The meaning of this line is saying, why is this land called the Land of Ultimate Bliss?
Because the sentient beings in this land experience no suffering at all, only enjoy all the happiness, hence the name Ultimate Bliss.
The term Ultimate Bliss needs to be explained, it means that in this land, there is no suffering, only happiness.
Here it [Reverend Leguo’s commentary] explains the meaning of “bliss.” What is meant by bliss?
One kind mentioned is the “bliss of birth“, meaning the joy of being born there. In our human world, however, birth is not considered joy, it is considered suffering.
Why is birth called suffering?
When a mother gives birth, she must endure intense pain, as if her bones were being pulled apart. The labor pains at that moment are a form of suffering. Some people say that if there were a hole in the ground, they would want to crawl into it to escape that pain.
Men do not experience this, but women do. So in that sense, men and women have never truly been equal, because women bear more suffering than men. Even when people speak of equality between men and women, in this respect, it is still not completely equal.
Here it says that when you were born, you naturally forgot how painful it was. While still inside your mother’s womb, you were already experiencing suffering, but later you forgot it.
You were surrounded by blood and fluid in the womb. If your mother did not eat, then you also went hungry inside. Your breathing was limited, your eyes were closed in darkness, and for ten months you remained there in a cramped space.
If your skin itched, could you reach out and scratch it? Of course not. While inside the womb, even the smallest discomfort could not be relieved. That kind of suffering, it says, can be greater than many other kinds of pain.
Even when you could move, stretching your arms or legs could not break through the womb. Just imagine being confined for ten months in complete darkness, almost like being shut inside a prison.
That is what is called the suffering of birth.
So it is said here that being born in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, is called “blissful birth.” It is very fragrant, very wonderous, a very fragrant smell like the fragrance of flowers. When a flower blooms, a person is born. When a person is born, their whole body is dirty, but it is different when born in the Buddha’s land. Like the fragrance of flowers, the whole body is very pure, very wonderous. This is “blissful birth.”
Then it speaks of “dwelling in bliss.”
Right now, we live on Earth, and of course some countries, such as the United States, may seem to have better living conditions than many other places.
Take Nepal, for example, which is often regarded as one of the places where Tantric Buddhism is especially flourishing. The sanitation there is not very good. Children may urinate openly by the roadside, and cows, sheep, and pigs may wander freely through the roads, making the streets full of ‘gold’, so you have to be careful even when walking.
Speaking of the environment, we live in Seattle, USA. The winters are very cold, with snow, and sometimes it’s so cold that you have to wear more clothes. The summers are very hot, and you sweat a lot.
The Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss also has gold, but the gold there is real gold used for roads and paving, unlike Nepal where the ground is paved with excrement. Of course, imagine seeing streets full of gold and gold nuggets, how can we not rush to collect them?
The weather at the Western Pure Land is just perfect. Just like our hotels nowadays have air conditioning and thermostat adjustment control. The air is just right. In summer, you don’t sweat, and in winter, your hands and feet don’t get cold. The places we live there are exquisite crystal houses, gold houses, diamond houses, and agate houses, all so beautiful. And of course, there won’t be any major earthquakes like those in San Francisco or Los Angeles. This is “dwelling in bliss”, the place one lives in is extremely peaceful and happy.
Next, let’s talk about the “happiness in seeing colors” at the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the blissful joy of seeing colors.
This does not mean you should go back to places like Huaxi Street in Taiwan, nor does it refer to watching entertainment shows, stage performances, or anything suggestive or inappropriate! That is not what is meant here!
What is happiness in seeing colors?
It refers to the blissful joy of seeing everything as extremely pleasing to the eye, everything you look at is beautiful and delightful. Like seeing golden ground, so radiant and beautiful, seeing crystal houses and palaces, so beautiful. Seeing trees that grow so wonderfully, seeing water that flows so smoothly, seeing the birds are multi-colored, peaceful, and harmonious. They even seem to greet you.
There is also “Happiness in hearing sounds,” the happiness of hearing sounds. What is meant by the bliss of hearing sound?
In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is a kind of celestial music – like the sound of chanting or sacred tones, that constantly flows through the space in a subtle and continuous way. At this time, because you hear this type of music, your body will feel very pure and clean.
Our home in Seattle is currently quite nice, with no major noises except for the occasional cawing of crows in the mornings. However, even the crows’ cawing is a form of chanting! They’re chanting the “Ah,” from “Om Ah Hum.” Ah, it’s quite miraculous to hear crows chanting mantras. I believe that crows can attain Buddhahood in the future because the syllable “Ah” is extremely important. When sentient beings are harmed, the first syllable they cry out is “Ah.” Even reciting this “Ah” can lead to Buddhahood.
