Showing posts with label QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The Ten Benefits in this life of a person who has faith in Amida Buddha
Shinran Shonin speaks about ten benefits that
a person who entrusts in Amida Buddha receives in the present life:
„When we
acquire adamantine true faith we unfailingly gain ten benefits in this life. What are the ten?[1]
Amida’s heart (the 4th and 6th benefit are explained together in the same article!)
8. The
benefit of being aware of Amida’s benevolence and
of
responding in gratitude to His virtues
9. The
benefit of constantly practicing great compassion
10. The
benefit of entering the stage of the trully settled."
I will explain each one of them in separate short articles. Please click on them to read the explanations. This is a more in depth presentation of an older study that I made many years ago. Please have patience until I finish it.
[1] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter III, Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment,
translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research,
Kyoto, 2003, p. 121 and The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism
Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.112
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Why did Shinran say that we should not wait for Amida’s coming at the moment of death?
Question:
Why did Shinran say that we should not wait
for Amida’s coming at the moment of death? Will Amida not come for people of
shinjin?
Answer:
The
person who has faith in the Primal Vow does not wait for the final moment of
death to have a good state of mind in which to say Nembutsu and be welcomed by
Amida Buddha, but receives faith during his present life and becomes assured of birth in the Pure Land at the moment of death, when he is
naturally welcomed by Amida Buddha and attains Budhahood.
The Nembutsu one says during one’s whole life is thus the expression of faith
and gratitude, and not the self power nembutsu. When Shinran said that we should not wait for Amida's coming at the
moment of death, he did not mean that we are not actually received by Amida in
His Pure Land when we die or that He might not send one of His manifestations
to us in our final hours before death! Of course Amida can do that if He wants!
What Shinran meant is that we should
not think that the moment of death is more important than our daily lives, and
we should not attach a false significance to it, fearing that if we do not have
a good state of mind or concentration in those final moments, then we will not
go to the Pure Land. No matter we are or we are not in a concentrated or
good state of mind when we die, no matter if we say the Nembutsu or die without
saying it because of unforeseen circumstances, we will be welcomed by Amida
Buddha in His Pure Land if we already entrusted ourselves to Him and said His
Name in faith during life. Shinran explained:
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Friday, April 13, 2018
Abandon the idea that you can attain Buddhahood in this life
Question:
You said
in one of your recent posts that as long as you
still harbor in your mind the smallest thought of personal merit or “maybe I
can attain Buddhahood by myself” kind of thinking, you cannot see and enter the
Dharma gate of birth in Amida Buddha’s Pure Land. Please explain in more detail.
Answer:
People
don't really understand what is meant by becoming a Buddha in this life, and in
this very body. This is perhaps due to the bad influence of many fancy Buddhist
magazines which talk about Enlightenment like it’s some kind of calmness or
stillness of mind which can be attained by everybody. They use a language which
makes Enlightenment seem a normal human experience if you are good, and
meditate, and they also describe Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, like a
normal human being who proved that spiritual calmness can be attained by
anybody.
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Question on Buddhism and science
Question: Do you think that Buddhism should take into account scientific discoveries, and even change to accommodate science?
Answer: Many people nowadays bow to science like to an all-powerful and supreme god. But in samsara, and especially now in this dark (mappo) age, nothing is supreme and all-knowing, including what nowadays people call, "science". Whenever somebody wants to argue about something, he says, "it was proven by science".... But what some scientists agree upon, others may disagree, so I don't see the point in praising a transitory "truth".
I do not deny the benefits brought by science in various domains of activity, nor its usefulness in discovering the laws of the material universe, but I am against using science as a standard for religious truths. No matter the immediate, material benefits it brings, we must never forget that science is the product of unenlightened minds, and so it doesn't have the supreme authority of a Buddha who is perfectly Enlightened, nor it has any authority over the Path that leads to Enlightenment and freedom from the repeated births and deaths.
So, let's use science in worldly matters and Buddha Dharma in religious matters. We must never attempt to modify the Buddha Dharma to accommodate it with various scientific theories.
