In the PBS series, The Power of Myth, scholar Joseph Campbell explained that myths carry deep spiritual meaning. Likewise, religious texts contain doctrinal truths rather than literal truths. This gave me a way to interpret the mythic elements of the Larger Sutra as allegories for philosophical teachings. For example, the role of Buddha Nature will now be played by Amida Buddha. 

But then I came upon the essay, On Reading Literature Literally: Concrete Imagery before Doctrine, by Luis O. Gómez. He wasn’t not referring to literal history, but rather how a Buddha or Bodhisattva would literally see the world. It is describing the spiritual vista in which an awakening being resides. 

This essay is a complex read, but I posted a highlighted version in the EverydayBuddhist.org course, Amida Buddha. One of our Everyday Buddhist subscribers had some thoughtful impressions of Gómez’s work I wish to share:

Many years ago, I read a book called The Romantic Manifesto by Ayn Rand. She speaks in the book about her need to occasionally take a “psychic/emotional vacation” from the “real world”. We know of the poverty, strife, injustice, anger etc. so we need to use fiction/films to allow ourselves a chance to see our hopes and dreams actually come to fruition. Just for a few hours, our values and ideals WIN! It gives us the energy to go back into the “real world” and keep working to make the ideals more real.

Gómez states that the Pure Land is our universe as it would appear to buddhas and bodhisattvas. And they have the power to manifest and transform the many aspects of our universe. The sutras described their awakened visions of our universe. Again, not knowing the socio-political state of India at the time, surely these visions reflected the hopes and aspirations of the believers for what their universe MIGHT be ...

I am a life-long Trekkie. There were several pages, starting on page 14, that describes all of the different kinds of sentient beings who will be cared for by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Absolutely every single possible type of being is listed and the 9th vow says that he will care for them all in any and all possible circumstances. What immediately came to my mind was the thought of the brave and compassionate members of Star Fleet, perhaps especially the captain and crew of Voyager, as bodhisattvas and buddhas, bringing aid of all types to every single sentient being they came across throughout the seven seasons of traveling through the Delta Quadrant. They met entities who were crystalline, beings who lived in subspace, alien humanoids, etc. etc. There was NO type of sentient being that didn’t deserve their compassion and aid when it was possible to give it.

Gómez also notes that these are actually the concrete descriptions of what believers took to be the real world. Of course, the “Matrix” comes to mind. Which is the “real” universe? How would the mass of believers know? I wondered if there were “anti-sutra” groups who insisted that it was possible for humans to be self-reliant – able to bring about the changes which would make the compassion/justice or whatever actually come to fruition in their own village/town etc.

— Esther Shir, Everyday Buddhist subscriber

Thanks to the essay by Gómez​, I too am able to complete my journey from literal truth to mythic truth to philosophical truth and finally to concrete imagery.

In Gassho,
Rev. Jon Turner