Amidaji members: Jinshin Catalina (Romania)

Jinshin Catalina

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Spiritual biographies of Amidaji members

My name is Jinshin Catalina. I started my spiritual search early in life and six years ago, I joined Amidaji sangha. Buddhism offers me the most logical explanations of why there is suffering in the world, why I am who I am, why I was born, why I die, and it also shows me a way out of the cycle of repeated births and deaths through Amida’s Primal Vow.  It is a Path through which I no longer need to blame others for what is happening to me, and where I feel accepted as I am.

I am grateful to walk with you in the Light of Amida Buddha.

Namo Amida Bu

Members of Amidaji: Gansen John Welch Sensei (Australia)

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My Path to True Shin Buddhism 

Gansen John Welch Sensei

By Gansen John Welch

I am writing this at the request of my teacher, Reverend Josho Adrian Cirlea and in the hope that others may be encouraged, inspired and motivated to listen to and read Amida Dharma, find a good teacher of True Shin Buddhism and “entrust your karmic destiny entirely, utterly and completely to Amida Buddha.” This too was my motivation for narrating Josho’s excellent books and writing verses inspired by Amida Dharma.

I was born in 1958 and thus, if I live an average lifespan, I have only about 20 years left in this body. But, of course, no one (except a fully enlightened Buddha) knows exactly when or how they will die and more importantly what negative karmic seeds will ripen at the time of death causing us to be reborn in realms lower than the human realm resulting in perhaps many millions of years before again having the opportunity to benefit from Buddha Dharma. According to Shakyamuni, it is only human beings who have the best opportunity to learn and benefit from Buddha Dharma.

Members of Amidaji: Shaku Daishin (Germany)

                       

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biographies of Amidaji members

My name is Shaku Daishin. I am a member of Amida-ji International Temple since I received kieshiki from my teacher Rev. Josho, Sensei back in April 2019.

I am a Buddhist since 25 years, practiced in the tibetan Karma Kagyu and Gelug Tradition and studied Buddhist philosophy for 3.5 years under Geshe Thubten Ngawang from the Tibetan Center in Hamburg.
During all my years of practice, study and receiving Dharma Teachings from many teachers - Lamas, Rinpoches and even HH the Dalai Lama, I did not make any progress. I always failed in whatever I did and tried to practice. I even stopped all my practice and did not meditate for two years. Then I started again, because I knew my Destination was Vajra Hell, after breaking all my vows and samayas.

I started reciting the Mantra of Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), who is an Emanation of Amida Tatagatha. I asked for advice what I should do - and after one year Amida Buddha's light shined through and I became aware of Amida Dharma. Now I know, by the boundless compassion of Amida Buddha and His Primal Vow that I am saved. My destination is not Vajra Hell, my destination is Amida's Pure Land, where I will overcome all my hatred, my greed, my Illusions - all my blind passions.

I am so grateful to have met Rev. Josho because I know that he is teaching the true Amida Dharma as it is taught by the Venerable Master Shinran and Master Rennyo. I am grateful for being a member of Amida-ji International Temple and being a Student of Josho Sensei.
I am saved. How can i express my joy?
No more please...just a big Thank you, Amida Buddha!

"The Nembutsu alone is true and real" (Master Shinran)

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Mi nombre es Shaku Daishin. Soy miembro del Templo Internacional Amida-ji desde que recibí kieshiki de mi maestro, el reverendo Josho Sensei en abril de 2019.

Soy budista desde hace 25 años, practiqué el Karma Kagyu tibetano y la tradición Gelug y estudié filosofía budista durante 3,5 años con Geshe Thubten Ngawang del Centro Tibetano de Hamburgo.

Durante todos mis años de práctica, estudio y recepción de Enseñanzas del Dharma de muchos maestros: Lamas, Rinpoches e incluso SS el Dalai Lama, no logré ningún progreso. Siempre fallaba en todo lo que hacía y trataba de practicar. Incluso dejé toda mi práctica y no medité durante dos años. Luego comencé de nuevo, porque sabía que mi Destino era el Infierno Vajra, después de romper todos mis votos y samayas.

