For the Mahāyāna, nirvana is something that is attained in this very world, and
nowhere else, and the duality between ordinary well-being and the highest happiness,
suffering and liberation, this-world, and the other-world is dissolved. On this account, the Buddha‘s likening of physical health and well-being to suffering, and his discourse about seeking a higher form of happiness can be regarded as an example of expedient means, intended to reduce his listeners‘ attachment to worldly pleasures and as inspiration to seek a more spiritual fulfilment. Within the Mahāyāna, ultimately, there is no opposition between the enlightened state and the ordinary world, and if some texts seem to imply the contrary, this can be taken as a preliminary stage in the process of realizing their nonduality.
The identification between nirvana and saṃsāra becomes strongly pronounced in those branches of the Mahāyāna that focus on attaining rebirth in a Pure Land. Generally,
this is conceived of as a place located "a hundred thousand million Buddha-fields from
where we are... [and where] physical and mental pain are unknown" (Sv §6–7; Gōmez
2002, 16). Rebirth in a Pure Land is considered ideal for Dharma practice, in that
eventual enlightenment is guaranteed. Moreover, these lands are described as places of
astounding beauty, and perfectly suited to their inhabitants‘ needs, and, therefore, it
becomes part of the bodhisattva‘s aspiration to create a Pure Land for sentient beings to inhabit.
The introduction of Pure Land discourse is problematic for green Buddhism; it has been pointed out that these are hardly natural landscapes at all, and other than trees and plants made of precious metals and stones, the only living beings inhabiting them are
highly evolved bodhisattvas and magical birds whose sole purpose is to inspire
practitioners with their Dharma songs—hardly natural beings, that is (Schmithausen
1991, 16).
There are no ecological relations, as ordinary food and other sources of energy
are not required, while death, and the suffering it involves, do not exist in these lands either. Therefore, at a first glance, it seems unlikely that the environmentalist will be very impressed by the Pure Land teachings.