Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Pure Land of the Present Moment

Read deeply the following discourse by the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh regarding the Pure Land of the Present Moment.
https://www.lionsroar.com/in-the-pure-land-of-the-present-moment/

(My question to Thay)
At the beginning, Thay said, "There is indeed a place like that, called the Pure Land of the Present Moment. That land is not limited in space or time. Speaking in Buddhist terminology, that land is outside of space and time."

At the end, Thay said, "Therefore, if we practice mindful breathing and mindful walking, we can return to the Pure Land of the Present Moment in that very space and time." 

So, that very space and time must be outside of space and time. Thay said, "Speaking in terminology of quantum physics, it is nonlocal and nontemporal." So, the Pure Land of the Present Moment must be in the noumenal world, not in the phenomenal world. 

In this sense, I understand that our body can't dwell in the Pure Land of the Present Moment but only awareness (awakened consciousness) can dwell in the Pure Land of the Present Moment. 

I have a question to Thay. Can there be notions such as suffering and happiness in the Pure Land of the Present Moment? I understand that in the noumenal world (the ultimate dimension, nirvana) there are no notions. That's because the extinction of all notions is nirvana, as Thay taught us.

(Steps for dwelling in the Pure Land)
I understand that only if we can stop thinking, we can dwell in the Pure Land. And the steps for dwelling in the Pure Land 24 hours a day will be: 
(1) conscious breathing, (for temporary enlightenment)
(2) insight of the root cause of suffering, (for long-lasting enlightenment) 
(3) the extinction of all notions. (for full enlightenment)

(Cf.) http://www.slideshare.net/compassion5151/implicate-order-explicate-order

Thich Nhat Hanh