AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 9. The five conditions for birth in the Pure Land

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1.There are five conditions that someone must meet in order to be born in the Pure Land: karmic good from the past, a good spiritual teacher, Amida’s Light, faith (shinjin) and the saying of Amida Buddha's Name (Nembutsu)

2.The good from the past represents our good karma from past lives and this life (prior to the awakening of faith) which manifests itself as an opening or receptive state of mind towards the message of the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha.

In Jodo Shinshu a very important practice is to listen to the teaching. However, a lot of people hear the teaching about the Primal Vow but few are opened to it. This openness is very important in our tradition and it is the manifestation of the karmic good from the past. Also, if you listen again and again to the teaching in this life, thus becoming immersed with all your being in the Dharma, this listening will become a karmic good which one day will make you open to the Primal Vow.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 8. The way to Faith - listening to the teaching

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1.If we do not listen deeply to the teaching, but instead we are full of our egos and with ideas of what we think we can achieve through our personal power, or if we are under the influence of various non-Buddhist religions then we cannot receive faith nor say the true Nembutsu which is the natural manifestation of faith.

2.Faith and Nembutsu are not imposed by force in our hearts by Amida Buddha, so if somebody does not show interest in the Buddhist teaching and especially in the teaching on the Primal Vow of Amida then that person cannot entrust to Amida.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 7. The answer to the Call of Buddha Amida

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1.Like the sun who sends its rays everywhere, Amida is calling all beings to entrust to Him; nevertheless some people close the windows of their minds and hearts while others keep them open. But even if you open your window, the rays of light belong to the sun, and not to yourself. It is the same with faith.

2.It is because of Amida that one entrusts to Amida. The echo of Amida's Call in one's heart (faith) is due to the power of the One who calls (Amida).

Some people become open to this Call while others don't. Your openness depends on how karmically mature you are in relation to this Call, which is why in our school we are asked to listen again and again to Amida Dharma until we finally become open to it.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fascicle 6. The eight precepts of faith

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1.Those who wish to be in harmony with the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha and to protect the transmission of true faith for other generations, helping themselves and others to not fall into wrong views, must have faith themselves and posses the eight elements of faith. They must also follow the eight precepts of faith.

2.The first precept of faith:

A true disciple of Amida and all Buddhas shall not himself deny, or encourage others to deny the actual, literal existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land. He must not create the causes, conditions, methods or karma of denying the existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land. As a true disciple of Amida and all Buddhas he must have devotion and faith in Amida Buddha, always helping sentient beings to entrust to Him and aspire to be born in His Pure Land.

AMIDA DHARMA - Fasicle 5. The eight elements of faith

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1.Faith (shinjin) in Amida Buddha, the saying of His Name (Namo Amida Bu) and the wish to be born in His Pure Land after death, are the three important things Amida Buddha asks from us. All this three elements are in fact manifestations of faith (shinjin) because the follower who has faith in Amida will certainly say His Name and desire to be with Him in His Pure Land. So, the saying of the Name and the wish to be born there are expressions of faith. Only a person who has true faith in Amida Buddha will say the Name in an authentic way and wish to be born in His Pure Land.

2. When one has faith (shinjin), one is convinced that Amida Buddha and His Pure Land exist, and that the Promise He made in His Primal Vow is true, so one simply entrusts to this Buddha and wishes to go to His Pure Land after death. Saying Namo Amida Bu (Nembutsu) often or seldom means exactly this – “I entrust to Amida Buddha/I take refuge in Amida Buddha and I wish to go to His Pure Land”. It also means, “Homage to Amida Buddha” and “Thank you Amida Buddha for saving me as I am”.

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

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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

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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.