The Truth about Rebirth in the Land of Bliss (Sukhāvatī)

Those of the highest grade of the highest rebirth who have awakened to the true mind, and those of the highest grade of the middle rebirth who have realized the fruits, will see the Buddha immediately upon arriving in the land of bliss (Sukhāvatī), and may travel at will to the worlds of the ten directions. They are not wrapped in a lotus flower, and they immediately see and make offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions. Those reborn in all other grades must be wrapped inside lotus-flower palaces, slowly subduing their afflictions and letting the seeds of unwholesome karma wither. Amitābha Buddha is most skilled at dealing with those sentient beings who still have afflictions and will commit unwholesome deeds whenever the opportunity arises—He lets them live alone in the lotus-flower palace, giving them not the slightest opportunity to create unwholesome karma, and of course, creating wholesome karma is also impossible. They can only let their former karmic seeds slowly wither and shrink. When they themselves no longer have any thought of creating karma, their minds become pure and their roots of goodness grow deep. Only then may they emerge from the lotus-flower palace to come before Amitābha Buddha, or Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, or Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva, or the transformation bodies of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, to hear the Dharma face to face, and thereby awaken to the true mind and attain enlightenment.

Look at how those reborn in the lower grades are treated in the Contemplation of the Immeasurable Life Sūtra; those with wisdom will consider whether or not they wish to go there. Even if one were to fall into hell and then come out to cultivate, that would be many times faster than dwelling alone in a lotus-flower palace in the land of bliss for twelve great kalpas. Although hell is extremely painful, after coming out and cultivating again, the speed of attaining buddhahood is far faster than staying in the land of bliss. The key lies in what each person is actually seeking.

Those of the lowest grade of the lowest rebirth dwell inside a lotus flower in the land of bliss for twelve great kalpas—not twelve great kalpas of the Sahā world. Use a computer to calculate just how long ago such distant kalpas are. Such a long time is indeed very enjoyable, but if you eat dumplings every day, you will get tired of them too; once you are used to it, it feels like nothing special.