What does “seven tiers of railings” mean? 

It means there are seven tiers of railings enclosing the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. 

Everyone must be curious, why does the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss have railings? 

Is it to prevent prisoners from escaping or to prevent others from entering? 

However, these railings are very solemn and beautiful, defining the boundaries. The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, the boundaries of this Buddha Land are beautifully constructed. 

Personally, I think there would be problems without these railings because as far as I know, next to this Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss, there is a palace called the “Womb Palace of Doubt.”

The people living in this Womb Palace of Doubt, are those who “recite the Buddha’s name with a doubtful mind.”

What is meant by Womb Palace? 

Womb Palace refers to a place where one is born from a womb, like us in our current situation. 

However, those from the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss are transformed from lotus flowers and its fragrance is different, possessing a unique aroma. It is different, even the air breathed is different. 

Yet us born from the womb have a special impure smell, it is different. The air breathed is different. 

Anyway, those born from a womb live in this Womb Palace. Those with doubt and born from a womb also recite the Buddha’s name. But it can’t be helped, because they doubt and are born from the womb so they can only live in this womb palace. This is rarely mentioned in Buddhist scriptures, this is what I know. As these railings are surrounding, these people have no way to enter. For those who are inside, it is not that they cannot go out. Basically those from outside cannot enter, their impure air won’t affect the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss. These railings are established to adorn and dignify the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss, and there are seven tiers of them in total.

Furthermore, what is meant by the “seven layers of netting”? As I understand, in heaven and earth, above our universe there is Lord Indra. In his realm there is a net called the “Indra’s Net”. At every intersection of this net, there is a bright jewel at the center. This Indra Net spreads across the sky, surrounding the entire Buddha Land of Indra. At the center of each cross-shaped section is a bright pearl, hence it is called “Indra’s Luminous Pearl Net.”

In the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, Indra’s Luminous Pearl Net has seven tiers, filling the entire void. Its brilliance adorns the splendor of the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss. Like when we go outside today and look at the sky in Seattle, we can’t see a single star because of the rain. But when you look at the sky of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, where seven tiers of bright jewels hang in the void, incredibly beautiful, it is like watching fireworks every night. This is the magnificence of thousands of jewels radiating light. Thousands, even tens of thousands of bright jewels in the void shine upon the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss, making this land extremely majestic.

Last time I mentioned – why is everyone’s state of mind in the Buddha’s Land of Ultimate Bliss so joyful?

It is because in the Pure Land there is a kind of extremely beautiful and subtle music that is continuously flowing throughout that realm. This music gently moves through the environment, allowing every being there to constantly feel a sense of joy and inner happiness. Because everyone is immersed in this blissful music and naturally feels joyful, it is called the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

At the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss there are seven rows of trees meaning there are seven layers of trees. When the trees move with the wind, they produce an extremely beautiful and joyful kind of music. This sound flows into the hearts of all beings in that Buddha land, and everyone becomes naturally joyful. That is why it is called “Ultimate Bliss.”

In a sense, you cannot help but be happy, even if you do not want to be, you are gently led into joy.

This joyful sound enters through the ears. Even if a thought of affliction begins to arise, it cannot take hold, even to the point where one’s legs may feel like dancing.

Whenever a person begins to think of worries or troubles, as soon as this joyful sound enters, it cannot be resisted, it naturally transforms into happiness.

Even the railings, nettings and all the trees are made using the four treasures, using very precious treasures to make them. Why is the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss so joyous? The main reason is that there are these seven tiers of railings, seven layers of netting, and seven rows of trees transforming it into a Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss.

In recent times, I am not sure who has been to the Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss. I went there once about more than ten years ago, almost twenty years ago. I smelled the air there, it was much better than in Seattle, although Seattle’s air is indeed much better than Tokyo’s or Hong Kong’s. In Tokyo and Hong Kong, if you stay for just one day, your nostrils will turn black. In Seattle, the air is better, and it seems like it takes several days for your nostrils to turn black. But in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, it’s different. You don’t need to wash your clothes, you don’t sweat, and your body is naturally fragrant, a blend of floral scents and other aromas, indescribable. And it remains forever like this, it never spoils or decays. In Seattle, we can see very far, distant mountains are clearly visible. The mountains in Tokyo and Hong Kong, however, are somewhat hazy due to air pollution.

In the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, everything is in a constant state of flowing and movement.

Even the air itself feels like it is gently flowing everywhere. The atmosphere, the sounds, and even the sense of one’s own body all feel as if they are in a continuous, subtle flow, extremely fresh, light, and refreshing.

When I was there, sometimes when I saw the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, I couldn’t open my eyes. They were brighter than a VVS quality diamond, incredibly dazzling and radiant, sparkling before your eyes. Therefore, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas there are extremely clean, pure, and subtly fragrant, indescribable.

Sometimes we wonder, Master Lu said the Western Pure Land is so wonderful, why can’t we see it on Earth? 

Actually, there are many things we can’t see on Earth. Once we leave Earth and go into space, there are many things in space that are beyond our imagination. Take Saturn’s rings for example, if we don’t know scientific knowledge or knowledge about space, how can we imagine that there are such beautiful rings around Saturn? 

We also can’t imagine that Pluto has many precious minerals that are brighter than diamonds themselves. The universe is full of mysteries beyond our current knowledge. Therefore, this Buddha Land of Ultimate Bliss does exist! It was spoken of by Shakyamuni Buddha himself.

I have also been there before, and I think I will like to go there someday. However, after I go there, I will return, because there is warmth in the human world! Living in the Western Pure Land for a long time might get lonely. Even though one is happy every day in the Western Pure Land, with nothing to do, it is also very lonely! No wonder Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the human world to save sentient beings! Because there is still some warmth in the human world.

Om Mani Padme Hum