Showing posts with label QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. Show all posts
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.
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.
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.
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 faith in 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 -
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Why do I call myself an orthodox priest
Before reading Dharma texts we raise them to the forehead. This signifies the Dharma is supreme and above personal views and opinions. |
I was recently asked how I dare to consider myself an
orthodox Jodo Shinshu Buddhist priest and say that some other nowadays teachers/priests
are mistaken...
My answer is that I do NOT dare anything in relation with
Jodo Shinshu! On the contrary, I am very "frightened" when I think to
Amida Dharma. Since I have become a priest and started to wear the kesa of
Nembutsu faith I am constantly under a great fear. It is the fear that I can make a mistake and somehow misguide people
with personal ideas. And it is because I have this fear that I stick to the
words of the sutras and the Masters of our lineage.
Because I am stupid and they are all-wise, because I am
nothing and they are supreme, because I am unenlightened while Shakyamuni who
told the story of Amida Buddha was Enlightened. This is why I am an orthodox Jodo
Shinshu follower.
I am an orthodox Jodo Shinshu priest because I am
responsible and I know my place and limitations. Just like I do not dare to
behave like a surgeon and operate people on open heart, I also do not dare to
behave like a Buddha and change His Dharma. This unique Dharma (Amida Dharma) can
save beings from birth and death only if it is followed as prescribed by the
Buddha and the Masters, so I do not dare changing it.
I am an orthodox Jodo Shinshu follower and priest because I
have abandoned any idea of personal authority over the Amida Dharma. It is
because I humble myself at the feet of Shakyamuni and the Masters of our
tradition, not teaching what they did not teach, and not transmitting to others
what they did not transmit, that I call myself an orthodox Jodo Shinshu
follower.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Pure Land as a state of consciousness or a real place?
Question: I was told that the Pure Land is a state of consciousness and not a real place with forms and manifestations. What do you think?
Answer:
States of consciousness do not exclude forms and manifestations.
In fact, depending on the states of consciesness one dwells in, various forms
appear. Thus, for unenlightened beings, samsaric bodies and realms come into existence as
effects of their specific karmic obscurations. When one becomes a Buddha,
transcendental manifestations arise (see the article on Three Bodies/Aspects of Amida Buddha) as the effect of
Enlightenment and the wish to save all beings.
Saturday, October 17, 2015
Question and answer on intellectual obstacles to shinjin
Question:
Recently, I have been reflecting on my not
having shinjin. The problem is I don't know WHY. Any blocks or obstacles to my
receiving of Amida's gift of shinjin must be unconscious as I don't have any
conscious obstacles at all.
Answer:
What can I say….
Have you ever wondered that perhaps you
complicate your mind? I mean what do you want this shinjin to be, that you
stress your mind about it, so much?
It is especially because people tend to
complicate their minds and think that shinjin must be this or that thing, that
I wrote the article, Faith is simple, nothing special.
Perhaps your mind still thinks that
something must happen when you entrust to Amida, or is waiting for something to
happen when you have faith. Dear friend, you will NOT change a bit after
entrusting yourself to Amida. You are not supposed to constantly feel anything
special if you entrust to Amida. There is really nothing there if you entrust
to Amida, except a simple faith and Amida who helps you – assures you of your
birth in His Pure Land.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
A question and answer on samsaric realms and the Pure Land
If the Pure
Land actually exists as
real place, that means that the hellish realms and other samsaric places exist
literally as well - as a result of our collective karma, as you said in your book. So I would like to know your thoughts about this: if the Pure Land is not
symbolic and exists in a specific place (like to the west), does that mean that
places such as hells also exist literally in specific places outside of our
minds?
Answer:
Yes, the hells exist specifically as places outside of our
minds, too, but they exist because of
the minds of those who have a hellish karma. The realm we are living in now
exists outside of our minds too, because, as we see, we have these bodies, we have
mountains, oceans, forests, etc, I can look to you and you can look to me
(there is nothing mythological or symbolic or fictional in this), but in the
same time, it exists because of our
minds and our karma. My mind, your mind, plus all the other minds of human
beings and their karma are the causes for such a human place to exist. The mind streams of beings need their vehicles,
and so the worlds and bodies come into existence due to the individual and
collective karma of various mind-streams.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
The certainty of attaining Enlightenment in the Pure Land
Question:
If I am in the Pure Land created by Amida Buddha's Perfect
Will Power after I die, what would happen if I never get enlightened? Is there
a time limit to attain Enlightenment in the Pure Land? I’m scared as I don't
want to experience birth, age and death anymore.
