Transcript of Amidaji Sangha meeting on Zoom (November 8th 2020)

             

Rev Josho Adrian Cirlea on zoom in Amidado
(Hall of Amida) of Amidaji temple 

 Because members of Amidaji are from   different   countries and they can't all visit Amidaji in   the   same time we organize online meetings on Zoom   twice a month. First we have a Nembutsu liturgy  and  then a question and answer session. Here is a   revised and proofread fragment from the previous   meeting. Participants are only given their Buddhist   names.  

 Joshin:

 One of the things that I'm finding amazing is the   Other Power of Amida. And how the more you   become a person of faith, you realize that faith in Amida is not from you. It can't be from you. And it comes directly from Amida and I see so much proof of that, in my faith. When it's like everything else in my life is in upheaval and change and flux. The only thing that remains unchanging is my faith in Amida Buddha. And it just I still find that amazing. 

Do not worry about inner or outer conditions when saying the Name of Amida Buddha

Question: What is the right attitude when worshipping Amida Buddha? What is the best way to worship Amida? What inner or outer conditions we must meet in order to worship Amida?

My answer: Be relaxed and respectful. This is the right attitude towards Amida Buddha. Be relaxed like a child in the presence of his parent and respectful like a disciple in the presence of his Master. Amida Buddha is both our dear spiritual Parent and our Master or Guru. He loves us like a true parent and guides us as the perfect Master.[1]

The best way to worship Amida Buddha is to say His Name in faith (Namo Amida Bu).  Why? Because this is what He said we should do in His Primal Vow[2]. When we say Amida's Name (Nembutsu) we should NOT worry about inner or outer conditions:

No te preocupes por las condiciones internas o externas al decir el Nombre del Buda Amida

 translated by Kosho Arana Sensei 

Pregunta: ¿Cuál es la actitud correcta al adorar al Buda Amida? ¿Cuál es la mejor forma de adorar a Amida? ¿Qué condiciones internas o externas debemos cumplir para adorar a Amida?

Mi respuesta: Debes ser relajado y respetuoso. Ésta es la actitud correcta ante el Buda Amida. Debemos simplemente estar relajados como un niño en presencia de sus padres y también debemos ser respetuosos como un discípulo en presencia de su Maestro. El Buda Amida es tanto nuestro querido Padre espiritual como nuestro Maestro o Gurú. Él nos ama como un verdadero padre y nos guía como el Maestro perfecto. [1] 

La mejor manera de adorar al Buda Amida es decir Su Nombre con fe (Namo Amida Bu). ¿Por qué? Porque esto es lo que Él dijo que deberíamos hacer en Su Voto Primordial [2]. Cuando decimos el nombre de Amida (Nembutsu) NO debemos preocuparnos por las condiciones internas o externas:

A question on Buddhism, violence and arms

Kennyo Shonin, our 11th warrior Patriarch
after Shinran, wearing a battle flag with three types 
of Nembutsu. This photo is dedicated to
all fake Buddhists who hide their cowardice
 and heresies behind sweet peaceful words

  Recently I have received many questions on the topic of   violence and arms and I thought to give a public  answer to one of them. 

 Question: Is violence justified? Are there situations when   Buddhists can and should react violently? How about Buddhists   carrying arms? 

 My answer: I will give you a sad answer. I don’t like to give   such answers but I must do it. Yes, sometimes violence and arms  can be used and must be used. We are not Buddhas who are  beyond harm and live freely in both mind and body or any   manifestations they assume for the sake of saving and guiding   us. They can endure anything because they are beyond   suffering.  More than this, they can even make their body   manifestations indestructible. Just look at the example of   Padmasambhava who could not be burned or killed by any   means.

 However, we are ordinary beings living in samsara. We identify   ourselves with our delusory bodies and our dear ones. Most   importantly, we need freedom and liberties to follow and spread   the Dharma. We invented states and laws to protect these rights   and liberties and in the past many shed their blood to do so.   Surely, if Hitler and the Nazis were not stopped violently we   could not practice Buddha Dharma freely into our own   countries. The insanity of the Nazi regime with the racial   motivated killings needed to be stopped. Life in human form is   extremely precious and we could not allow and should never   allow anybody, be it a single person or a government to destroy   it or take its freedoms and advantages. Governments and   politicians are nothing else but our employees who were given   the mandate of administering the common resources and protect   the rights and liberties. These rights and liberties are NOT   given by governments but naturally possessed by us since we   were born. They are written in the natural way of things and the  role of any government is to protect them and assure an environment in which we can live naturally each according to his/her own conscience. However, when a government goes against the people who is supposed to serve and starts disrespecting their rights and liberties then that government breaks the social contract and it deserves to fall either peacefully or violently if they don’t want to go peacefully. This is common sense. You don’t need to be a Buddhist to understand this simple logic. And if you are a Buddhist you should not deny it like you are some kind of detached Buddha in human form. In samsara you need suitable samsaric environments to promote the Dharma. As Shinran said: 

On why it is important to defend all aspects of the Buddha Dharma

Somebody asked me why I put so much energy in defending general Buddhist teachings when all that matters in our tradition is faith in Amida.

My strategy is simple. If we allow modernists to destroy only a little part of the Dharma they will grow confident and start destroying all the teachings of various Dharma gates. They are already doing that as they attack anything that does not conform with their atheistic or secularist ideologies. They attack for example the doctrine or rebirth and life after death as well as the teaching on the transcendent reality of Amida and His Pure Land. They also try to destroy the teachings on morality and family duties. They are like rats who enter a house from all parts.

A question on the Buddhist marriage

photo from a Buddhist marriage in Maharastra, India
As you can see, I am not the only one who officiates
Buddhist weddings

I heard that my recent posts on the Buddhist marriage ceremony  created a lot of discomfort to many. How the normal union between man and woman can make some feel uncomfortable is beyond the capacity to understand of any normal person who knows Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching and the natural differences between men and women. Perhaps many fake Buddhists who put LGBTQ's ideology on the same level with the Buddhist teaching prefer to think with their anus instead of their brains 😀, so they do not deserve my attention. However, here is a question that should get an answer:

Sobre el significado budista del matrimonio y sobre el rol del esposo y la esposa

 

Translated from English by Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana

En el estilo Amidaji de enseñanza siempre consultamos directamente el Dharma tanto en el aspecto más importante de la vida después de la muerte como en los detalles de nuestra vida diaria. En este caso queremos saber qué tiene que decir el Dharma sobre el matrimonio, por eso escucharemos las enseñanzas que el Buda Shakyamuni dio a las parejas (hombres y mujeres).

La mujer debe prestar atención y contemplar lo que el Buda dijo sobre los deberes de una buena esposa y el hombre debe prestar atención y contemplar los deberes de un esposo igualmente.