He is now working on the audio version of my newest book, The Meaning of Faith and Nembutsu in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism - click here to see the playlist.
His poems can be listened in audio format here.
His poems can be listened in audio format here.
My Path to True Shin Buddhism
By Gansen John Welch
I am writing this in the hope that others may be encouraged, inspired
and motivated to listen to and read Amida Dharma, find a good teacher of True
Shin Buddhism and “entrust your karmic
destiny entirely, utterly and completely to Amida Buddha.” This too was my
motivation for narrating Josho’s excellent books and writing verses inspired by
Amida Dharma.
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| Gansen John Welch |
I was born in 1958 and thus, if I live an average lifespan, I have only
about 20 years left in this body. But, of course, no one (except a fully
enlightened Buddha) knows exactly when or how they will die and more
importantly what negative karmic seeds will ripen at the time of death causing
us to be reborn in realms lower than the human realm resulting in perhaps many
millions of years before again having the opportunity to benefit from Buddha
Dharma. According to Shakyamuni, it is only human beings who have the best
opportunity to learn and benefit from Buddha Dharma.
My mother encouraged me to read as a young boy and I was always reading
to attempt to understand myself, the world and the seemingly endless
disappointment, frustration, pain and suffering that I (and many others)
experienced all my life. At 18 I read a book (The Perennial Philosophy by
Aldous Huxley) in which the author quoted from Buddhist texts and provided some
interpretation and analysis of Buddha Dharma. From that moment I became a
part-time student of Buddhism, mainly Tibetan Buddhism. My favourite book was
an English translation (by Robert Thurman) of Padmasambhava’s “Tibetan Book of the Dead.” In the
Tibetan tradition Padmasambhava is considered to be a manifestation of Amitabha
Buddha. As there were no teachers near where I lived (and no internet as this
was during the 1970s and 1980s) I was self-taught and totally dependent on
books and a few audio teachings. I worked (for 28 years in University and
Public Library Services - mostly as a manager, and for 4 years in other
occupations) full-time from age 18 until 50 when I became sick from multiple
inherited health conditions. During 20 of these 32 years I was studying
part-time and earned 4 University Degrees in order to progress in my career and
survive in a very competitive work environment where promotion was difficult to
get and salaries were relatively low. I was working a lot of unpaid overtime
and thus did not have as much time as I would have liked for Buddha Dharma. As
my health deteriorated from age 50 onwards I became even more frustrated at my
slow “progress” on my self-power spiritual journey.
During April 2017 I came across Paul Roberts’ 16 YouTube videos and
became his student until Paul went to Amida’s Pure Land in December 2017. I am
forever grateful to Paul (who was a gifted teacher) for helping me through his
videos, writings and one-to-one discussions (using Skype) to help me understand
Amida Dharma and rely completely on Amida Buddha’s infinite wisdom and
compassion. Paul also recommended Josho to me and I became Josho’s student in
January 2018. Josho is a very good teacher whose books are full of insights to
help his students understand Amida Dharma. Josho also speaks to his students
one-to-one to answer questions and clarify any doubts, difficulties, etc. In
his wonderful The Path of Acceptance:Commentary on Tannisho Josho explains the attributes of a good teacher and
in my experience Josho does his very best to meet or exceed these very high
standards. Any progress that I have made in understanding Amida Dharma is due
to Josho and Paul (and of course Amida, Shakyamuni, Shinran and the Dharma
Lineage Masters).
So it can be seen from the above, I could very easily have died before
encountering Paul and Josho and because I am an unenlightened being living in
this age of Dharma decline I would have died without entrusting myself to Amida
and would have inevitably be reborn in the lower realms. So this brief summary
of my spiritual journey will be of value to you only if you find a good teacher
like Josho, listen deeply to Amida Dharma and depend entirely on Amida Buddha
to save you from the endless suffering of samsara. The passages below will
hopefully further encourage, motivate and inspire you (and your friends and
family) to become committed and serious students of Josho and Amida Dharma.
“As for me,
[Shinran], I simply accept and entrust myself to what my revered teacher told
me, "Just say the nembutsu and be saved by Amida"; nothing else is
involved.”
(Page 2 of Tannisho)
“It is impossible for
us, who are possessed of blind passions, to free ourselves from birth-and-death
through any practice whatever. Sorrowing at this, Amida
made the Vow, the
essential intent of which is the evil person's attainment of Buddhahood. Hence,
evil persons who entrust themselves to Other Power are precisely the ones who
possess the true cause of Birth.” (Page 3 of Tannisho)
“As for me, Shinran,
I have never said the nembutsu even once for the repose of my departed father
and mother. For all sentient beings, without exception, have been our parents
and brothers and sisters in the course of countless lives in the many states of
existence. On attaining Buddhahood after this present life, we can save every
one of them.” (Page 4 of Tannisho)
“The nembutsu is the
single path free of hindrances. Why is this? To practicers who have realized
shinjin, the gods of the heavens and earth bow in homage, and maras and
nonbuddhists present no obstruction. No evil act can bring about karmic
results, nor can any good act equal the nembutsu.” (page 6 of Tannisho)
“Thus the nembutsu
that we say throughout a
lifetime with the
thought, "If it were not for this compassionate Vow, how could such
wretched evildoers as ourselves gain emancipation from birth-and-death?"
should be recognized
as entirely the expression of our gratitude for the benevolence and our
thankfulness for the virtuous working of the Tathagata's great compassion.” (page 16 of Tannisho)
“If we entrust
ourselves to Amida's Vow that grasps and never abandons us, then even through
unforeseen circumstances, we commit an evil act and die without
saying the nembutsu
at the very end, we will immediately realize birth in the Pure Land. Moreover,
even if we do say the Name at the point of death, it will be nothing other than
our expression of gratitude for Amida's benevolence, entrusting ourselves to
the Buddha more and more as the very time of enlightenment draws near.” (page 16 of Tannisho)
“Since it is
extremely difficult to free oneself from blind passions and the hindrances of
karmic evil in this life; even the virtuous monks who practice the Shingon and
Tendai teachings pray for enlightenment in the next life. In our case, what
more need be said?” (Page 17 of Tannisho)
“While the dew of
life barely clings to this withered leaf of grass that I am, I can lend an ear
to the uncertainties of the people who accompany me along the way and relate to
them what Master Shinran said. But I lament that after my eyes close, there
will almost certainly be confusion concerning the teaching. When you are
confused by people who discuss such views as those noted above, carefully read
the sacred writings that accord with the late Master's thought and that he
himself used to read. In the scriptures in general, the true and real and
theaccommodated and provisional are mixed. That we abandon the accommodated and
take up the real, set aside the provisional and adopt the true is the
Master'sfundamental intent. You must under no circumstances misread the sacred
writings. I have selected several important authoritative passages and
appendedthem to this volume as a standard. The Master would often say: When I
consider deeply the Vow of Amida, which arose from five kalpas of profound
thought, I realize that it was entirely for the sake of myself alone! Thenhow I
am filled with gratitude for the Primal Vow, in which Amida resolved to save
me, though I am burdened with such heavy karma. Reflecting once more on this
expression of Shinran's inmost thoughts, I find thatis does not differ in the
least from those precious words of Shan-tao: ‘Know yourself to be a foolish
being of karmic evil caught in birth-and-death, ever sinking and ever wandering
intransmigration from innumerable kalpas in the past, with never a condition
that would lead to emancipation.’ Thus how grateful I feel for Shinran's words,
in which he gives himself as an example in order to make us realize we are in
delusion, knowing nothing at all of the depths of our karmic evil or the
vastness of Amida's benevolence. In truth, myself and others discuss only good
and evil, leaving Amida's benevolence out of consideration. Among Master
Shinran's words were: I know nothing at all of good or evil. For if I could
know thoroughly, as AmidaTathagata knows, that an act was good, then I would
know good. If I could know thoroughly, as the Tathagata knows, that an act was
evil, then I would know evil. But with a foolish being full of blind passions,
in this fleeting world - this burning house - all matters without exception are
empty and false, totally without truth and sincerity. The nembutsu alone is
true and real. Indeed, I myself and others speak only falsehoods to each other.
In this, there is a truly regrettable thing. When, regarding our saying of the
nembutsu, we discuss the nature of shinjin or explain it to people, we ascribe
to Shinran even words he never spoke in order to silence others and to settle
controversies with our own opinions. This is indeed saddening and deplorable.
This matter should be carefully pondered and understood. These are by no means
my own words, but since I do not know the lines of discourse in the sutras and
commentaries and cannot understand or discern the profundity of the scriptural
writings, undoubtedly they seem foolish. Nevertheless, recalling a hundredth
part - only a fragment - of what the late Shinran said, I write it down. How
sad it would be to abide in the borderland instead of being born directly into
the fulfilled land, even though one has the fortune of saying the nembutsu.
That there be no differing of shinjin among the fellow practicers, I take my
brush with tear in my eyes and record this.” (Pages 22 to 24 of
Tannisho)
The link below will give you more information from Josho’s website
regarding the recommended order of reading of Josho’s text:
NamoAmidaButsu
NamoAmidaButsu
NamoAmidaButsu
Thank you Amida Buddha
Homage to Amida Buddha
I take refuge in Amida Buddha
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