- click to return to A Detailed Explanation of the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha -
"If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten quarters who sincerely entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and say my Name perhaps even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain the supreme Enlightenment."
Primal Vow of Amida Buddha
One who is
sincerely in love will say „I love you” often or seldom, and wish to be with
the person he loves. Similarly, a person who sincerely entrusts to Amida Buddha
will express his faith by saying the Name of Amida and wish to be born in His
Pure Land. It’s as simple as that.
Feelings of love are automaticaly expressed
with words of affection, just like faith in Amida will manifest as Namo Amida
Bu (Nembutsu). Thus, we can say that the
Nembutsu and wish to be born in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha are expressions
or manifestations of faith. One who has faith or „sincerely entrusts” to Amida will certainly say His Name and
desire to be with Him in His Pure Land. This is why Shinran Shonin said that
faith (shinjin) is the cause of birth in the Pure Land and subsequent
attainment of Nirvana: