The receiving of faith (shinjin) is equivalent with escaping a great burden. We know that we’ll become Buddhas in the Pure Land of Amida, no matter our present situation. This joy is like the relief you feel when a great burden is taken from your shoulders, and indeed there is no greater burden than to be unenlightened and a slave of samsaric existence. The burden of your liberation is carried by the Buddha called Amida, who already crossed the Path for you. Anybody who carries a great burden is happy when that is taken away from him, so you can be happy or feel relief when you first entrust to Amida Buddha, if attaining Buddhahood or final liberation from birth and death is the most important matter for you. However, this doesn’t mean that hour by hour, minute to minute, second to second, you will think on Amida or feel a continuous joy as to jump in the air. Our lives are in such a way that we can always be overwhelmed by daily problems and worries. But its ok, its simply ok to be like this. We are not compelled to always jump with joy because we are saved by Amida. Despite of this, the salvation of Amida is always present, as our simple faith in Him remains with us since we first received it in our hearts. I usually explain that faith, once received, becomes like breathing, always being there although you don’t always express it consciously. We don’t always feel our breathing, but this doesn’t mean that breathing doesn’t exist. Sometimes we feel it better when, for example, we are fascinated by the clear air of the mountains or of a beautiful morning and we take long and deep breaths, while some other time we are too hurried and busy in our daily life to concentrate on it.
Saturday, April 21, 2018
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 7. The benefit of having great joy in our hearts
The receiving of faith (shinjin) is equivalent with escaping a great burden. We know that we’ll become Buddhas in the Pure Land of Amida, no matter our present situation. This joy is like the relief you feel when a great burden is taken from your shoulders, and indeed there is no greater burden than to be unenlightened and a slave of samsaric existence. The burden of your liberation is carried by the Buddha called Amida, who already crossed the Path for you. Anybody who carries a great burden is happy when that is taken away from him, so you can be happy or feel relief when you first entrust to Amida Buddha, if attaining Buddhahood or final liberation from birth and death is the most important matter for you. However, this doesn’t mean that hour by hour, minute to minute, second to second, you will think on Amida or feel a continuous joy as to jump in the air. Our lives are in such a way that we can always be overwhelmed by daily problems and worries. But its ok, its simply ok to be like this. We are not compelled to always jump with joy because we are saved by Amida. Despite of this, the salvation of Amida is always present, as our simple faith in Him remains with us since we first received it in our hearts. I usually explain that faith, once received, becomes like breathing, always being there although you don’t always express it consciously. We don’t always feel our breathing, but this doesn’t mean that breathing doesn’t exist. Sometimes we feel it better when, for example, we are fascinated by the clear air of the mountains or of a beautiful morning and we take long and deep breaths, while some other time we are too hurried and busy in our daily life to concentrate on it.
Friday, April 20, 2018
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 4. The benefit of being protected and cared for by all the Buddhas and 6. The benefit of being protected constantly by the Light of Amida's heart
If
the 1st benefit described the protection of various powerful unenlightened
beings (worldly protectors), the 4th speaks about the protection of all Buddhas
(enlightened protectors), and the 6th refers to the special protection of
Amida Buddha himself. I
decided to explain the 4th and 6th benefit together because they are
interrelated.
The
4th and 6th benefits include but are not limited to, protection against various
influences from external evil forces, sorcery, black magic, evil spirits, etc.
Shinran Shonin
said:
Thursday, April 19, 2018
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 5. The benefit of being praised by all the Buddhas
Shinran Shonin said:
“Amida’s
Seventeenth Vow declares that the Buddha will not enter into perfect
Enlightenment if those who say the Name are not praised by all the countless Buddhas throughout the worlds in the
ten quarters. The passage declaring the fulfillment of the Vow states: ‚such
people are praised by all the Buddhas and rejoice.’’’[1]
Those who entrust
to Amida are regarded by Shakyamuni as His true companions:
"Those
who realize shinjin, which is Other Power,
'Revere the Dharma and greatly rejoice in it,
And therefore are my true companions'.
'Revere the Dharma and greatly rejoice in it,
And therefore are my true companions'.
Such is the praise of the World Honored One,
the
Master of the teaching".[2]
"Sakyamuni
rejoices in persons of shinjin, saying, 'They are my true companions'”.[3]
They are wonderful
people, as well as true disciples of Shakyamuni, Amida and all Buddhas:
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 3. The benefit of our karmic evil being transformed into good
Due to the
influence of Amida we can transform an unpleasant experience into an
opportunity to understand life as it is and the Dharma. It doesn’t mean that we will no longer have
problems, or experience lack of material things, etc., but that we can
understand these unfortunate events as being the effects of our karma, using
them to become more aware that this is samsara, the world of suffering, from
which we must escape once and for all through birth in the Pure Land. Bad
events in our lives can thus be transformed through the light of the Dharma
into useful ones – useful for our understanding.
Also this benefit
refers to the fact that in the instant we receive shinjin (faith) our karma is
cut or sterilized and cannot plant its seed into another life. When shinjin
enters our heart we receive the pure karmic energy of Amida Buddha. Our evil is
turned into good in the sense that it is no longer an obstacle for our birth in
the Pure Land at the end of this life:
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 2. The benefit of being possessed of supreme virtues
This benefit means that by
entrusting ourselves to Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow we receive His merits and
virtues which cause us to attain birth in the Pure Land:
"When
sentient beings of this evil world of the five defilements
Entrust themselves to the selected Primal Vow,
Virtues indescribable, inexplicable, and inconceivable
Fill those practicers".[1]
Entrust themselves to the selected Primal Vow,
Virtues indescribable, inexplicable, and inconceivable
Fill those practicers".[1]
„All
beings, having heard Amida’s virtuous Name,
Attain
joyful faith, rejoice in what they hear,
And call
his Name even once. The person of sincerity, Amida,
Endows
merit to them. All who aspire for birth in the Pure Land attain Birth there.
Hence, I
prostrate myself to worship him and aspire to be
born
there.'"[2]
Shinran Shonin
explained in his work “Passages on the Two Aspects of The Tathagata’s
Directing of Virtue”:
The Ten Benefits of faith in Amida during this life: 1. The benefit of being protected and sustained by unseen powers and divine beings
This benefit means that those who have shinjin (faith in Amida) are protected against various influences from
external evil forces. Thus, the nembutsu follower has no reason to be afraid of
sorcery, black magic or evil spirits. Shinran Shonin said in Hymns of Benefit in the Present:
"Those
who deeply entrust themselves to the Buddha's teaching are protected by all the
gods of the heavens and earth, who accompany them just as shadows do
things."[1]
„When we say
‚Namo Amida Butsu,’
All the
benevolent gods of the heavens
Protect us
constantly, day and night.
When we
say 'Namo Amida Butsu',
The four great deva-kings together
Protect us constantly, day and night,
And let no evil spirits come near.
The four great deva-kings together
Protect us constantly, day and night,
And let no evil spirits come near.
The Ten Benefits in this life of a person who has faith in Amida Buddha
This is a chapter of my book
Shinran Shonin speaks about ten benefits that
a person who entrusts in Amida Buddha receives in the present life:
„When we
acquire adamantine true faith we unfailingly gain ten benefits in this life. What are the ten?[1]
Amida’s heart (the 4th and 6th benefit are explained together in the same article!)
9. The benefit of constantly practicing great compassion
(the 8th and 9th benefit are explained together!)
(the 8th and 9th benefit are explained together!)
Here you can see an one hour discussion on the Ten Benefits on my youtube channel:
[1] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter III, Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment,
translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research,
Kyoto, 2003, p. 121 and The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism
Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.112
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