My experience with Padmsambhava as a devotee of Amida Buddha

Many years after I became a priest, one of my members in Bucharest, asked me about Padmasambhava. My answer was that all Buddhas, including Padmasambhava, praise Amida’s Name as  He promised they’ll do in His 17^th Vow[1]. This is a very important doctrine of Jodo Shinshu that by praising Amida’s Name they actually praise His method of salvation which is to say His Name in faith. Also, by saying Amida’s Name in faith and worshipping Amida alone we automatically worship and venerate all Buddhas. This I taught my student that day to which I added that by worshipping and venerating Amida Buddha and saying His Name we automatically worship Padmasambhava. Although the Enlightened One called Padmasambhava promoted a different Dharma Gate on this earth (the esoteric teachings of Vajrayana), He too, supports us, people who entrust to Amida, so if we wish to show respect to Him, we should simply say Namo Amida Bu in faith.

Amidaji temple is open to visitors

last update 2024

Amidado (Hall of Amida) where we held 
religious services and Dharma talks

 Amidaji temple is opened to visitors if they do not   mind the simple conditions.

 Accommodation can be offered for a period of one   to  seven days per visitor. One can sleep in the new library, or bring one's own   tent,  and attend services and Dharma talks in the Amidado (Amida Hall). A solar shower and a new winter bathroom, are available, too. I also try my best to provide vegetarian meals from the vegetables raised in the garden of Amidaji.  In time, I will be able to offer better 

conditions and more accommodation facilities, but if people are determined to listen to the Dharma and there is the possibility for them to travel, why not pay a visit to me now? 

We can spend some meaningful time together, discuss any doubt or misunderstanding you might have, say Nembutsu, learn the simple Amidaji liturgy, and even help me with some physical work in the courtyard. Lay people or teachers of other Buddhist traditions who are passing through Romania and don't have a place to stay can also receive accommodation for a few days at Amidaji. This temple has a friendly attitude towards all authentic lineages of transmission.

The Way of Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

 

This is a very interesting video discussion between some members of Amidaji. It shows how we do things, how we teach Amida Dharma, how we distinguish between true and false, how we accept or refuse membership, etc.

Why Amidaji – the testimony of a member who re-enters our Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Sangha

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When somebody enters or re-enters our Sangha he or she must be able to explain in his own words the essentials of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism as we teach it at Amidaji. This is exactly what Kosho Sebastian Arana does in this video while also sharing his experience in other schools and the reasons he chose to return to Amidaji. This discussion was followed by an online kieshiki (refuge ceremony) for Kosho.

SOBRE LOS MONJES Y MONJAS DE LA RAMA AMIDAJI DEL BUDISMO JODO SHINSHU (libro)

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Esta breve introducción presenta la base doctrinal para la ordenación de monjes y monjas en la rama Amidaji del budismo Jodo Shinshu, así como sus deberes, actividades y forma de vida. 

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El libro también está publicado en LIBRERÍA AMIDAJI donde puedes pedir todas las ediciones impresas de mis libros. Puedes descargar este libro de forma gratuita en estos enlaces:

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On the Monks and Nuns of Amidaji Branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (book)

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This short introduction presents the doctrinal foundation for the monks and nuns ordination in Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, as well as their duties, activities and way of life.

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The book is also posted in AMIDAJI BOOKSTORE where you can order all the printed edition of my books.

 

You can download this book for free at these links:

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Click here for the audio version on YouTube.

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Members of Amidaji: Samuel Jacob Weaver (Shaku Koshin) - USA

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biographies of Amidaji members

Here is the story of Koshin Samuel Jacob Weaver who found my books and entrusted himself to Amida Buddha while serving 25 years in jail. I offer teachings and spiritual guidance to anybody, no matter who they are and what they did. Amida is the Buddha of Unhindered Light who reaches the darkest places and darkest minds, embracing and saving everybody without discrimination. Namo Amida Bu

*

"My name is Samuel Jacob Weaver and I am 24 years of age. Having been asked by Josho Sensei to write an account of my spiritual journey, I will now give a brief overview of the major religious occurrences in my life thus far. I initially intended to give greater detail to specific events, but soon figured that such would be of no benefit. Hence, the brevity of this story.
 
