Queen Vaidehi Aspires to the Pure Land
While Devadatta was pursuing his wicked schemes, King Bimbisara languished in prison, secretly fed by Queen Vaidehi. Eventually, the usurper Ajatashatru caught on to what was happening. The following account of what happened is taken from the Sutra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life:
Ajatashatru asked the sentries guarding the gates, “Is my father the king still alive?” They said, “The king’s consort smears honey mixed with roasted barley flour on her body. She then fills her jeweled crown with juices and offers it to the king. The Buddha’s disciples such as Maudgalyayana and Purna and others come swooping down from the sky to expound the Dharma for the sake of the king. We have not been able to prevent this.”
Ajatashatru heard this account and was angry. He said, “Even though she is my mother, if she consorts with those who violate the laws of the country, she must also be considered an enemy of the state. Moreover, how dare these evil monks with their magical powers keep this evil king alive!” The he drew his sword and attempted to kill Vaidehi the consort of the king. At that moment the minister Chandraprabha together with the physician Jivaka bowed down to the king and said, “From the Vedas we learn that since the creation of heaven and earth, there have been eighteen thousand evil kings who slew their fathers in order to usurp the throne. But there is none so vicious that he slew his own mother. If you commit this foul deed you will bring disgrace upon the kshatriya caste. We cannot bear such a deed, for anyone who performs such an act is an outcaste. We cannot stay here any longer.” The two men, with their hands on the hilts of their swords, spoke these words as they slowly inched their way backwards. Ajatashatru was stunned and terrified; he said to Jivaka, “Are you not going to help me?” Jivaka said, “Do not kill your mother.” The king repented his erroneous ways and sought their help; he threw away his sword and ordered his palace officials to confine his mother to the private palace. (Buddha-Dharma, pp. 552-553)
Fortunately for Ajatashatru, the minister Chandraprabha and the physician Jiavaka had the integrity and courage to oppose him in his impulsive desire to kill Vaidehi. They could not stop him from imprisoning her and resuming the starvation of Bimbisara, but they at least stopped him from committing a crime so heinous that it would have dishonored the warrior caste and perhaps lead to more unrest and chaos within the kingdom. Their principled opposition displayed a loyalty far deeper than mere acquiescence.
The Sutra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life goes on to tell how Queen Vaidehi in desperation called out to the Buddha who was staying on Vulture Peak in the hopes of receiving miraculous visits from his disciples, just as Maudgalyayana and Purna had visited Bimbisara over the previous three weeks. In response to her plea, the Buddha himself appeared accompanied by Ananda and Maudgalyana and a heavenly entourage. Vaidehi then expressed her doubts and despair to the Buddha.
The king’s consort, of her own accord, tore away her necklace and threw herself onto the great earth. Bursting into tears, she said to the World Honored One, “World Honored One, what evil deeds did I commit that I must bear the fruit of giving birth to such an evil child as this, and by what conditions did the World Honored One become a relative of Devadatta? World Honored One, for my sake, please show me the path that is free of sorrow; I have grown weary of this wretched, evil world. This world is an assembly of unhappy beings such as hell beings, hungry ghosts, and animals. From now on, I do not wish to hear unhappy voices nor see unhappy beings. I now face the World Honored One and prostrate myself on the great earth. I beg for your pity as I drown in tears of contrition. I beg of you, World Honored One who dwell amidst the world’s light, please let me gaze upon a pure land.” (Ibid, p. 553)
Vaidehi’s distress is representative of all those who have suffered tragedy and injustice. Her anguish is especially acute because it was her own son who has betrayed her. She also wonders why it was the Buddha’s own cousin who had betrayed him and instigated these tragic events. What did any of them do, in either their present or past lives, to deserve such suffering? Is there a better world where such things do not happen?
The Buddha did not answer Vaidehi’s questions regarding Ajatashatru or Devadatta in the Sutra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life. Perhaps this is because they were taken to be rhetorical questions, an expression of Vaidehi’s suffering and confusion. They are interesting questions however, questions that are addressed in other sutras. Earlier, the story was told in which Bimbisara had a hermit killed, in order to hasten that hermit’s birth as his son Ajatashatru. Bimbisara later grew afraid of the baby and had him dropped from a tower, but Ajatashatru survived. Another account told of how Vaidehi had tried to abort him. It would seem that Ajatashatru’s parents were not so loving and innocent; Ajatashatru had grown up under a cloud of suspicion and even hostility from the moment he was born, or even before. As for Devadatta, his lifelong jealousy towards the Buddha has already been recounted. Even a Buddha cannot please everyone, or force people to react in a positive rather than a negative way. In our pain, we sometime forget the ways in which we might have caused suffering to others through our actions and attitudes. We also forget that we cannot control others. Even our good causes cannot override the free will of other people, and it is possible that other people may show ingratitude or even repay our kindness with cruelty. This does not mean that we should not do our best to make good causes or do our best for others, but it does mean that one of the good causes we might need to make is to cultivate patience and understanding when faced with the consequences of our own mistakes or with the ingratitude or even injurious actions of others, trusting that in the long run balance and harmony will be restored as the law of cause and effect unfolds.
