FAQ: Wouldn't going to the Pure Land for Bodhisattvas break the Bodhisattvas vows
FAQ: Bodhisattvas suppose to have great bodhicitta and not leave the Samsara (reincarnation) to keep helping sentient beings. Wouldn’t attaining rebirth in the Pure Land be against the Bodhisattvas’ vows?
Not at all. Bodhisattvas will have the ability to stay in the Samsara to keep saving sentient beings unless they have already attained enlightenment to the stage of non-regression (also known as Avaivartika), which means that they will not fall back on their faith (in the Buddhadharma), their bodhicitta and their own practice. An Avaivartika Bodhisattva has attained the minimum of the first stage of dwelling on the 52 levels of enlightenment. For complete non-regression, they need to be in the eighth stage of grounds (bhumi), the unmovable stage. Hence, it is really not easy. For unenlightened or newly enlightened baby bodhisattvas, it is highly risky if one wants to keep staying in the cycle of Samsara to help save sentient beings, as one cannot even save themselves; how can one help and save others?
So, the best way is to first Nianfo and attain rebirth to Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land. The Pure Land is like a Buddhist University for us to obtain PhD in Buddhism with the best teachers in the entire Dharma realm (all existence), such as Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin and others. Under the guidance of these great enlightened beings, we can realise enlightenment to the stage of non-regression quickly, and after that, we can easily come back to the Saha world to help save sentient beings should we want to, or we can also choose to go to other worlds or have different incarnations in different worlds all at once to help save sentient beings.
Also in the last chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, we see Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Universal Worthy) also vow to attain rebirth in the Pure Land, together with Bodhisattva Manjusri and other highly enlightened Bodhisattvas from the World of Flower Adornment. This is really the performance of highly enlightened bodhisattvas to show us that this is indeed the right path. So not only ordinary unenlightened beings should vow to attain rebirth in the Pure Land, but so are enlightened and highly enlightened beings, as being in the Pure Land they can fast track towards Buddhahood.
