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Copyright@ Adrian Gheorghe Cirlea (Josho Adrian Cirlea)
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Never
play the wise practitioner in samsara. All you need to know and can truly know
are the instructions of Amida Buddha in His Primal Vow: "entrust yourself
to me, say my Name and wish to be born in my land". Follow Master Rennyo's
advice, "all thoughts and words are delusion, except the mind to trust
Amida Buddha" and Master Shinran's, "the Nembutsu alone is true and
real".
Also, never play the virtuous practitioner in samsara. Don't overestimate your
pitiful merits and virtues. You can do nothing with your so-called "wisdom
and merits". Everything is impermanent and insubstantial, including your dream-like existence and the things you think you realized.
There is only one reality - that of Amida Buddha and His Call: "entrust
yourself to me, say my Name and wish to be born in my land". Do that
exclusively and don't play smart or virtuous in samsara.
Namo Amida Bu
Amida
Buddha promised in His Primal Vow that those who entrust to Him, say His Name
and wish to be born in His Pure Land (“sincerely entrust themselves to me,
desire to be born in my land, and say my Name perhaps even ten times[1]”)
will be born there. The
reason faith (“entrust to me”), desire to be born in the Pure Land, as well as the saying of the Name (Nembutsu) are mentioned in the same Vow is because they cannot
be treated separately. One who has faith in Amida Buddha will naturally say His
Name and wish to be with Him in the Pure Land. Thus, there can be no faith
separated from Nembutsu, and no Nembutsu separated from faith. Also, there can
be no faith and no Nembutsu of faith without the desire to be born in the Pure
Land. Recently,
a reader expressed the opinion that to say the Name of Amida Buddha is
secondary to “hearing the Name”. This is a grave misunderstanding of the Jodo
Shinshu teaching which cannot arise if we properly understand the term “hearing
the Name”. So, to hear the Name means to have faith (shinjin), as
Shinran clearly explained,
Scroll down to watch the video teaching on this topic
I heard many times the idea that we need to make a vow to be born in the Pure Land. This is said under the influence of various Chinese Pure Land groups that place a lot of emphasis on self-power, a view which is totally rejected in our school.
I will state it clearly and I ask all of you to please listen deeply:
We do not need to make a personal vow to be born in the Pure Land because birth in the Pure Land does NOT depend on our personal power, but on Amida's Power.
This is extremely important - you can be born in the Pure Land by the Power of Amida Buddha, and NOT by your self power! The vows you make have ZERO importance. What matters is that you give up any idea of self power and entrust completely to Amida Buddha.
In His Primal Vow (18th Vow) Amida mentioned three conditions to be born in His Pure Land : "say my Name, entrust to me and wish to be born in my land". He did not mention that you must make any vows or transfer any merits! To wish to be born is not the same as a vow which can easily make one think that he goes to the Pure Land through his own act of will. So, if we do the above three simple things in the Primal Vow, we become karmically connected to Amida's Power and we are assured of birth in the Pure Land.
Our Jodo Shinshu is the school of the Primal Vow, of total and exclusive reliance on Amida Buddha. Nothing inside our unenlightened minds can bring us closer to the Pure Land. Only Amida's Power and His Primal Vow (His Main Promise) are reliable. We will reach His Pure Land because He vowed that He will bring us there if we entrust to Him and say His Name in faith, and NOT because we make any personal vows or we transfer our pitiful "merits" to birth there.
The promises and vows made by unreliable and unenlightened minds mean nothing, while the Promise and Vow of Amida is everything.
Namo Amida Bu
“It is regrettable
indeed that sentient beings doubt what should not be doubted; The Pure Land is right
before us and never out of harmony with us. Do not ponder whether
Amida will take you in or not; The question is
whether or not you wholeheartedly turnabout at heart.”[1]
Commentary: The Pure Land is extremely easy to reach. This is the
meaning of the words “right before us”.
We’ll go there in an instant at the moment of our death if we have entrusted ourselves to Amida Buddha during this life. It is the easiest country to
emigrate – no visas, no special requirements, just say Amida’s Name in faith
and wish to be born there, and you will, at the end of your physical body.
Being easy to enter, the Pure Land is in harmony with all beings as anybody can
go there without discrimination between virtuous and non-virtuous. Harmony mean
accessibility, that is, nothing that can be found within our ignorant mind
constitutes an obstacle for birth there.
