Faith in Amida Buddha is the peace of knowing your destination

 

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 is an important link mentioned in the video: 

A Collection of Passages on the True Meaning of Birth in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha

Namo Amida Bu

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The treasure of faith in Amida Buddha (fragment from a Dharma discussion on the occasion of refuge ceremony for a Russian member)

 

This is a fragment from a Dharma discussion (English and Russia) on the occasion of the online kieshiki (refuge ceremony) for a new member in Russia. We have an active group in Russia, represented online at this link, https://vk.com/amidaji led by Shingyo Yuri Sensei, lay teacher of Amidaji.
 
Useful links mentioned in the video,
 
Faith in Amida Buddha is not the creation of our mind 

Again on the idea that faith in Amida comes from Amida - very simple explanations 
 
Five conditions for birth in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha 

 

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The Nembutsu of Faith and Gratitude in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (video teaching by Daigan Sensei of Amidaji Sangha in Uruguay)

Daigan Alejandro Sensei is a lay teacher in Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, soon to be ordained a monk in our Sangha. He has been very active, together with Rev Kosho Arana (Colombia) and others in helping people receive faith in Latin America. 

For more teachings in Spanish please access https://temploamidaji.org 

If you have problems watching this video please click on the square in the lower right to enlarge it or CLICK HERE to watch it on the Youtube Channel 

Namo Amida Bu

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

The Bodhi Mind of the Pure Land Path (short question and answer)

Question from a reader: Shinran said that shinjin (faith) is Bodhi Mind. Does this mean that if I do not have Compassion for all beings in this life I will not go to the Pure Land?
 
My answer: The fact that shinjin (faith in Amida Buddha) equals Bodhi Mind does NOT mean that you are able to have the kind of Compassion ancient Mahayana saints had for every being in your present life! It only means that through faith in Amida you will be able to save all beings, because faith is the cause of birth in the Pure Land and of subsequent attainment of Buddhahood for you and all beings. So, the aspiration inherent in the Bodhi Mind is contained in shinjin in the sense that through faith you can fulfill the Bodhi Mind (after birth in the Pure Land). The aspirations of the Bodhi Mind (to become a Buddha for you and all beings) are fulfilled through faith, which is why faith is the Bodhi Mind. 

This is the proper way to understand this matter in accordance with our Jodo Shinshu school. So, don't worry. There is no problem that here and now you remain an ordinary person filled with ignorance and blind passions. It is especially for beings like you that Amida made His Primal Vow and created His Pure Land that is so easy to access.

PS: The only way you can practice compassion while you are still in this present samsaric body is to be an example of faith and help others entrust to Amida Buddha. I explained this when I presented the ten benefits in this life of a person of faith (click here to read the 9th benefit).

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.