Buddhism and Discrimination: a Pure Land perspective
Posted: June 4, 2010 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Jodo Shu, Religion | 9 Comments »This was something from the Buddhist Pure Land text, the Immeasurable Life Sutra, that I had totally overlooked this until watching a certain Buddhist anime again recently, where this was explicitly called out. These are the third and fourth vows of the Bodhisattva Dharmakara before he became enlightened as Amitabha Buddha, and created the Pure Land:
(3) If, when I attain Buddhahood, humans and devas in my land should not all be the color of pure gold, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
(4) If, when I attain Buddhahood, humans and devas in my land should not all be of one appearance, and should there be any difference in beauty, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
It’s interesting to see how the Buddha Amitabha’s Pure Land has no distinctions with regard to race, appearance and so on. Did the original authors of the sutra want to convey a Buddhist egalitarian message, or is this a Dharma teaching that at the highest level there is no difference? Or perhaps another interpretation?
I’m curious to see how people read and interpret this teaching.
Namu Amida Butsu
P.S. Starting next week, I am moving back to the Sunday-Tuesday-Thursday schedule (3 posts a week). I am under a lot of pressure to get other things done in the near future, and also am suffering some burnout on the blog. It was a lot of fun while in Japan, but now I need to pull back for a while. It was either this, or take a hiatus, which I prefer not to do. Thanks for understanding. 
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
You certainly have had a string of very impressive postings, so we can’t complain if you want to take it easy for a while. Just don’t take it *too* easy!
I am no expert, but I have not seen much in Buddhist scriptures about racial discrimination. To me, the question about any of the humans and devas being a different color seems to refer to perfection of enlightenment. If any of them have not reached a perfect state, then one’s own task as a bodhisattva is not yet finished. But that is just my intuitive perspective–this is not something I know much about!
Hi Johnl,
I actually did find a sutra in the Pali Canon about the caste system, but I don’t have it now. Other sutras I’ve seen show how the Buddha assigned caste by wisdom and conduct, not birth. So, a “brahmin” in the eyes of the Buddha was one who was upright, wise and carried himself/herself well.
As for me and the blog, no worries. I just have to scale back for a while due to technical certification test I am working on, due later this month, and other obligations this month. Also need to work on processing through some material for the blog.
Decided to side-step the other big equalizer No35?
Stephen
Ha, ha, ha you must be referring to this one:
(35) If, when I attain Buddhahood, women in the immeasurable and inconceivable Buddha-lands of the ten quarters who, having heard my Name, rejoice in faith, awaken aspiration for Enlightenment and wish to renounce womanhood, should after death be reborn again as women, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
Nothing clever on my part; it was not mentioned in the video and I forgot. Maybe they were side-stepping? :-0
Having everyone “all be of one appearance” sounds a bit boring to me. I enjoy diversity. Perhaps though it’s addressing the idea of “no self,” and that everyone has actualized this idea. That’s the problem with speaking in metaphors, too many possible interpretations, especially considering the language translations added into it.
I think you’ve done quite well keeping up with your blog. Wish I could say the same about mine.
Indeed, you may well be right. Since the Pure Land Buddhist texts were written 2,000 years ago, and pretty sophisticated, we can only guess at what they wanted to convey. :-/
For that matter, I really wish I could go back in time somehow and just ask people.
Personally, if I could go back in time I wouldn’t ask anybody, I would ask Sakyamuni Buddha himself.
That option gone I take his word from the past and focus on Amida in the future.
Stephen
Yeah, I would do the same thing. Might as well go to the source.