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.
Shinjin is simple, it is a simple faith,
only the mind is complicated. The mind is waiting for something special to
happen. Well, the news is that there is nothing to happen. It will be the same
ordinary life with ups and downs of an ordinary unenlightened bombu. It will be
the same monkey mind who will continue to keep you company until you die and
you are actually born in the Pure
Land .
Have you understood the basics of the Amida
Dharma? Do you understand that only by Amida’s Power you can be born in the Pure Land
? If yes, and if you understood the words of
the Primal Vow, then all you need to do is to simply wish to go to Amida’s
Land, entrust yourself to Him without expecting anything special to happen, and
say His Name.
We often forget that this Path is the way
of easy practice. EASY! This means
that our mind can be as it is, while we simply say, “I entrust to you, Amida
Buddha to take me to your Pure
Land . Thank you. Namo
Amida Butsu.” If we ask ourselves too many questions on why this stupid monkey
mind is acting like this or like that, why it thinks this or that, or perhaps
if there is some kind of unconscious obstacle in it that prevents us from
entrusting to Amida ..... then indeed, we might never entrust to Amida! This is
like in that parable with the poison arrow, which I suppose you know well.
But even if you might always have the
feeling that you probably do not entrust completely to Amida, just continue to
say His Name and entrust to Him as you are now. Even a 20% or a 50% connection
to Amida is better than none. However, as I told you before, perhaps the
problem is in your head, and the more you try to escape your head/mind, the
more you become entangled in the head/mind, and because your mind is used to
jump like a monkey from here to there, it will always make you think that
perhaps something is lacking, perhaps you do not think nor feel as you should…
So, just say “I entrust to you, Amida
Buddha, to take me to your Pure
Land . Thank you. Namo
Amida Bu” then continue to listen to Amida Dharma and leave your monkey mind to
be as it has always been, and as it will always be until you die and you are
born in the Pure Land . Because shinjin (faith) is not the
product of mind calculations, thoughts or ideas, because it is not a special
feeling you should develop inside your mind, just entrust to Amida as you are,
and do not bother too much with your mind.
People of shinjin can’t even say Nembutsu
too often, and are not even asked to do it; this is why the Primal Vow contains
the words, “say my Name even up to
ten times”. This means that Amida Buddha knows who we are and our
limitations, and by asking us to entrust ourselves to Him, He did not mean that
we should be something else than ordinary people who can’t even say His Name continuously
for a few hours, or can’t keep Him constantly in our minds…
People of shinjin can’t control anything,
they simply entrust to Amida to save them and lead them to His Pure Land. That
is all. It is nothing special to realize or feel about this.
I hope this helped, but if not, just
continue to stay close to Amida Buddha and to the Dharma about Him. If you stay
close to Amida Dharma, even if you don’t have shinjin you are safer than
before, and there will come a day when you will realize that there is nothing
complicated about this shinjin.
- fragment from a letter to a friend -
6 comentarii:
Namo Amida Butsu !
Yes.
We tend to over think our own Shinjin to the point of doubting OURSELVES (not Amida Buddha).
Simple faith in Amida Buddha is all that is required to achieve birth in his Pure Land.
Gassho,
Dave Kruemcke
Beautiful Josho,
And I agree with you Dave, before Shinjin my mind was racing about; after Shinjin I realize that it was all unnecessary and that simply entrusting Amida brings it all about - it is not our doing but Amida's :)
Gassho, Camille
Thank you for your comments, dear Dave and Camille!
Namo Amida Butsu
Gassho dear Josho Adrian
:)
Thank you Josho Adrian,
I'm in the exact same boat as the questioner. Your article was very helpful. Seemed as though the article was written just for me.
Gassho,
Tyler
Namo Amida Butsu !
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