I do not imitate the Buddhas

A Zen practitioner told me that zazen is the posture of the Buddha. It is being the Buddha.

I agreed with him and exactly because it is so, I prefer to sit in zazen after I’m born in the Pure Land. As a Buddha in the Pure Land, zazen will be natural, while here in samsara is just an imitation. Here, for this ignorant man, only Nembutsu of faith is true and real.

 

(Photo: enjoying Turkish tea in the woods)

Amidaji delegate at the 19th United Nations Day of Wesak Celebration, Thailand

Recently, Shushin Ioana, one of our oldest Romanian members, represented Amidaji in Thailand at the United Nation Day of Wesak which was an event attended by delegates from many countries, including Asia, Europe, USA, etc. On this occasion, she gifted seven of my books in English to the library of Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, represented in the left photo by Rev Dr Kovida. The books were offered in the memory of our dear friend Shoshin from the Phillipines who recently departed to the Pure Land. 

In 2004 I was a guest of honor at Sitagu academy/monastery and since then I have constantly sent cordial greetings to Ven Ashin Nyanissara, its leader, who treated me very well during my stay in Myanmar (Burma). Below I present to you other photos from this year Wesak Conference where Shushin sent greetings from us and made or rekindled friendships with various members of other Buddhist communities. I mention that Shushin is on his fourth participation to this kind of Wesak Conferences and will also represent us next year. 

Thank you very much, dear Shushin for your dedication!

Namo Amida Bu 🙏

ENSEÑANZAS SELECCIONADAS DE HONEN SHONIN CON COMENTARIO

Click here for the English edition of this book

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

Haga clic aquí para descargar la versión en pdf:

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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. 

Click here if you wish to download the free online edition in pdf,

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Click the donation box if you wish to make a DONATION to support me and Amidaji temple, and especially the recent project about water and sewage system (click here to read about it),

 

If you wish to order a printed copy from Amazon you can click on one of these links,

Click here to order it in US Dollars on Amazon.com
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Click here to order it on Amazon Australia 
Click here to order it in British pounds on Amazon.com/uk
Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon Germany
Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon Italy
Click here to order it in Japanese yen on Amazon Japan
Click here to order it in Euro on Amazon France
Click here to order it on Amazon Spain

Click here to order in Euro from Netherlands

Click here to order from Poland

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

Amida Buddha's devotee respond in gratitude to His benevolence by helping others entrust to Him (video teaching and discussion)

 This video is very useful if you have the patience to watch it until the end. It is part of the series of the 71 topics of examination for those who want to be ordained in Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. The main speaker is my student Rev Kosho Arana from Colombia. He already received monk (priest) ordination in our school, in September this year.  

The links mentioned in the video are posted in its description on my youtube channe.

Namo Amida Bu 

Don't play smart or virtuous in samsara

Never play the wise practitioner in samsara. All you need to know and can truly know are the instructions of Amida Buddha in His Primal Vow: "entrust yourself to me, say my Name and wish to be born in my land". Follow Master Rennyo's advice, "all thoughts and words are delusion, except the mind to trust Amida Buddha" and Master Shinran's, "the Nembutsu alone is true and real".

Also, never play the virtuous practitioner in samsara. Don't overestimate your pitiful merits and virtues. You can do nothing with your so-called "wisdom and merits". Everything is impermanent and insubstantial, including your dream-like existence and the things you think you realized.

There is only one reality - that of Amida Buddha and His Call: "entrust yourself to me, say my Name and wish to be born in my land". Do that exclusively and don't play smart or virtuous in samsara.
Namo Amida Bu 

Focus on Amida Buddha and stick with Him no matter what happens in your mind or outside of it (video teaching)

 

Click here to watch more videos in the DHARMA TALK playlist. There are more than 170 videos there until now, so you'll certainly find one that is useful to you. 