The Buddha does, however, respond to the request to see a better world. He grants to Vaidehi a vision of pure lands throughout the ten directions. These pure lands are essentially heavenly realms where all who are reborn in them can learn and practice the Dharma under the guidance of their presiding buddhas in conditions that are perfectly conducive to attaining enlightenment. Vaidehi then announces that she aspires to be reborn in Sukhavati, the pure land of Amitayus Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Life (aka Amitabha aka Infinite Light).
At that time, the Word Honored One smiled, and a light of five different hues shot forth; that light shone on the head of King Bimbisara. Although the king was imprisoned, his mind’s eye saw the World Honored One at a distance, and nothing blocked his view. He reverently bowed; the bonds of delusion of themselves came loose, and the king attained enlightenment.
The World Honored One said to Vaidehi, the king’s consort, “Are you not aware that Amitayus Buddha does not dwell far from this place? You ought to think upon Amitayus Buddha’s land of Sukhavati, which was created by virtuous deeds. If you wish to be born in this country, you must perform the three kinds of virtuous deeds. First, you must dutifully attend your parents, serve your teacher faithfully, and be compassionate and refrain from committing the ten grave offences of murder, theft, sexual misconduct, false speech, slander, harsh speech, frivolous talk, covetousness, ill-will, and false views. Second, you must take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha, observe all the precepts, and uphold your dignity. Third, you must aspire to seek enlightenment, profoundly believe in the principle of cause and effect, read the sutras, and expound their teachings to others. Vaidehi, these three are the virtuous deeds that lead to birth in the Pure Land. The buddhas of the past, present, and future all attained enlightenment on account of these three deeds that functioned as the true cause of their attainment.” (Ibid, pp. 553-554)
The Buddha then teaches a total of 16 subjects for contemplation in order to be reborn in Sukhavati, the Land of Bliss. The first 13 deal with various aspects of Sukhavati and of Amitayus Buddha and his attendants Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (aka Kuan Yin aka Regarder of the Cries of the World) and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. The last 3 deal with contemplations involving those of high, middle or low spiritual capacity and their response to the saving power of Amitayus Buddha. The power of simply hearing and saying the name of Amitayus Buddha is especially stressed towards the end of this sutra for the sake of those who are unable to contemplate the Buddha, do good, or even refrain from evil. There are many different ways of understanding this sutra, but one interpretation of it could be that to envision Sukhavati, and Amitayus Buddha, and his bodhisattva attendants is to uplift one’s mind and heart and to transcend one’s preoccupation with whatever suffering one is in or whatever evil states of being one is caught up in. This breaks the cycle of negativity and allows the light of truth and compassion to come into one’s life and transform it. It is a skillful method whereby those in deep suffering who have despaired of life or of this world can envision a better world and the qualities of the buddhas and the bodhisattvas. They thereby open their eyes to the buddha qualities within their own life and in doing so realize the true nature of this world and the beings in it. The Pure Land teaching and method, can be understood to be about a literal rebirth in the Pure Land of Amitayus Buddha through accepting the salvific power of that buddha, but in essence it’s aim is to bring about the inner revolution of enlightenment in this very life that will unfold without cease into the future.
When the World Honored One had finished expounding this, the consort Vaidehi and a host of ladies-in-waiting all saw the world of Sukhavati, Amitayus Buddha, and his two attendant bodhisattvas. Their minds overflowed with joy; great enlightenment unfolded spontaneously; and they were able to see the world as it was. The World Honored One then predicted the day on which they would attain enlightenment.
The World Honored One said, “If a person hears the name of Amitayus Buddha, evils that lead to endless transmigration are destroyed. Should they contemplate his name, all the more so will this be true. Truly, those who contemplate the Buddha are lotuses among evil people. The two bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta become their friends; they never deviate from the path, and in the end they will be born in Sukhavati.” He then said to Ananda, “Uphold these words. To uphold these words means to uphold the name of Amitayus Buddha.”
After expounding the Dharma, the World Honored One returned to the Vulture Peak; Ananda, for the sake of sentient beings, traveled everywhere expounding this teaching. Because of his efforts, those who heard this teaching placed their trust in the Dharma and rejoiced. (Ibid, p. 558)