E.2, (Generating aspirations by contemplating the virtues of the pure realm) in two parts: 1. General statement; 2. Detailed description.
F.1, General statement:
All the qualities of the 8 million 100 thousand koits of
buddha realms are combined in Sukhavati –
May I be reborn in this unsurpassed, the most noble of all realms.
In the past, the Tathagata Lokesvararaja described to bhikkhu Dharmakara all the qualities and splendors of all the Buddha realms of 810,000 kotis of nayutas of Buddhas in kotis of years. The bhikkhu Dharmakara also remembered them in his heart, comtemplated and envisioned them for five kalpas, and combined the qualities and splendors of all the realms into one. He vowed to realize a realm that is superior to all other realms, perfect and supreme, unsurpassed by any others. After that, he accumulated merits in many lives for many kalpas, and perfectly realized the realm, which is the Sukhavati that exists now. May we be born in that realm. If just a small part of the supreme qualities of this realm is to be described in detail, even the Buddha cannot finish talking about it in several kalpas. Here, it is explained briefly to make everyone rejoice in it and accumulate merits.
F.2, (Detailed description) in two parts: 1. The qualities of the inanimate world; 2. The qualities of the animate world.
G.1, in three parts: 1. The qualities of the earth; 2. The qualities of the wonderful trees; 3. The qualities of the water and flowers.
H.1, The qualities of the earth:
There the jewel ground is as flat as
the palm of the hand, spacious and radiant with beams of light.
When it is pressed down it gives way,
and when it is lifted up it rises.
May I be reborn in this lofty realm of gentle happiness.
In Sukhavati, the earth is composed of many precious gems and there is no unevenness. It is flat like a young girl's palm. No matter from where one looks at it, it is not pitted or bumpy. The area is extremely large, boundless, without any stains, and very clean. And it shines with the light of the precious gems themselves and the reflection of the light of Amitabha's body. It is not as hard as stones. When one puts his foot on it, it will sink four fingers deep. When one lifts his foot, it will bounce back completely. It is extremely soft. When one's foot touches it, it will feel extremely comfortable. It is as smooth as a silk cushion. It does not feel there is any weight but is extremely light and soft. May we be reborn in that realm.
Thinking of the impure animate and inanimate worlds that we are in now, which is rough and full of sufferings, giving rise to a sense of renunciation. After contemplating and visualizing Sukhavati of the nature of cessation of all sufferings, of the merits thereof, giving rise to extreme joyfulness. Aspire to be reborn there with a strong desire. This is very important.
H.2, The qualities of the wonderful trees:
There wish-fulfilling trees abound, of
various precious gems,
with leaves of brocade and fruits of jewel ornaments;
flocks of emanation birds perch on them,
singing the teachings of the profound and extensive Dharma.
May I be reborn in this realm of great wonder.
In Sukhavati, every tree of precious gems is colorful. Each tree is composed of the seven treasures: gold roots, silver trunks, lapis lazuli branches, crystal leaves, agate petals, red pearl flowers, and carnelian fruits. Some are made of one kind of gem, or two or three kinds of gems, there are different kinds. These kinds of trees are also the predominating fruit of the power of Amitabha's merits and the power of the accumulated merits of oneself, and can satisfy all the wishes in one's mind. The edges of the precious trees are surrounded by many damakra trees (?)(达拉树), which are decorated with various precious ornaments such as leaf crowns, fine brocade, various fruits, and many gemstone necklaces. On the trees are various birds that are not animals of the evil realms but the magical emanations of Amitabha, such as kalavinkas, cuckoos, cuculus, parrots, etc. They are of various colors such as pure white like conch shell, blue like turquoise, and bright red like corals, which are pleasing to the eyes. They make wonderful sounds like that of a pipa, which makes people feel calm when they hear it. Singing profound and vast, wonderful songs of Dharma, praising the excellence of the Three Jewels, etc. Upon hearing such sounds, the confused conceptual thoughts in one's mind are instantly extinguished, and one experiences incomparable peace and happiness. Therefore, may we be reborn in such an extremely rare realm.
