FAQ: What do beings do in the Pure Land every day if they don’t have to eat, sleep and work?
In the Amitabha Sutra and the Infinite Life Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha describes in detail the life of the beings in the Pure Land. Every day the beings in the Pure Land will go to the worlds of the ten directions to make offerings to all the Buddhas (beings in the Pure Land can travel to all the worlds in the ten directions in one instant to make offerings to the Buddhas and learn from different Buddhas due to Amitabha Buddha’s great vow). After that, they will come back to the Pure Land, take a walk, and listen to Dharma as they wish. In every moment, they will be mindful of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; hence, they will always experience peace and bliss, and realize enlightenment soon.
After they reach enlightenment to the stage of non-regression (which means they will never fall back. It is a high level of enlightenment, the minimum being the first stage of dwelling, and for complete non-regression it will be the eighth stage of ground - highly enlightened Bodhisattvas), they may come back to the Saha world or go to other worlds to help sentient beings. They will have the ability like the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to have countless incarnations in different worlds to help save sentient beings simultaneously, and each can carry out their own missions independently.
Do they eat and sleep?
No, it’s unnecessary, as they will have pure golden bodies like Amitabha Buddha. Only beings in our world are attached to food and sleep, and what are absolute necessities for beings in our world, are not needed for beings in the Pure Land. Even higher levels of heavenly beings don’t have to eat and sleep, what does that say about beings in the Pure Land?
The beings in the Pure Land do not have to eat or sleep. However, those who are newly born may still have thoughts of eating (due to long deep-seated habits from the Saha world). If this is the case and they give rise to thoughts of wanting to eat, then at their mere thought, all the delicious food will appear before them. Just by merely smelling the food they will feel satisfied and full without needing to consume them physically (and of course no need to wish dishes etc.) and then the food will disappear in one instant. Amituofo.
Namo Amituofo
