Astus wrote:Physical in Buddhism means that something is perceived by the five bodily senses. The only purely mental realm in Buddhism is called the arupaloka, where no form exists at all. That means that from Avici to Akanishta everything is physical. Since Sukhavati has many physical characteristics, as described in the sutras, it is also considered physical in its Buddhist sense.
Indeed it has physical characteristic, but since Pure Land is outside Triple Realm, it is neither part of Desire, nor Form nor Formlessness realms, so it is not the same physicality as us, maybe its subtler matter rather than gross mater like us, I don't know.
I was thinking in all the replies and taking suggestions I have concluded the following:
The cosmologies in the sutras are completely different from our science cosmology. The cosmology in the sutras does not translate very well into planets, etc.
In the sutras heavenly realms were describes floors in Mount Sumeru, or something like that, not necessarily as different dimensions like modern Buddhist view them now. In sutras, cosmologies had Sumeru, four continents, etc.
What do we know about Pure Land? We know is a world, created by Amitabha's merits, we know we can born there, we know we will progress there, without suffering and we will escape from Samsara.
Where is it? According to Sutra's cosmology, it is very far away. It does not said is a world in our human perception, nor in any of the gods perception. Since cosmologies does not translate well, we can just guess, only that. It may be another realm, or it may be a world like us, but we our mind is blind and cannot see it. Anyhow, sutras only tell us is far away, in which way or how, does not matter.
So, like Astus said, we have to "to become a proper philosopher", so, from several reads and my own conclusions this is what I get:
For me, since PL it is beyond Samsara, it just mean is not in any of the 6 Spiritual Realms, beyond Samsara may just mean any of the 4 Higher Realms. Also, outside of Triple Realm mean is not located in any of the 28 planes of existence, but outside, our visible world is inside Desire realm. Several masters pointed out that Pure Land is a Enjoyment Land, so if we take this, it is invisible to us, because just Higher Beings like Bodhisattva's can see enjoyment bodies and lands. Having this in consideration, Amitabha's Pure Land is not subject to physic laws, nor to birth nor death. Is not subject to our wordly laws, because it is not the same level of reality as us. Saying that Pure Land is visible to human eyes or is in the same level of reality as us is nonsense, because that would make Pure Land subject to the same issues as us: birth, death and hence suffering. This would make Pure Land subject to the laws of the universe and part of any of the 28 planes of existence.
Of course there may be Pure Transformation-Lands, like this world will be in the future, when Maitreya comes. But this Transformation Pure Land is inside Samsara, better scenario, but still Samsara.