Thus, you should not doubt Amida Buddha’s capacity to save
you, but ask yourself if you really have faith in Him. To turnabout at heart
means to leave behind any reliance on your self-power and abandon yourself
totally to Amida’s Power. As He is the One who manifested His Pure Land, you
can only go there through Him. An unenlightened mind cannot create within
oneself the cause to birth into the enlightened realm of the Pure Land.
[1] Master Shan-tao as quoted by
Shinran in his Kygyoshinsho, The Collected
Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.238
Kosho Arana is scheduled to receive monk (priest) ordination soon, together with Daigan from Uruguay. He already finished all the examinations with me but we continue this public presentation so that people find how we do things at Amidaji, and what a candidate for ordination needs to know.
May all beings create indestructible connections with Amida Buddha, entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land.
"Tathagata's Primal Vow surpasses conceptual
understanding; it is a design of the wisdom of Buddhas. It is not the
design of foolish beings. No one can fathom the wisdom of Buddhas, which
surpasses conceptual understanding."[1] "Further,
with regard to Other Power, since it is
inconceivable Buddha-wisdom, the attainment of supreme Enlightenment by foolish
beings possessed of blind passions comes about through the working shared only
by Buddhas; it is not in any way the design of the practicer. Thus, no
working is true working. 'Working' that is negated refers to the calculation of
the person of self-power. Concerning Other Power, then, no working is true
working."[2]
Question by Shoshin: Dear Sensei, why
is it that despite my having entrusted myself to Amida (formally in Amidaji to
signify my sincerity), recited his name, and wished to be born in his Pure
Land, why is it that I have not felt any assurance of any kind at all up to
this time. I
have listened to all your books, which I converted to audio your videos, every
day and night, over and over, and they are so wonderfully written, but all I
get is Amida is so silent, so distant, as if he did not exist. I
need an experiential concrete assurance of rebirth in his Pure Land. Amida
seems so distant, so far away. If his light is that powerful why can it not
penetrate my thick obscurations no matter how encrusted they are of blind
passions? Time
for me is running out because of my age and health issues, and I really need assurance
urgently that I shall be reborn in the Pure Land, but it all seems now like
blind faith. Why? I really want to go to the Pure Land. This sense of urgency
has never been so urgent for death could come anytime. Can you please help me? Namo
Amida Bu
Question:
What did Shinran mean by "mindfulness is Nembutsu"? “Saying the Name is in itself mindfulness; mindfulness is
Nembutsu; Nembutsu is Namo
Amida Butsu”. Answer:We need to know that whenever we meet
the word “mindfulness” it is in no way referring to the modern idea of
meditation based on self-power. For Shinran “mindfulness” always referred to
faith and to Amida Buddha. So, he said that mindfulness is Nembutsu and that
Nembutsu is Namo Amida Butsu. What does Namo Amida Butsu mean? It means “I take
refuge in Amida Buddha/Homage to Amida Buddha”. What does Nembutsu represent?
What do we express by saying Namo Amida Butsu? We express faith, so Namo Amida
Butsu or Nembutsu is the expression of faith. It is faith as there can be no
faith separate from Nembutsu and no genuine Nembutsu separate from faith.
Shinran Shonin said:
I
wrote these words today to a Dharma friend who was sad that he is not able to
teach or help those who live far from him. I hope you guys will also find it
useful:
Being
an example of faith is teaching without words. If you are established in faith
others will be helped just by being in your presence because they make a karmic
connection with a future Buddha. It is the same with the people you met and you
could not help. Even those you didn’t meet but you think of them, will receive
your help after you become a Buddha in the Pure Land. This is because you
create a karmic connection with them by keeping them in your mind.
If
you have faith (shinjin) you automatically help visible and invisible beings
even without teaching them directly. Invisible beings are helped just by
knowing your thoughts of devotion towards Amida and by hearing you saying His
Name. Also human beings are helped just by hearing your Nembutsu or by just
looking at you. As a person of faith you are imbued with the infinite merits of
Amida Buddha. Although you are a grave sinner you shine in the light of Amida
and this helps others without their knowing. You have a limited unenlightened
mind and you cannot deeply understand what I am saying here but it is true
nevertheless.
