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.