My book The Four Profound Thoughts Which Turn the Mind Towards Amida Dharma (free online edition)

click here to listen the audio version on youtube!
(work in progress by Gansen John Welch)

Dear Dharma friends,

I am happy to share with you the free online edition of my new book, The Four Profound Thoughts Which Turn the Mind Towards Amida Dharma. This is the improved and proofreaded version of the teaching series you probably saw on this website.

About the book (from the Foreword):

The Four Profound Thoughts are basic teachings, something like a preliminary to any Buddhist path or practice. It has the effect of turning the mind towards the Buddha Dharma and should be a constant companion no matter if one is a beginner or an older follower. Sometimes they are reffered to as the Four Contemplations, the Four Understandings or the Four Reminders. Because in this book I explain them in the context of the Pure Land Dharma Gate of Jodo Shinshu (Amida Dharma), I decided to call them the Four Profound Thoughts which Turn the Mind Towards the  Amida Dharma. These Profound Thoughts are:

1. Preciousness of human birth

2. Impermanence and death

3. Karma - the law of cause and effect

4. Samsara is suffering

If one contemplates, understands and never forgets these four, then one is a serious follower of Shakyamuni Buddha and Amida Buddha. Such a contemplation, understanding and remembering is not something special, but a simple knowing that our situation is defined by the above four truths. My goal in writing these teachings is to use the awareness they provide to convince my Dharma friends of the importance of taking refuge in Amida Buddha and aspire to be born in His Pure Land. I hope that the passages I carefully chose from various sacred texts and ancient masters, as well as my explanations, will have a big impact on them not only at the intelectual level, but also at deeper, more emotional one.

Amida Dharma is not a mere object of study, but the most important medicine ever offered to sentient beings. Life in human form, impermanence and death, the law of karma and the sufferings of samsara are serious business and should be treated with utmost seriousness. This is why reading this book should not only be a process of accumulating information, but also engaging the reader into a profound contemplation on these four truths.

Read and think deeply to the rare chance you have to be born in human form. Read and become aware of your own impermanence. Read and let yourself be shocked by the implacable law of karma and the various sufferings of samsaric existence. Read and realize you have no other choice but to take refuge in Amida Buddha and aspire to be born in His safe Enlightened realm. 

 

You can order a printed copy from one of these links:

 

Click here to order it in British pounds on Amazon.com/uk
Click here to order it in US Dollars on Amazon.com
Click here to order it CDN on Amazon Canada

Click here to order it from Amazon Australia
Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon Germany
Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon Italy

Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon France

Click here to order it on Amazon Spain
Click here to order it in Japanese yen on Amazon Japan

The free online edition:

According to one of my religious vows, I always provide a free online edition (pdf) of anything I write, so I invite you to download this book from the following links:

 1) My personal drive on google

2) My account on Academia.edu

  

If you have difficulties in downloading it, please write to me at josho_adrian@yahoo.com, and I will send you a copy myself.

If you wish to support my temple and my Dharma activities, please consider a small donation,

Yours in Namo Amida Butsu,

Josho