Question: If Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛) is omnipresent, why do we seek birth in his Pure Land (净土) in the West?
Answer: All Buddhas and their Pure Lands are indeed omnipresent. However, this is so only to Buddhas, with their complete liberation, thus able to pervade all space, and with their completely purified perception, thus able to perceive all places to be pure.
For the unliberated with impure perception, we need to reach a dedicated pure realm, such as Āmítuófó’s Western Pure Land Of Ultimate Bliss (西方极乐世界), which all Buddhas recommend, to learn and practise, to be completely liberated and pure first.
For example, very wise persons can see anywhere as a (Pure Land-like) school, and anyone as a (Buddha-like) teacher, with skills to learn from, while dull persons who cannot see everywhere as a school, and everyone as a teacher, need to go to a proper school.
The physical distance between this defiled land (秽土) and the Pure Land (净土) represents the great spiritual estrangement between us and the Buddhas. However, with blessings from sincere mindfulness of Buddha (念佛), this gap can be closed.
相关教理
Related Teachings:
阿弥陀佛的净土为何在西方？
Why Is Amitābha Buddha’s Pure Land In The West?
https://purelanders.com/2019/09/24/why-is-amitabha-buddhas-pure-land-in-the-west
最殊胜生净土的接引与在此有限的世间接引之比较
The Greatest Spiritual Reception To Pure Land Vs The Limited Worldly Reception Here
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2025/12/the-greatest-spiritual-reception-to-pure-land-vs-the-limited-worldly-reception-here
阿弥陀佛的净土在何处？
Where Is Āmítuófó’s Pure Land?
https://purelanders.com/2018/12/26/where-is-amituofos-pure-land
