Stop playing smart about non-duality and entrust to Amida Buddha (video teaching)

 

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There is no good or bad Nembutsu

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On people who cannot be saved by Amida Buddha

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said:

“Indeed it matters not how vile we be whether in body or in mind. Whoever we are, we ought to put our trust in Amida’s Vow, and bend our whole mind to the one way, and so we shall assuredly be born into the Pure Land. Nevertheless, we must remember that many men have many minds. There are some who look only for the pleasure and glory of this present evanescent world, which is but a vision or a dream, and know nothing at all about that afterworld. There are others again who have come to dread the future, and accordingly bend their energies in that direction. Thus their minds flit from this to that religious practice, and they do not trust exclusively in the one and only way. Again there are some who, when they have once made up their minds in a certain way, will not change them, but persist therein in spite of everything they may hear. Then there are others who today have a most excellent faith, and it would seem as if they could never deviate therefrom a hair’s breadth, and yet they afterwards give it up entirely. Such being the case it is very hard to find anyone who has really entered the gate of Jodo (Pure Land), and is devoting himself heart and soul to the practice of the Nembutsu alone. I seem to myself to be the only one who secretly grieves over such a regrettable state of things, and indeed it is hard to find anyone in this world, who gives heed to the Dharma itself, irrespective of the character of the man who expounds it.”[1]
 
Commentary:

Self-power practices and teachings are not appropriate for our times

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said:

 

"Regardless of whether it is of Mahayana Buddhism or Hinayana Buddhism, we cannot endure the training in these sacred teachings of the four vehicles, as they are not appropriate teachings for our present time……It is unnecessary to state here that in this period of the decline of Dharma (the Last Dharma Age), pursuit of these achievements is almost impossible, especially for those of us with minimal capabilities…..It goes without saying that in the present day, while it is still the period of the decline of the Dharma (the Last Dharma Age), let alone during the periods of the true Dharma (the Right Dharma Age) and the semblance of the Dharma (the Semblance Dharma Age), no being is excluded from birth in the Pure Land.”[1]
 
Commentary: 

When does our salvation takes place? In this life or after death? (video discussion)

 I always ask questions to my students so that they themselves be able to explain the Dharma. At Amidaji not only the teacher speaks:

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La razón de Honen para la fundación de una escuela Tierra pura separada y la razón por la cual he fundado Amidaji

Buda Amida es mi fuerza.
El Buda Amida es mi refugio.

Buda Amida es mi salvación.

Amida Buddha es todo lo que transmito 

a los demás

                    traducido del inglés por 

Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana  

“Honen dijo una vez: ‘La razón por la cual fundé la escuela Jodo   (Tierra Pura) es para poder mostrarle al hombre común cómo   nacer  en la verdadera tierra de compensación (hōdo) del Buda.

 Según la secta Tendai, el hombre ordinario puede nacer en la

 llamada Tierra Pura, pero esa tierra se concibe como un lugar muy

 inferior. Aunque la escuela Hossō la concibió como un lugar muy

 superior, no permiten que el hombre común pueda nacer allí en

 absoluto. Además todas las escuelas, aunque difiriendo en muchos

 puntos, están de acuerdo unánimemente en no permitir que el

 hombre común pueda nacer en la tierra de compensación real del

 Buda; mientras que según el comentario de Zendo (Shan-tao), quien

 sentó las bases de la escuela Jodo (Tierra Pura), quedó claro que el

 nacimiento en esa tierra es posible incluso para el hombre común.

Sin embargo muchos me dijeron: 'Seguramente puedes promover la

 forma de Nembutsu para alcanzar el Ojo (nacer en la Tierra Pura)

 sin necesidad de establecer una nueva escuela. Estás haciendo esto

 simplemente por ambición, para parecer superior a los demás. Si

 nosotros, la gente común, solo podemos lograr este nacimiento,

 debería ser suficiente nacer en la tierra en la que el Buda aparece en Su cuerpo temporal. ¿Por qué necesitas hablar de que (las personas comunes) alcanzan esa tierra de compensación real que está ocupada solo por los Budas y los Bodhisattvas más elevados?´

Master Honen’s reason for the founding of a separate Pure Land school and my reason for founding Amidaji

Amida Buddha is my strength.

Amida Buddha is my refuge.

Amida Buddha is my salvation.

Amida Buddha is all I transmit to others.

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

 "Honen once said: ‘The reasons I founded the Jodo (Pure Land)   school was that I might show the ordinary man how to be born into     the Buddha’s real land of compensation (hōdo). According to the   Tendai sect, the ordinary man may be born into the so-called Pure   Land, but that land is conceived of as a very inferior place.   Although  the Hossō school conceived of it as indeed a very   superior  place, they do not allow that the common man can be born   there at all. And all the schools, though differing in many points, all   agree in not allowing that the common man can be born into the   Buddha’s land of real compensation; while according to Zendo’s   (Shan-tao) commentary, which laid the foundation of the Jodo (Pure   Land) school, it was made clear that birth into that land is possible   even for the common man. But many said to me: ‘You surely can   promote the Nembutsu way of attaining Ojo (birth into the Pure  Land) without establishing a new school. You are doing this merely out of ambition, to appear superior to others. If we ordinary people can only attain this birth, it ought to be enough to be born into the land in which the Buddha appears in His temporary body. Why do you need to talk of their reaching that land of real compensation that is occupied by the Buddhas and the highest Bodhisattvas alone?’
At first sight this seems quite plausible, but on further reflection it really misses the point. Unless I start a separate school, the truth that the common man may be born into the Buddha’s land of compensation will be obscured, and it will be hard to realize the deep meaning of Amida’s Primal Vow. I, therefore, in accordance with the interpretation given by Zendo (Shan-tao), unhesitatingly proclaim the doctrine of the land of real compensation. This is by no means a question of personal ambition.”[1]

