brahmnical infiltration in the original Buddhist faith resulted in sects like Mahayana and Vajrayana (Tibet Buddhism). The very things that Buddha preached against, became major practices in these later sects. The original Buddhism (Hinayana) is now practiced in Sri Lanka and Thailand. All their texts are in the original language that the Buddha used - Pali. Mahayana and Vajrayana sects have their original texts in Sanskrit, a language Buddha did not use at all.

In any case, the concept of chanting may be similar but Gurmat Naam is the original substance and it is this Naam that is found only from the True Guru, that takes the seeker to the True Land which is Sachkhand. Other Kirtam Naams e.g. Amitabha Buddha's name, Vishnu's name or Shiva's name would take the seekers where these deities themselves are. The Buddhas, as per the Gyan Khand pauri of Siri Jap jee Sahib, live in Gyan Khand. Therefore, these monks who worship these deities can only go thus far as Gyan Khand.

Kulbir Singh

Nice analogy Gurman Singh.