I especially like these words of Chamtrul Rinpoche:
"If you took all of the knowledge that this world has ever produced, and compared it to the knowledge of an omniscient mind of a Buddha, it would be like comparing a single drop of water to the entire ocean."
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Saturday, August 5, 2017
Funeral verses on the death of self power mind
A friend of mine asked me to send him a few words on the occasion of Obon festival, so I wrote these verses, which comprise the essentials of our teaching. I call them Funeral Verses on the Death of Self-Power Mind:
Cremate the old corpse
of clinging to your so called merits and "spiritual realisations" in
the fire of the twofould profound conviction.
Conduct daily funeral ceremonies for your attachement to self power by entrusting to Amida's Power of salvation.
As the smoke offering to provide to the departed, enjoy in the merit transference of coming back to this world to save all beings.
And for the funeral monument, raise the Nembutsu of faith on the grave of different practices, teachings and wrong views.
Explanation of some
terms for those who have little knowledge of Jodo Shinshu:
Categories:
DEATH AND IMPERMANENCE,
OBON,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Friday, May 26, 2017
Unenlightened beings are not the same with Amida Buddha
Question:
Recently a F.B. friend of mine has
starting posting statements that "I and Amida are one and the same." This
person is an avid reader of Ippen Shonen, the Hijiri, and has come to share
many of the Zen / Pure Land views that Ippen taught concerning interconnection
of all things. Personally I cannot agree with this line of thought as I see it
as presumptuous, arrogant and quite possibly slanderous.
Please give me your take on this line of thinking and tell me if you think it
goes against the teachings of our Pure Land Masters.
Gassho _/l\_
Dave Kruemcke
Dave Kruemcke
P.S.
Please feel free to share this conversation with others if you feel it will be in any way beneficial to The Dharma.
Please feel free to share this conversation with others if you feel it will be in any way beneficial to The Dharma.
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Sunday, May 7, 2017
Do not worry about the salvation of your loved ones
One of my dearest Nembutsu friends wrote to me recently and
expressed his worries about some of his deceased or living relatives who
haven't received faith in Amida yet, and who might now dwell (or will be born after
death) in various painful states of existence, even in hell. He was concerned
that there is too much time left until he reaches the Pure Land and will be able to
save them.
The following was my answer to him:
Dear M:
We never really know what others may become after they die.
Certainly, if they did not have settled faith in Amida during their present
life, they will not be reborn in the Pure Land and immediately attain
Buddhahood. But this does not mean they will absolutely go to hell. The truth
is we can never know what karma may manifest during their bardo (intermediary state between death and the next rebirth).
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Thursday, April 27, 2017
Don't do many things, just focus on the recquirements of the Primal Vow
Recently, a reader wrote to me:
"We do many things at our temple, we meditate, do
various practices, so we never become bored. Why don't you do the same to
attract new members?"
In His Primal Vow Amida Buddha mentioned that we should do
three things only and exclusively, "entrust yourself to me, say my Name,
and wish to be born in my land". All these three are expressed in the
Nembutsu of faith.
Its a pity you are bored with the Primal Vow, and that you
and your temple sangha are not focused on what Amida asks you to do. If in the Primal Vow meditation was mentioned,
then I would teach and practice meditation. But as only faith, nembutsu and
wish to be born in the Pure Land are to be found there, I obey and limit myself
to them. Please do the same if you wish to be born in the true fulfilled land of the Pure Land[1]. Our school is the school of the Primal Vow, so if you consider
yourself a member, then be a follower of the Primal Vow.
Categories:
MEDITATION,
NEMBUTSU,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Monday, February 27, 2017
The meaning of Arya Sangha in Jodo Shinshu
- last revised January 2nd 2018 -
read this article first:
- The Three Refuges in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism -
read this article first:
- The Three Refuges in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism -
Question:
When you say the Three Refuges and take refuge in the
Sangha, do you take refuge in ordinary unenlightened people or in the Arya
Sangha, like other Buddhist schools do?