H.3, The qualities of the water and flowers:
There the rivers flow with perfumed water having the eight qualities,
and the nectar water of the bathing ponds have the same qualities.
The bathing stairs are tiled with the seven precious stones,
and the waters abound with lotus flowers yielding fragrant fruits.
The lotus blossoms radiate light beyond all limits,
and each beam is on its point adorned with an emanation buddha.
May I be reborn in this realm of the greatest marvels.
In Sukhavati, the river water is fragrant because the roots of the heavenly tree damakra (?)(天树达玛拉), agarwood, chinese fragrant trees (?)(汉香树), uragasara sandalwood, and other fragrant trees are immersed in the water. Because the riverbed is covered with gold sand, it is free from mud and dirt, flowing slowly and silently. The water has the eight qualities of coolness, sweetness in taste, lightness in appearance, softness in touch, unsullied-ness (no unpleasant smell), clarity in color, and gentle on the stomach and soothing to the throat if drunk. The many rivers are shaded by flowers of various shapes and sizes, and swans, yellow ducks, red-crowned cranes and other water birds are playing in the middle. The water is ten yojanas deep, and the width is from one hundred to one thousand yojanas. Similarly, the bathing ponds of nectar water are surrounded by stairs of the seven treasures, and by red pearl bricks and other precious stones; one can go down easily on them. By bathing only once in them, supreme samadhi arises in one's mind continuum. The outside and surroundings of the bathing ponds are covered with heavenly flowers such as the nilotpala lotus, red lotus, water lily, white lotus, and other flowers with fragrance and fruits, extending to an area of up to one yojana. All lotuses radiate infinite light, and at the edge of the light is adorned with countless emanation Buddhas, who go to other ksetras where a Buddha has not yet emerged to benefit sentient beings. Therefore, may we be reborn in Sukhavati, which is full of extremely striking and spectacular landscape.
G.2, The qualities of the animate world:
There the eight unfavourable conditions
and the misery of the lower realms is unheard of.
The three or five emotional poisons, diseases, demons, enemies, paupers,
fight, and quarrel and so on, all such suffering is unheard of.
May I be reborn in this realm of great bliss.
In Sukhavati, even the terms and the sound of the eight unfreedoms and the three evil realms will never be heard, let alone actually experiencing those sufferings? There are neither the three poisons such as attachment, the five afflictions, nor the misdeeds caused by afflictions such as killing. In this realm, the four diseases caused by the misdeeds as stated in the second noble truth of the cause of suffering, the 80,000 male and female demons, enemies who steal and rob, poverty, lack of wealth and food, war and killing, and all other sufferings have never been heard of, let alone their actual appearance? May we be reborn in such an extremely blissful land.
There are no women and nobody is born
from a womb – all are born out of a lotus flower.
All have faultless bodies of golden
complexion adorned with the crown protrusion and so on,
all the marks and perfections, and all
possess the five super-faculties and five eyes.
May I be reborn in this realm of countless precious qualities.
In Sukhavati, even the term "woman", created out of negative karma, does not exist. No one is born from a mother's womb, which is impure, all are born from lotus buds. And there is no difference in terms of size, beauty, etc., in their bodies, which are all golden colored, marks of perfection such as the crown protrusion on the head. And because they have the supernatural powers of divine feet, divine eye, divine ear, knowledge of past lives, and telepathy, they can go to kotis of nayutas of ksetras in an instant, see all worlds, hear all the coarser and finer sounds there, and know the mental continuum of all sentient beings there. They possess the five eyes of the physical eye, the divine eye, the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye, and the near-Buddha eye. They do not have the thought of self and others, and have a compassionate mind that loves and feel compassion for all sentient beings. They have the sea-like wisdom that emcompasses eloquence and Dharani, etc. By being in Samadhi they gain freedom and liberation, and their minds are undisturbed like the king of mountains, and there are many other qualities. The excellent qualities are immeasurable and boundless. May we be reborn in the realm of countless precious qualities. No teachings are cited here to explain the qualities of the five eyes.