Thursday, July 2, 2015
A bad Buddhist who entrusts to Amida
Long time ago I was in correspondence with a drug addict who showed great
interest in the Jodo Shinshu teaching. He had a hard time trying again and
again to give up taking drugs but he always returned to his bad habit.
This is what I told him:
Just entrust to Amida Buddha as you are. If you can abstain, and it is useful to try, this would be good for your health, but if you cannot, don’t worry. Jodo Shinshu is especially for people who cannot abstain, who are incapable of any practice, for those whom any advice or treatment is useless, for people whose minds are too sick to recover from their problems, anxieties, and deviations. It’s not that they especially want to be like this, but their habitual karma is too strong for them to overcome. After many years and even many lifetimes of taking the drugs of ignorance and blind passions how can one think and act like a normal person? How can one practice Buddhism and become a Buddha by himself?I have met many
times with alcholics and have told them the same if they asked me questions
about Buddhism. If you tried and cannot give up, then be an alchoholic who entrusts
to Amida. Be an alchoholic Nembutsu follower. Be a bad Buddhist who entrusts to
Amida. It is for your own well-being to give up your bad habits and I encourage
you to try. However, if you fail you should never feel abandoned by Amida
because He never gives up on you.
Jodo Shinshu is
the path for spiritually sick people, for those with no hope. It’s the path for
alchoholics, drug addicts, and all kind of people with strong attachments. All
are equally accepted by the Compassion and Primal Vow of Amida Buddha. So
please, come as you are.
Namo Amida Bu
Monday, April 27, 2015
Belief in a creator god is an obstacle to faith in Amida Buddha
Please, read carefully the other articles in this category:
Question[1]:
“A lot of folks who end up in Shin
Buddhism here in the West have a lot of vestigial concepts from our Abrahamic
background - whether or not they were ever "believers" [in God] themselves. And they carry those vestigial ideas with them when they
start in as Buddhists. Some don't do that of course - particularly the ones who
are given to serious study, and really consider it important to know what
Shakyamuni actually taught. But as you know from your time in both the
Zen and Shin Sanghas, such study is often not the primary focus - or even as
great a focus as it is in the Theravada and Tibetan Buddhist Sangha groups. […]
So, in your opinion, based on your own reading and
contemplating, is it possible for an ignorant, yet well meaning person to come
to settled shinjin (faith) if he or she has never actually studied the subject[2],
and has some mixed up ideas about eternalism stuck in his mind stream? Or is
the presence of such thoughts a necessary karmic obstacle that must directly be
addressed and removed before the person can receive Amida's gift of shinjin?”
Monday, November 24, 2014
"Good" for birth in the Pure Land
- fragment from a letter to a friend -
Question: I found
the expression “good men and women” in a passage from the Smaller Amida Sutra. Should I become a “good man” in order to be
born in the Pure Land? I am not a scholar, so please give me a simple answer,
without entering into difficult details.
Answer: In fact,
the expression you found in that passage is "good men and women of faith”. “Of faith” is the key element of this
expression and you should rely on it in order to understand the entire passage:
"Sariputra,
those who have already aspired, now aspire, or in the future will aspire to be
born in the land of Amida Buddha all dwell in the stage of non-retrogression
for realizing highest, perfect Enlightenment. They have already being born, are
now being born, or will be born in that land. Hence, Sariputra, good men and
women of faith should aspire to birth there."
Shakyamuni Buddha - Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo)
"Men and women of faith” are called "good", not because they must be
virtuous as a necessity for birth in the Pure Land, but because they are given Amida’s perfect virtues through faith. In
other words, Amida makes them good (suitable) for
birth in the Pure Land, that is, he provides them with all that is
necessary for rebirth there.
So, “faith”
(shinjin) is the implicit meaning and the essence of this passage. Without reliance
on Amida’s Power, one cannot go to the Pure Land because his/her “goodness” or
personal virtues are simply not enough for such a goal. But if men and women entrust in Amida Buddha,
they “dwell in the stage of non-retrogression”
in this life, and at the moment of death they are reborn in the Pure Land, where
they attain the “highest, perfect
Enlightenment”.
Thus, instead of struggling yourself to become worthy of the Pure Land, you should simply entrust to Amida and let him carry you there.
Namo Amida Butsu
Thursday, October 30, 2014
What is the meaning of faith and nembutsu?
When one has faith (shinjin), one is
convinced that Amida Buddha and His Pure Land exists, and that the Promise He
made in His Primal Vow is true, so he simply entrusts to this Buddha and wishes
to go to His Pure Land (Buddha-field of Amida) after death. Saying Namo Amida
Bu often or seldom means exactly this – “I entrust to Amida Buddha/I take
refuge in Amida Buddha and I wish to go to His Pure Land”. It also means,
“Thank you Amida Buddha for saving me and taking me to your Pure Land
at the end of this physical body”.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Question: What part of our mind goes to the Pure Land?