Like most people in the state of Utah, I was raised within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church).
 
When I was a young man my mother and I moved to a small home on the outskirts of Bangalore, India. Having lived in that house for some time, I was exposed to Vaisnava Hinduism and soon began to grow curious regarding the nature of religion, most especially Vedic culture.

No pudes ser un Budista y al mismo tiempo un seguidor de otra religión

translated from English by Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana

Pregunta: El famoso maestro Thich Nhat Hanh dijo: “Existe la idea errónea de que el budismo es una religión y al Buda se lo adora. El budismo es una práctica, como el yoga, así que puedes ser cristiano y practicar el budismo. Conocí a un sacerdote católico que vive en un monasterio budista en Francia. Me dijo que el budismo lo hace un mejor cristiano, me encanta eso “¿Cuáles son sus pensamientos sobre este asunto?
 
Respuesta: Este es un ejemplo notable de enseñanza falsa y un maestro falso. No importa cuán popular sea entre muchos ignorantes, lo digo de nuevo: ¡esta es una enseñanza falsa y él es un maestro falso!
 
No se puede ser cristiano y budista al mismo tiempo por la sencilla razón de que el cristianismo (y cualquier religión monoteísta) promueve la fe en un dios creador y supremo. El Buda Shakyamuni niega esta idea de un dios creador y supremo. Lee el capítulo "No hay un dios creador supremo en el Buda Dharma" de mi libro La verdadera enseñanza sobre el Buda Amida y su Tierra Pura, que está lleno de citas del Sutra de Baka Brahma. Lee también toda la primera parte del mismo libro.

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

Do NOT make publicity to nonBuddhist gods and spirits

Being respectful towards our nonBuddhist neighbours and friends does NOT mean that we should pray to or promote nonBuddhist gods. As Pure Land Buddhists we should promote only Amida Buddha and encourage people to entrust only to Amida Buddha. By making publicity to or promoting nonBuddhist gods and spirits you create the evil karma of offering false teachings to sentient beings. I very much dislike how fake Buddhists post images (and even praises) of nonBuddhist gods and spirits on various nonBuddhists celebrations, including Christmas, Easter and even pre-Christian holidays. Remember, respect does NOT mean promotion! Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping them in times of need, etc.

Promoting the images of their gods and spirits is a mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull yourselves together and stop being stupid when you try to be nice.

Ten cuidado de cómo y con quién hablas sobre el Buda Amida

Translated from English by Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana

En referencia a decir algo sobre el Buda Amida a otros seres humanos, el Maestro Rennyo dijo:
 
"En particular, actúa con extrema precaución, ya que este es un momento en que las personas aguzan los oídos para escuchar cualquier cosa que pueda distorsionarse y difundirse en calumnias".[1]
 
Cualquier cosa que digamos sobre la enseñanza del Nembutsu siempre puede ser malinterpretada si se la decimos a aquellos que no están kármicamente maduros y no están abiertos a ella. El Maestro Rennyo llamó a aquellos que no están kármicamente maduros y no están abiertos a ser personas sin bien del pasado almacenados. Así instruyó:
 
“Al enseñar a otros, uno debe determinar la presencia o ausencia del bien del pasado”.[2]
 
El "bien almacenado del pasado" representa nuestro buen karma de vidas pasadas y esta vida que se manifiesta como un estado mental abierto o receptivo hacia el mensaje del Voto Primordial del Buda Amida. Mucha gente escucha la enseñanza sobre el Voto Primordial o el Nombre de Amida, pero pocos están abiertos a ella. Esta apertura es muy importante en nuestra tradición y es la manifestación del bien almacenado del pasado.[3]
 
Maestro Rennyo dijo: