Every Awakened being exists in their own Awakened world, often called a Pure Land, and is able to draw us into that world when we call on them, especially at the time of death.
Having created their own Pure Land through the power of their pranidhanas [A Sanskrit word, often translated rather inadequately as ‘wishing prayer’, it is more powerful than just a wish, although it is essentially the power of our volition empowered and made effective. Maybe it is not so much what we would call a prayer as what we would call a clearly formulated blessing (or curse). When somebody powerful utters their word of truth with one-pointed concentration and conviction, this is a pranidhana and it has the power to fulfil itself. For example, “may you be well,” “may the gods go with you,” “may I gain Enlightenment for the sake of all beings.”] over countless lifetimes, they are able to draw into it any being who thinks of them or calls to them at the time of death, and hold them there until they reach Awakening.
Buddhist teachings on Pure Lands constitute a vast topic. There are many kinds of Pure Land and a lot of technical detail and principles involved.
But even without knowing much about them, someone can have a sense that it would be wonderful to be born into the presence of a particular Awakened being, and aspire to be born into their Pure Land.
Pure Lands are always spoken of as being in the heart as well as being real places where you can go and live.
This is not a completely unfamiliar idea to us. We sometimes talk poetically not only of having our dearest friends in our heart, but also of places that are dear to us seeming to be in our heart and our heart seeming to be there even when we are far away.
At death, we often find people talking about passing over to the other side, another place, a better place, the other world, or the hereafter, even when they have no specific beliefs in this regard.
It is as if people intuitively sense that a person and their world are all of a piece. Where they are, their world will be too.
So it is not such a big intuitive leap to think of Awakened beings living in their own worlds into which we could pray to be reborn.
In Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese Buddhism, a popular practice is praying to be born in Amitābha’s Pure Land, Sukhāvati (Tibetan Dewachen, meaning Land of Great Bliss).
Some people make this their main practice, while others combine it with other practices such as those I have outlined.
The practice essentially consists in reciting the name of Amitābha Buddha (Amitābha means Boundless Light – Amida in the Japanese tradition) and perhaps also his mantra, or that of Avalokiteśvara, together with a prayer such as, “As soon as I die, may I see the Buddha Amitābha and be born in the land of Sukhāvati. Having been born there, may I complete the path to Awakening and bring all beings to Awakening with me.”
As we utter the name or mantra of an Awakened being, or even the name of their Pure Land, we are automatically making a connection with the world emanating from that being, and that naturally draws us towards it by the force of its adhisthana. [This Sanskrit word literally means “influence” or “possession”, but often translated “blessing” or “grace”. This is the power that flows out from something. The most powerful and beneficial source of adhisthana is the Buddha and the reality he embodies.]
Every fully Awakened being has a Pure Land, and they are equally conducive to Awakening. It doesn’t really matter which one you choose and whether you focus on the Pure Land or just the Awakened Heart of the Awakened being you have chosen.
Once you have been born in one Pure Land it is easy to travel to another, so it doesn’t matter much which one you focus on.
Some people are determined to go to one particular Pure Land. That is one way of practising that can be quite energizing.
Because Guru Rinpoche is central to the Mahāmudrā and Dzogchen tradition, I encourage my students to feel a strong connection with him as one of the great living forces of Tibetan Buddhism.
Since Guru Rinpoche emanates from Amitābha, calling on him opens the way to Sukhāvati as well as Guru Rinpoche’s personal Pure Land.
It is said that Guru Rinpoche was specially sent by the Buddha Amitābha to help the beings of this “dark age” when it is very hard to practise Dharma.
Other people find they do not favour one Pure Land or Awakened being over another, and are happy to think of them all as the same in essence and relate to the essence of them all.
This would be more like someone who relied mainly on the Refuge or Bodhisattva vow or meditation as their main practice at the time of death. The benefits of all these practices are the same.
When praying to be reborn in a Pure Land, the idea is simply to have faith in the Buddha whose land it is and not make any egocentric effort to do anything oneself, except recite the mantra or prayer to be born in that land.
The recitation is done with complete trust that maintaining the connection is sufficient and that the Buddha will do the rest.
It is a way of letting go of attachment to egocentric ideas of self-effort and to trust our heart connection to the Buddha to do all the work of Awakening the heart within us.
In that sense it works like meditation, and it is very good to combine sessions of meditation with sessions of prayer and trusting in Amitābha or whichever Awakened being you have chosen.
To die with such a longing is the same as dying with the longing to be able to realize full Awakening in order to benefit all beings.
Thinking in terms of taking birth in a Pure Land gives the practice a personal touch.
To help you feel more confident in your connection to the path of Awakening, you could think of the warmth and love of Awakened beings coming towards you to embrace you and escort you to their Pure Land.
Source: Hookham, Lama Shenpen. There’s More to Dying than Death: A Buddhist Perspective. Cambridge, UK: Windhorse Publications, 2006.
For further resources and support around death and dying, please visit the following link. (This site is an excellent source of materials and is well worth the time to visit.) https://sites.google.com/ahs.org.uk/death-and-dying/home
Finally, for more information about the work of Lama Shenpen Hookham, please visit the following link: https://ahs.org.uk/
For those interested in additional information on Pure Land Buddhism, Alexander Peck has created the following website: pure-land-buddhism.org
Pure Lands are always spoken of as being in the heart as well as being real places where you can go and live.
This is not a completely unfamiliar idea to us. We sometimes talk poetically not only of having our dearest friends in our heart, but also of places that are dear to us seeming to be in our heart and our heart seeming to be there even when we are far away.
(Lama Shenpen Hookham, There’s More to Dying Than Death: A Buddhist Perspective)