lotusinthemud

Nembutsu chanting, 17 August: Mondays and every day

Nembutsu recitation* is for every day, not just for Mondays, of course (reminds me of ‘dogs are for life, not just for Christmas! Some people are taking up the '30 days of Nembutsu practice', which is an excellent way to start of refresh your practice. :: link

During the next few days a few people are preparing to enter the Amida Shu and Amida Order   :: link 

They have been asked by Dharmavidya to “Recite as many nembutsu as possible – aim for a thousand a day between now and the ceremony” Maybe you can join them at a distance – as many recitations as you are able. Namo Amida Bu!

* :: about Nembutsu practice

Amida Shu - core texts, sutras and verses, including the Nien Fo book

NienFoBook 2018 The service book for Amida Shu, containing liturgy and sacred texts. Version December 2015.

Audio recording of Nien-Fo Book: Listen to recordings of the liturgy and chants.

The Sutra on the Contemplation of the Buddha Amitayus

Two Pureland Sutras The Larger Pureland Sutra and the Smaller Pureland Sutra

Meal time and incense offering verses

Texts translated into other languages

 

:: link

Amida Shu Pureland Buddhism (Amida School) Definitions

Q: What is Amida Shu

Dharmavidya's Answer: Socially engaged Pureland Buddhism, a generic, religious spirituality animated by the energy of Amida Buddha. Amida shu has three basic teachings: the trikaya nature of Buddhas, the bombu nature of adherents and the nembutsu as principle practice. The core teachings of Amida shu are found in the Larger Pureland Sutra. Amida Shu is an other power spirituality.

Q: What is other power?

A: Other power refers to the Buddha's teaching of 'dependent origination', according to which all things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. This means both that the causes in our karmic history will always cause us to be bombu and also that there are other causes that can, nonetheless, empower our spiritual life. All of these - our own karmic history and our openness to the healing power of Buddhas - are outside of ('other' than) our present self. We are both victims and beneficiaries of other powers. When we take refuge in the healing power of a Buddha it is as though a seed were planted within us that will then grow by itself. We then become a tathagatagarbha, or 'buddha-womb' within which the seed of Buddha gradually matures. Calling upon Amida Buddha is thus like allowing oneself to be impregnated by the Buddha's healing power which will then grow of its own accord. Amida Shu thus relies upon a subliminal process of spiritual growth.

Q: What does the Larger Pureland Sutra say?

A: In brief, it is the story, told by Shakyamuni Buddha to his disciple Ananda, of a bodhisattva called Dharmakara who establishes a Pure Land and thereby becomes Amida Buddha. Included are Dharmakara's prayers that describe the nature of that land as a place where there are no hells or places of punishment, no discrimination or disadvantaging of particular social groups, no war or oppression, only opportunity for spiritual advanement and enjoyment. Dharmakara also promises that he will bring to his realm anybody who sincerely calls upon or takes refuge in him. The beings in Amida Buddha's Pure Land are all either shravakas or bodhisattvas. Thus the sutra specifies the calling of Amida's name as the means by which an affinity is created between oneself and the Buddha and also provides an archetypal example of how, in the case of Dharmakara Bodhisattva, such a connection eventually ripened into the creation of a Pure Land and full Buddhahood.

Amida India Appeal Poster

Download Amida India Appeal 7th July

Appeal in aid of Amida India

Download Amida India Appeal 7th July

Below you will find a message from ITZI and the Amida Trustees, who are fundraising in support of our sangha in Delhi.

*****

We, the trustees of ITZI*, would like to tell you about the Amida Sangha in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

The Sangha began over thirteen years ago, when Rev Sahishnu and Acharya Modgala were invited to go to Delhi to carry out an educational programme which taught English to Dalit children on the streets of Delhi. The Dalits – or so-called ‘Untouchables’ – are the lowest caste in the Indian system and have been subject to the most extreme prejudice, seen as less than human, worthy of no respect and restricted to work regarded as unclean. Dalits generally live in great poverty and often fear for their lives, especially if they challenge the system. The Dalit community told Dharmavidya that learning English is an essential first step to improve the prospects of Dalit children.