Answer:
In Mahayana Buddhism, the term Arya[1] Sangha
represents the sangha at the ideal level, that is, all of the Buddha’s
followers, lay or ordained, who have at least attained the first level of
the ten bodhisattva stages (ten bhumis)[2]. This
is to separate it from the sangha in its conventional level which means all
Buddhist monks and nuns.
Categories:
DOJO/TEMPLE,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SANGHA,
THE THREE TREASURES
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Tuesday, January 31, 2017
A short question and answer on worshiping Maitreya and Amida Buddha
- adapted from a letter to a friend -
Question:
I respect and worship both Maitreya and Amida Buddha. They have
their own realms and practices associated with them. I also worship and respect
all Buddhas. What is your opinion about this?
Answer:
Its good to respect all Buddhas, but we must remember that
each Buddha has His own way of relating with sentient beings. Maitreya has a
different way, and Amida has a different way. If we want to connect with Amida
Buddha we must follow His instructions from His Primal Vow "entrust to me,
say my Name and wish to be born in my land". Nothing else. So, in order to
be born in Amida's Land we must focus on Amida exclusively, that is, entrust
only to Him, say His Name only, and wish to be born only in His Pure Land. This
is very easy to understand.
Categories:
MAITREYA BUDDHA,
NEMBUTSU,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Tuesday, December 13, 2016
A short Dharma dialogue on meditation in relation with Jodo Shinshu
You say meditation is useless. But what if someone were to
tell you: "Yes, I know meditation is useless for attainment of
Enlightenment in Mappo era. But I don't do it for that reason. I do it for the
neurological benefits that are proven by science" - what would you reply
then? Thanks.
Categories:
MEDITATION,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Some elements of listening deeply to Amida Dharma
Question:
What should I do in order to listen deeply to Amida Dharma?
Please, give me some examples of listening deeply.
Answer:
- Think that solving the matter of repeated births and deaths is the most important thing in your life.
- Put aside all other Buddhist or non-Buddhist teachings,
philosophies, and opinions and listen (reading is also listening) only to Amida
Dharma.
- Put aside what you think you know and listen to what Amida
Dharma has to say. Empty your cup (mind) of your so called, personal "wisdom",
and stay open to receive the nectar of Dharma. Consider that you know nothing
and that Amida Dharma knows everything.
Categories:
LISTENING THE TEACHING,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Wednesday, September 28, 2016
A question on shinjin (faith) and Amida's attainment of Buddhahood
Question:
"Amida attained Buddhahood for all of us when he became Enlightened. 'Shinjin' is simply the realisation of that fact with total conviction which in turn compels us to recite in thanksgiving "Namo Amidabutsu" ("Namo Amitofuo"). I wonder if it contradicts Jodo Shinshu".
Answer:
Shinjin (faith) is NOT only the realisation of the fact that Amida attained Buddhahood. Of course, Amida did attained Buddhahood in order to save us all, but this is not enough. All Buddhas attained Buddhahood and wish to save us, but this does not mean that sentient beings are saved just because Buddhas are Enlightened. We must follow the method prescribed by each Buddha if we want to attain Enlightenment ourselves. So, Amida Buddha made His Primal Vow in which He said we should entrust to Him, say His Name in faith and wish to go to His Pure Land.
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Sunday, July 17, 2016
I don't miss meditation since I met the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha
Question:
Do you ever feel like anything is "missing" for you without regular meditation?
My aswer:
I really do not feel something is missing... For an ordinary person meditation is useless anyway because no one can attain Enlightenment through it in this last Dharma age. More than this, meditation can even be a distraction from the Primal Vow. If Amida wanted us to practice meditation and considered meditation to be helpful to us, then He would have included it in His Primal Vow, which He didn't. As Honen said, Amida chose only His Name from the myriad practices. Why? Because this Name is supreme and all-powerful, and will take us quickly to freedom from birth and death.