Comencé a recitar el Mantra de Guru Rinpoche (Padmasambhava), que es una Emanación de Amida Tathagata. Pedí consejo sobre lo que debía hacer, y después de un año, la luz del Buda Amida brilló y me descubrí el Dharma de Amida. Ahora sé, por la compasión ilimitada del Buda Amida y Su Voto Primordial, que soy salvado. Mi destino no es el infierno de Vajra, mi destino es la Tierra Pura de Amida, donde superaré todo mi odio, mi codicia, mis ilusiones y todas mis pasiones ciegas.

Estoy muy agradecido de haber conocido al Rev. Josho porque sé que él está enseñando el verdadero Dharma de Amida tal como lo enseñan el Venerable Maestro Shinran y el Maestro Rennyo. Estoy agradecido por ser miembro del Templo Internacional Amida-ji y ser estudiante de Josho Sensei.

Estoy salvado. ¿Cómo puedo expresar mi alegría?

No más por favor... ¡solo un gran agradecimiento al Buda Amida!

 "Solo el Nembutsu es verdadero y real"

(Maestro Shinran)

Members of Amidaji: Daigan Alejandro Macia (Uruguay)

        

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 biographies of Amidaji members

Hello Amida Dharma friends. My Dharma name is   Shaku Daigan. My civil name is Alejandro Macia. I   live in Montevideo Uruguay.

 Well, to tell you a little bit about my spiritual path I   began more than ten years ago, carrying the heavy   weight the existential questions that all (or most of   us) ask ourselves from early adolescence.   Sometimes  some people keep those hard questions   in a secret inner drawer but I dragged them around   for years and that was what led me to alcoholism   and  drug addiction and also to an acute depression.   I  could not find answers to my old questions: Who  are we in reality? Who created the universe? Why do we die and then where do we go after death? Why is there so much suffering in this existence? Why is there so much anguish and existential emptiness? Then I said to myself. "Of course we are sinners, that's why all of these bad things happen... is what the Bible says at least: that from those remote times where Eve ate the forbidden fruit in garden then we were all condemned and that is why we had to pay that sin with the penalty of death and pain for having disobeyed our God and this was the beginning of the journey for me. 

Members of Amidaji: Dodatsu Nerio Quinones (Argentina)

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Amida, the easy Path to leave the realms of Samsara forever.

Dodatsu Nerio

On a hot February afternoon, almost a decade ago, I walked to the hotel where the newcomer to Argentina, First Ahmadi Missionary, representative of a Muslim sect, with headquarters in London, was staying. He had attended two world assemblies in the British capital invited by the authorities of that religion. Before I had been a pilgrim through countless Christian congregations and studied about Judaism. I invested money to buy books and the Torah itself at a Jewish-Orthodox bookstore.

Nothing satisfied my curiosity. I asked myself about the origins of humanity, if other advanced civilizations had existed on the planet before (from outer space or indigenous to our world). I was passionate about the literature related to these topics and I wanted to get to the bottom of the deception about Jesus Christ. The Council of Nicea in 325, the "canonical" gospels and those that the Catholic Church (founded by Emperor Constantine) did not recognize as canonical, and so on.

I became a member of many "churches" despite of that the study of each doctrinal version of Christianity and Judaism did not meet my expectations.

Constitution of Amidaji International Temple

The crest of Amidaji 

revised and updated on July 6th 2022

Any place where unenlightened beings meet needs some kind of organization, especially if it is a Dharma place. In our case, if we want to preserve and transmit the Jodo Shinshu teaching, we need a good team of people who can accomplish that goal. However, a team cannot work without common rules that will help us focus on our religious goal, so I hope this Constitution will provide the administrative base, rules and regulations for our aspirations. 

During many years of monkhood in which I have closely watched the ways of various Jodo Shinshu temples and communities I realized that a reform in both doctrinal and administration matters is very much needed. 

On Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu and its relation with Nishi Hongwanji

Amidaji is now an independent branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. However, we did not appear from nowhere and we did not invent Jodo Shinshu. We received this teaching due to the efforts of many generations of followers and teachers who worked for its preservation and transmission. This is why I say in the Constitution (chapter I) that we do have a traditional connection to Nishi Hongwanji which means that “we inherit the essentials of Jodo Shinshu teaching as transmitted through the Nishi Hongwanji branch”.