In memory of Myoshin Friendrich Fenzl

Poems and sayings:

Thanks to Amida Buddha

By common consent

Among the Buddhas of the Multiverse

Amida Buddha

Is the greatest Buddha of all

For He has guaranteed the Great Gift

Of Salvation and Buddhahood

For all who suffer and long for release

From the Chains of Karma

And birth-and-death in Samsara.

Truly all the Buddhas

Praise the Holy Name of Amida!

I have given over

My entire karmic destiny

To the compassionate care

Of my beloved Savior

Great Amida Buddha.

To Him I offer my unending Praise

And deepest Gratitude

For the knowledge to a certainty

That rebirth in His Pure Land

Awaits me at this life's end.

The world we live in on Earth

Is saddening to behold:

So much suffering

And so few know of

Amida Buddha and His Pure Land.

But Amida has assured

That their time will come

When their karma has ripened

And they are finally ready

To receive Amida Buddha's

Great Gift of Shinjin

And rebirth at long last

In His Land of Peace and Bliss!

O Great Amida Buddha

Let One and All

Sing the Praises

Of Your Boundless Compassion,

And for the Inconceivable Gift

Of Your Primal Vow

That has secured the Salvation

Of Every Living Being!

To You I sing:

Thank You, Amida Buddha!

Thank You, Amida Buddha

Namu Amida Butsu

Shaku Egen (Richard St Clair)

click here to download Egen's new book of poems - To Amida Buddha, Songs of True Entrusting

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Wednesday, December 24, 2014

In memory of Myoshin Friendrich Fenzl

Myoshin Friedrich Fenzl
(Nov 4th 1932 - December 8th 2014)

I have just read about the death of my nembutsu friend - Myoshin Friedrich Fenzl from Salzburg. Many new European followers do not know him and perhaps never met him in person, as he was quite isolated in the last decade due to his advanced age and ilness.

He played a very important role in my religious life, as he was one of the first persons I came into contact with, many years ago, in my first days on the nembutsu path. I remember even now, the great surprise I had when I received his first letter, together with the best book a beginner like me needed to read at that moment – A Standard of Shinshu Faith by Ryosetsu Fujiwara. At his suggestion I immediately started to translate it into Romanian, and was soon published by IABC in the Shin Buddhist Romanian Translation Series, number 1 (2001).

The last photo I took
with Myoshin, in 2008

Since then we’ve kept a constant correspondence by post mail, as he was never comfortable with internet. Recently, I was thinking to him a lot, feeling guilty and ashamed that I have not written to him for a long time. I think it was two or three days ago when I decided again to send him a letter together with my book, The 48 Vows of Amida Buddha. Then, today, when I was surfing the internet I read the news of his death on the German website…..

Too late to send any letter now, and a hard lesson for me to never again postpone expressing gratitude to those who helped me on the nembutsu Path. My only relief is that after being born in the Pure Land of Amida, he will be able to forgive me and watch over me as an Enlightened friend.

Namo Amida Butsu

2 comentarii:

Paul & Camille said...: Dear Josho,

I was so sad to hear of the passing of your dear friend and mentor.

He will be in the Pure Land and will be watching over you and helping sentient beings, and fulfilling his life's purpose and dream.

I hope you find some peace knowing this.

Peace to you my friend.
Gassho, Camille; December 25, 2014 at 9:32 PM
Josho Adrian Cirlea said...: Thank you, Camille.
I was sad that I did not show enough active gratitude to him, before his passing, for his kindness and support when I was a beginner.

There are many people from my distant or recent past, and also from the very present, which are very helpful and supportive to me. The debt of gratitude we owe to Amida Buddha and our nembutsu friends and teachers is indeed, impossible to calculate....

I personally do not have one personal mentor. In fact, all my nembutsu friends with simple faith, are my mentors and teachers. I often learn from reading or hearing their words of faith.
Namo Amida Butsu; December 26, 2014 at 1:52 AM