There palaces made of various precious materials arise by themselves;
anything desirable arises by having the thought of it.
No exertion is necessary, all needs are spontaneously fulfilled.
There is no distinction between “you”
and “me” because there is no self clinging.
Whatever one wants arises in offering
clouds from the palm of one’s hand.
All practices the Dharma of the highest Mahayana.
May I be reborn in this realm of all pervading joy and contentment.
In Sukhavati, there are countless immeasurably magnificent palaces decorated with hundreds and thousands of storeys of lofty halls made of various treasures, which are not built through hard work but naturally arisen by the power of merits. All the desired objects such as clothes and accessories can materialize just by thinking of them, without any effort. Everything one needs will spontaneously arise; one will be completely satisfied. There is no saying of "yours, mine", nor is there any self-clinging of individual or self-clinging of phenomena. Therefore, it is reasonable to develop a sense of renunciation for the family and property that we have now, which requires us to go through the pain of accumulating, protecting, and growing them, and aspire to be reborn in Sukhavati. There, all the clouds of offerings we need will appear in our palms as long as we think of them, and we can accumulate vast merits in an instant. And here (in the Saha world), although we want to accumulate merits, the offerings are extremely scanty due to the karma from the past. In Sukhavati, there is no such thing as helping friends and destroying enemies, doing business and farming, and all fellows are those who enjoy the supreme Dharma of Mahayana. The "Lotus Sutra" says: "(Sukhavati) has no Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas." The "Amitabha Sutra" also says: "Thre are no Śrāvakas." In Sukhavati, there are no Śrāvakas and Pratyekabuddhas who fall into an extreme of nirvana, but there are Śrāvaka Arhats who have turned into great bodhisattvas and once-returner bodhisattvas. There is no unexpected death and fall here. Therefore, may we be reborn in Sukhavati, where the body and mind are at peace and in happiness, and is the source of all merits.
There the fragrant breezes rain down wonderful flowers.
The trees and rivers and lotus flowers
all have surpassingly lovely colors, shapes, sounds,
fragrances, tastes, and touches.
Offering clouds with all sorts of sense pleasing objects continuously arise.
No women abide in that realm,
but there are abundant emanation devas and devis of many
distinctions continuously presenting offerings.
In addition, when the fragrant wind from all directions blows through those trees in the morning, a wonderful rain of flower will fall to the amount of the height of seven humans. It pleases and makes people feel comfortable. The withered flowers from before are swept away by the wind, and fresh flowers are spread all over the ground as before. The flower rain falls three times in the day and night respectively. In the middle, there are also restful places adorned with the fantastic qualities of the earth, which are pleasing to the sneses and the mind.
All trees, lotuses, and rivers constantly produce pleasant and beautiful colors and shapes, melodious sounds, fragrant aromas, sweet tastes, soft touches, and other clouds of offerings of sensory pleasure. Although there are no impure women here, there are the devas and devis emanated by the Buddha and 7,700 offering goddesses, who constantly present various offerings to each bodhisattva.
By the wish to take rest, a jewel palace arises.
By the wish to lay down, a jewel throne
with cushions and pillows of various
brocades appears.
When one wants to take rest, as long as one thinks of it, a palace of infinite treasures will appear; when one wants to sleep, as long as one thinks of it, a beautiful jewel throne will appear, with colorful heavenly fabrics, layers of silk brocade cushions and other linens on top of it.
By the wish to listen, the birds, the wish-fulfilling trees,
the rivers, and musical instruments
all sing the wonderful Dharma.
By the wish for silence, no sound is heard.
When one wants to hear sounds, the singing of emanation birds such as the larks, the sound of trees blown by the breeze, the wonderful sounds of flowing rivers, and the musical instruments of the devas in the sky will all produce sounds that reveal the Three Jewels, the ten bhumis, the ten paramitas, and other wonderful Dharmas. After hearing them, one will not stop remembering the Dharma. If one wants to enter samadhi and does not want to hear sounds, then no sounds will go into his ears.
The nectar pools and rivers become warm or cold upon one’s wish.