Question: What
part of our mind goes to the Pure
Land? Is it the mind we
currently have, in others words is it who we are now that goes to be born in
the Pure Land?”
Answer: What we know for sure is that birth in the Pure Land takes place after physical death. This is what the Masters of our tradition clearly said, so we accept it.
At death, what we call ‘mind stream’ leaves the physical body and instead of passing through bardo (intermediary state) and then to other states of existence, it goes directly to the Pure Land where Enlightenment happens immediately. At that very moment, the delusions of our ‘mind stream’ are naturally melt like ice meeting fire, and our true enlightened nature will appear. So, we may say that we go to the Pure Land as we are, but once born there, in the safe and enlightened realm of Amida, ‘we’ transform into something completely different, that is, fully Enlightened Buddhas.
But all these things are inconceivable and beyond conceptual understanding, so I cannot enter into further analysis. Some aspects are imposibile to understand at the level we are now as unenlightened beings. Now all we need to do is to simply entrust to Amida. Jodo Shinshu is the path of simple faith, not of profound understanding in this life of the ultimate nature of mind.
Answer: What we know for sure is that birth in the Pure Land takes place after physical death. This is what the Masters of our tradition clearly said, so we accept it.
At death, what we call ‘mind stream’ leaves the physical body and instead of passing through bardo (intermediary state) and then to other states of existence, it goes directly to the Pure Land where Enlightenment happens immediately. At that very moment, the delusions of our ‘mind stream’ are naturally melt like ice meeting fire, and our true enlightened nature will appear. So, we may say that we go to the Pure Land as we are, but once born there, in the safe and enlightened realm of Amida, ‘we’ transform into something completely different, that is, fully Enlightened Buddhas.
But all these things are inconceivable and beyond conceptual understanding, so I cannot enter into further analysis. Some aspects are imposibile to understand at the level we are now as unenlightened beings. Now all we need to do is to simply entrust to Amida. Jodo Shinshu is the path of simple faith, not of profound understanding in this life of the ultimate nature of mind.
Friday, April 18, 2014
No meditation, just nembutsu
Master Shan-tao saying exclusively the Name of Amida Buddha |
Question: Is it ok for a nembutsu devotee to also practice various Buddhist or non-Buddhist meditation techniques and mantras, as a mean to calm one's mind or because of various positive effects these might have in one's daily life?
Answer: NO, it is not ok.
Your mind will never be calm – please learn to live with this. Life as an unenlightened person is hard, and there is nothing you can do to change this. So, just say the nembutsu of faith in Amida and wish to be born in His Pure Land after death. If you want to busy your mind with something until you die, then say nembutsu as often as possible; say it many times and concentrate on it. Sometimes your mind might become calmer if you focus on nembutsu, even if calming the mind is not the goal of nembutsu.
Monday, February 17, 2014
Do not worry about wandering thoughts
Question: Whenever I say the nembutsu many
good or bad thoughts appear into my mind. What should I do about them?
Answer: When you say the Name in faith, treat this nembutsu as the host and the wandering thoughts as guests. Just say the Name and let the good or bad thoughts arise and vanish, let them come and go as they please. Do not busy yourself with them, you just say the Name and entrust to Amida Buddha. There will always be something to appear into your mind and you simply cannot do anything about this. So, just entrust in Amida and let your changing mind be a changing mind.
Namo Amida Butsu
Answer: When you say the Name in faith, treat this nembutsu as the host and the wandering thoughts as guests. Just say the Name and let the good or bad thoughts arise and vanish, let them come and go as they please. Do not busy yourself with them, you just say the Name and entrust to Amida Buddha. There will always be something to appear into your mind and you simply cannot do anything about this. So, just entrust in Amida and let your changing mind be a changing mind.
Namo Amida Butsu
Monday, January 27, 2014
The safe enlightened realm of Amida Buddha
Question: Why are we urged to aspire to birth in the
Pure Land, and why not try to attain Enlightenment here, in this world?
Answer: The environment in which we now live is the product of our karma and the inter-related karma of all beings. This impure common karma gave rise to an impure environment which also influences us and in which it is hard to have a true spiritual evolution. We ourselves are sick, our fellow beings are sick and the environment is also sick. This is why we are urged to aspire to be born after death, in the Pure Land. This land is the healthy enlightened realm of Amida, a suitable environment which is not the product of evil karma but of His pure karmic merits. Once born in such a sane environment our insanity is cured instantly, our delusions are naturally melt like ice meeting fire, and our true enlightened nature will appear.
