All Buddhas praise the Name of Amida and encourage beings to accept in faith the teaching about Him – commentary on sections 6-12 of the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo)

This is a fragment from my 

Commentary on the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo) 

- work in progress and under constant revision - 

In sections 6-11, Shakyamuni invokes the witness of all Buddhas in the eastern direction, southern, western, northern, nadir and zenith who all praise “the inconceivable virtues of Amitayus (Amida)” that He himself praises:
 
“Śāriputra, just as I praise the inconceivable virtue of Amitāyus, so do the Buddhas in the eastern direction […]southern direction […] western direction […] northern direction […] in the nadir […] in the zenith as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River […] While dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad tongues and, encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds, pronounce these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra entitled ‘Praise of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.’”[1]
 
The inconceivable virtues belong to the Name of Amida Buddha (Amitayus/Amitabha) and the above passages are in harmony with His 17^th Vow in which He promised that all Buddhas will praise His Name:

The identity of Amida Buddha and those born in His Pure Land – commentary on section 4 of the Smaller Amida Sutra

 

This is a fragment from my 

Commentary on the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo) 

- work in progress and under constant revision - 

       Shakyamuni Buddha said: 

“For what reason, Śāriputra, do you think that Buddha is called Amitābha? Śāriputra, the Buddha’s light shines boundlessly and without hindrance over all the worlds of the ten directions. It is for this reason that He is called Amitābha. Again, Śāriputra, the lives of the Buddha and the people of His land last for innumerable, unlimited, and incalculable kalpas. It is for this reason that the Buddha is called Amitāyus.

 Śāriputra, ten kalpas have passed since Amitāyus attained Enlightenment. Moreover, Śāriputra, He has an immeasurable and unlimited number of śrāvaka disciples, all of them arhats, whose number cannot be reckoned by any means. His assembly of Bodhisattvas

is similarly vast. Śāriputra, that Buddha land is filled with such splendid adornments.”[1]

As Shakyamuni confirms, Amida (Amitabha/Amitayus) is now a Buddha because “ten kalpas have passed” since He attained Enlightenment (Buddhahood). This is why in the Larger Sutra or the Smaller Sutra and Contemplation Sutra, He no longer calls Him Bodhisattva Dharmakara which was His name when He was in the causal stage, but “Amitayus”, which means Infinite Life, or “Amitabha” - “Infinite Light”. These two aspects, “Infinite Life” (Amitayus) and “Infinite Light” (Amitabha) are merged in Japanese Buddhism into the word “Amida”[2], which means the Buddha of Infinite Life and Infinite Light. His Infinite Life is the effect of the 13^th Vow He made when He was Dharmakara Bodhisattva, while the Infinite Light is the effect of His 12^th Vow[3]. So, we cannot separate Amitayus (Infinite/unlimited Life) from Amitabha (Infinite/Boundless Light) because these are the two aspects of the same Buddha as Shakyamuni explained in section 4 of this sutra.

The Stupa of All Buddhas at Amidaji temple

 

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in limba romana

NEW! The concrete platform for the Stupa of All Buddhas is ready

General matters

After much thought, prayer, discussion and contemplation of various options, I finally decided that the Stupa of All Buddhas to be built at Amidaji will be inspired by the Dhamek Stupa (👈left image) which is located in the Deer Park at Sarnath in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] The reasons are many, among which I mention the following, 

-       its style is better suited for a non-sectarian stupa: it is clearly not Tibetan, not Japanese, not Chinese, etc, but a simple Indian stupa style to which any Buddhist can relate to  - nobody can say, “this stupa belongs to a Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese school, etc”, but simply see it as a stupa.