May I be reborn in this wish-fulfilling realm.
Those nectars, ponds, and rivers can be hot or cold as one wishes. When bathing, the water just covers the body, etc. The amount of water also appears following what one wants. May we be reborn in Sukhavati where all wishes are fulfilled.
E.3, Generating aspirations by contemplating the qualities of the main deity:
In this realm the perfect Buddha Amitabha will
reside for countless aeons without passing into Nirvana.
May we serve him during this time.
In this Sukhavati, the life span of the perfectly enlightened Amitabha is immeasurable. He will remain in Sukhavati for countless kalpas without entering Nirvana. May we respectfully serve the Buddha during this period of time.
When Amitabha has passed into Nirvana, there will be
an intermediate period of Dharma remaining, lasting
as many aeons as there are sand grains in the river Ganga.
May I not be away from the heir Avalokiteshvara, and
uphold the Dharma during this period.
Because Sukhavati is a supreme nirmanakaya realm, one day Amitabha's formal body will display its passing into the realm of the Dharmakaya, which is the nature of nirvana. After that, his dharma of scriptural transmission and dharma of realization will remain in the world for kalpas numbering in the sands of two Ganges. At that time, Amitabha Buddha's successor is the Dharma Prince Avalokitesvara. May I not leave his side and inherit, protect, and promote the Dharmas of scriptural transmission and realization during this period.
Eventually the Dharma will decline, but
then Avalokiteshvara will attain perfect enlightenment.
He will appear as the Tathagata King of Wondrous Amassment of Victorious Light (胜光妙聚王, or Tathagata King of Massive Splendour of Victorious Light),
During that time may I offer my attendance
and listen to the liberating Dharma.
His lifespan will be one trillion and sixty-six hundred thousand aeons.
During that time may I offer continuous service and propitiation and
without failure uphold the liberating Dharma.
When the period of (Amitabha Buddha's Dharmas of scriptural transmission and realization) remaining in the world is complete, at dusk, the true Dharma of the Buddha disappears. At dawn the next day, the Dharma Prince Avalokitesvara will display the attainment of Buddhahood. His Buddha name is King of Wondrous Amassment of Victorious Light. At that time, may I make offerings to him, serve him, and listen to, practice, and promote the Dharma in front of him. The life span of Buddha King of Wondrous Amassment of Victorious Light is as long as six million six hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of kalpas. May I constantly respectfully serve and make offerings to him at that time, and be able to uphold all the Dharma with the Dharani for Not Forgetting. Now we must not create obstacles for others to teach the Dharma, but provide favorable conditions. If you can also remember this "Sukhavati Aspiration Prayer" and the meaning of one or more sentences, then you will gain the Dharani for Not Forgetting in the future.
Then Avalokiteshvara will pass into Nirvana,
and during a period of six hundred million and three hundred thousand
kotis of aeons the Dharma will be uphold and taught by Vajrapani.
During that time may I remain inseparable from Vajrapani.
Vajrapani will then demonstrate the attainment of buddhahood,
the Buddha name is the King of Heaps of
Jewel-Like Steadfast Qualities (坚德宝聚王如来).
His lifespan will be of the same duration as that of Avalokiteshvara.
During that time may I offer continuous service,
make offerings, and be able to uphold the liberating Dharma.
After that Buddha (Buddha King of Wondrous Amassment of Victorious Light) demonstrates the passing into Nirvana, his teachings remained in the world for six hundred million three hundred thousand kotis of kalpas. May I uphold all the Dharmas during this time and never be separated his successor, the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta (Vajrapani). Later, the Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta will attain Buddhahood, and his Buddha name will be the King of Heaps of Jewel-Like Steadfast Qualities. His life span and Dharmas (remaining period) will all be the same as those of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. May I constantly serve and make offerings to that Buddha (Buddha the King of Heaps of Jewel-Like Steadfast Qualities) and practice all the true Dharmas of Buddhism during this time. These are extensively described in the "White Lotus of Compassion Sutra", one may refer to and read about it if interested.