Answer: The environment in which we now live is the product of our karma and the inter-related karma of all beings. This impure common karma gave rise to an impure environment which also influences us and in which it is hard to have a true spiritual evolution. We ourselves are sick, our fellow beings are sick and the environment is also sick. This is why we are urged to aspire to be born after death, in the Pure Land. This land is the healthy enlightened realm of Amida, a suitable environment which is not the product of evil karma but of His pure karmic merits. Once born in such a sane environment our insanity is cured instantly, our delusions are naturally melt like ice meeting fire, and our true enlightened nature will appear.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
What do I mean by "modern heresies"
- Fragment from a letter to a friend (please check the links embedded in the text) -
Question: You often use the term "modern heresies" and equate these with slandering the Amida Dharma. Please explain in a few words what do you mean by it.
My answer: To deny the authenticity of the Pure Land sutras and the existence of Amida Buddha by calling Him a metaphor, symbol, fictional
character or anything else than a real and living Buddha, to say that His Pure Land is in one’s mind, denying that birth in the Pure Land takes place after death, or mixing Amida Dharma with various non-Buddhist philosophies and worldly ideologies – these are some examples of what I call slandering the Dharma, becoming an enemy of
the Dharma and cutting the root of the Dharma in one’s heart.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Letter to a non-Jodo Shinshu friend about modern heresies and respect for all Buddhist schools
This short letter was sent by me to a Buddhist friend who is
not a Jodo Shinshu follower and who asked me about my “uncompromising attitude”
in teaching Amida Dharma. I decided to post the letter here because it might be
useful to others.
Dear M,
I really have no problem with various interpretations
of Amida Buddha and his Pure
Land if these are made
from the perspective of other Buddhist schools. I do not mind if, for example,
in many Zen circles from China and Japan, there is a clear rejection of faith
in Amida as a real and living Buddha and of his Pure Land to be attained afterdeath. I also have no problem if somebody from Shingon claims that Amida
resides only in one’s heart. This is because I accept that those who express
such views are practicing a different Dharma gate than the Pure Land gate of
Jodo Shinshu. But, as Honen Shonin said, we should clearly show the difference
between the teaching of our school and other schools, and do not mix them:
Monday, August 1, 2011
The reason for the western location of the Pure Land and its wonderful description in the sutras
Question: „Why the Pure Land of Amida Buddha is called „the Western Pure Land” or „the Pure Land of the West”? Why the „west” is so much emphasized in many of the sacred writings related with Amida? And also why the Pure Land is described in such a fantastic way in the sutras?”
Answer: In order to show that Amida’s Pure Land is not a metaphor, but a real enlightened place in which people can actually aspire to be born after death, the land is given a direction and is described in great details in the sutras.
Some say that the direction „west” and the marvelous descriptions of the Pure Land are a proof for its non-existence or for its existence as a symbol or metaphor only.
But the truth is that by making the effort to describe in many words the wonders of the Pure Land and by pointing to a direction where to face the Pure Land when worshipping Amida, Shakyamuni Buddha wants to emphasize its actual existence as a place where sentient beings should aspire to be born without worry and doubt.
It is like I speak to you about a beautiful park which I would like you to visit. If I tell you, „its there, in the west of the town” and I start describing it to you, then you will have no doubt about its existence and you will wish to see it. Its the same with the expression „Pure Land of the West”.
The exaltation with which Shakyamuni describes the Pure Land of Amida in the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amida-kyo) without even being asked to do it[1], or the radiant light that emanated from his body when he delivered the Larger Sutra in which He expounded the story of Amida and His 48th vows[2], are both an indication that his words were true and his listeners should accept Amida as a living Buddha and his Pure Land as a real enlightened place.
[1] The Smaller Amida Sutra (Amida-kyo) is a sutra spontaneously delivered, not in response to a question, which is a proof of the importance of the teaching about Amida Buddha. In this discourse, Shakyamuni begins every description with great enthusiam, repeating the name of his main listener, Shariputra, telling him the wonders of the Pure Land and the uniqueness of Amida Buddha among all Buddhas.
[2] It is recorded in the Larger Sutra on Amida Buddha that when Shakyamuni was about to deliver it“all the senses of the World-Honored One radiated joy, his entire body appeared serene and glorious, and his august countenance looked most majestic.” After Ananda asks him which is the reason of these wonderful manifestations, Shakyamuni reveals to him the true goal of his coming to this world, by presenting the story of Amida Buddha, the 48th Vows and encouraging sentient beings to aspire for birth in the Pure Land. In the same sutra, the whole gathering listening to the discourse, including Ananda, had a vision with Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, which is another proof that Shakyamuni speaks about real things, not symbols or fictions.
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