Dharma Decline and Pure Land Buddhism

Pure Land Buddhism, that is the broad tradition that is found in places like China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, frequently relies on a concept known as Dharma Decline. The idea, briefly talked about here, but the idea is that when a Buddha arises in the world and teaches the Dharma (e.g. “the way things are”), it’s like turning a bicycle wheel. In time, that wheel slows down further and further until it finally stops until another Buddha arises.

Because of Dharma Decline, Pure Land Buddhism frequently teaches that as we become further and further removed from the time of the Buddha (e.g. the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni) it gets harder and harder to put certain teachings into practice. Instead, people can rely on the compassion of Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light, in these latter days of the Dharma.

This is succinctly put in a quote by the late Chinese-Buddhist monk, Shi Yin-Guang (釋印光; 1862–1940):

Cultivation is no different from wearing cotton garments in the summer and heavy padded clothing in winter; we cannot go against the times, capacities and conditions of sentient beings. Even if the Patriarch Bodhidharma himself were to be reborn today, and wished to preach in accordance with the current times and conditions and swiftly emancipate sentient beings, there would be no better method than Pure Land.

The idea here is that just as different clothes are suited for different seasons, different teachings and practices within Buddhism are appropriate for different periods of Dharma Decline. Thus, in latter days of the Dharma, the Pure Land practices are though to the most suitable.

The background this idea comes from a Buddhist text called the Sutra of Immeasurable Life, which ends with the statement:

The Buddha further said, “I have expounded this teaching for the sake of sentient beings and enabled you to see Amitāyus [a.k.a. Amitabha] and all in his land. Strive to do what you should. After I have passed into Nirvāṇa, do not allow doubt to arise. In the future, the Buddhist scriptures and teachings will perish. But, out of pity and compassion, I will especially preserve this sutra and maintain it in the world for a hundred years more. Those beings who encounter it will attain deliverance in accord with their aspirations…”

Dharma Decline appears in a number of Buddhist sutras, but this sutra, which is central to the Pure Land tradition, explicitly teaches that the Pure Land teachings will endure the longest when other teachings are lost, obscured, or cease to be effective.

Of course, this raises some questions: is Dharma Decline real, and even if it is, is the Pure Land approach the most effective in these times?

I have no definitive answer. I have wavering opinions about this myself from time to time. I also believe it’s up to each Buddhist to decide for themselves. A follower of esoteric Buddhism (e.g. Tibetan Buddhism) could just as easily point to specific texts to prove theirs is the best practice, a Zen Buddhist might shrug off Dharma Decline and go back to meditating,¹ a follower of the Lotus Sutra might just as easily make the same argument for reciting the Odaimoku. Hence, we have so many gates to the Dharma.

However, I do think Ven. Yin-Guang has a point: different Buddhist practices are suitable for different times and places, and like a winter jacket vs. a summer jacket, it helps to consider the situation: one’s own personal situation, and the situation of the Buddhist community in your area. For me, the accessibility of the Pure Land path, coupled with the straightforward approach, and flexibility with life as a parent make it preferable for me.

¹ Dogen, founder of Soto Zen did not subscribe to Dharma Decline for example.