The relation between hearing the Name, faith and saying the Name of Amida Buddha

Amida Buddha promised in His Primal Vow that those who entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land (“sincerely entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and say my Name perhaps even ten times[1]”) will be born there.
 
The reason faith (“entrust to me”), desire to be born in the Pure Land, as well as the saying of the Name (Nembutsu) are mentioned in the same Vow is because they cannot be treated separately. One who has faith in Amida Buddha will naturally say His Name and wish to be with Him in the Pure Land. Thus, there can be no faith separated from Nembutsu, and no Nembutsu separated from faith. Also, there can be no faith and no Nembutsu of faith without the desire to be born in the Pure Land.
 
Recently, a reader expressed the opinion that to say the Name of Amida Buddha is secondary to “hearing the Name”. This is a grave misunderstanding of the Jodo Shinshu teaching which cannot arise if we properly understand the term “hearing the Name”. So, to hear the Name means to have faith (shinjin), as Shinran clearly explained,

We do not rely on personal vows but on Amida's Primal Vow

Last update - January 8th, 2024

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I heard many times the idea that we need to make a vow to be born in the Pure Land. This is said under the influence of various Chinese Pure Land groups that place a lot of emphasis on self-power, a view which is totally rejected in our school.

I will state it clearly and I ask all of you to please listen deeply:
We do not need to make a personal vow to be born in the Pure Land because birth in the Pure Land does NOT depend on our personal power, but on Amida's Power.
This is extremely important - you can be born in the Pure Land by the Power of Amida Buddha, and NOT by your self power! The vows you make have ZERO importance. What matters is that you give up any idea of self power and entrust completely to Amida Buddha.

In His Primal Vow (18th Vow) Amida mentioned three conditions to be born in His Pure Land : "say my Name, entrust to me and wish to be born in my land". He did not mention that you must make any vows or transfer any merits! To wish to be born is not the same as a vow which can easily make one think that he goes to the Pure Land through his own act of will. So, if we do the above three simple things in the Primal Vow, we become karmically connected to Amida's Power and we are assured of birth in the Pure Land.

Our Jodo Shinshu is the school of the Primal Vow, of total and exclusive reliance on Amida Buddha. Nothing inside our unenlightened minds can bring us closer to the Pure Land. Only Amida's Power and His Primal Vow (His Main Promise) are reliable. We will reach His Pure Land because He vowed that He will bring us there if we entrust to Him and say His Name in faith, and NOT because we make any personal vows or we transfer our pitiful "merits" to birth there.

The promises and vows made by unreliable and unenlightened minds mean nothing, while the Promise and Vow of Amida is everything.
Namo Amida Bu

The Pure Land is in harmony with all beings

Master Shan-tao said:

“It is regrettable indeed that sentient beings doubt what should not be doubted;
The Pure Land is right before us and never out of harmony with us.
Do not ponder whether Amida will take you in or not;
The question is whether or not you wholeheartedly turnabout at heart.”[1]
 

Commentary:
The Pure Land is extremely easy to reach. This is the meaning of the words “right before us”. We’ll go there in an instant at the moment of our death if we have entrusted ourselves to Amida Buddha during this life. It is the easiest country to emigrate – no visas, no special requirements, just say Amida’s Name in faith and wish to be born there, and you will, at the end of your physical body. Being easy to enter, the Pure Land is in harmony with all beings as anybody can go there without discrimination between virtuous and non-virtuous. Harmony mean accessibility, that is, nothing that can be found within our ignorant mind constitutes an obstacle for birth there.

Thus, you should not doubt Amida Buddha’s capacity to save you, but ask yourself if you really have faith in Him. To turnabout at heart means to leave behind any reliance on your self-power and abandon yourself totally to Amida’s Power. As He is the One who manifested His Pure Land, you can only go there through Him. An unenlightened mind cannot create within oneself the cause to birth into the enlightened realm of the Pure Land. 