-       its form is simple and easier to build locally, without the sophisticated architecture of a Tibetan chorten[2] or Japanese/Chinese pagoda

-       as Dhamek stupa commemorates the first teaching of the Buddha it is very suitable as an inspiration for the Stupa of All Buddhas which represents the Teaching of all Buddhas 

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY LIFE by HOSHIN Fernando Rodríguez, member of Amidaji Sangha

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biographies of Amidaji members

Warm greetings to Josho Sensei, Daigan Sensei, and friends and members of Amidaji International Temple. My name is Fernando Rodriguez - Shaku HOSHIN (which means Treasure of Faith). I am a member of Amidaji thanks to the generosity of Josho Sensei and the ongoing support of Sensei Daigan and, at the time, Sebastian (Sensei Kosho).
I am 73 years old and live in Montevideo, Uruguay. I am a retired agricultural engineer, married with five children and five grandchildren.
 
The reason for writing this, at the request of Sensei Josho, which was conveyed to me by Sensei Daigan, is to give a brief summary of my life and, in particular, my spiritual quest.
 
My spiritual concerns began back in my distant twenties. My family has Christian roots, which is quite logical given my Western origin. However, even in that distant youth, many things about Christianity did not convince me, such as the idea that a person's final destiny was decided in the tiny space of time that is a human life.

Nembutsu pilgrimage to the Buddhist stupa from Tranișu (photos, impressions and doctrinal explanations)

Homage to all Dharma gates taught by Shakyamuni
and to all authentic lineages of transmission.
Homage to Amida Buddha
whose Name is praised by all Buddhas.

Click here for the Spanish version 

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It all started with a short conversation with myself. Buddhism has accustomed me to make quick decisions, so in about three minutes I contemplated in my mind: "I want to visit the stupa at Tranișu, but will I get along with the people there? What kind of Buddhists are they? How do they view the Dharma? Will I like them or will they like me?" Then I answered to myself: "None of these matters. A stupa is a stupa and it's very good that it exists. I have to get there. Those who worked on that stupa did something extraordinary and deserve my respect.” As I completed this reasoning, I spontaneously visualized the stupa enveloped in light, which gave me confidence that my decision to visit it was correct and that the place was auspicious. Then I said to myself: "I will go there on foot"[1].

Rev Kosho Arana opens the doors of Amidaji Temple in Colombia

click here for the Spanish version

We are pleased to inform all students of the Amidaji branch that Amidaji International Temple has opened its doors in Colombia (Valle del Cauca, La Leonera-Cali). The temple is headed by Reverend Kosho Arana who received ordination in Dolj, Romania in September 2023 under the guidance of Reverend Josho Adrian Cirlea, Daisojo (head monk) and founder of the Amidaji International Temple. Reverend Kosho Arana was authorized to open a Temple in his country for the benefit of all beings and he is also the leader (Sojo) of Colombia kyodan (district). You can read the article about Rev. Kosho Arana's ordination experience here (click here).

Rev. Kosho Arana is the official translator of Rev. Josho Adrian Cirlea's books in Spanish and has worked on promoting the official Amidaji Temple website in Spanish as well as the Amidaji YouTube Channel in Spanish. With great desire to also be able to share the Amida Dharma physically in his country, Rev. Kosho Arana has opened the doors of the Amidaji International Temple in Colombia. The Temple is located in Leonera, Valle del Cauca, on the outskirts of the city of Cali in a mountainous area full of forests, natural reserves and rivers (contact details at the end of the article).

Any sincere student of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is now welcomed to the Amidaji Temple in Colombia to study the Amida Dharma with Kosho Sensei. He is fluent in both Spanish and English so students from around the world who speak English can also go and study with him if they wish. 

Amidaji's Objective and his teaching style

Don't listen to Masters who teach that your power has any contribution to birth in the Pure Land (video teaching)

