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Originally Posted by ayar415
Is "concern for others" a practice of selflessness? Putting others before self.
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Various commentaries on the Mahayana texts continually make the point that though there are in the ultimate sense no others, yet a bodhisattva vows to save them. Make of that what you will.
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Originally Posted by ayar415
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13 KJV).
That was Jesus' commandment, that we love one another as He had loved us. This is quite succinct compared to the pathless path of zen. So, why do you prefer Pure Land?
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Well, Bob Dylan sings:- "Gonna forget about myself for a while, gonna go out and see what others need" (lines from "Thunder on the Mountain") That's pretty hip. How about worshipping Bob?
I'm not so sure about a pathless zen. Dogen speaks of the circle of the way.
But whatever, disembodied texts are fairly "pathless". We tend to put a path to them. Some Christians seem to relate "friends" to only fellow Christians, leaving the goats to fend for themselves. Personally I find Pure Land practical. An autobiography would be helpful but I really haven't the time, not to mention Pure Lands fundamentally non-dual "ground".