I explained more on this topic in the following video:
“It is regrettable
indeed that sentient beings doubt what should not be doubted; The Pure Land is right
before us and never out of harmony with us. Do not ponder whether Amida
will take you in or not; The question is
whether or not you wholeheartedly turnabout at heart.”[1]
Commentary: The Pure Land is extremely easy to reach. This is the
meaning of the words “right before us”.
We’ll go there in an instant at the moment of our death if we have entrusted
ourselves to Amida Buddha during this life. It is the easiest country to
emigrate – no visas, no special requirements, just say Amida’s Name in faith
and wish to be born there, and you will, at the end of your physical body. Being
easy to enter, the Pure Land is in harmony with all beings as anybody can go
there without discrimination between virtuous and non-virtuous. Harmony mean accessibility,
that is, nothing that can be found within our ignorant mind constitutes an
obstacle for birth there. Thus, you should not doubt Amida’s capacity to save you, but
ask yourself if you really have faith in Him. To turnabout at heart means to
leave behind any reliance on your self-power and abandon yourself totally to Amida’s Power. As He is the One who manifested His Pure Land, you can only go there
through Him. An unenlightened mind cannot create within oneself the cause to
birth into the enlightened realm of the Pure Land.
[1] Master Shan-tao as quoted by Shinran
in his Kygyoshinsho, The Collected
Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.238
“Jogan Shonin
(1168-1251) thus stated: ‘Someone said to Honen Shonin, ‘The perception of the
physical features of Amida Buddha is taught in the Contemplation Sutra. Should
even Nembutsu practitioner observe this meditative practice?’ Honen Shonin replied:
‘I, Genku, also observed such afutile practice at the beginning, but I
do not practice it now. I recite the Nembutsu with implicit belief in attaining
birth in the Pure Land.’”[1]
Commentary:
Why did Honen Shonin regarded the thirteen contemplations in
the above mentioned sutra to be a futile practice? And if he regarded them so,
why were they mentioned there?
The
answer to the first question is that the thirteen contemplations and the
perception of the physical features of Amida Buddha are NOT found in His Primal Vow where only faith, Nembutsu of faith and wish to be born in the Pure Land
are mentioned. Because they are not part of the Primal Vow, it means they do
not constitute the main intention of Amida and are not the cause of birth in
the fulfilled land (center) of the Pure Land where we immediately become
Buddhas.
“It is indeed
lamentable and regrettable that there are those who say birth in the Pure Land
is impossible. Please, do not ever be swayed by such words, even if the
speakers are wise and honorable. They may be people who are learned and
respected in their individual paths of endeavor, but the instructions of those
with different understandings and practices will be troublesome for those who
are aspiring for birth in the Pure Land. These proponents of other practices
are referred to as ‘undesirable teachers who will serve to distance the
aspirants from their karmic relationship with Amida Buddha.’ You must not lend
an ear to such misguided people but continue to rely steadfastly on the Primal
Vow for birth in the Pure Land”.[1] Commentary:
" The
merit of protection by Amida Buddha is received in daily life. This is because
one who has genuine belief in birth in the Pure Land holds no doubt. Amida
Buddha casts eighty-four thousand rays of His light of compassion upon one who
is resolute in the attainment of this goal. Amida Buddha shines this light
continually on the Nembutsu practitioner in daily life and up to the final
moment of that person's life. For this reason, it is called the 'Vow by which
Amida Buddha never abandons the Nembutsu devotee."[1]
When saying the above, Honen Shonin relied on the following
passage from the Contemplation Sutra:
“Buddha Amitayus (Amida)
possesses eighty-four thousand physical characteristics, each having eighty-four
thousand secondary marks of excellence. Each secondary mark emits eighty-four thousand rays of light; each
ray of light shines universally upon the lands of the ten directions, embracing
and not forsaking those who are mindful of the Buddha (have faith in Amida).”[2]
"If you
think that birth in the Pure Land is possible through your own efforts, you
will become consumed with conceit that you are wise. When you possess this
heart of conceit, you will not be in accord with the Primal Vow, and you will
lose the protection of Amida Buddha as well as that of other Buddhas[1].
You are ultimately haunted by malevolent spirits. I here repeat - be vigilant
indeed against conceit."[2]
The editorial policy of this website is to present only the orthodox teachings of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Before I link to any other website, I investigate that website to make sure that they share the same attitude. I reject any website that presents false or divergent teachings, or that links to other websites that present false or divergent teachings.