It is not a coincidence that it is Ananda who initiates the Larger Sutra. The following quotation is taken from The Larger Sutra of Infinite Life:

“… the Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, prostrated himself, and joining his palms in reverence, said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, today all your senses are radiant with joy, your body is serene and glorious, and your august countenance is as majestic as a clear mirror whose brightness radiates outward and inward. The magnificence of your dignified appearance is unsurpassed and beyond measure. I have never seen you look so superb and majestic as today. … For what reason does … [your] countenance look so majestic and brilliant?’" (p.26) 

The light or wisdom of the Buddha is the external cause for Buddhahood. This light of wisdom cannot be obstructed by ignorance and shines on all people without regard for the internal causes one may or may not possess. This is truly inconceivable when seen from the side of sentient beings and yet it has the power to enlighten all beings. It is Ananda’s question that will liberate all beings in the ten directions. In effect, the Buddha is calling out not just to Ananda but to all sentient beings in the hopes that they too will put their faith in this light of wisdom that liberates all beings.

One can see that at the very earliest moments of the Buddhist Sangha two distinct paths to Buddhahood began to emerge. One is the path of Ananda, and the other is the path of Kasyapa. Ananda believes in external causes for Buddhahood while Kasyapa believes in internal causes for Buddhahood. For Ananda, the external cause is wisdom revealing itself as compassion. For Kasyapa, the internal cause is direct insight into wisdom. The disciples of external causes rely on power beyond the self. The disciples of internal causes rely on power of the self. Over time, these two approaches became formally known as the Pure Land Path and as the Path of Sages.

The Pure Land Path is referred to as the easy path, and the Path of Sages is also referred to as the difficult path. The reason for this distinction between easy and difficult is that the external causes of our lives easily dwarf the internal causes of our lives. Relying on the external causes is much more effective for people who have a job, are raising families and have no time to practice meditation, asceticism or monasticism. The terms easy and difficult have nothing to do with effort, but rather have to do with the efficacy of the path. The Pure Land Path is easy because it is available to all people. Anyone can listen to the teachings, read the teachings, or be aware of the wisdom that is unfolding all around us in our daily lives. This awareness may be termed the wisdom ear as opposed to the wisdom eye relied on by the Path of Sages. Rather than describing these two paths as easy or difficult we may instead describe these two paths as practical and impractical from the lay Buddhist point of view.

The Pure Land Path began in India and evolved as Buddhism moved from India into China and into Japan. The third patriarch of Shin Buddhism is the Chinese mater T’an-luan. T’an-luan was well versed in both the Madhyamika school of Nagarjuna and the Yogacara school of Vasubandhu. Both schools represent the highest development of Mahayana philosophy, and yet today, T’an-luan is known as a Pure Land Master. For T’an-luan, the ultimate source of enlightenment is compassion. The following quote is taken from The Collected Works of Shinran:

“In words of T’an-luan, ‘In the path of easy practice, one aspires to be born in the Pure Land with solely one’s entrusting oneself to the Buddha as the cause and allowing oneself to be carried by the power of the Buddha’s Vow, quickly attains birth in the land of purity. Supported by the Buddha’s power, one immediately enters the group of the truly settled of the Mahayana. The stage of the truly settled is none other than the stage of non-retrogression’” (p. 26)

The symmetry of Ananda and Kasyapa is quite amazing. It is Ananda who asked about the light when he heard compassion through the words of the Buddha, and it is Kasyapa who smiled when he saw wisdom through the flower that the Buddha silently held in his hand.

“This light is also the radiance in the countenance of Shakyamuni Buddha as he is about to preach The Larger Sutra of Infinite Light. Just as Kasyapa’s smile marks the legendary beginning of Zen, so likewise Ananda’s praise of the Buddha – filled with serenity, radiance, majesty and lofty resplendence – marks the beginning of Pure Land Buddhism” (Coffinman, Unno xv:xvi).

It is the story of Ananda that most typifies the Shin Buddhist path of deep hearing. This is the only practice in Shin Buddhism. It is through listening alone that our self-importance is challenged, and ego is slowly moved to the side. No longer is our ego the focus of our lives. We are no longer self-centered, but instead we become other centered. It is not the relationship between the master and disciple as in Zen, but rather, the relationship is between the teacher and the student. It is the dynamic nature of the teacher that draws the student into the Buddhist path. It is the arc of Ananda’s life that most resembles the life of a Shin Buddhist. It is Ananda to which we should turn for guidance and encouragement as we are pulled along the Shin Buddhist path by the compassion of others.

Namoamidabutsu, Rev Jon Turner