The Merits of the Water in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss Form the Path to Buddhahood for the Reborn

Let us refer to what Master Lianchi teaches in his Commentary on the Amitabha Sutra: the waters of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss possess three supreme, wondrous merits and functions that we ought to understand.

The first is that the water responds to one’s will. In the Pure Land, the water’s merit most fully reveals the relationship between one’s mind-nature and the external environment, with effects that manifest as instantly as a shadow follows a stick. As the Infinite Life Sutra states: “When all virtuous beings enter the seven-jeweled ponds to bathe their physical bodies, if they wish the water to cover only their feet, it will cover only their feet; if they wish it to reach their ankles, it will stop at their ankles; if they wish it to rise to their knees, it will reach their knees; if they wish it to rise to their waists, it will rise to their waists; if they wish it to pour over their entire body, it will naturally pour over them; if they wish it to recede, it will recede at once.”

Look at this water: your thought is the tap that controls it. If you want to soak your feet first, you can do so; if your knees are plagued by rheumatism, you can have it rise to your knees to ease the ailment; if you suffer from lumbar disc issues, you can have it stop at your waist; if you have cervical spine problems, it will rise to your neck; if your head feels congested, it will naturally pour over your head to clear the blockage, and you will never have a stroke again. It naturally cycles through these levels at your will. This is what is meant by “the water responds to one’s will.” When you wish for the water to recede, your body will have already returned to its original healthy state, so the water recedes immediately.

All of this operates in accordance with the power of one’s thought, which fully demonstrates that in the Pure Land, form and mind are free of all obstruction. If you can truly realize and experience this realm, you will see just how degraded and lacking in fulfillment our current existence is, yes? We live with no true quality of life at all as we cycle through saṃsāra and karmic retribution. We only think we lack quality of life when our bodies are too weak to move and we are confined to bed, but in fact, whenever our actions are driven by karmic forces beyond our control, we have no real quality of life whatsoever—we cannot make our own choices, and must simply accept whatever karmic fruition comes our way. The Pure Land functions on the principle of simultaneous cause and effect, simultaneous vow and fulfillment: as soon as you make a vow, it is fulfilled instantly, just as the full moon is already full the moment you think of it. This is the first function of the water: responding to one’s will.

The second function is that the water teaches the Dharma. The Infinite Life Sutra states: “Gentle ripples circulate and flow into one another, moving slowly and steadily, neither too fast nor too slow.” If we relate this to the Dharma’s merit, “neither too fast nor too slow” is just right—all environments in the Pure Land are manifestations of the Middle Way, the true nature of reality. The sutra also says: “Waves rise and produce countless natural, wondrous sounds.” These may be the sound of the Buddha, the sound of the Dharma, or the sound of the Sangha—the Three Jewels. If you took refuge in the Three Jewels and began your Buddhist practice by venerating the Triple Gem, you will hear the sounds of the Three Jewels. If you started your Buddhist practice through meditation, you will hear the sounds of serenity, the sounds of emptiness and selflessness. If you began practicing Buddhism by performing good deeds to help others attain fulfillment and cultivating compassion, you will hear the sounds of great compassion. If you have chanted the Diamond Sutra, you will hear the sounds of Prajñāpāramitā (Perfection of Wisdom). If you were initially drawn to the Buddha’s merits and powers, you will hear the sounds of the Buddha’s ten powers, fearlessness, and unique, peerless qualities. All these sounds are expressions of the merit of all dharmas, conveyed through this single element of water. This is the second function of the water: teaching the Dharma.

The third function is that the water advances one’s spiritual practice. We have discussed this before in relation to the Infinite Life Sutra: bathing once in the eight-merit water is essentially a complete path to buddhahood. We once illustrated this using the Tiantai school’s classification of the five periods and eight teachings (the four teachings of Tripiṭaka, Shared, Distinct, and Perfect, with the Perfect Teaching further divided into the four modes of Sudden, Gradual, Secret, and Indeterminate): simply finishing one bath in the eight-merit water completes the full progression of the five periods and eight teachings. What does the scripture actually describe? After bathing in the Pure Land’s water, all heavenly beings and bodhisattvas reborn there may sit on their own lotus seats, give teachings on the ground, recite sutras, or expound the Dharma themselves. All who listen understand, so they can teach the Dharma on their own—Amitabha Buddha is not the only one who teaches there.

No heavenly being or bodhisattva reborn in the Pure Land can go wrong when they teach, for they are simply describing the actual, manifest reality of the Pure Land as they experience it; they do not need to deliberately plan what they will say. It is like how anything we say here is part of the Dharma: what I ate for breakfast this morning, where I went at noon—all of it is Dharma. For everything they experience provides them with the right view for attaining buddhahood, the right conduct for attaining buddhahood, and the right vows for attaining buddhahood. Thus none of them are unable to teach the Dharma, nor will any of them make mistakes when they do.

Thus there are those who recite sutras, those who teach the Dharma, and those who transmit the Dharma. What does it mean to transmit the Dharma? When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva transmitted the Heart Sutra to Master Xuanzang, that was a case of transmitting the Dharma. When the Buddha Bright Light of a Thousand Rays imparted the Great Compassion Mantra to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, that was also an act of transmitting the Dharma—it refers to passing a sutra or teaching on to another person. At any moment, one may engage in any of these practices: transmitting the Dharma, listening to the Dharma, chanting sutras, contemplating the path, or seated meditation. All these practitioners find their rightful place there, practicing and advancing together on the same path. This is the full merit of the Pure Land’s water. See, even the water there has such sublime, wondrous qualities: it responds to one’s will, it teaches the Dharma, and most importantly, it advances one’s progress on the path to enlightenment.