“All we need to do for our attainment of Buddhahood in the Pure Land is mentioned in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha: to say the Name in faith and wish to be born there. Nothing else. No meditation practices, no this or that special virtue, just entrust to Amida, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land.”
-Reverend Josho Cirlea
From the moment of being grasped by Amida Buddha, I knew I had reached my destination, that my past spiritual journey as a seeker had ended. In that instant, my destiny had changed. Even if the turmoil of life in Samsara has remained exactly the same, I know that with each step I take, I continue life as a person of shinjin: I know that at the moment of my last dying breath, Amida Buddha will appear to me and that in the next moment, He will take me to His Pure Land where I become an Enlightened being.
There is nothing else I need to do or search for, but simply focus on this path and enjoy the Nembutsu — with the relief of knowing that my destiny is sealed.
From this moment of shinjin, it was natural for me to stop all other Buddhist practices.
In the words of Master Master Honen,
“With your whole heart look forward expectantly to birth in the Pure Land, worship and bear in mind the Buddha of Infinite Light, and don’t think about anything else, nor perform any other spiritual practices.”[1]
No matter how precious they were previously to me, in that instant of Shinjin, I knew them to be neither nor appropriate. Like wearing a heavy woollen coat on a hot summer’s day, I cast them away because they were burdening and hindering me on my path as a devotee of Amida’s Primal Vow.
In his post on the 8th element of genuine faith, Reverend Josho explains,
“Now please, pay attention: to say the Name of Amida, and not of other Buddhas or religious figures outside Buddhism, to have faith in Amida and wish to be born in His Pure Land, not in the land of other Buddhas! This is extremely important.
“Among all the pure lands in the ten directions we chose to go in the Pure Land of Amida, and from among all the Buddhas in the ten directions we chose to entrust to and say the Name of Amida only. This is not because other Buddhas are not worthy of devotion and respect, or that other practices like meditation, precepts and so on, are not good in themselves. It is just because other Buddhas do not have vows of making evil people like us to be born so easy in their Pure Lands, and because only Amida took the Vow to do so”
Amida Buddha is the only one among all Buddhas in the ten directions who conceived the inconceivable: a mechanism of salvation that enables all beings, without discrimination, including those who are lacking in any possible virtue, like me, to freely access His Land of Enlightenment.
In the words of Master Rennyo ,
"When we inquire in detail as to why it is that Amida’s Primal Vow surpasses the compassionate vows of other Buddhas, we realize that the Buddhas of the ten directions are unable to save sentient beings with extremely deep evil karma or women, who are burdened with the five obstacles and the three submissions. Hence it is said that Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow surpasses other Buddhas’ vows."[2]
"It was Amida Tathagata who alone made an unsurpassed, incomparable Vow – the great Vow that he would save ordinary beings burdened with evils and offences and women burdened with the five obstacles.[3]
Do not get me wrong. I have abandoned the practices of other Buddhist gateways, but that doesn’t mean that I disregard the Teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. On the contrary, I wholeheartedly believe that, through my devotion to Amida Buddha, I am expressing my devotion to Shakyamuni and all the Buddhas in the Ten Directions, and this, in a deeper way than I could ever through self-powered practices where I invariably failed. I know that, in Their Wisdom, it is Shakyamuni and all the Buddhas who guided me, as if placing little white stones for me to follow, eventually leading me to Amida’s Compassionate Embrace because in their compassionate wisdom, they knew this was the only possibility for a wretched being such as me.
Heng Ng explains this perfectly in his post on the True Disciple of the Buddha,
"True Disciples of Buddha – are therefore, the appropriate term for Buddhist followers – especially in this Dharma Ending Age – who rely completely on Amida Buddha’s absolute Vow-power (Other-power) and are truly settled in diamond-like Shinjin. They know without any doubt that, they will be Buddhas in Amida’s Pure Land at the end of their present lives. Naturally, they would live out the rest of their lives, remaining as foolish persons filled with blind passions, yet carefully watch over and constantly protected by the Compassionate Light of Amida Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha and all the Buddhas in the ten directions."
In his article Heng Ng tells us that we are not only guided, but also, once truly settled in our faith in Amida Buddha, we continue to be "carefully" watched over and protected until our time comes to be reborn in Amida's Land of Bliss.
I always wondered why, as in the image above, so many depictions of Bodhisattva Kannon (Avalokiteśvara) show a figure of Amida Buddha in Her crown. I understand now that this not only indicates the active guidance of sentient beings towards entrusting themselves to Amida but also the continued protection of Amida Buddha, Shakyamuni, and all the other Buddhas of the ten directions and that protection is one of the Ten Benefits of Faith in Amida during this life.
What need could I possibly have for other practices, faiths and deities when I have the trusted companionship of Amida Buddha, Shakyamuni, Kannon, Seishi and all the Buddhas?
As Master Shinran tells us,
"When you singlemindedly recite Amida’s Name, Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta will always follow you and protect you, just as shadows follow objects. They are like your close friends and teachers"[4]
Nor does being a follower of the Primal Vow cast any shadow on my reverence for Shakyamuni Buddha, for it is clear to me that Shakyamuni's foremost intent for this World was to bring the teachings of Amida Buddha as Master Shinran tells us through the words of Master Shan Tao,
“To reveal the true teaching: It is the Larger Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. The central purport of this sutra is that Amida, by establishing the incomparable Vows, has opened wide the Dharma storehouse, and full of compassion for small, foolish beings, selects and bestows the treasure of virtues. The sutra further reveals that Shakyamuni appeared in this world and expounded the teachings of the way to Enlightenment, seeking to save the multitudes of living beings by blessing them with this benefit that is true and real[2]. Thus, to teach the Tathagata’s Primal Vow is the true intent of this sutra; the Name of the Buddha is its essence”[5]
Also, why would I even wish to combine the Nembutsu with other Buddhist practices?
As Reverend Josho explains,
"Also, do not think that you acquire special protection or other spiritual or worldly benefits if you combine the saying of nembutsu with other sacred formulas or practices. This is because all you need to receive is provided in the Name of Amida. Just say exclusively the Name of Amida and many spiritual blessings will naturally come to you. How can not this be the case, when all Buddhas praise Amida’s Name? What can have more spiritual benefits than a Name that is praised by all Buddhas? If all Buddhas praise the Name of Amida, why do you, a disciple of the Buddhas and a person who has attachments to many Buddhas, don’t do the same?"
As I contemplate Josho's words I know how it would be absolute madness to indulge in the slightest egocentric delusion of self-power at the very risk of forfeiting the REALITY of Amida Buddha's protection, which encompasses the protection of Shakyamuni , Kannon, Seishi and all Buddhas!
Namo Amida Bu
Namo Amida Bu
Namo Amida Bu
Things you may find interesting
Relevant articles by Reverend Josho:
Article by Heng Ng
References
[1]Honen Shonin, Dialogue on the Essential Teachings.
[2]Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter „On the Compassionate Vows of Other Buddhas”, BDK English Tripitaka 105-II, 106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1996, Berkeley USA, p.60
[3] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter „On the Present Plight of the world”, in BDK English Tripitaka 105-II, 106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1996, Berkeley USA, p85
[4] Shinran Shonin, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.7
[5] Shinran Shonin quoted Master Shantao in Kyogyoshinsho, chapter III, Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 132