Categories:
MEDITATION,
NEMBUTSU,
personal experiences,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Tuesday, June 28, 2016
My answer to a comment comparing Zen with Jodo Shinshu
![]() |
Faith, saying of the Name and wish to be born
in the Pure
Land are the only three elements
of Amida's Primal Vow.
|
"I just want to add that in other traditions to
"gain mind" is also deprecated. In Soto Zen the ideal state is the
Mushotoku (no gain mind), achieved by growing Bodaishin / Boddhichita. The
practice of Shikantaza in Soto Zen is not successful if not "just
sit". There is no egoic intent to
achieve something in Shikantaza".
He also compared the koan in Rinzai Zen with what Shinran called, giving up to any calculations. Then he mentioned this: "I would say that any practitioner of any Mahayanist school who is practicing with an obsessive mind for results, is in error".
He also compared the koan in Rinzai Zen with what Shinran called, giving up to any calculations. Then he mentioned this: "I would say that any practitioner of any Mahayanist school who is practicing with an obsessive mind for results, is in error".
This was my answer:
As long as they are not enlightened, sentient beings will
always have an obssesive mind. Only a Buddha can just sit in shikantaza; any
other person is just an immitator. Also, only the Buddha can be without ego,
sit without ego, and do whatever He wants without any personal goal. Thus, only a
Buddha is trully Mushotoku.
Categories:
NEMBUTSU AND ZEN,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Thursday, June 23, 2016
Amidaji is strictly a Jodo Shinshu temple - short discussion between me and Zuio Inagaki Sensei
"I wonder if your temple is purely Jodo Shinshu or Zen or combination of both. I am in favor of seeing a combination of both, or a new way of Buddhism".
This was my answer:
My temple is strictly Jodo Shinshu. I am strongly against any combination between Jodo Shinshu and Zen or Jodo Shinshu and anything else.
As Shinran or Rennyo did not make any combination, I myself will make none. We are ignorant, unenlightened beings and so we do not have the authority nor the wisdom to play with various Dharma gates or create a "new way of Buddhism", as you say. I even think that this is very dangerous and leads people into confusion. We, as priests and teachers should try to be as simple as possible, so that even illiterate can understand the Call of Amida, and have a simple faith in Him. We live in times of great confusion in the international sangha with various clerics and scholars teaching many wrong views, like the "Pure Land is here and now" or "in our minds", or describing Amida as a metaphor, fictional character, etc, and this makes ordinary people to depart from true birth in the Pure Land. To add more to this big mountain of confusion, like mixing Jodo Shinshu with Zen, is something I will never do.
My goal is to escape Samsara as quickly as possible and to help others escape it as quickly as possible. Without the Primal Vow, there is no chance of doing this, and in the Primal Vow there is no mention of anything else than entrusting ourselves to Amida Buddha, say His Name in faith and wish to be born in His Pure Land. Thus, Amidaji is a temple which limits itself to the Primal Vow.
***
Here is another short question and answer between me and Inagaki Sensei:
Categories:
DIVERGENCES FROM THE JODO SHINSHU TEACHING,
DOJO/TEMPLE,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Tuesday, June 14, 2016
My Dharma activities go beyond any affiliation and institution
Recently a member of Higashi branch of Jodo Shinshu wrote to
me and said that although he likes the way I teach Jodo Shinshu and how I stand
up against modern divergences, he does not like the idea of leaving his branch
or joining a new one.
I answered that my intention is NOT to create another branch
of Jodo Shinshu, nor to attract people to the Nishi (Hongwanji-ha) branch, but
to awake followers of all Shinshu
branches, or without any affiliation, to the true Amida Dharma as it was
taught by Shakyamuni Buddha, Shinran and Rennyo. When I teach or discuss the
Amida Dharma I don't make any distinction between followers of Nishi, Higashi
or any branch. All I want is that the seed of true teaching be planted in the
minds and hearts of all followers of Shinran Shonin, and the bad roots of wrong views be cut forever from all various Jodo Shinshu branches. So I think that my attitude would be better described by
words such as, orthodox, non-sectarian and all-inclusive.
