this impure world; the defiled land
Buddhist term contrasting the present, suffering-filled world with the Pure Land (浄土). Used in religious or philosophical contexts.
See also: 浄土
Archaic euphemistic use, now extremely rare. The modern word is 大便 or 糞.
In Jōdo-shū, one aspires to leave this impure world and be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.
In old texts, 穢土 can euphemistically refer to excrement.