A
pure mind induces a pure land
As recorded in the Sutra, Sariputra had been sceptical about the purity of the Buddha's land.
Once, he asked the Buddha:" Buddha! Why is your Saha world so impure when all lands of the ten directions are so pure?"
The Buddha answered:" You cannot perceive the world I am in." So saying, he pressed his toe on the ground. There immediately appeared countless jewels and gold to adorn the ground, and the whole world was transformed into a most dignified pure land.
The Buddha thereupon told Sariputra:" This is the Saha world within my mind."
Still unable to perceive, Sariputra asked the Buddha:" Why is the Saha world we see so different from yours?"
The Buddha replied with an example:" A man born blind who has never seen the sun and moon cannot assert that there is no sun and moon. He can only blame it on his impaired eyesight."
At this moment, Sariputra was told:" Even the good ones have their differing levels of merit. Without the Buddha's wisdom, the Saha world is seen to be an impure land. Sariputra! Bodhisattvas treat all sentient beings with equanimity. With pure bodies and minds enhanced by the Buddha's wisdom, they can see the pure land of the Buddha."
Seeing that Sariputra was still not fully convinced, the Buddha further cited an example:" Even the celestial beings see the colour of their food in accordance with their differing blessings of felicity. So, Sariputra! Only when your mind is pure will you be able to see the Saha world adorned in merits."
[ Some people feel uncomfortable even though they live in grand residences. Others may be exceedingly happy even living in thatched huts. We should know, therefore, that the purity of the mind can bring about purity of the externalities. This is what is meant by ' The pure land follows the pure mind'.]
