How to help friends and family create a connection with Amida Buddha

Question: “Sometimes, one may be concerned about friends and family, because they have chosen different religious ways, or decided to believe in nothing at all. Of course, they also think that their path is the correct one and even if this can change during a lifetime, they might never have access to Buddhism. If we try to bring them on the path, they might block this from the beginning. It is just too early for them from the karmic point of view. How can we work discreetly on them, so that they develop interest in Buddhism, if not in this life, at least in one of the coming lives? What is your advice?”

NEW book! Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Teachings - second revised edition

Jodo Shinshu does not give moral speeches and it doesn’t contain difficult practices. While other Buddhist methods talk about the ideal of Buddhahood and the possibility to attain it in this life, Jodo Shinshu starts with the sense of failure.

It is a simple path for ordinary people like you and me, lost from morning till evening in the fight for daily survival, filled with illusions and attachments to which we see neither the beginning nor the end. Jodo Shinshu is not a path for saints, but for losers, for those who cannot attain by themselves anything stable in the spiritual life.

Abandon any practice which is not mentioned in the Primal Vow

Master Shan-tao said:

"Abandon the teachings that Amida Buddha abandoned, observe the practice that Amida Buddha observed, and leave the practices that Amida Buddha left. This is said to be 'in accordance with the teaching of Amida Buddha' and 'in compliance with the intent of Amida Buddha'. Such a person is referred to as the 'true disciple of Amida Buddha'". [1]

This passage means that we must abandon everything which is not mentioned in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha, where only faith, saying of the Name in faith and wish for birth in the Pure Land are taught. If you do this, you are in accord with Amida's Primal Vow and you are His true disciple. Any practice or teaching which are not mentioned in the Primal Vow, like various meditation methods, mantras or anything else, should NOT be followed because they do not lead to birth in the true fulfilled land of the Pure Land[2]. This does NOT mean those practices are bad! On the contrary, if they were taught by Shakyamuni Buddha they are all perfect and good in themselves, but I repeat, they are not practices leading to the Pure Land of Amida Buddha because they were not mentioned in His Primal Vow. This is the only reason we should not follow them. Mixing the various Dharma gates is wrong and not useful at the level we are now as unenlightened beings.

 

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[1] Master Shan-tao quoted by Honen Shonin in An Outline of the Doctrine for Birth in the Pure Land.

[2] The true fulfilled land of the Pure Land is the center of the Pure Land where upon birth there we immediately become Buddhas.

The mechanism of the salvation offered by Amida Buddha

This new video teaching is part of the playlist DHARMA TALKS on my Youtube channel:

Short advice for a person with doubts and attachments to Christianity

 

please click on the highlighted words as they lead to important articles

A Dharma friend told me that  although he finds the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist teaching very appealing  he still has feelings of attachments to Christianity and Jesus. He said that if it wasn’t for my writings against monotheism he might have been swayed by them. He also asked me:

“How can I safeguard myself against these things as I still have lingering doubts and do not want to be led astray? I can’t help but think it may be the tug of Maras (celestial demons) because I’m so close to being out of their grip…”

This is my letter to him:

Стандарт Веры Синсю

                click here for the English version

Стандарт Веры Синсю доктора Рёсэцу Фудзивара был впервые опубликован в 1963 году «Буддийскими Церквями Америки» и содержит сборник Андзин Рондай - Темы для обсуждения веры, который является доктринальным стандартом ветви Ниси Хонган-дзи школы Дзёдо-синсю. . Как сказал сам автор в первой части книги:

«Для лучшего понимания «Синсю» и предотвращения не ортодоксальной веры Ниси Хонган-дзи выбрали определенное количество специальных тем для обсуждения Доктрины и Веры. Последняя, включающая 30 тем, называется «Андзин Рондай» или «Темы для обсуждения о вере». Оригинал не так легко понять из-за его классической терминологии и выражений. Поэтому автор попытался подытожить основные моменты этих тем и перегруппировал их в надежде, что это станет полезным руководством для тех, кто добровольно работает над распространением «Синсю» на Западе».

Amida Buddha does not require from us to become martyrs (video teaching)

 This is one of my recent video teachings recorded during a zoom meeting with some of the members of Amidaji. You can see the whole playlist DHARMA TALKS at this link (click here).

 

Unlike other religions, the Buddha Dharma and Amida Buddha himself do not asks us to be martyrs. This must be well understood as a very important difference from Christianity or Islam. Amida Buddha does NOT suffer like the monotheistic god from the need for attention. He does not threat us to punish our children and grandchildren until the fourth generation if we do not obey him like the so-called god of the monotheists (see the 1st commandment). Our Amida Buddha is a mature, enlightened Person without any trace of jealousy and ego. I've always noticed there is an obsession with blood and drama in monotheistic religions. Too much telenovela for a god with a psychopathic personality disorder.