 

 

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[1] Master Shan-tao as quoted by Shinran in his Kygyoshinsho, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.238

  

There is NO true spirit of compassion in the celebration of Christmas, Easter or other holidays of monotheistic religions

I think it’s necessary to continue the previous article We should not make publicity to nonBuddhist holidays or the gods and spirits they represent with a new one in which to explain even more why I think that promoting nonBuddhist holidays, symbols and so-called “divine figures” associated with them is creating a subtle obstacle for other people’s encounter with the true teaching of Buddhism. Many nowadays Buddhists and especially teachers or aspiring teachers suffer from the illness of political correctness, combined with an incapacity to use what they already have in Buddhism to promote its teachings. They are blind for subtle dangers and are unable to raise themselves above the ideologies or habits of their time and so they support some things just because the majority do it and it’s nice (and “compassionate”) to do them, or it pleases people, etc, without being aware that they actually build more obstacles for people’s encountering the Dharma and receive faith in Amida.
 
I usually do not read other people’s reactions to my posts, but sometimes their stupidity helps me to explain things better, which is why I think this article will be very beneficial to many.
 
Somebody wrote a reply to my previous article,
“The point I am making is that neither Amida Buddha, nor Shakyamuni Buddha, nor any other buddha (awakened being) cares whether you celebrate Christmas or not. Being an American raised in a Protestant Christian family, I personally celebrate Christmas, and treasure its spirit of forgiveness, charity, and compassion.”
 
Here is my answer,
The true spirit of Compassion is to be found in the Buddha Dharma because true Compassion is always related with true Wisdom which belongs only to Buddhas. From Infinite Wisdom arises Infinite Compassion, that is, from a real understanding of ultimate Buddha nature, the emptiness of samsaric phenomena and of the suffering of all beings drowned in delusion, Infinite Compassion arises. 

A great year for Amidaji

It has been a great spiritual pleasure for me that this year when we had the 850^th anniversary of Shinran Shonin’s birth in this world, and 20 years have passed since my ordination, our Amidaji international sangha has grown in quality with people of faith who are active in both learning and teaching. We are indeed a genuine Sangha where faith in Amida Buddha can be received and those who don’t have faith yet, can be guided and helped to receive it.
 
Also, this year has been very auspicious in the sense that I successfully examined and ordained Rev Kosho Arana of Colombia as a Buddhist monk (priest). He and our lay teachers, together with various lay members, are doing their best in their respective parts of the world to promote the orthodox teaching of Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. I also try my best to do my duty, inspired as I am by Amida Buddha and my fellow travelers on the Nembutsu Path. After so many years of struggle, which I explained in my autobiography, The Path Between the Thorns, I am finally at home in a Sangha which is a reflection of Amida’s Light in the world.
 
I often say that NOBODY has the monopoly on the Jodo Shinshu teaching (and ordinations), as there are people of genuine faith in all branches of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism or without any official affiliation at all. They are themselves reflections of Amida’s Light in the world and future Buddhas who will, sooner or later, be able to manifest an infinite number of Nirmanakaya (accommodated) bodies all over the samsaric universes to guide all beings, while in the same time dwell forever in Sambhogakaya form in the Pure Land of Peace and Bliss.   
 
To Amida Budha, to Amida Dharma, and to all people of faith from inside or outside of Amidaji,
I bow in gratitude with my head touching the ground and worship them as the Three Treasures.

Namo Amida Bu 
 
Josho Adrian Cirlea – Daisojo of Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism 

(Amidaji International Temple)
 

Links of Amidaji branch of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

( except this website)

Amidaji group in Russian language 

 Amidaji website in Spanish maintained by our members in Latino America

Youtube page of Amidaji in Spanish

Youtube channel in English (Rev Josho Adrian Cirlea)

Youtube channel of Joshin from USA 

Website in Romanian 

We should not make publicity to nonBuddhist holidays or the gods and spirits they represent

Some time ago I posted this message advising Buddhists to stop making publicity to nonBuddhist holidays:

 
Being respectful towards our nonBuddhist neighbours and friends does NOT mean that we should pray to or make publicity to false, nonBuddhist gods. As Pure Land Buddhists we should promote only Amida Buddha and encourage people to entrust only to Amida Buddha. By making publicity to nonBuddhist gods and spirits you create the evil karma of offering false teachings to sentient beings. I very much dislike how fake Buddhists post images (and even praises) of nonBuddhist gods and spirits on various nonBuddhists celebrations, including Christmas, Easter and even pre-Christian holidays. Remember, respect does NOT mean promotion! Respect means working together with your neighbors, helping them in times of need, etc. Promoting the images of their gods and spirits is a mistake, not a sign of respect. Pull yourselves together and stop being stupid when you try to be nice.