In the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is a very subtle kind of music. When it flows through your heart and body, it purifies both your mind and body. Hearing this music makes you want to sing along and chant Buddha’s name, and happiness arises in your heart. This flow of Dharma through music is ceaseless, which is why it is called the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Because all those born there are lotus born, their sweat is fragrant, their breath is sweet, and their clothes are free of dust. Therefore, they don’t need to bathe and have no bad breath.
You know, the human world is very dirty. Our bodies sweat, our ears are dirty, our eyes and noses are full of gunk, and we have to clean them every day to keep them clean.
You think kissing is clean?
That’s transmitting bacteria; your pores are full of bacteria! Of course, excrement goes without saying. None of these exist in the Western Paradise! Because they are born from lotuses, not from semen or blood, but from the lotus itself—that’s different. Therefore, their happiness is inconceivable, beyond our imagination in the human world. That kind of happiness is what we call Ultimate Bliss.
Many people say, “Happiness only exists in the human world.” They don’t realize that momentary happiness is eternal sorrow! In fact, a philosopher said, “Momentary happiness is eternal sorrow.” This is because a brief moment of happiness requires nurturing someone for a lifetime, even until they graduate from university. I tell you, when they laugh, you laugh with them. When they are sick, you are sick with them. When they cry, you cry with them. Generally speaking, human happiness is very short-lived and temporary.
The happiness in the Buddha’s Land is inconceivable. True happiness is “True tranquility,“ it is “complete and true Nirvana.“ Only in tranquility can there be true happiness.
Many people ask me, “What exactly is happiness like in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? If it’s similar to the human world, why would we go there?“
Actually, the happiness in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is more eternal, more tranquil, and more constant. Human happiness is somewhat impure, more fleeting, like the night-blooming cactus, gone in an instant.
Because in this land, all that is experienced is happiness, without suffering. Unlike the human world, where there is the pain of “separation from loved ones.“ I believe the pain of “separation from loved ones“ is something many people have experienced.
Next there is another kind of suffering called “meeting those one hates.“ This means that someone you deeply dislike ends up following you around all day long, while the person you truly like lives far away, separated by countless mountains and rivers. It’s like being in an office where there is always someone you really dislike a lot, yet wherever you go, they seem to follow you like a spy. In Chinese, this is often described as “encountering petty people”. This kind of situation is what is meant by “meeting those one hates.”
This exists in the human world. It’s not just between fathers and children, it is also between siblings, friends, and even spouses. If there weren’t these resentments, they wouldn’t have gotten married. However, Chinese people are more tolerant, even with resentment and hatred, they won’t divorce. Westerners are more pragmatic, they might be calling each other darling, or honey in the morning, but if something feels wrong, they are divorced by evening.
In the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is no such loathing, none! If you were to suddenly see an enemy from the human world reborn there, you would be furious. But it won’t happen!
Why not?
Because those who reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss are all cultivated individuals with boundless compassion. The enemy from the human world can ascend to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss because you have helped them to change. Transforming enmity into friendship. Therefore, you have both ascended to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss together. You are already no longer enemies, but very friendly, good friends and fellow practitioners.
So when you see your enemies from the human realm in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Don’t think “Oh no! I’m doomed! The villains are here again.”
Rest assured because only those with a magnanimous and boundless heart can be reborn in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. Those with a mindset of conflict will be born in the human realm, the animal realm, the hell realm, the hungry ghost realm, or the Asura realm. Only by taking care of the fighting mindset, can one go to the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. If someone still carried a fighting mind and somehow entered the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, then all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas would say, “Oh no, trouble has arrived.” Such a person would go around reporting on others, stirring up disturbance, and creating division even in the Pure Land.
We say this Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is the “Land of Ultimate Bliss” because it doesn’t have these, no battles, no gossip, and no stirring up division, that is why it is called the Land of Ultimate Bliss!
To reach the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, one must:
…then can one go there.
Regardless of which religion, one must cultivate one’s heart to be very kind, upright in conduct. If you only want to rely on the power of the Buddha saying, “My heart is not kind, and my conduct is not upright, please Buddha just save me,” that’s not okay because you are still a person of little virtue, a petty, small person!
Let’s hope everyone of us will learn to be “big-hearted” and have upright conduct. This is the first condition for going to the Western Pure Land.
Om Mani Padme Hum