FAQ: Is Amitabha Buddha like God and the Pure Land like another heaven?
No. Amitabha Buddha is not God, as in, God as an absolute creator. In Buddhism, there isn’t an absolute creator who governs and controls everything (if there is a God like that, he would be doing a poor job in this world with so much suffering). Instead, things arise dependently due to causes and conditions, with their nature being emptiness in essence (i.e. all things are constantly changing without a permanently fixed nature).
Amitabha Buddha, like Shakyamuni Buddha, is a completely awakened being, who, through countless eons of cultivation, realised Buddhahood and created the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss through his great vows (the forty-eight great vows in the Infinite Life Sutra).
Amitabha Buddha only creates His Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, not the suffering world here. He currently resides in the Pure Land and has countless emanations in infinite worlds to help save sentient beings.
Also, the Pure Land is not heaven. The heaven realm is still one of the realms in the six realms of reincarnation, and beings who reside in the heavens are subject to limited lifespans (although they will enjoy tremendously long lifespans). And when life ends in heaven, one still has to come down, most likely falling into the lower realm of existence and still being trapped in the cycle of reincarnation.
One can think of Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land (Buddha-land) as another dimension, the highest dimensional existence where the Buddha resides and teaches the Dharma to help beings to realise Buddhahood. Beings in the Pure Land of Amitabha will realise Buddhahood and attain infinite light and life. Upon realising enlightenment in the Pure Land, one can also be like the Buddhas to have countless emanations in countless worlds to help save sentient beings.
Shakyamuni Buddha also told us there are infinite Buddha-lands in the ten directions. However, Amitabha Buddha's Pure Land is the easiest for us to go to, due to Amitabha Buddha's great vows that he made before realizing Buddhahood. The Infinite Life Sutra (Longer Sukhāvatī-vyūha Sūtra) details Amitabha Buddha's past lives and the forty-eight great vows he made to create the perfect Pure Land of Sukhavati and help save sentient beings. Amituofo.
