AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 4. Personal power and Amida’s Power

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

1.The teachings and practices taught by Shakyamuni Buddha can be classified in two categories, depending on the capacities of beings: the path of personal power (jiriki) and the path of reliance on the Power of Amida Buddha (Tariki).

2.The path of personal power is also called the difficult path because it refers to following the Buddhist practices and attaining Enlightenment through one’s own efforts. It is a path which often includes retiring from the world.

3.The Path of reliance on the Power of Amida Buddha (the Path of Faith) is also called the easy path because it depends exclusively on the unconditional help offered by Amida who guides the faithful to His Pure Land where Enlightenment is spontaneously attained.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 3. Shakyamuni Buddha and Amida Buddha

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

1. Human history, as we know it, is only a very small fraction of the endless and inconceivable time of the universe. This means that many world systems and beings living in them had existed before this earth and will continue to exist after its disappearance. Thus, in the beginnigless past a great number of Buddhas appeared in various worlds and will continue to appear in the never ending future.

2. The Enlightened Person who taught the Dharma during our present human history was Shakyamuni Buddha and the teachings and methods presented by Him were transmitted to us in the form of sutras (discourses).

3.Different Buddhist schools were created based on various sutras (discourses). Our Jodo Shinshu school

( the True Pure Land School) which we also call Amida Dharma was formed based on the The Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra). A lineage of Masters from India, China, and Japan transmitted and explained the teaching of this sutra, among which the most important is Shinran Shonin, the founder of this school in Japan, and Rennyo Shonin, the restorer.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 2. Buddha nature and escape from samsara

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

1.Escaping the cycle of repeated births and deaths or waking up from the samsaric dream is called the attainment of Buddhahood. As in the case of a precious jewel buried underneath a mountain of trash, all beings have Buddha nature, hidden under thousands of layers of delusions and blind passions.

2. Just like all seeds have the natural potential to become trees, all sentient beings have the natural potential to become Buddhas, that is, to awaken to their own Buddha nature. Beyond the various layers of our delusory personality, the Buddha nature is the true reality, uncreated and indestructible, the treasure hidden in every one of us. When it's discovered, the causes of suffering and repeated births and deaths are annihilated and the one who attained it becomes himself a savior and guide of all beings that are still caught in the slavery of samsara.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 1. Karma and Samsara

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

1.There is a natural law, a supreme law, uncreated and the same for all. It is called karma and it means that everything is cause and effect.

2.Thoughts and intentions represent the karma of mind, words are the karma of speech and the actions are the karma of body. These are the three types of karma. They define and create all beings and they also determine the environment in which we are born.

3. All that we think, speak or do will affect our personal history. What we are now is the result of what we thought, said or did in the past, in another lifetime or in the present life; and what we think, speak and do in the present will create us in the future. 

AMIDA DHARMA - Introduction

Click here to return to the Table of Contents

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism or Amida Dharma is the Path to Nirvana (perfect Enlightenment) through faith in Amida Buddha. This Path was taught by Shakyamuni Buddha (the historical Buddha) and was later transmitted to our times by a long series of Masters and teachers among which I mention Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), the founder of this school in Japan and Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499), the restorer.

The words ”Jodo Shinshu” mean ”the True Pure Land School” and Dharma means teaching. Amida Dharma is the teaching about the unconditional salvation offered by Amida Buddha. With the help of this Buddha called Amida we are born in His Pure Land (His sphere of influence) after death where we attain perfect Enlightenment (Nirvana).

Десять благ Веры в Амида Будду, обретаемые при жизни

translated from English by Evgeny Terekhin

Синран Сёнин говорил о десяти благах, обретаемых при жизни, которые получает человек, вверивший себя Амида Будде:

"Когда мы обретаем непоколебимую Истинную Веру, мы ещё при жизни неизменно получаем Десять благ. Какие же это Десять благ?

1.      Благо находиться под защитой невидимых сил и божественных сущностей и получать от них поддержку;

Amidaji crest

Two hands in gassho encircled by a nenju (Buddhist mala) with an eight-petal lotus above.

The hands in gassho encircled by a nenju represent devotion. The lotus with eight petals represents the Eight Elements of Faith and  the Eight Precepts of Faith which are central to Amidaji teaching style of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (Amida Dharma). 

The Name, Namo Amida Bu (homage to/I take refuge in Amida Buddha) is added at the bottom, sustaining the other two elements. It is the usual way of saying Nembutsu at our temple during services.

The crest is made on black and white to show the simplicity, humbleness and unpretentious style of Amidaji temple.

Amidaji crest may also appear in this style, when the name of the temple is not used:

Variants with only the lotus and Nembutsu or just the lotus are also accepted.