Categories:
DOJO/TEMPLE,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Thursday, June 9, 2016
Depend on Amida, not on your feelings
![]() |
There is no need to create something
special into your mind.
By saying Namo Amida Bu in faith
you accept that everything necesary
to your salvation depends entirely
on Amida Buddha. |
How can I say that I have or don't have shinjin (faith) if there is no special feeling I should associate it with?
Answer:
Rather than asking yourself, "do I feel the right thing" in relation with shinjin (faith), you should better ask:
- do I accept Amida Buddha's salvation as promised in His Primal Vow, that is, do I entrust myself completely to Him?
- do I accept that only Amida Buddha can save me through His Power from birth and death and that nothing which can be found in my unenlightened personality can help me in any way in achieving this goal?
If your answer to the above questions is YES, I DO, then you are a person of faith.
So, you are a person of faith not because you feel the right thing, or because you have an intellectual understanding of all Buddhist concepts, including faith, but because you accept and you know that Amida Buddha and His Pure Land are real and that He saves you by assuring your birth there after death.
Categories:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS,
SHINJIN (FAITH)
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Monday, May 23, 2016
Rights versus Dharma Responsability
- fragment from a letter to a priest who embraced wrong views -
Recently, a priest wrote to me:
"I have the right to my own views. What you do in your books and on your website is to judge others because you do not agree with them.
This is outrageous".
My answer:
From the legal or juridical point of view, you have the
right to do everything you want with Amida Dharma. This is because we are
fortunate to live in countries where freedom of speech is guaranteed. But from the moral and Buddhist point of view,
you do not have the right to change Amida Dharma, and the reason for this is
very simple - you are not a Buddha.
As a priest and
teacher you do not have rights, but responsabilities toward the Amida
Dharma and sentient beings who come in contact with it. This is not a matter of
you and me agreeing with each other. The sangha is not a social club, but a
place where we should be in harmony with the Dharma. Please bear this in mind.
Categories:
DIVERGENCES FROM THE JODO SHINSHU TEACHING,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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Saturday, May 14, 2016
A short question and answer on the home altar
![]() |
Yasodhara venerating the Buddha by placing her head upon His
feet.
I myself like to place my head on the feet of Amida images/statues
and kiss them.
|
"Some
say that a Jodo Shinshu follower must have a home altar (butsudan), while
others say this is not important. What do you think?"
Answer:
I think it
depends on each person. Let me give you an example from daily life.
Some are
capable to remember their loved ones even if they don't carry their photos with
them every day. Others, even if they also never forget their loved ones, they enjoy
looking with love and affectionate thoughts to their photos. I myself never
forget the girl I love, even when I do not see her for many days or weeks, but
I like to look at her photo anytime I can, so I always carry one of her photos with me, in my pocket. It is
the same pocket I carry a photo with Amida Buddha, too :)
This is somewhat
similar with having an altar dedicated to Amida Buddha and an image with Him in
your own room. You are never far from Amida, and you know He is always with you, but because your unenlightened eyes of flesh cannot see Him, you may wish
to have a painted image with Him and His Name in Chinese or English characters.
There is nothing wrong with this, but on the contrary, it may prove helpful.
Also, have
you ever kissed a photo of your dear ones, when you thought to them or missed
them, or simply out of love for them? In the same way, you can have an image of
Amida Buddha to whom you can offer flowers or bow to it, or touch your forehead
with it, or even kiss it with devotion. I myself like to do all these things with
images of Amida Buddha. It is the way this ignorant and devotional peasant
likes to express his devotion to his Savior.
But of
course, you may be different and you might not feel the need to have sacred
images at home. Both choices are ok, as long as you have faith (shinjin),
because faith is all that matters. And if you are not yet established in faith,
sacred images may help in creating connection with Amida Buddha, along with
listening to the true teaching about Him.
- fragment from a letter to a friend -
Categories:
personal experiences,
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
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