digha agama 28 (08)

[TC Nguyen]

da08

VI. The Pure Land

Some people will use this portion of this sutta to refute the Pure Land
:

Brahmin, certain people ascertain that " there is a total peaceful world
". I said to
him : Are you sure there is a total peaceful world ? They said yes. I
said to them :
- Have you ever seen this world ?
- No
- Have you ever seen the devas of this total peaceful world ?
- No
- Have Devas of this total world come and said to you " Your
behaviors are
straight, pure so you will be reborn there. Our behaviors were straight,
pure so
why we are there and enjoy life with others devas there " ?
- No
- Have you ever construct for yourself another form of body with
complete
organs, which leave this body formed of 4 elements ?
- No
- Brahmin, do those shramana, Bramana say truthfully, do they say
logically ?
The Bramin said :
- They say it not truthfully, not logically.

( Chinese Agama 09, TC Nguyen tr.)

Pali canon is a little bit different in this line :

'Po.t.thapa-da, there are some ascetics and Brahmins who declare and
believe
that after death the self is entirely happy and free from disease.

The same argument can be applied to refute the critic.
And beside, if Gautama teached people to be happy, and he said that, the
happiness is from our grasping to the impermanence. Suppose the disciple
attains
what he teached, to Nirvana, then the Nirvana must be right when he is
living, if
wait till he is dead then it is only supposition. Now, is this disciple
happy or not
in this life ? If he is happy, then there is indeed this world. If he is
not, then
Gautama lied.

Samsara is indeed Nirvana, beside samsara, there is no Nirvana !!! ( How
do you
think Dr. Hayes ? ). You can see the stock price at the stock market, it
soars.

BTW, Gautama did not say that this is true or not, he had given the
reason why
he did not do so. Pureland devotees, please think about it.