Pure Vision

Does anyone here have any observations on practicing like this - seeing all people as Buddhas and surroundings as a Pure Land?

meaningness.wordpress.com/2012/09/11/pure-land/

I have to say the article is well written, basically these kind of practices are related to the creation phase of buddhist tantra also called kyerim. I've alaways been trying to draw parallels between theravadan and tibetan buddhism and for me these kind of visualisation practices are strongly related to vipassana practice as the disembeding of our ordinary perceptions is one of its main aspects.

When I was 18 I converted to evangelical Christianity overnight. I remember coming outside the next day and seeing the world as full of Jesus/God etc. It seemed transfigured somehow.

"I have to say the article is well written, basically these kind of practices are related to the creation phase of buddhist tantra also called kyerim. I've alaways been trying to draw parallels between theravadan and tibetan buddhism and for me these kind of visualisation practices are strongly related to vipassana practice as the disembeding of our ordinary perceptions is one of its main aspects."

Yeah, I also think yidam deity practices, generation stage, pure vision, etc. all are ways of cultivating vipassana.

In fact, if one reads the ethymology of vipassana in wikipedia, one finds "clear seeing" or "seeing deeply". To me this is the best description of what vipassana is: clear seeing. What is to see clearly? to see without desires, aversions and ignorance. So what I do is equate "clear" with "pure".

In this sense, pure vision is exactly the same as clear seeing, a seeing without "good" and "bad imposed on things, hence all is actually ok. This is just like hacking vedana.

I have practiced pure vision a lot, seen myself as buddha, seen everyone else as buddha, seen all dharmas as pure dharmas and it definitely works. You hack all vedana and become free of likes and dislikes. It opens everything.

However, I do recommend practicing some sort of ngondro before. Being a buddha and seeing yourself as a buddha requires that you develop fearlessness. What I do to get a sense of fearlessness is surrender my will (that usually controls, picks things, rejects things, etc.) Then I develop bodhicitta (open myself to the possibility of helping everyone and everything, and share all the good things I have with everyone and everything), then I confess all the things I want to hide about myself and finally, I give away all the possesions I have, specially all the good things I have received and will receive.

Once those mind states are firm, pure vision makes sense.

APK: Thanks for pointing out the similarities with hacking vedana. I totally agree.

I should also say that I don't think this practice would have been that juicy for me before my experiences of clear seeing ala Bahiya Sutta. I can perceive what it would be like for all people to be having pure empty experience. I have no clue if this would actually be useful for those pre-Bahiya realization.

"APK: Thanks for pointing out the similarities with hacking vedana. I totally agree.

I should also say that I don't think this practice would have been that juicy for me before my experiences of clear seeing ala Bahiya Sutta. I can perceive what it would be like for all people to be having pure empty experience. I have no clue if this would actually be useful for those pre-Bahiya realization."

The ironic part is that, only after a lot of pure vision practice, I was able to realize somewhat the clear seeing ala Bahiya

However, as Chapman points out, I had to do a lot of pretending before actually hacking vedana in all senses. The best way to practice Pure vision with a buddhas all over the place is by first reaching a pure empty experience. From there, "one" emanates the pure visualization.