- last updated July 24, 2024 -                                                                                                                                                           The video presented bellow (and other similar videos where we criticize the self-power approach of some Chinese Pure Land groups) enraged a few practitioners who accused Amidaji of superiority complex. This is very funny when all we do is to point not to us, but to the Power of Amida Buddha which is the only Power that makes birth in the Pure Land possible. Those who admit they are spiritual idiots without any personal merits are called arrogant by those who think they go to the Pure Land by their so-called “virtues”.[1] I really wonder how do such people read the Primal Vow, where Amida Buddha mentioned FAITH IN HIM, not in one’s own spiritual capacities! Arrogance and superiority complex is NOT to be found in Amidaji or in other Jodo Shinshu communities who speak about simple faith and that Amida does everything related with our birth in the Pure Land, but in the various groups who claim that there is some kind of power in their deluded selves which can help Amida to bring them into His own Pure Land. That is a striking example of spiritual arrogance and lack of genuine faith and understanding of the Power Amida possess.  Indeed, anyone should honestly ask oneself who the f… does he think he is if he imagines that there is ANYTHING of value in his deluded samsaric personality that can make him become a Buddha in the Pure Land of Amida! It’s a pity that many heard the story of the meeting between Master Bodhidharma (who was not even a Pure Land Master but really understood the meaning of “merits”) and the Emperor Wu, but do not understand the meaning of the Master’s golden words – “None, not one merit!”. I explained them in my article, False (mundane) merits vs True (supramundane) merits, so that followers of Amidaji never fall prey to spiritual arrogance. 

We can always say the Name of Amida Buddha

Question: If it is said that it does not matter how many times we recite Nembutsu why does Shinran urge us to say it constantly in this hymn:
 
“Those who deeply entrust themselves
To Amida’s Vow of great compassion
Should all say Namo Amida Butsu constantly,
Whether they are waking or sleeping.”
 
My answer: Shinran also said:
 
"In the Primal Vow are the words:
'Saying my Name perhaps even ten times'.
Know from the words 'ten times' that appear from the beginning in the Vow itself that saying the Name is not limited to one utterance. And the word 'perhaps even' makes it clearer still that there is no set number of times one should say the Name."
(Notes on Once-Calling and Many-Callings)
 
"'Saying my Name perhaps even ten times': In encouraging us to say the Name that embodies the Vow, the Tathagata added 'perhaps even' to the words 'ten times' to show that there is no set number of times the Name must be said, and to teach sentient beings that there is no determined hour or occasion for saying it. Since we have been given this Vow by the Tathagata, we can take any occasion in daily life for saying the Name and need not wait to recite it at the very end of life."
(Notes on the Inscriptions on Sacred Scrolls)
 
Honen Shonin also said:
 
"Question: Which is superior in merit: a mere single utterance of nembutsu or ten repetitions of nembutsu?
Answer: They have the same merit with regard to birth in the Pure Land.
[...] The number of recitations is not the issue. The merit of birth in the Pure Land is equal, as is clearly stated in the Primal Vow. How can there be any doubt?"
 
The above passages show that the verses “should all say Namo Amida Butsu constantly, whether they are waking or sleeping” were actually an urge by Shinran to not forget Amida’s benevolence in our daily lives, and NOT that if we do not say Nembutsu day and night or when we are asleep, we are not saved. The Primal Vow is clear: “saying my Name perhaps even ten times”, so Amida did not emphasize the number of Nembutsu recitations. Shinran, who could not contradict Amida Buddha himself, actually wanted to show us that we can remember Amida’s compassion anytime, without regard to time (day or night/awake or asleep) and circumstance, therefore - “we can take any occasion in daily life for saying the Name”; „there is no determined hour or occasion for saying it.”
The Nembutsu of faith can be said anytime, even in the dream when we are asleep (I myself say it in the dream from time to time) or during ANY daily activity.

ENSEÑANZAS SELECCIONADAS DE HONEN SHONIN CON COMENTARIO

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El papel de un profesor es simplificar las cosas y esto es exactamente lo que intento hacer a través de mis libros. Escojo y elijo lo que es fácil de entender de los muchos volúmenes de los textos sagrados y los organizo y explico de tal manera que tanto el tonto como el erudito puedan entender y recibir fe (shinjin).
 
También trato de hacer conexiones útiles entre varios Maestros y sus enseñanzas. Por ejemplo, en este libro muestro que Honen y su discípulo Shinran hablaron en el mismo lenguaje de la fe y que esencialmente daban la misma enseñanza, aunque a veces las palabras y el contexto fueran diferentes.
 
