What is Gokuraku?
Four-character idiom, Buddhist term abbreviated from “Gokuraku jo do” (Land of Perfect Bliss).
The Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. In Sanskrit, Sukhavati. Said to lie beyond this world to the west, beyond ten billion Buddha lands, it is a realm of bliss where all suffering is absent and all things are perfectly fulfilled.
Various theories exist regarding the origin of the concept of the Pure Land. These include the Indian ideal realm Uttarakuru, the Iranian Pāriyādaesa (Paradise), the Christian Garden of Eden, and Elysium from Greek mythology. Since the concept of the Pure Land emerged during the Kushan period, which adopted an eclectic attitude toward various cultures, it is possible that Buddhists drew diverse inspiration from these paradisiacal ideas.
Even if you cannot go there, it exists in this life.
The word Gokuraku is also used metaphorically to describe a state or place of supreme joy, a state of ease and comfort free from worry or trouble, or an extremely calm and pleasant situation.
Explication de cette calligraphie
All text is written vertically. The left side is in hiragana, the center in kanji, and the right side in katakana.
