Do not worry about inner or outer conditions when saying the Name of Amida Buddha

Question: What is the right attitude when worshipping Amida Buddha? What is the best way to worship Amida? What inner or outer conditions we must meet in order to worship Amida?

My answer: Be relaxed and respectful. This is the right attitude towards Amida Buddha. Be relaxed like a child in the presence of his parent and respectful like a disciple in the presence of his Master. Amida Buddha is both our dear spiritual Parent and our Master or Guru. He loves us like a true parent and guides us as the perfect Master.[1]

The best way to worship Amida Buddha is to say His Name in faith (Namo Amida Bu).  Why? Because this is what He said we should do in His Primal Vow[2]. When we say Amida's Name (Nembutsu) we should NOT worry about inner or outer conditions:

1. Say the Nembutsu without worrying about inner conditions

We should say the Name with our ordinary unenlightened minds which will never be perfect until our actual birth in the Pure Land. Thus, we should not worry about the various thoughts that appear in the mind, nor expect some kind of special feelings. We are what we are, unenlightened beings drowned in all kinds of illusions and blind passions and especially for this kind of people Amida made His Primal Vow so there is absolutely no expectations from Him that we say His Name or worship Him with a pure or clear mind. Thus, when you entrust to Amida Buddha and say His Name give up to any ideas of purity, calm or peace and do not relate your Nembutsu with anything from your illusory personality. 

If bad thoughts or whatever undesired ideas or images arise in your mind when you say the Name of Amida, just don’t busy yourself with them. Your salvation has nothing to do with your mind. It’s important to not cling to various thoughts and feelings. Don't try to stop them and don't think to them as obstacles. Let them appear and dissolve naturally in the vast expanse of the mind and you focus on what is true and real - Amida Buddha and the saying of His Name in faith.

Thoughts get powerful if you pay attention to them, but if you ignore them and change the focus, they will disappear sooner or later. 

Thoughts belong to nobody; they come from empty space and go to empty space, so, leave them alone. You don’t need to insist on them or modify them. Just rely on Amida and say the Nembutsu of faith. The object of your attention should be Amida’s promise from His Primal Vow, not the various thoughts that wander in your mind. 

If you experience good moments, say the Nembutsu. If you experience bad moments, say the Nembutsu. There will always be something to happen to you or appear into your mind. Don’t expect not to experience bad thoughts after receiving shinjin (faith). Take refuge in Amida Buddha and say His Name no matter the state of mind you are in. Amida doesn’t care that you are in a good, special or bad state of mind. He knows who you are and that you need Him, so don’t worry. He is your best friend, asking NOTHING from you. 

This is how you should say the Nembutsu in relation with your inner conditions. Please bear this in mind: there is no good or bad Nembutsu. Namo Amida Bu is to say the Name of Amida Buddha who is already perfect and Enlightened. Thus, any Nembutsu is perfect Nembutsu as long as you entrust to Amida. He is the One who makes the Nembutsu perfect, not your lips, your so-called merits or your unenlightened mind. 

Also, you should say the Nembutsu naturally like breathing, eating or drinking which means that you should not put on the air of a great practitioner when you say the Name. Just as you eat or breathe or drink every day, you also say Nembutsu every day. You do not breathe in a solemn manner, you just breathe simply and naturally. 

Although it is said within the dream of samsaric existence, the Name of Amida is the only element which does not belong to the dream, but to the world of awakening. It's like hearing sounds from the real world while you are still sleeping. Rather than focusing on the events of the dream, you should cling to the sound of awakening - NA MO A MI DA BU, NA MO A MI DA BU, NA MO A MI DA BU.... 

2. Say the Nembutsu without worrying about outer conditions

There is no special posture of body in which you must say the Nembutsu. There is no special time or a special number for Nembutsu recitations. It's your choice if you wish to say Nembutsu while sitting in seiza or on a zafu (meditation cushion), with your legs crossed or lying comfortably on a bed. Our lineage Masters especially mentioned that the Nembutsu can be said while walking, sitting, standing or lying down so as to suggest that every situation is good for Nembutsu.

You can say Nembutsu in front of your altar or you can say it while you are out in the nature or when you are at work, take a shower or go to toilet. You can say Nembutsu with your hands in gassho at the level of your heart or when you watch TV in your bed, etc. 

This is the beauty of Amida’s Name – its Power and effect does NOT depend on you but on Amida so no outer or inner circumstance are obstacles to Nembutsu.

 Namo Amida Bu 

 

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[1] Also, any other Buddha, including Shakyamuni, is our Parent and Master, as they all guide us to Amida, encourage us on this Path and love us as their own children. We do not need to venerate them separately or follow the specific practices associated with them, but simply say the Nembutsu and venerate Amida. When we venerate Amida and say His Name in faith we automatically venerate all Buddhas. This is in harmony with the 17th Vow where Amida said that al Buddhas praise His Name. By praising His Name they encourage us to say it ourselves and show us that this is the supreme and universal practice through which all beings, no matter their spiritual capacities, are saved and guided to the attainment of Buddhahood. 

[2]  Question: Can we chant various mantras or dharanis associated with Amida Buddha/Amitabha from the esoteric schools instead of His Name? Answer: In His Primal Vow (18th Vow) Amida Buddha exclusively mentioned the saying of His Name (Nembutsu), so we only say His Name. As no mantras or dharanis are mentioned there, we do not recite them. From the myriads of practices, related or not related with Him, Amida chose His Name, so we must be in accord with His wish. I explained this aspect in more detail in the chapter dedicated to the Primal Vow from my book The Meaning of Faith and Nembutsu in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Being a Buddha, He knows better why He only chose the Nembutsu in His Primal Vow, so we should not busy our minds with something that goes beyond our limited capacities, but follow His command and say His Name exclusively. 

Question: Then what do you think is the purpose of the mantras and dharanis associated with Amida?

Answer: Those mantras and dharanis, but also various other practices associated with Amida in other schools may help those who wish to be reborn in His Pure Land but don't have the faith of the Primal Vow, and so they are still attached in one way or another, to their personal power. Those are provisional practices related with the 19th Vow which leads, if followed seriously, to birth in the borderland of the Pure Land I explained this aspect in more detail in the chapter dedicated to the Primal Vow from my book The Meaning of Faith and Nembutsu in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Only the Nembutsu of total faith in Amida Buddha's Power which is mentioned in the Primal Vow (18th Vow) leads to birth in the fulfilled land of the Pure Land ("center" of the Pure Land) where we immediately attain perfect Enlightenment. This is the teaching of Shinran and we must not deviate from it. As Jodo Shinshu is the school of the Primal Vow we must exclusively say the Nembutsu.
There is also another difference between Nembutsu and various mantras which may be associated with Amida. A mantra should be said in a special state of mind or in a special way to emit e certain sound, while Nembutsu does not require that. A mantra is received with empowerment in order to be effective, which is again, not the case of Nembutsu. So, there is a great difference between the two. Nembutsu is not even a recitation (although you can recite it), but a simple saying, as the sound does not matter.