The Bodhi Mind of the Pure Land Path (short question and answer)

Question from a reader: Shinran said that shinjin (faith) is Bodhi Mind. Does this mean that if I do not have Compassion for all beings in this life I will not go to the Pure Land?
 
My answer: The fact that shinjin (faith in Amida Buddha) equals Bodhi Mind does NOT mean that you are able to have the kind of Compassion ancient Mahayana saints had for every being in your present life! It only means that through faith in Amida you will be able to save all beings, because faith is the cause of birth in the Pure Land and of subsequent attainment of Buddhahood for you and all beings. So, the aspiration inherent in the Bodhi Mind is contained in shinjin in the sense that through faith you can fulfill the Bodhi Mind (after birth in the Pure Land). The aspirations of the Bodhi Mind (to become a Buddha for you and all beings) are fulfilled through faith, which is why faith is the Bodhi Mind. 

This is the proper way to understand this matter in accordance with our Jodo Shinshu school. So, don't worry. There is no problem that here and now you remain an ordinary person filled with ignorance and blind passions. It is especially for beings like you that Amida made His Primal Vow and created His Pure Land that is so easy to access.

PS: The only way you can practice compassion while you are still in this present samsaric body is to be an example of faith and help others entrust to Amida Buddha. I explained this when I presented the ten benefits in this life of a person of faith (click here to read the 9th benefit).

Bodhi Mind in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (updated with a video teaching on August 2023)

Question:
What is Bodhi Mind or bodhicitta in Jodo Shinshu? What is the relation between Bodhi Mind and Shinjin?

Answer:
The Awakening of the Bodhi Mind – the aspiration to attain Budhahood for saving oneself and all beings – is fulfilled in the Awakening of Faith (shinjin) in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha. Shan-tao said: “Awake your Bodhi Mind to Amida’s Compasion”, that is, aspire to your and other beings Liberation by relying on the Compasion of Amida (his Primal Vow).

So, the Awakening of the Bodhi Mind, the obligatory condition in Mahayana of attaining the supreme Enlightenment, appears in Jodo Shinshu in the form of the entrusting heart (shinjin).

Shinran Shonin said in the “Hymns on Patriarchs”:

“Faith is One Mind
One Mind is the Diamond-like Mind;
The Diamond-like Mind is the Bodhi-Mind;
This mind is given us by the Other-Power.”

The One Mind represents the cause of Enlightenment. Since this is the Bodhi-
Mind, it has two aspects[1]:

“To take refuge with One Mind in the Buddha
Of Unhindered Light Shining throughout the Ten Directions
Is the mind aspiring to become Buddha;
So says Vasubandhu, the Master of Discourse[2].”
(Hymn on the Patriachs 17)

“The mind aspiring to become Buddha
Is the mind seeking to save sentient beings;
The mind that seeks to save sentient beings
Is True Faith endowed by Amida’s Compassion.”
(Hymn on the Patriachs 18)

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[1] The two aspects of the Bodhi-Mind are to aspire to the attainment of Buddhahood for himself and others.

[3] “Discourse on the Pure Land”, a work which author is Master Vasubandhu.