Tuṣita or Sukhāvatī?

Doubt 7

Question: "The bodhisattva Maitreya is one birth away from buddhahood, and will surely attain buddhahood. Those who keep the ten wholesome deeds at the highest grade may be born in his presence, following him down to be born again at his side in the three assemblies, and there naturally attain the fruit of sagehood. Why, then, must one seek rebirth in the western pure land at all?"

Answer: "Seeking rebirth in Tuṣita, hearing the teaching in a single day and beholding a buddha, may seem, at first, much the same thing. But compared in detail, there is a great difference of better and worse between the two. Let us take up two points. First: even keeping the ten wholesome deeds in full, one may still fail to be reborn there. How do we know this? The Sūtra on Maitreya's Ascent to Rebirth says: 'One must practice the many samādhis, and enter deeply into correct concentration, before one can attain rebirth there' — there is no mention of any skillful means of being drawn across by another's power. This is unlike Amitābha Buddha, whose original vow-power and light-power gather in and never abandon anyone at all who is simply mindful of him. Śākyamuni Buddha, moreover, taught the nine grades of practice as a skillful means to draw beings across, sending them off earnestly toward that pure land; any being at all who is capable of being mindful of Amitābha Buddha, capacity and response answering each other, will certainly attain rebirth — just as, in the world, when someone seeks followers and there are those capable of being drawn to follow, opportunity and readiness meet, and the matter is certain to succeed.

"Second: the Tuṣita palace lies within the desire realm, and many who dwell there fall back from their attainment. It has no water, birds, groves of trees, sound of wind, or music, whose hearing would lead beings to be mindful of the Buddha, give rise to the aspiration for enlightenment, and subdue their afflictions; and it has women, all of whom nourish the heavenly beings' attachment and craving for the five desires — its heavenly maidens being subtle and wondrous, the gods there indulge and amuse themselves with them, unable to restrain themselves. This is unlike Amitābha's pure land, where the water, birds, groves of trees, sound of wind, and music, whoever hears them, all give rise to mindfulness of the Buddha, the aspiration for enlightenment, and the subduing of affliction; and where there is no attachment of women, nor any mind of the two lesser vehicles, but only pure and good companions of the single Great Vehicle throughout. For this reason, afflictions and evil karma never arise there at all, and one arrives, in the end, at the stage of no-birth. Compared this way, the difference of better and worse is plain — what need is there to keep doubting? When Śākyamuni Buddha was himself in the world, there were as many beings who saw the Buddha and yet failed to attain the fruit of sagehood as there are grains of sand in the Ganges; and it will be exactly the same when Maitreya comes into the world — there too will be many who fail to attain that fruit. None of this compares to Amitābha's pure land, where, once a being is simply born in that land, all attain the acceptance of the non-arising of dharmas, and not a single one has ever fallen back into the three realms, bound again by the karma of birth and death.

"I have also heard an account transmitted from the western regions: there were three bodhisattvas, the first named Asaṅga, the second Vasubandhu, and the third Siṃhabhadra. These three, of one accord, were reborn together in Tuṣita, wishing to behold Maitreya, and made a pact: whichever of them died first and came to see Maitreya would vow to return and report to the others. Siṃhabhadra died first, and for several years after his departure, he did not return. Later, when Vasubandhu himself was on the point of death, Asaṅga said to him: 'When you have seen Maitreya, come at once and report to me.' Vasubandhu departed, and it was three years before he returned. Asaṅga asked him: 'Why did it take you so long to come back?' Vasubandhu answered: 'When I arrived in that heaven, I listened to Maitreya Bodhisattva give a single session of teaching, and circled him once in reverence, and then came at once to report to you — but because a day in that heaven is so much longer than ours, three years have already passed here.' Asaṅga then asked: 'And where is Siṃhabhadra now?' Vasubandhu answered: 'Siṃhabhadra, given over to the enjoyment of heavenly pleasures, is amusing himself with the five desires, off among his outer retinue — since his departure, he has never once seen Maitreya at all.' If even these lesser bodhisattvas, once born there, still remain attached to the five desires, how much more so an ordinary being? This is why one should vow to be born in the western land, where non-retrogression is certain — and not seek rebirth in Tuṣita instead."