The educational programme was a great success, teaching English to many dozens of street children and their Dalit families, and helping to gain respect from the local authorities.

The Delhi sangha grew as the fruit of this work. Children and their families asked for classes in Buddhism and then became Buddhists, inspired particularly by the legacy of Dr Ambedkar’s Dalit Buddhist Movement, which sees Buddhism as a way out of the Dalit predicament.

When Rev Sahishnu retired in 2014, Rev Suvidya, a local member of the Dalit community, was ordained as a full minister and took over the leadership of the project, to great success. A local organisation, the Amida Buddhist Association (ABA), was set up at the same time and now oversees the work of the project. In 2016, new premises were rented to become the sangha’s first Dharma centre.

Rev Suvidya runs three busy weekly children’s classes in three different locations, teaching English and Buddhism, as well as leading two adult/mixed family services. He also makes regular pastoral visits to Buddhist families and others needing support.

Since 2014, Amida Trust has supported Rev Suvidya in his work by providing him with a modest allowance and paying the Dharma centre rent. However, the Trust now needs to find additional donations to maintain the level of financial support needed to sustain this wonderful project. Given the financial impact that COVID-19 continues to have in the Dalit community...

We need your help. 

Please help us to support Suvidya, Suando, Sudoshin and the community by making a donation today. 

No matter how small, your contribution will make a difference and help us secure the future of this project. 

We would particularly welcome regular monthly contributions.
Even £5 per month would have a significant impact.

 

Donate Help Bestow Contribute http://www.amidatrust.com/india/donate-now

Read individual stories http://www.amidatrust.com/india/ 

More Info  https://www.facebook.com/AmidaDelhi/ 

Contact Susthama [email protected]

Yours gratefully, 

The trustees of ITZI: 

Dharmavidya David Brazier, Cordelia Grimwood, Rachel Joyce-Gibbons, Geeta Chari, Susthama Kim

The trustees of Amida Trust:

Tony Danford, John Croxon, Pam O’Brien, Ian Summers-Noble

*The International Zen Therapy Institute, ITZI, is a consortium of trainers and centres around the world dedicated to the development and dissemination of education in Buddhism, Buddhist Psychology and related approaches to spirituality, therapy and personal growth.

*****

Dharmavidya writes: (with reference to the podcast he sent out today):  It concerns a topic upon which there was a good deal of discussion in the Zoom groups last weekend.

These podcasts go out to members of Amida Shu and over a hundred other people who have requested to receive them.  They, and the associated zoom meetings, are all offered free of charge.  If, however, you would like to make some donation, I would prefer that you send it to support Amida work in India.  (:: link)  I hope you will give generously to this request for funds as there is a great need and the more resources they have the more they can do.

Clarifying Nembutsu Practice ~ Dharmavidya

QUESTION:  I’d like to be clear about what nembutsu practice is. It’s seems from what I can glean from your writing you are saying Amida Buddhism is the work of compassion in the world in the play of opposites. So practice begins with some kind of descent into what has been disowned. So I enjoyed the way you framed the practices of Chih Quan and Nei Quan as two koans. And the three kinds of mind seem to describe a larger picture of what Amida Buddha practice entails. 

So as I understand it, the nembutsu practice is the last step, maybe practice isn’t a word you would use to describe it since it seems to be an activated prayer based on faith in the unconditional love of Amida Buddha. So do you simply chant “Namo Buddha Bu”, like a mantra? Are you visualizing Amida Bu when you do this, or holding him in your heart and imagination. This seems to be both an act of faith and trust in the underlying love of the universe which supports us all, and a  act of imagination, as our Bodhisattva vow is as well. 

