Amida Buddhism Newcastle

Amida France Retreat Centre - Events Summer 2008

Details of events and booking information, what to bring with you etc to our wonderful retreat centre in the middle of France.

How to regard Amida?: Dharmavidya

Quick answer: Amida is a real person and is a Buddha Tathagata.

QUESTION: I'm a recent, enthusiastic convert to Shin and have read through your insightful and thought-provoking posts on your web site as well as reading all the Shin literature I can find on the web. So much of it speaks very deeply to me. But I remain confused and conflicted about a central issue that even seems to divide Shin followers - how to view the "reality" of Amida. Some seem to view Amida as having some form of personhood, others seem to see Amida as "only" symbolic. Frankly, I 'm torn coming from a nominally zen background-inclining me to see Amida as merely symbolic of True Mind, yet I find it difficult to muster adequate devotion to a mere "symbol."

Continue reading "how to regard amida?" »

Quick answer: Amida is a real person and is a Buddha Tathagata.

QUESTION: I'm a recent, enthusiastic convert to Shin and have read through your insightful and thought-provoking posts on your web site as well as reading all the Shin literature I can find on the web. So much of it speaks very deeply to me. But I remain confused and conflicted about a central issue that even seems to divide Shin followers - how to view the "reality" of Amida. Some seem to view Amida as having some form of personhood, others seem to see Amida as "only" symbolic. Frankly, I 'm torn coming from a nominally zen background-inclining me to see Amida as merely symbolic of True Mind, yet I find it difficult to muster adequate devotion to a mere "symbol."

Quick answer: Amida is a real person and is a Buddha Tathagata.

Buddhist Basics and the Amida-shu Approach

An essay about Amida Pureland Buddhism: a practical approach to self-power and other-power.

Buddhism is the application of the kind of enlightenment that was attained by the sage, Siddhartha Gotama, called the Buddha, who lived in what is now India, two thousand five hundred years ago. Enlightenment means liberation of the mind. It does not imply a straightjacket or even a single path. Buddha praised “faith and striving”. Strive to overcome your faults and do good, and have faith that you will be helped and that a better world will come.

An essay about Amida Pureland Buddhism: a practical approach to self-power and other-power.

River of Fire, River of Water

A parable told by the sage, Shan Tao (613-681), spiritual ancestor of the Pureland tradition.

And to all those who wish to be reborn in the Pure Land, I now tell a parable for the sake of those who would practice the True Way, as a protection for their faith and a defense against the danger of erring views. What is it? It is like a man who desires to travel a hundred thousand 'li' to the West. Suddenly in the midst of his route he sees two rivers. One is a river of fire stretching South. The other is a river of water stretching North. Each of the two rivers is a hundred steps across and unfathomably deep. They stretch without end to the North and South. Right between the fire and water, however, is a white path barely four or five inches wide. Spanning the East and West banks, it is one hundred steps long. The waves of water surge and splash against the path on one side while the flames of fire scorch it on the other.

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A parable told by the sage, Shan Tao (613-681), spiritual ancestor of the Pureland tradition.

Two Short Audio Dharma Talks

“Love is Unborn” - Short Talk: audio
“Anjin: Settled Faith” - Short Talk: audio

“Love is Unborn” - Short Talk: audio
“Anjin: Settled Faith” - Short Talk: audio

Buddhism IS a Religion

A short essay by Dharmavidya, distancing Pureland from the current popular tendency to downplay the religious or spiritual dimension of the Buddha's message. Pureland is a religion in the truest sense.

You may have heard that Buddhism is “not a religion”. Amida Buddhism, however, retains the true religious core of Buddha’s message - faith in the Unborn - and so provides a safe place where each person can penetrate below the veneer of rational secularist practice and explore the heart of faith in an intimate and vibrant way, free from judgementalism or narrowness. According to Buddhism, religions are made by humans to put us in relation to that which no human ever made - that which is beyond this relative world. Each religion is fallible, but what it points toward is eternal. Buddhism is no exception. Buddhism points out the Deathless.

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A short essay by Dharmavidya, distancing Pureland from the current popular tendency to downplay the religious or spiritual dimension of the Buddha's message. Pureland is a religion in the truest sense.