Entre los muchos dichos de Honen elegí algunos en este libro y en mis otros libros pues los considero muy importantes. Estos pasajes y comentarios pueden servir como el estándar de lectura y comprensión de la Enseñanza de Honen Shonin en nuestra rama Amidaji del Budismo Jodo Shinshu.
 
Estoy muy agradecido con mi amigo del Dharma el Reverendo Kosho Arana de Colombia por traducir el libro al español.
 
Namo Amida Bu

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Selected Teachings from Honen Shonin with Commentary (free edition and printed edition for sale)

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The role of a teacher is to make things simple and this is exactly what I’m trying to do through my books. I pick and choose that which is easy to understand from the many volumes of the sacred texts and organize and explain them in such a way so that both the idiot and the scholar can understand and receive faith (shinjin). 

I also try to make useful connections between various Masters and their teachings. For example, in this book I show that Honen and his disciple Shinran, spoke the same language of faith and essentially taught the same teaching although sometimes the words and context are different.

Among the many sayings of Honen, I chose a few in this book and my other books, that I consider to be very important and which can serve as a standard of reading and understanding him in our Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. 

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Remember to say the Nembutsu

last revised February 18th, 2024

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

You must believe that Nembutsu possesses supreme merit and that Amida Buddha with His great compassion of the Primal Vow, will come to embrace one who recites Nembutsu even ten times or just once. Thus believing this, practice Nembutsu for your entire lifetime without negligence”[1]. 

Commentary:

As I showed in chapter “The Nembutsu is true and real” from my book Simple Teachings on Emptiness and Buddha nature, by quoting many sacred texts, the Name contains the merits of Amida and all Buddhas, as well as the virtues of all Buddhist teachings and practices. “It is the treasure-sea of merits of true Suchness, ultimate reality”[2], as Shinran said. 

Also, Amida protects and embraces those who entrust to Him both in this life as well as in the moment of death when He welcomes them into His Pure Land of Bliss.  

After pointing out that the number of recitations is not important for our birth in the Pure Land, Master Honen encouraged us to say the Name for our entire lifetime. Just as one who was saved from fire will always be grateful to his savior, we should also not be negligent in expressing our gratitude to Amida Buddha for saving us from the repeated births and deaths. This is the reason why sometimes Honen, but also Shinran and Rennyo, insisted on remembering to say the Nembutsu. It was NOT that the number of recitations is important (it isn’t!), but because we should remember to say “thank you” to the one who assured our liberation from samsara.

The Nembutsu is also the expression of faith, so if we really entrusted ourselves to Amida, we’ll surely like to express it by saying His Name.

---

[1] Teachings of Honen, translated by Yoko Hayashi and Joji Atone, Bukkyo University, Los Angeles, p 243-245
[2] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, chapter II, Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 9

 

Goditi la presenza dei Buddha

translated from English by Daikaku Antonio Aliperti

Clicca qui per ritornare alla pagina principale di libri ed articoli in italiano

Una cosa che mi piace particolarmente nel Jodo Shinshu è la sensazione che i Buddha mi siano vicini, camminino con me, mi vedano nella mia vita quotidiana, veglino su di me. I Buddha non sono solo insegnanti. Se pensi ai Buddha solo in questo modo, allora i Buddha ti sembreranno molto lontani, in qualche modo reclusi nella loro Illuminazione, mentre tu sei qui a lottare da solo seguendo il loro esempio. Tuttavia, questa non è l’unica faccia della medaglia. I Buddha sono sì insegnanti e “dita che indicano la luna”, ma sono anche salvatori, attivi nella vita quotidiana. Camminano con te, pensano a te, ti vedono, fanno progetti per farti capire cose importanti e guidarti verso Amida. I Buddha, i Bodhisattva ed i Maestri sono vivi e attivi: questa è una questione di estrema importanza. Puoi parlare direttamente con i Buddha, con Amida, Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, con Shinran, Honen, Rennyo, Nagarjuna, Shantao, ecc. Nei momenti di dolore o nei momenti felici, puoi scegliere di parlare direttamente con Amida perché Egli è anzi davanti a te (non è una metafora!). I Buddha sono nella tua stanza, nella tua macchina, nel treno con cui viaggi, nel bar dove bevi una birra e trascorri dei bei momenti con i tuoi amici, nella tua solitudine quando trovi così difficile sopportare il tuo dolore. Amida è sempre con te, così come Shinran Shonin. Per favore ricordatelo di tanto in tanto e sono sicuro che ne troverai grande conforto. Non preoccuparti di ciò che alcuni potrebbero dire, interpretando i Buddha solo nel loro aspetto di natura ultima o Dharmakaya, perché i Buddha, come Amida – e anche Shinran, che è anche lui un Buddha – hanno corpi di manifestazione trascendenti che possono viaggiare ed essere presenti ovunque, e possono sentire e vedere tutto. Amida sa tutto, sente tutto e vede tutto. Ti accompagna sempre insieme a tutti gli altri buoni amici che hai tra Buddha, Bodhisattva e Maestri. Quindi non sei mai solo, amico mio. Il Maestro Shinran disse sul letto di morte: 

 “Se tu solo gioisci nel Nembutsu della Fede, ricorda che sei con qualcun altro. Se voi due gioite nel Nembutsu della Fede, ricordate che c'è ancora un altro che vi accompagna. Io, Shinran, sono quell'altra persona."

Prendi queste parole alla lettera e goditi la presenza dei Buddha.

Nembutsu - the Path of the Last Dharma Age (commentary on the words of Bodhisattva Manjushri)

 

"In the Record of Holy Chu-lin Temple, it is recorded: 'While Bodhisattva Samantabhadra and Bodhisattva Manjusri sat facing each other in the east and west and were revealing the wondrous teachings to a multitude of sentient beings in the great hall of Chu-lin Temple on Mount Wut'ai, the meditation master Fachao kneeled and asked Bodhisattva Manjusri, 'What sort of teaching would make it possible for common mortals of the future defiled world to depart from the delusive triple realms forever and to be born in the Pure Land?'
Bodhisattva Manjusri replied, 'There is no practice superior to the recitation of the Name of Amida Buddha for birth in the Pure Land. Even in the path for the instantaneous realization of
Enlightenment, there is the sole teaching of Nembutsu. Therefore, the acclaimed holy teachings from the lifetime of Buddha Shakyamuni are the teachings of Amida Buddha, particularly for the common people in the defiled world of the future.' ”[1]
 

Commentary:
“Common mortals of the future defiled world” are us, people living in the Last Dharma Age, far removed from the presence in human form of the historical Buddha and His direct disciples.

Being ordained and training as a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist monk in Amidaji Temple - my experience, by Rev Kosho Arana (Colombia)

This article is related with the first monk (priest) ordination held

 in Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (click here to read)

download this article in pdf here

click here for the Spanish version of this article

I stumbled upon Reverend Josho Adrian Cirlea’s books on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism around 2018. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that my life was never the same after that. This is not because Josho Sensei is some kind of great guru or great spiritual master but simply because he expressed the Jodo Shinshu teaching with great simplicity and clarity and every page he writes on Jodo Shinshu doctrine is not based on his personal ideas but on the Sutras and the teachings of Shinran, Rennyo and the Jodo Shinshu Patriarcs.

 

Josho Sensei’s books contain the nectar of the sutras and shastras, because they are full to the brim with quotes from the words of Shakyamuni Buddha, Shinran Shonin, Honen Shonin and Rennyo Shonin, and the great Mahayana Patriarchs. There is no room for wrong views or half-truths in his writings. You can sense he is just an ordinary guy doing his best to explain to himself and others the wonderful treasure of the Buddha Dharma in general and Jodo Shinshu in particular, and that is priceless in our day and age in which there are thousands of self-proclaimed gurus, masters, “venerables” and mystics of all sorts who don’t blink twice at combining Buddhism with worldly ideologies, and samsaric religions just to make them more appealing to the masses. 

Josho Sensei simply could not care less about numbers or pleasing people. I could sense that from the first emails we exchanged. All his words and deeds as a Jodo Shinshu monk are just ways to say, “entrust yourself to the real and living Amida Buddha, say His Name with faith and gratitude and wish to be born in His Pure Land after death so that you scape the painful cycle of birth and death and attain Buddhahood, and then you yourself will eternally return to Samsara so save all beings in the 10 directions with perfect wisdom and compassion”. This clear, honest and uncompromising way to teach the Dharma is rarely found in Jodo Shinshu nowadays and I would say it is also scarce for Buddhism in general. “Feel good talks”, dangerous and misleading spiritual combinations, mundane entertainment and pop self-help teachings is what most temples thrive on nowadays. It’s fairly easy to find so-called Buddhist teachers and temples that never or rarely mention basic Buddhist teachings such as karma, samsara, Buddhahood, faith and morality. So, I am truly grateful to have found in this life an honest teacher who puts the Dharma above his own opinions and who tries to understand and explain the Dharma in simple terms for ordinary people living ordinary lives.

Things I did and improved at Amidaji in 2022 and 2023 - your help is very much needed and appreciated

the new kitchen of Amidaji
in the former accomodation place

 My last post (December, 2021) in the category Amidaji temple - work

 plan and progress was related with the stove that I installed in the

 Amidado (Hall of Amida), so now I am going to tell you what I did since that time. The following information are already present on various social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc

 In 2022, I arranged a new kitchen in the former accommodation place and transformed the former little Hondo (Dharma Hall) into a library and accommodation place. There I installed a cooking stove on gas and many useful things. 

in Amidaji kitchen with a guest from Taiwan

In the new accommodation place I also added a good stove made of tiles which is very useful during winter. This stove is even better than that from Amidado Hall which can warm the place for the duration of a service, while the heat in the library and accommodation place lasts for many hours. 

Electricity was also added to both the new kitchen and library.

In 2023 I printed and framed ten images of various Buddhas and Enlightened Bodhisattvas, like Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, White Tara, Green Tara, Mahakala, etc, some of them wearing Amida on the crown of their head, as well as images of Shinran Shonin, Rennyo Shonin, the seven Patriarchs (Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, T’an Luan, Tao’ch’o, Shantao, Genshin, Honen), Shotoku Taishi, and I placed them inside the Amidado Hall.

Say the Nembutsu with an undivided mind

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

„I beg of you to believe with ever-deepening fervour, and with undivided mind to give yourself up to the Nembutsu.”[1]

Here we can see again that Honen linked the saying of the Name with faith (shinjin), so the  Nembutsu he always urged us to say was the Nembutsu of faith - the Nembutsu centered on Amida’s Power. That Nembutsu is said with an undivided mind which means it is not mixed with other practices and faiths. The salvation offered by Amida Buddha takes place according to the law of karma, so in order to be saved we need to enter into karmic connection with Him. That can be done only if we have exclusive faith in Amida and say only His Name. This is the „undivided mind” Honen speaks about. Focus exclusively on Amida and abandon any reliance on other religious characters from inside or outside Buddhism. All Buddhas are automatically praised when you say the Name of Amida, and nonBuddhist divinities are deluded so they cannot be an object of refuge.

---

[1] Honen the Buddhist Saint - His Life and Teachings, volume III, compiled by imperial order, translation by Rev Ryugaku Ishizuka and Rev Harper Havelock Coates, The Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, Kyoto, 1949, p. 468

Aquellos que niegan la existencia de Amida no tienen shinjin (fe) – algunas explicaciones simples

translated from English by Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana

Desafortunadamente, hay muchos falsos maestros en la comunidad internacional de Jodo Shinshu que apoyan interpretaciones erróneas del Dharma del Nembutsu. Estas son las llamadas interpretaciones modernas y progresistas, las cuales están en evidente contradicción con la enseñanza de los sutras y los textos sagrados. Una de las más difundidas de estas interpretaciones erróneas es la teoría de que Amida es un símbolo, una metáfora o un personaje ficticio.
 