I’d appreciate any direction you could send me in to help me do some of this practice for myself.

 

SHORT ANSWER: Just say “Namo Amida Bu” in simple faith.

LONG ANSWER:  Thank you, great question. Yes, hold the Buddha in your heart and imagination. But even if, sometimes, you just say the words, it is still powerful. The nembutsu does its own work.

Nembutsu is an expression of refuge.  Understanding and entering into the deep and true meaning of refuge is the core of the Buddhist religion and it is a life long practice.  So a Buddhist is somebody who chooses to take refuge in Buddha and keeps on doing so in deeper and deeper ways as understanding and experience broaden and deepen.  In the Pureland forms of Buddhism, of which Amida Shu is one, the Buddha we take refuge in is Amida Buddha, on account of his all-acceptance.  This goes with the Pureland emphasis upon humility in the practitioner - even if one is the lowest of the low, Amida will accept you just as you are.  So the form of taking refuge in these branches of Buddhism is “Namo Amida Bu” or an equivalent in local language. 

In the larger Pureland Sutra it says that Amida accepts anybody who thinks upon him with sincerity and “thinking upon him” is, for practical purposes, taken to mean calling his name.  therefore, the most fundamental form of nembutsu practice is to call the Buddha to mind by saying his name - in this case “Amida” or “Amitabha”, usually “Namo Amida Bu”. This is called the nembutsu. (nem=mindfluness, butsu=Buddha, hence “mindfulness of Buddha” or “bringing Buddha to mind”). To call one Buddha is to call all Buddhas.

So nembutsu practice is simply to say the nembutsu in simple faith on all occasions, formally or informally, singly or in congregation, to oneself or out loud.  Nothing needs to be done in advance of this.  Choosing the nembutsu is the key action and commitment.  To entrust oneself to the nembutsu is called shinjin.

Several things, inessential but useful, follow, in no particular order:

1/ The nembutsu is a window through which all of Buddha’s teachings may be seen.  It gives one a perspective on the Dharma. Once one has chosen nembutsu as one’s key practice, all other practices become forms of nembutsu.  Why is one bowing, offering incense, reading scriptures, sitting in zazen, etc? In order to deepen refuge and so make the nembutsu more real and sincere.

2/ The nembutsu, in effect, is the planting of Buddha seed in one’s heart.  One becomes a Buddha womb.  This seed will grow, just as an embryo grows in the womb of the mother, but the mother does not make the baby grow; one does not need to do anything about it.  The process is unconscious.  All the mother needs to do is avoid anything dangerous or damaging.  Just so, a nembutsu practitioner should maintain good general spiritual health, but does not need to worry.

3/ Although subjectively one has the sense of having selected the nembutsu by oneself, in reality, the arising of the urge to do so is Amida’s grace. It is the Buddha who has planted the seed, not oneself.  It is not really that one has done something so much as that one has been “seized by Amida”.  This is not, therefore, a practice in which one strives to achieve something, so much as one in which one entrusts to a process more powerful than oneself and celebrates this grace that has come into one’s life.

4/ Consequently, many Buddhist teachings come to be seen “the other way around”.  there is a kind of reversal.  The eightfold path is an outcome, not a means.  Salvation, enlightenment, samadhi and so on are not things to be achieved.  They may be given, but it is all out of one’s hands.

5/ There are practices such as nei quan and chi quan which can deepen one’s appreciation of nembutsu in an experiential manner.  One can come to understand better “Who or what is it that calls the Buddha’s name?”  “Who has the Buddha called?” One can have experiences of the grace of Buddha descending into one’s frame.  This deepening can also come through such simple practices as having gratitude, appreciating nature, simplifying one’s life and so on. 

