Welcome to MahayanaPureland.org
This website offers a step by step learning for Mahayana Pure Land Buddhism. According to British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee: To solve the problems of the 21st century, humankind must rely on the doctrines of Confucius, Mencius, and Mahayana Buddhism. Therefore, we categorize our website into three major parts plus veganism for the sake of humanity and the planet.
1. Confucius Teaching on Building a Happy Life
In 1972, British historian Arnold Joseph Toynbee stated, to solve the problems of the 21st century, humankind must rely on the doctrines of Confucius, Mencius and Mahayana Buddhism. Later, in 1988, 75 Nobel Laureates at a UN conference held in Paris also suggested, in order to survive in the 21st century, humankind must go back 2000 years to learn Confucius wisdom.
With the increasing natural and man-made calamities on earth, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe everyone can finally see the point of Professor Toynbee and those Nobel Laureates. As the doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism emphasized: All phenomena arise from our heart/mind. This implies that the external environment changes in accord to our heart/mind. When the human mind is wholesome, nature will respond in harmony; vice versa, man-made and natural disasters will occur. For this reason, nothing is more important than to help people to be aware of this principle as well as to learn how to live in harmony and achieve happiness .
Confucius teaching is a disclosure of the innate virtues. To learn Confucius teaching is to recover the virtues that are intrinsically within us. It is also the foundation of Mahayana Buddhism. In other words, it is a gateway to Mahayana Buddhism. Therefore, we sincerely invite you to join us to learn Confucius wisdom and walk together on the journey of returning to self-nature by recovering innate virtues.
2. The Law of Cause and Effect
One aspect of this Law says that there are consequences to our every thought, speech and action. Yet we often create karma by perceiving and acting foolishly due to a lack of wisdom. Therefore we suffer endless retributions. If we carefully observe, we will find that those who do not believe in cause and effect dare to do wrong. However they share the same self-nature as others and even Buddha; the reason they are deluded is because they have not yet encountered a teaching to enlighten them. If people believe in ‘effect’, they would have fear of doing bad. And if they believe in ’cause’, they would accept retribution calmly.
Buddha teaches not only the causality of this life but the causality of the three periods of time, the lives of past, present and future. It is because the Buddha and all those who attained proper wisdom through dhyāna (*a general term for meditative concentration practices) have seen the reincarnation of the six paths. Believing and understanding the Law of Cause and Effect will prevent us from creating evil karma by behaving foolishly. It will eventually help us transcend the misery of six paths samsara.
3. The Pure Land School of Mahayana Buddhism
Pure Land Method is the ultimate teaching of Mahayana Buddhism. It offers practitioners the opportunity to transcend the six paths reincarnation in this lifetime. If you believe in the six paths samsara and are deeply terrified of its horrific retribution, Pure Land Method is for you. With Amitabha’s inconceivable 48 Great Vows, anyone who seeks to end their cycle of birth and death in this lifetime, can receive His blessings.
As long as you bring forth a deep belief with imperative aspiration plus genuine cultivation, you will undoubtedly attain what you wish. However, it requires you to conscientiously learn since it is an extremely profound teaching. We cordially invite you to study with us and endeavour our lives’ effort to realize the ultimate attainment of the Buddha’s teaching.
4. Veganism
In Buddha’s time, the disciples went for almsgiving. They ate whatever was given, including meat. However, the Buddha encouraged disciples to eat only the ‘clean’ flesh offered under three conditions (Skt., tri-koṭi-śuddha-mâṃsa; the meat that was not killed for you and was not seen nor heard by you when it was killed). Even though Buddha did not request vegetarian diet for His disciples, many sutras recorded that the Buddha suggested disciples should reduce meat consumption gradually, because meat eating can harm one’s great compassion root.
Vegetarian diet in Buddhist circles was advocated and practiced in China about 1500 years ago by Emperor Liang Wu. At that time, Emperor Liang Wu was deeply touched by the statement from Mahayana sutras which specified that Bodhisattvas cannot bear to eat the flesh of any sentient beings. Since Emperor Liang Wu was the greatest Dharma Guardian in Chinese history, all monastic practitioners responded to his call. Vegetarian diet became a characteristic of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism since then.