Biography of Shinran Shonin (audio version)

This is the official biography of Shinran Shonin as accepted by Nishi Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu, and also by our temple, Amidaji. The reason I say so is that this biography is recited aloud on every Hoonko week (Shinran’s Memorial) at Nishi Hongwanji mother temple between January 9th to January 16th. 

The title of the biography is “An Illustrated Biography of Shinran, Honganji's Shonin (Honganji Shonin Shinran Denne)” and was compiled by Kakunyo, the 3rd Monshu of Hongwanji temple.

The narrator of this biography is Gansen John Welch, a member, and teacher in Amidaji temple sangha. The edition he uses was translated by Rev Zuio Hisao Inagaki and can be accessed at this link, http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/horai/denne-index.htm Please click there if you wish to read the whole text together with an introduction, images, and notes.

The karmic situation of beings who have no aspiration for Enlightenment and Shakyamuni’s encouragement to do good in daily life and wish to be born in the Pure Land – commentary on sections 31 - 40 (PART II) of the Larger Sutra

     

                          fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision - 
click here to return to the table of contents

     2) Shakyamuni’s encouragements to do good in daily life and aspire for birth in the Pure Land for the attainment of Enlightenment

To counter the karmic effects of the evil acts described previously one has two options: to do good and/or to aspire to be born in the Pure Land. Even without having the aspiration for birth in the Pure Land, people can still do good and change their karmic situation for the better. Also, the aspiration for birth in the Pure Land and the non-discriminative salvation offered by Amida does not mean one should not try to have a good behavior towards others. As long as one is clearly aware that his/her salvation depends entirely on the Power of Amida Buddha and abandons any idea of transferring his pitiful merits towards birth in the Pure Land, his efforts to lead a decent life and do as much good as possible is not in contradiction with the Primal Vow. Thus, to try to lead a moral life and aspire for birth in the Pure Land can be followed in the same time by those who have faith in Amida.

The karmic situation of beings who have no aspiration for Enlightenment and Shakyamuni’s encouragement to do good in daily life and wish to be born in the Pure Land – commentary on sections 31 - 40 (PART I) of the Larger Sutra

         fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision - 
click here to return to the table of contents

I divide this chapter into the following sections:

1. The karmic situation of beings who have no aspiration towards Enlightenment

2.  Shakyamuni’s encouragements to do good in daily life and to aspire for birth in the Pure Land for the attainment of Enlightenment

 1.     The karmic situation of beings who have no aspiration towards Enlightenment

Shakyamuni Buddha described various kinds of evil deeds and their karmic consequences like for example, the three evil acts and their retribution, and the five kinds of evils and their effects – the five sufferings and the five burnings. I will present each one of them bellow in Shakyamuni’s own words and offer my comments only when necessary, as they are very easy to understand. My advice is to transform the reading into a contemplation of the sad situation of those without the aspiration towards Enlightenment and who, because they have no faith in Amida, have no chance of escaping samsara.

Condiciones para ser aceptado como estudiante en el templo Amidaji

Rev Josho Adrian Cirlea, templo Amidaji

Traducido del inglés por:

                       Juan Sebastián Hincapié Arana

                                                            

Lo siguiente también aplica para las personas que preguntan ocasionalmente por enseñanzas mías, o para  quienes visitan Amidaji, sin participar en una relación prolongada entre profesor-alumno.

Ya lo he explicado muchas veces, pero creo que es mejor decirlo nuevamente en más detalle, para que las personas que deseen recibir orientación de mí sepan que esperar. Así que, primero, lean esto, y luego decidan si desean continuar o no.

Various benefits gained by the audience – commentary on section 48 of the Larger Sutra

Shakyamuni Buddha entrusting
 the sutra to Maitreya, the future Buddha

fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision -  

click here to return to the table of contents 

            Although the intention of Shakyamuni when delivering this sutra was to help the audience and us, people of future generations, to entrust completely to Amida, say His Name in faith and aspire to be born in His Pure Land, that is, to come in accord with the Primal Vow, only a part of those present actually did that and entered the stage of non-retrogression. However, because they were in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha’s field of influence and had various degrees of devotion towards Him, and because they all “without exception, rejoiced at the Buddha’s discourse”[1] they did acquire some important benefits for their later spiritual development :

Faith as the cause of entering the stage of non-retrogression - commentary on the section 47 of the Larger Sutra

fragment from my commentary on the Larger Sutra

- this is a work in progress and under constant revision -  

click here to return to the table of contents 

 If in the section 46 Shakyamuni explained that there are many Mahayana followers (bodhisattvas in aspiration) in various worlds who are in the stage of non-retrogression[1] for being born in the Pure Land and attaining Enlightenment there, in section 47 He presents the causes of entering this stage:

“The Buddha said to Maitreya, ‘If there are people who hear the Name of that Buddha, rejoice so greatly as to dance, and think of Him even once, then you should know that they have gained great benefit by receiving unsurpassed virtue. For this reason, Maitreya, even if a great fire were to fill the universe of a thousand million worlds, you should pass through it to hear this sutra, to arouse joyful faith, to uphold and chant it, and to practice in accordance with its teachings. This is because there are many bodhisattvas who wish to hear this teaching but are still unable to do so. If there are sentient beings who have heard it, they will attain the stage of non-retrogression for realizing the highest Enlightenment. This is why you should singleheartedly accept in faith, uphold, and chant this sutra, and practice in accordance with its teachings.’”[2]

Before commenting on the above passage we must bear in mind that in this sutra Shakyamuni presents just one of the two paths of entering the stage of non-retrogression, that is, through faith in Amida. The Larger Sutra is, so to speak, the sutra of the Easy Path of entering the stage of non-retrogression for those who make the Mahayana aspiration to attain Buddhahood for themselves and all beings (bodhisattvas in aspirations).

The three types of prostrations - Amidaji style (video)

Click here for the explanations in Spanish

Click here for the explanations in Romanian

There are three types of prostrations presented at Amidaji temple:

1)      Half body prostration from sitting

2)      Half body prostration from standing

3)      Full body prostration from standing

1)      Half body prostration from sitting

We place our hands in gassho on the crown of our head, at the forehead, at the throat level, and at the level of the heart. Then we bow with our head touching the ground and our palms facing upwards. We slightly raise our palms and we keep them there for a few seconds. We do this three times and at the end we bow with our hands in gassho from sitting.