6/ There are also practices that can amplify the nembutsu experience. Thus

   a/ visualisation.  One can visualise Amida Buddha or the attendant bodhisattvas Quan Shi Yin (Kanzeon), or Tai Shih Chi (Mahasthamaprapta), or one can do the series of visualisations described in the Contemplation Sutra for visualising the Pure Land, and so on. 

   b/ circumambulating or prostrating to a stupa, relic or Buddha rupa while reciting the nembutsu

   c/ ceremonies, litanies, etc.

7. There can be many psychological spin-offs from the practice since one develops faith and confidence, preoccupations fall into perspective, fear of death is dissolved and self-defensiveness tends to fall away.  Accepting that we are all foolish beings, one feels fellow-feeling for others so empathy becomes more natural.

Many of the above can be done individually or in a congregation.  It is important to stress, however, that they are all anciliary to the core practice of just saying the nembutsu as often as possible, on all occasions, inwardly or outwardly, and trusting that this does the trick without need of any additional aid since it invokes the power of the Buddhas.  One might, when reciting, coordinate the chanting with the breath.  If this helps one to keep going, very good.  Or one might use a mala - I recommend it - but it is not essential.

Nembutsu can be chanted, like a mantra, or it can be said in the course of daily life, whatever happens. Good things happen: “Namo Amida Bu”, bad things happen: “Namo Amida Bu” - meeting a fellow practitioner: “Namo Amida Bu” - stopped at the traffic lights: “Namo Amida Bu” - looking at clouds in the sky: “Namo Amida Bu” - holding up a flower: “Namo Amida Bu”.  Calling Buddha to mind in association with everything that happens saturates one’s being with grace and blessings and generates samadhi.

There is an endless amount one could say, but the basic practice is extremely simple. Namo Amida Bu.

 

:: link to original post

Amida Shu Basic Definitions ~ Dharmavidya

Dharmavidya writes: 

What are the Basic Teachings of Amida Shu Buddhism?
Added by Dharmavidya on July 19, 2008
 
Amida Shu is a form of Buddhism that affirms

* (together with all Mahayana Buddhsim) the threefold nature of Buddha (ultimate Buddha, spiritual Buddha, Buddha in the world),

* adheres to the Pureland Buddhist emphasis upon the ‘bombu’ nature of the practitioner (that we do not have the power to become enlightened unaided), and

* adopts as its core practice the ‘nembutsu’ (calling upon Amida Tathagata).

These three constitute the core teachings of Amida Shu. Different members of Amida Shu may interpret these teaching in different ways. Amida Shu is in favour of personal spirituality and regards these three teachings as a framework within which individuals pursue their spiritual quest. The nature of faith, the real meaning of a ‘spiritual Buddha’, the value of particular practices, and so on are things for the practitioner to find out through experiential immersion, experiment, and reflection. Amida Shu is thus a school of Buddhism with much scope for enquiry and is not a ‘hand-me-down’ set of dogmas, even though it does provide a simple frame within which enquiry can proceed.

Broadly, Amida Shu differs from many other schools of Buddhism in seeing many of the elements of Buddhist teaching as ‘outcomes’ rather than as ‘means’. Thus, it is common for Buddhism to be presented as a means to attain enlightenment and the ‘eightfold path’, for instance, will then be presented as the method by which one can practice so as to arrive at the spiritual goal, whereas in Amida Shu the eightfold path will tend rather to be seen as the outcome of a spiritual life. This gives a particular flavour to this kind of spirituality making it celebratory rather than goal oriented. The emphasis on 'bombu nature' similarly eliminates any kudos in being 'spiritually advanced' and facilitates a spiritual relaxation into a sense of assured grace.

The Amida Shu understanding of faith is ‘other power’ but not passive. We believe that by associating ourselves with a Buddha we become part of that Buddha’s work. The outcome of ‘taking refuge’ is therefore an active life, not ‘in order to’ gain salvation  - Buddha will look after that for us - but rather as a result of one’s affinity to a Buddha whose sole wish is to benefit all beings. Amida Shu thus offers an ‘engaged’ Buddhism in which the engagement flows naturally from the basic teaching. To be a Pureland Buddhist is to be engaged in creating Pure Lands wherever one may be.

