"Since Amida makes you trust Him
And responds to your trust,
Your trusting heart does not arise
From within yourself."[1]
The reason why in a Nembutsu follower’s
heart coexist both faith in the Primal Vow and his blind passions and illusions
is that this faith doesn’t belong to him.
This
is another important aspect of the Jodo Shinshu teaching. It is said that in a
poisonous Eranda forest grow only Eranda trees and not the famous
Chandana trees with their fine fragrance. It is a miracle if a Chandana
tree grows in an Eranda forest. Similarly, it is a miracle if faith in Amida
Buddha flourishes in the people’s hearts. How can it be possible that from
human passions the faith in Buddha be born? The answer is that this phenomenon
is practically impossible and that faith in Amida is not the product of our
minds, but what Amida plants in us. That is why shinjin or the entrusting heart
is called “rootless faith” for it has no roots in the human mind but in Amida’s Power and Compassion. The same thing happens with saying the Name which expresses faith.
Everything comes from Amida and manifests like an echo in our minds and on our
lips, just like a child who faithfully answers his mother’s calling.