Amidaji members: Joshin Dave Kruemcke

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(video: Joshin Dave Kruemcke declaring his allegiance to Jodo Shinshu Amidaji)

I was born at midnight. September 15, 1960 in Herman Hospital in Houston, Texas.

My father was a professional engineer, my mother a "homemaker". We moved to a Southwest suburb of Sharpstown when I was 3 years old. I was born into a very strict Southern Baptist family.

My father was a very passive-aggressive man. Hugging me one minute, beating me with whatever he could get his hands on the next.

Amida Buddha is our strength

Amida Buddha is our strength.

No matter the outer or inner obstacles that appear in our lives, we should not fall prey to desperation because Amida Buddha is on our side.

Dear friends, please follow this heart advice! Whatever disturbing emotions and fears appear in your mind-stream due to your ignorance, attachments and past karma, just ignore them, let them come and dissolve by themselves, and you focus on Amida. Change the focus to Amida every time your inner or outer world is overcome with problems and difficulties.

Remember this truth - all that appears in the outer or inner samsaric universe is illusory and ultimately not real. Only Amida, His Pure Land and His Name are truly real, so focus on that. Don't allow your lives to be ruled by illusion. Chose the real, chose Amida and make Him the foundation of your life.

Namo Amida Bu

I added the inside insulation to Amidado (Hall of Amida) and arranged the new library

CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT THE NEW UPGRADES AT THE TEMPLE 

This was a work which required a lot of money and efforts. Thermal insulation was added on the walls built in July which were next covered with wooden plaques, so now Amidado has a double sandwich like wall filled with insulation. Here is a panoramic photo of how the Amidado looks on the inside after all the work was done:

Inside Amidado (Hall of Amida)

and here you can see the various stages of work which lead to the result above:

Simple Teachings on Emptiness and Buddha Nature (book)

"Speak to dreamers in the language of dreams"[1]

Emptiness and Buddha nature are very hard topics and we, Jodo Shinshu followers who have a simple faith in Amida, do not possess the high spiritual capacities of the advanced esoteric Vajrayana practitioners, so it would be impossible and useless to try to enter too deep into this topic. It is not the practice of our school to recognize and dwell in ultimate reality in the present life, with this very body, so we do not need to know everything about emptiness and Buddha nature. However, it is good to know a few things about it so that we cannot be confused by false spiritual friends who play smart with such terms and use them in a distorted manner to justify or impose their own opinions on others. This is why from the immense ocean of authentic Dharma literature on emptiness and Buddha nature I took only a small part which is enough to have a little clue about this topic, as little as samsaric dreamers like us can have. 

Spiritual biographies of Amidaji members

At the moment I am writing these lines Amidaji has members in 13 countries: USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Romania, Russia, Germany, Uruguay, Chile, Philippines, Mexico, Argentina and Cook Islands. 

Here are the spiritual biographies of only some of them like who they were before, how they found Jodo Shinshu, etc. More will follow soon. 

Hokai Sylvie Kirsch (Cook Islands)

Rev Josho Adrian Cirlea (Romania) 

 

Gansen John Welch Sensei (Australia)

Joshin Dave Kruemcke (USA) 

Koshin Jose Pomales (USA)

Koshin Samuel Jacob Weaver (USA)

 

Keshin Maria Zita D'Abreu (Australia) 

 

Shaku Hogen (United Kingdom) 

Daigan Alejandro Macia (Uruguay)

Chikai Ana Galo (Uruguay) 

 

Hozan Elmir Bratic (USA)

 

Shaku Kishin (Germany)  

 

Shaku Hōryū Stephen (USA)

Shaku Daishin (Germany)

 

Shaku Hojun (Russia)  

Shingyo Yuri (Russia) 

 

Gansen Catalin Suru (Romania) 

Dodatsu Nerio Quinones (Argentina)

Jinshin Catalina (Romania) 

Shaku Shoshin (Philipinnes)

Kosho Arana  (Colombia)

Hoshin Fernando Rodriguez (Uruguay)

ENSEÑANZAS SENCILLAS SOBRE VACUIDAD Y NATURALEZA BÚDICA (libro)

Click here for the English edition 

La vacuidad y la naturaleza Búdica son temas muy difíciles y nosotros, los seguidores del sendero Jodo Shinshu, quienes tenemos una fe simple en Amida, no poseemos las altas capacidades espirituales de los practicantes avanzados del Vajrayana, por lo que sería imposible e inútil tratar de adentrarnos demasiado en este tema. No es la práctica de nuestra escuela tratar de reconocer y morar en la realidad última en la vida presente, con este mismo cuerpo, por lo que no necesitamos saber todo sobre la vacuidad y la naturaleza Búdica. Sin embargo, es bueno saber algunas cosas al respecto para que no nos confundan los falsos amigos espirituales que juegan inteligentemente con tales términos y los usan de manera distorsionada para justificar o imponer sus propias opiniones a los demás. Es por eso que del inmenso océano de auténtica literatura del Dharma sobre la vacuidad y la naturaleza de Buda tomé solo una pequeña parte, que es suficiente para tener una pequeña pista sobre este tema, tan poco como los soñadores samsáricos como nosotros podemos tener.

The main difference between Esoteric Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

Question:

Please tell me in a few words the main difference between esoteric Buddhism and Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

My answer:

Both Dharma Gates are true and both aim at attaining Buddhahood for oneself and all beings. However, they differ in the means of attaining it. For example, Esoteric Buddhism thinks they can attain it in the present body, while Jodo Shinshu says it will be attained in the Pure Land.

If you want to attain Buddhahood in this body, then you can try the advice of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon (esoteric) Buddhism:

"Form mudras with your hands,
recite mantras with your mouths,
and dwell in meditation with your minds."

(Attaining Buddhahood in This Body, Kobo Daishi)

However, if you know you cannot attain Buddhahood in this body and you wish to attain it in the Pure Land after death, follow this modified advice:

Put your hands in gassho,

say Namo Amida Bu with your mouth

and entrust to Amida Buddha with your mind.

This is similar with following the instructions of Amida in His Primal Vow:

“entrust yourself to me, say my Name and wish to be born in my Land”.