Buddhist Ideals, Buddhahood and Pure Land

Liberation as the goal of Buddhist life

Buddhists understand samsara as the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The ultimate goal is not simply a more pleasant next life, but liberation from this cycle and its suffering. Enlightenment means gaining the wisdom and insight to understand the truths of existence. Nirvana is liberation from suffering through overcoming greed, hatred and ignorance, known as the Three Poisons.

Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism share these concerns, but emphasise different ideals of the person who follows the Buddhist path. An ideal is a model of what someone should aim to become: in Theravada, the central ideal is the arhat; in Mahayana, it is the bodhisattva.

The arhat: perfecting the Buddhist path

An arhat is an enlightened person who has overcome the Three Poisons and attained nirvana. In Theravada Buddhism, this shows what following the Buddha’s teachings can achieve: freedom from the causes of suffering and, at the end of the present life, no further rebirth.

The arhat ideal is closely associated with monastic life. Monks study the dharma, the Buddha’s teachings, practise meditation and follow the Noble Eightfold Path. These practices work together: study develops understanding, while meditation and daily discipline help a person put that understanding into practice and overcome craving. Monastic life provides favourable conditions for this sustained effort; it is not required of every Buddhist.

An arhat attains liberation by perfecting the path taught by the Buddha. There is no limit to how many arhats there may be: enlightenment is not a position available to only one person.

The bodhisattva: enlightenment for the benefit of others

A bodhisattva seeks enlightenment for the benefit of all beings. In the Mahayana ideal, the bodhisattva vows not to enter final nirvana until all beings can attain it. Compassion explains this commitment: rather than leaving samsara behind while others still suffer, the bodhisattva remains involved in it to help others towards liberation.

This makes helping others part of the goal itself, not merely something done along the way. Mahayana Buddhists may therefore see the bodhisattva ideal as a model for combining spiritual development with compassionate action.

For many Mahayana Buddhists, bodhisattvas are also supernatural figures who can help others and become a focus of worship. Manjushri represents wisdom or insight. He illustrates the importance of understanding reality, rather than assuming that kindness alone is enough for enlightenment. Avalokiteshvara represents compassion, while Maitreya is the future Buddha.

The term bodhisattva is not exclusive to Mahayana. Theravada Buddhists recognise Gautama as a bodhisattva before he became the Buddha, and recognise Maitreya as a future Buddha. The difference is that Mahayana makes the bodhisattva path its central ideal for Buddhist spiritual development.

Comparing the two ideals

Both ideals involve overcoming ignorance, following Buddhist teachings and seeking freedom from suffering. They differ chiefly in their emphasis and commitment:

This is not a contrast between caring and uncaring Buddhists. Both traditions value overcoming hatred and harmful behaviour. Their different ideals express different understandings of the goal towards which Buddhist practice is directed.

The Dhammapada summarises a shared foundation: ‘To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind – this is the teaching of all the Buddhas’ (183). Both paths require moral and mental transformation, not simply adopting a religious label.

Buddhahood: the potential to become a buddha

Buddhahood is the state of being a fully enlightened buddha. Mahayana Buddhism teaches that all beings have the potential to achieve this. This potential is connected with Buddha-nature, or tathagatagarbha.

Having the potential for enlightenment does not mean that everyone is already fully enlightened. The potential must be realised through spiritual development. Mahayana Buddhists understand the bodhisattva path as a way of reaching buddhahood: developing wisdom and compassion enables a person both to become enlightened and to help others.

Pure Land: devotion to Amida Buddha

Pure Land Buddhism is a Mahayana tradition with an important Japanese expression. At its centre is Amida Buddha, also called Amitabha. Followers believe that, in a previous life, Amida heard a Buddha’s teaching and made a commitment to the bodhisattva path.

Pure Land Buddhists chant or recite Amida’s name. They believe this brings karmic merit and enables rebirth after death in the Pure Land, a realm associated with Amida. Unlike ordinary life, it is free from the suffering and distractions that make spiritual progress difficult. There, followers can attain enlightenment and buddhahood.

The Pure Land is sometimes compared with heaven, but its role here is to provide favourable conditions for enlightenment. Rebirth there and attaining buddhahood are therefore distinct stages. This offers a different emphasis from the arhat’s disciplined monastic path: devotion to Amida supports the follower’s hope of reaching a realm where the ultimate Buddhist goal can be realised.