Here are some links mentioned in the video: 

Some elements of listening deeply to Amida Dharma
 
Don't be hungry for feelings and special experiences
 
Depend on Amida, not on your feelings
 
Faithis simple, nothing special 
 
Shinjin:knowing not experiencing
 

 

Clocks as portable thangkas of the Wheel of Samsara - Часы как переносные тханки Колеса Сансары (EN/RU)

Clocks are gentle companions who helps us remember impermanence. They are like miniature copies of the thangkas of the Wheel of Samsara with the top of the dial symbolizing the higher states of existence (humans, asuras and gods) and the lower part of the dial, reminding us of the lower realms (hungry spirits, animals and hell beings).

As the hands of the clock move constantly from hour 12 (the highest heaven of the gods) to 6 (the most terrible hell), life in samsara is never certain. Whatever we think we gain we'll lose in the next moment. Everything is momentary and our unenlightened minds are not reliable. This is why there is NO time for the so-called spiritual evolution. All we have is this fragile moment, this short break before death and another uncertain rebirth. In this moment we either accept Amida Buddha’s helping hand or refuse it and waste our human life so hard to obtain.

Understanding the two types of impermanence, of your body and your so-called "spiritual realizations", don't lose your time in vain, and entrust to Amida. Only by being born in His Pure Land after death you can safely get out of samsara and be able to benefit all sentient beings.

Members of Amidaji: from Voodoo to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism - the story of Koshin

                         Click here to return to the main page 

of spiritual biographies of Amidaji members

This is the spiritual story of Koshin Jose Pomales, our new member from California, USA, as it was recorded in two meetings on zoom,

You can read about Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism here (click here)

Members of Amidaji: Hokai Sylvie Kirsch from the Cook Islands

Click here to return to the main page of spiritual biographies of Amidaji members

My grandmother brought me up Catholic. My first husband was Protestant, we’d agreed to allow our children to grow up and make their own spiritual choices. It was when my 13-month-old daughter passed away and a catholic priest refused to bless her grave because she wasn’t baptised.  The implication that my daughter was abandoned in hell because she wasn’t baptised devastated me. How could this so-called “god of love”, one to whom I’d put my faith and devotion all my life, not gladly receive the soul of an innocent child in his arms? I went through a spiritual struggle over the next few years, shifting towards the Protestant Reformed Church and trying to make sense of the growing inconsistencies. Eventually, I lost my faith in Christianity. I then went on a spiritual journey to find the true manifestation of all-embracing compassion.
 
 Like many of my Amidaji kin, I began by grappling my way through various spiritualities and philosophies.  Studying in earnest, I would eventually peel off the veneer of salvation, to discover that each was riddled with inconsistencies, and all lacked any true, universal compassion. What seemed like a purposeful journey ended up being stuck going around in circles in a meaningless labyrinth, from which there was no escape.

Plans for Amidaji in the year 2024 - water and sewage system

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and progress

Until now in the village where Amidaji temple is located there has been no water and sewerage system, so the inhabitants (including Amidaji) need to use the public or private wells, and to build their own peasant style toilets in the backyard which mainly consists of a hole in the ground with a wooden cabin on top. Some wells had problems and dried up or became difficult to use, so the county and local officials finally decided to make a contract with a company and recently brought the main water pipes in the village and placed secondary ones in front of each property. However, from this main and secondary water pipes each owner has to pay for installing its own pipes and build its own water system through which to bring the water inside his property and house.

Amidaji has a few buildings on its property so I need lots of pipes and a few professional workers to bring the water in. The total costs for the first phase of work (pipes and other materials as well as the workers) are arround 1000 - 1500 euros. From this, around 600 euros is only to pay the workers and the rest is for various materials. If I successfully raise the amount needed, I will do the first phase and make a report with photos after which I will continue with the second step.
 
Any little help is welcomed and very much needed so, if you wish to DONATE, you can use the PayPal box and/or the Bank accounts mentioned at this link,
https://amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.com/p/donation.html
 
The names of donors as well as those in whose name a donation was made will be mentioned in a dedication list of my next book and at the end of the video teachings posted on my YouTube channel.
 

Amidaji temple courtyard. The water pipes must come from the 

house in the distance to the one in the top right (kitchen).

A bathroom with shower and toilet will be built between the 

house in the top left (library and guest room) and the house

in the distance. In the foreground is Amidado (Hall of Amida)