Tales interpretaciones prueban la ausencia del Shinjin (fe) genuino en los corazones de quienes apoyan tales ideas. Es simplemente imposible tener la experiencia de la fe en Amida y al mismo tiempo considerarlo un personaje ficticio o una metáfora. Por el contrario, tal shinjin es falso o ficticio pues se toma algo ficticio como objeto de fe. Nunca he oído ni leído en los textos sagrados acerca de tales presentaciones del Buda Amida. Jamás el Buda Shakyamuni, Shinran Shonin u otros maestros de nuestra tradición hablaron así sobre Amida y Su Tierra Pura. Por eso siempre digo que quien presenta a Amida como personaje ficticio, metáfora, símbolo o algo parecido a estos términos, no ha tenido la experiencia de la fe y la salvación.
El corazón que confía (shinjin) es la causa de nuestro nacimiento en la Tierra Pura y de nuestro logro de la Budeidad, pero ¿cómo se puede llamar verdadera fe a tener fe en algo ficticio? Esto es algo fácil de entender incluso para los niños. Lo ficticio es ficticio sin importar cómo lo presentes, mientras que lo real es real. Solo la fe en algo real y vivo puede ser una fe verdadera y tener resultados: el nacimiento en la Tierra Pura.
 
Si alguien dice que tú, el lector de estas líneas, eres un personaje ficticio, supongo que no cree que existas. Es tan simple como eso:).
 
Se dice que los árboles se conocen por sus frutos. Es imposible que alguien hablando e insistiendo en toda su obra sobre tales falsas enseñanzas tenga una experiencia real de fe y guíe a otros a la fe. No es que juzgue la fe de los demás, sino que sus propias palabras hablan por sí mismas. Simplemente no saben o no sienten o no entienden o no quieren aceptar quién es Amida (quien los sutras y las explicaciones de los Maestros dicen que es) entonces, ¿cómo pueden tener fe en Él?
 
Ciertas palabras del Maestro Honen se registraron en la posdata del Tannisho  en las que explica que algunas personas no tienen el mismo shinjin (fe) que él, por lo que seguramente no irán a la misma Tierra Pura que él iría después de la muerte.
 
Su shinjin y el shinjin de Shinran provenían del Buda Amida, el Buda Amida real, no el Amida ficticio, el Amida simbólico o metafórico, siendo esta la razón por la cual tenían el mismo shinjin, aunque si bien sabiduría personal y conocimiento del Dharma eran diferentes.
 
Tanto Shinran como Honen, y también los demás Maestros, aceptaron la enseñanza sobre el Buda Amida tal como la enseñó Shakyamuni en el Sutra Más Grande (El Sutra sobre el Buda de Vida Infinita). Al escuchar esta enseñanza recibieron shinjin y se convirtieron en Budas en la Tierra Pura. Nosotros, sus discípulos de los tiempos modernos, también somos diferentes en conocimiento, experiencias y sabiduría, y sin embargo también debemos aceptar la misma enseñanza que ellos aceptaron para recibir el mismo shinjin que ellos recibieron.
 
El nacimiento, la vida y la muerte no son ficticios, simbólicos o metafóricos. También nuestra libertad del nacimiento y la muerte no puede ser ficticia, simbólica o metafórica. Un Buda que no está vivo y activo en el mundo del sufrimiento, no puede ayudarnos ni guiarnos hacia la Iluminación suprema e insuperable. La fe en un personaje ficticio, en un símbolo o una metáfora no calienta (consuela) y no puede liberar a nadie.
Si el Shinjin proviene de Amida y es la causa de nuestra Libertad, aquellos que no confían en Amida como un Buda vivo y activo, ¿qué tipo de shinjin tienen?
Por favor usa tu mente y lógica simple, para que no caigas en tales ilusiones y entendimiento erróneo.
El verdadero Budismo Jodo Shinshu no es un sistema metafísico laberíntico, lleno de símbolos, metáforas y significados ocultos, sino un conjunto de enseñanzas claras y precisas destinadas a liberar a todos los seres del nacimiento y la muerte a través de una simple fe en un Buda vivo y activo llamado Amida.

Quien no quiera o no pueda aceptar este camino es libre de dejarlo u olvidarlo, pero nunca debe tratar de cambiarlo para acomodarlo a sus ideas personales y a su falta de fe.