Helping animals make a connection with Amida Buddha

Here it looks like Codita is bowing his
head in front of Amida image

No human being arrived today for the service, so I recited Nembutsu with one of the dogs of Amidaji - Codita.
Even if animals may not understand human language is beneficial for them to hear the sacred Name and see holy images of Amida. This plants a seed in their mental stream and will help them make a karmic connection which Amida Buddha and His Dharma, which one day, perhaps in a better rebirth, will result in becoming open to His Primal Vow. This is why I encourage you to say Nembutsu in the presence of animals, make them see Amida images and even put statues with Amida on the crown of their head.

When I caress my dog I say Nembutsu.
In time, if you do that, your pet may
associate your gentle gestures with Nembutsu
which again will leave a deep impression
on their mindstream

Somebody commented on my Facebook page where I also posted these photos:

“There are many animal cases who can join a service and get reborn into Pure Land”.

To this I answered:

He may look cute but in reality, he is
the fiercest dog I have here, so I keep him
away when I have visitors. His role is to
defend the temple, especially
during the night 

Normally, a being must understand the Amida Dharma, entrust to Amida and say His Name in faith in order to be born in the Pure Land. But the truth is that life is mysterious and there are texts who speak of some animals being more evolved than others, some even retaining memories of previous lives, which means they can really entrust to Amida. However, these are not everyday cases, and so, even if animals are just animals, they can still benefit from hearing Amida's Name or seeing His holy images.

At this link (click here) you can find instructions on how you can help them (or any being) after death and while in bardo (the intermediary state between death and next life). 

At the end of the service, we both had a big laugh
 at the dreamlike nature of samsaric existence.