Shinjin (faith in Amida Buddha) is knowing, not feeling

 

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Buddhas exist

Buddhas are real, living, enlightened Ones. Amida is a real, living, enlightened Buddha.

Unenlightened beings like us cannot say that the reality of the Buddhas is mythological, symbolical or metaphorical, thus denying their actual existence. They should rather see their own so-called samsaric reality as dreamlike and illusional and the reality of the Buddhas as truly real. Unlike us, samsaric beings, Buddhas (Amida included) have their existence grounded in the ultimate Reality of Nirvana which makes them truly real and alive. Thus, it is stupid, harmful and demonic to relate to the Buddhas as to symbols, metaphors or myths when they are actually more real and alive than us.

Our samsaric reality is an optical illusion and a dream while the Pure Land is a real enlightened place. Our world and everything we see here is dreamlike and not actually real, while the Pure Land is truly real because, I repeat, it is rooted in the ultimate reality.

The existence of the transcendental Buddhas and Enlightened Bodhisattvas of the Mahayana pantheon is not similar with our existence which is false and illusory. They don't exist like us, but this does NOT mean they don't exist. Samsaric minds cannot understand everything about the Buddhas but should accept, based on the sutras, that they truly exist and are active in guiding and saving us.

Please don't fall into the wrong view of denying the existence of the Buddhas just because your unenlightened mind cannot understand them yet. The time will soon come when you'll meet them face to face after birth in the Pure Land. Until then, enjoy and be grateful for their protection because all of them guided you to Amida Buddha.

(please click on the highlighted words as they lead to useful articles on this topic)

Say Nembutsu in the mountains and forests

If you can, go to mountains and forests, say the Name of Amida Buddha and encourage all nonhuman beings living there to say it in faith. Spread the good news of the Primal Vow everywhere!

May all beings create indestructible connections with Amida Buddha, say His Name in faith and wish to be born in His Pure Land!
Namo Amida Bu

Ve a las montañas y los bosques, di el nombre del Buda Amida y anima a todos los seres no humanos que viven allí a decirlo con fe. ¡Difunde las buenas noticias del Voto Primordial por todas partes!

¡Que todos los seres creen conexiones indestructibles con el Buda Amida, digan Su Nombre con fe y deseen nacer en Su Tierra Pura!

 Идите в горы и леса, произносите Имя Амида Будды и побуждайте всех живущих там нечеловеческих существ произносить его с верой. Распространяйте благую весть об Изначальном Обете повсюду!
 

Пусть все существа создадут неразрушимые связи с Амида Буддой, произнесут Его Имя с верой и пожелают родиться в Его Чистой Земле!
Намо Амида Бу  

Mergi in munti si paduri, spune Numele lui Buddha Amida si incurajeaza toate fiintele neumane care traiesc acolo (spirite si zei) sa-l rosteasca cu credinta. Raspandeste peste tot vestea cea buna a Legamantului Principal!
Fie ca toate fiintele sa creeze legaturi indestructibile cu Buddha Amida, sa rosteasca Numele lui cu credinta si sa isi doreasca sa se nasca in Taramul sau Pur.
Namo Amida Bu

 

Just say the Nembutsu without adding anything to it

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“Once a devotee from the Chinzei district came up to Kyoto to visit Honen at his cottage.
Before meeting him, he asked one of Honen’s disciples if it was a good thing to meditate upon the Buddha’s signs of eminence while one is repeating the Nembutsu. The reply was that it was an excellent thing to do.
 
Honen who was sitting in the adjoining room before the Buddha’s image, overheard the conversation. He opened the sliding door and remarked, ‘I don’t think so. It is as Zendo (Master Shan-tao) says, ‘If a single one of the sentient beings in the ten quarters of the world should fail to be born into the Pure Land through calling of my Name at least ten times, then I refuse for myself the perfect Enlightenment of Buddhahood. Now the fact is that He did become a Buddha and now exists as one. So from this we are perfectly sure that His Great Primal Vow was not in vain. If therefore any sentient being now does call upon His Name, he shall certainly attain Ojo (birth in the Pure Land). No matter how much we may meditate upon the Buddha, we cannot do it in the perfect way as Shakyamuni explained it (in the Contemplation Sutra). So the only thing for us to do is to put our trust deeply in the Primal Vow itself, and call upon the sacred Name with our lips. This is the one and only way to practice religion.[1]’”[2]