Overview of the Program

The Pure Lands are an integral aspect of Tibetan Buddhism rarely taught in the West.  For most of us, they represent our greatest opportunity after death. We’ll explore the origins and development of the Pure Land tradition, and the lineage of masters that continue to support it. We’ll define the many types of pure lands, their entry requirements, and why Amitabha’s Pure Land of Sukhavati is so unique. This program is designed to provide you with everything you need to know about the Pure Land tradition.

Hidden Lands (beyul) are places where the spiritual and physical worlds overlap. Designed as places of refuge in challenging times, Hidden Lands have particular relevance in our current dark age. Sacred Lands are places where prepared visitors can experience heightened awareness and rapid spiritual progress. These include traditional places of pilgrimage, as well as sacred geographical locations. Just as all beings have “buddha-nature,” all lands have special sacred ground.

Some Topics We Will Explore: 

• The intimate relationship between mind and matter
• Where does Shambhala fit in?
• Self-power vs Other-power
• The role of faith and devotion
• The importance of merit, and the power of transferring merit
• The causes for rebirth into a Pure Land
• The difference between sutra and tantra Pure Lands
• Who is Amitbha, and how did he create Sukhavati?
• How is a Pure Land different from heaven?
• Is Amitabha different from God?
• Where exactly are these Hidden Lands, and how do they accelerate awakening?
• The maps for getting to a Hidden Land
• Nature dharma (ri-cho)and symbolic guru
• The relation of Hidden Lands and terma (treasure texts)
• How does the Garden of Eden connect to the Hidden Lands?
• The role of meditation in removing veils of perception
• How does opening your mind open a beyul?
• How does the “fourth moment” lead you immediately into a Hidden Land?
• Pilgrimage as a journey into pure perception
• How to use landscape to awaken mindscape
• The role of “golden gates” and “secret gates” to enter paradise now
• Replacing materialism with idealism
• Physical fulcrums of perception