Basic Principles of Amida Pureland

Index of short articles on basic principles of Amida Pureland Buddhism

Social Engagement in the Service of the Pureland

Nembutsu

Pureland Buddhism

The Dharma Vision

Buddhism IS a Religion

Buddhist Basics and the Amida-shu Approach

Index of short articles on basic principles of Amida Pureland Buddhism

Dharma Vision

A short essay by Dharmavidya about the all-encompassing samadhi that comes from living in relation to Noyrai - actualising the nembutsu.

Dharma means truth. It transcends all particular religious forms. We practise in a Pureland Buddhist style, but the essence of what we are practising is the spiritual vision of humankind in all times, places and cultures. It is the dream or vision of a pure realm of love, beauty, harmony and truth standing in juxtaposition to our messy world of real joys and disappointments, intimacies and rejections. When that which is pure comes into relation with that which is existential, we experience a deep sense of bitter-sweetness.

Vision here translates the Sanskrit word samadhi. To be in a samadhi means to be uplifted by spiritual truth. It is an orientation to life that is full of joy and gratitude in which one lives not by the power of one's own ego but by the inspiration of spiritual truth which is beyond self - the still small voice, the flame that never dies.

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A short essay by Dharmavidya about the all-encompassing samadhi that comes from living in relation to Noyrai - actualising the nembutsu.

Pureland Buddhism

A short essay about the nature of Pureland Buddhism as an expression of taking refuge.

In Mahayana Buddhism, we vow to help all sentient being to attain complete awakening and, in order to do so, we vow to transform all our negative passions into love and compassion, to master all the Buddha's teachings and to fulfil every step of the Buddhist path. These bodhisttva vows stand like a kind of heroic gesture. No matter how many lifetimes it takes, I will overcome all the harm and suffering in the world and bring all beings to the land of bliss. When we look at the vows from the ordinary perspective they seem like a personal challenge. How shall I do it? Where must I begin? In our morning service we recite these vows. We re-enter the bodhisattva path each new day. Then immediately after doing so we recite the refuges which in our tradition begin with taking refuge in Amida Buddha. Amida Buddha is the highest Buddha, representative of all Buddhas, past, present and future, in this and all possible worlds. We take refuge in those Buddhas. This provides us with the means to fulfil the bodhisattva vow. By our own power alone we could not do it. We will not do it by our own determination alone. We can only do it by relying upon the Buddhas.

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A short essay about the nature of Pureland Buddhism as an expression of taking refuge.

The Three Key Teachings

Short explanations of bombu nature, trikaya and nembutsu.

There are three central teachings of the Amida-shu:

Trikaya Nature of Buddha In Pureland, in common with all Mahayana Buddhism, Buddha is understood to mean not merely a species of particularly gifted human teacher, but also the spiritual principle or reality that informs such teachers and, beyond that, ultimate reality. These three constitute the trikaya or three bodies of the Tathagata.

Bonbu Nature of Persons Pureland places particular emphsis upon the deluded or foolish nature of ordinary beings. This is called being bonbu or having guchi nature. We are all frail, vulnerable and prone to error and do not claim enlightened or other elevated spiritual status.

Nembutsu as the Core of all Practice Pureland Buddhists practise nembutsu. Other practices are admitted only insofar as they are expressions of nembutsu. Pureland Buddhists do not use practices that have spiritual accomplishment as their aim. Nembutsu in its narrow usage means calling the name of Amida Buddha, usually in the form "Namo Amida Bu". More broadly, nembutsu means always calling Nyorai to mind. Nyorai is one of the names for Buddha, indicating the Buddha who comes to us when we call. Nembutsu thus means to live constantly in awareness of relatedness to Nyorai - a sense of being accepted and blessed.

Additional important concepts:
Other Power: All Buddhism is divided into jiriki (“self-power”) and tariki (“other-power”). Pureland Buddhism is tariki. This means that Amida Buddhism is a religion of grace, faith and devotion.

Pure Land: The activity of Buddhas generates a Buddha-field or Pure Land. Pureland Buddhists have faith in this process, in this and all future lives. We see ourselves as engaged in Nyorai's work of transformation.

Social Engagement: Since as Pureland Buddhists we do not have to wait until we are enlightened before we become part of the Buddha Land, we can get on with assisting all sentient beings immediately, without needing to take care about our own salvation.

Nyorai: The spiritual dimension of Buddhahood (see: Trikaya, above) is often called Nyorai or, in Sanskrit, Tathagata, meaning “come from tathata”. Tathata refers to the sacred dimension of reality, literally “thusness”.

::by Dharmavidya

Short explanations of bombu nature, trikaya and nembutsu.