Vasubandhu’s Discourse on the Pure Land
Declaring single-mindedness be entrusted in Amitabha Buddha
Vasubandhu, the great Buddhist thinker of the 5th century in India, had made significant contributions to Mahāyāna Buddhism during his lifetime. Among his works was his Sukhāvatīvyūhopadeśa, a discourse composed on the Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sutra — the Discourse on the Pure Land.
The Discourse on the Pure Land begins with a gāthā, followed by a prose section in which the significance of the gāthā is explained. In the gāthā, Vasubandhu first declares his single-minded entrusting in Amitabha Buddha and his aspiration to be born in the Pure Land.
He then describes the virtues of that land in terms of twenty-nine adornments: the land itself, Amitabha Buddha, and the Bodhisattvas in that land. Vasubandhu extols these adornments as the perfections of the virtues of Amitabha Buddha’s primal vow to create a Pure Land into which all sentient beings can be born there.
At the end of the gāthā, Vasubandhu states that he aspires to see Amitabha Buddha and to be born in the Pure Land together with all other beings.
By reading Vasubandhu’s Discourse, everyone is encouraged to instill unwavering confidence in Amitabha and faith in the Pure Land method.
(Below is the Discourse text translated from Chinese into English by Hisao Inagaki.)
DISCOURSE ON THE PURE LAND
Vasubandhu’s Verses of Aspiration for Rebirth
O World-Honored One, with singleness of mind, I
Take refuge in the Tathagata of Unhindered Light
Shining throughout the Ten Directions,
And aspire to be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss.
Depending on the sutras’ exposition
Of the manifestation of true merit,
I compose verses of aspiration in condensed form,
Thereby conforming to the Buddha Dharma.
When I contemplate the nature of that Land,
I find that it surpasses all states of existence in the three worlds.
It is ultimately like space,
Vast and without bounds.
Out of the Great Compassion inherent in the Right Path
And from the root of supramundane good has it arisen.
It is completely radiant with pure light,
Like a mirror or the sun or moon.
It is composed of rare jewels,
And endowed with exquisite adornments.
Its pure and blazing light is brilliant
And serene, illuminating the whole world.
Jewelled ornaments, pliant and soft like grasses,
Bend to right and left.
They produce delightful sensations in one who touches them,
Surpassing the sensations produced when kacilindika grass is stroked.
A myriad varieties of jewelled blossoms
Are scattered profusely among the ponds, streams, and springs.
When a soft breeze moves the flowers and leaves,
Reflections of light interweave and shimmer in all directions.
The palaces and various towers
Command unobstructed views in the ten directions.
There are trees displaying many colors,
All surrounded by railings of precious gems.
Nets strung with innumerable jewels
Hang across the sky.
When bells of various kinds ring out,
They proclaim the message of the excellent Dharma.
Magnificent flowers and robes rain down,
And numerous varieties of incense pervade everywhere.
The Buddha’s wisdom is pure and brilliant like the sun;
It dispels the darkness of the world’s ignorance.
The sacred name enlightens people far and wide;
It is subtle and wonderful and is heard everywhere in the ten directions.
[The Land] is firmly upheld by Amida,
The Enlightened One, the Dharma-King.
The hosts of sages in the likeness of pure flowers surrounding the Tathagata
Are born there, transformed from within the Flower of Enlightenment.
They enjoy the taste of the Buddhist Dharma,
Taking meditation and Samadhi as food.
Forever free from bodily and mental afflictions,
They always enjoy pleasure, without interruption.
In this realm of the Goodness of the Mahayana
[All beings are] equal, and not [even] the names of unworthy beings are found there.
Women, deformed and deficient persons and
[Those having] the seeds of the Two Vehicles are not born here.
Whatever aspirations sentient beings may have,
They will all be fulfilled.
For this reason I aspire to be born
In Amida Buddha’s Land.
[He is seated] on the pedestal of an excellent, pure lotus flower
Adorned with innumerable great treasures.
His physical marks of excellence shine for one fathom;
His form is incomparably superior to that of any other beings.
The wondrous voice of the Tathagata like that of Brahma
Is heard throughout the ten directions.
Like earth, water, fire, wind
And space, [he] has no discriminative thoughts.
Heavenly and human beings, unshakable [in their spiritual attainments],
Are born out of the ocean of pure wisdom.
Like Sumeru, the king of mountains,
[Amida is] supreme, wonderful and unequaled.
Heavenly beings and valiant men
Worship, circumambulate round him and look up to him adoringly.
When I observe the Buddha’s Primal Vow-Power,
I find that those who meet with it do not pass by in vain.
They are enabled to gain quickly
The great sea of the treasure of merit.
The Land of Peace and Bliss is pure and serene;
[The Buddha] always turns the undefiled wheel [of the Dharma].
Transformed Buddhas and Bodhisattvas [illumine the whole world] like the sun,
[While remaining motionless] like Mt. Sumeru.
The pure, glorious light [of the Bodhisattvas],
In a flash of thought and simultaneously,
Illumines each and every Buddha’s assembly
And gives benefit to multitudes of beings.
They manifest heavenly musical instruments, flowers, robes,
Fine incense, and so forth, with which they worship the Buddhas;
They praise and extol the merits of the Buddhas
Without discriminative thoughts.
If there is any world in the universe
Without the treasure of merit of the Buddha Dharma,
I resolve to be born there
And to preach the Dharma like a Buddha.
I have written this discourse and composed verses
With the wish to see Amida Buddha
And, together with all sentient beings,
Be born in the Land of Peace and Bliss.
Note: The Discourse on the Pure Land was translated by Bodhiruci, a Buddhist master in the year 529 from North India who came to China, into Chinese as Discourse on the Sutra of Eternal Life and Gāthā of Aspiration to Be Born in the Pure Land. The Discourse text exists only in its Chinese form today.
Credits to Hisao Inagaki, translator of the Chinese form of Vasubandhu’s Discourse on the Pure Land into English.
Resources:
Benefits of Mindful Chanting of the Buddha
Samples of chanting music of Amitabha Mindful collection
