Conditions for marriage ceremonies at Amidaji temple

 fragment from Amidaji Constitution  

Marriage ceremonies can be held at Amidaji temples on the following conditions[1]:

     a)    Only between biologically born men and women (see the important note bellow). Amidaji temple recognizes the natural differences between biologically born men and biologically born women, as Shakyamuni Buddha himself addressed to His disciples as (biologically born) men and (biologically born) women when He gave advice to couples. He never gave advices to couples who were not (biologically born) men and (biologically born) women, which means that we too cannot recognize such people as couples to be married. This is also why any sexual or gender ideology which tends to disregard such natural and biological differences between men and women, like for example, the ideas that sexual identity is something that can be chosen without regard to one's biology (without regard to the fact that one was born a man or a woman), will not be promoted by Amidaji temple and its representatives, priests and teachers. 

Change the focus on Amida

Many people try to "escape" suffering through drugs, alcohol or other addictions. However, there is a better way. Think to whatever happens to you as events in a dream and to Amida Buddha and His Name as the only reality. Then change the focus from those dreamlike experiences to the true and real.

Do not empower your feelings and various thoughts that appear in your mind, do not bother about them, do not pay attention to them, but change the focus to Amida and the saying of His Name (Nembutsu).

Your experiences, feelings, wandering thoughts and obsessions will naturally dissolve into the space of your mind if you do not focus on them. It is in their nature to appear and disappear like mist or clouds in the sky, however we prolong them indefinitely because of our clinging and identifying with them.

Please do not run from a dreamlike experience (your suffering and obsessions) to another dreamlike experience (drugs, alcohol, etc). If you do that you will only multiply your suffering.

Better recognize the difference between real and unreal, then chose the real. Change the focus on Amida and His Name.

Namo Amida Bu 

Amidaji members: Joshin Dave Kruemcke

Click here to return to the main page of Amidaji members

(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)