Amida Shu asserts the value of Buddhist ethics and encourages non-killing, vegetarianism, honesty, sexual responsibility, non-theft, abstinence from intoxicants and a scrupulous life generally. These are seen as intrinsic goods. The more spiritual a life a person lives the more likely they are to conform broadly to such standards. Pureland, however, is by no means puritan and does not assert either that it is possible to keep such precepts completely nor that it is possible for an individual to achieve a life that is pure or free from implication in the troubles and evils of this world. Pureland is aware of the richness of life, the joy of experience and the necessity of being involved in a robust way if one is to do any good. Creativity inevitably implies some destruction.   

The Amida Shu perspective is essentially pluralistic. Mahayana Buddhism, of which it is one form, asserts the existence of many Buddhas. By associating with one Buddha - Amida - we do not exclude the merit of associating with other Buddhas - whether ‘Buddhist’ or not. It thus offers a frame within which one can be at ease with the diversity of religions and religious practices in the world and Amida Shu generally supports inter-faith harmony and co-operation.

How Does Pureland Differ from Christianity or other Religions?

On the one hand, Pureland has, as just mentioned, no difficulty with accepting Christianity or any other religion as a valid means of spiritual practice. On the other hand, we would assert that what matters is whether or not what one puts at the centre of gravity of one’s life is what we call a Buddha or not. If the God or being or messiah or avatar or saint that one worships is compassionate and wise then that may be a Buddha. If he, she or it is warmongering, condemnatory, exclusivist or punitive, then that is probably not a Buddha. From this perspective, some Christians might seem to be engaged in a wholesome spiritual path while others might seem to be in spiritual danger from a Pureland perspective. 

***

Three Fundamentals
Posted by Dharmavidya on March 22, 2009

We say that there are three fundamental teachings in Amida Shu:
The threefold nature of Buddha
The twofold nature of the practicer
The singular nature of the practice.

The Buddha is the object of refuge and source of grace in three ways: as absolute truth, as spiritual presence and as physical manifestation.
The practicer is 'bombu' in being fallible and vulnerable.
The practice is singular in that nembutsu encompasses all.

Taking refuge in Buddha we choose the nembutsu as our single practice and, when we have done so, all practice becomes nembutsu.

• 
  We take refuge because we realise that we are fallible and vulnerable and incapable of saving ourselves from spiritual danger by our own power unaided.
• 
  We are able to take refuge because we attain faith by perceiving with our own senses, by having that faith enhanced by spiritual realisation, and by grounding it upon the intuition of absolute truth that lies beyond our immediate comprehension. 
  
  This summary encompasses the whole doctrinal and practice basis of Pureland.
  
  
  Why Chant?
  Posted by Dharmavidya on November 26, 2008
  
  Everything in life depends upon causes and conditions. Set up the right conditions and the right things happen. Buddhism teaches the right conditions for spiritual growth. A person is what they do. If a person acts with right intention they transform spiritual dangers into opportunities. Buddha taught that times of change (birth, illness, loss, gain, conjunction, separation, and encounter) are occasions of danger that can also be opportunity. However, a person is seldom able to take hold of such opportunity by their will-power alone. Will-power alone tends to be self-defeating because even when it achieves something it gives rise to pride over and attachment to those results. There is a more effective and subtle path to wholesome transformation via the deeper mind and the most effective way of activating such change is to chant.
  
  Actions are conditioned by mind and mind by actions. Since actions are conditioned by mind and mind is also conditioned by its objects, holding a wholesome object in mind conduces toward a wholesome life. Since the most wholesome object is a Buddha, keeping a Buddha in mind is the key to transformation. Since mind is conditioned by actions, the action of calling the Buddha deeply impresses this most wholesome object upon the mind, like a seal pressed into wax. The Buddhas are constantly trying to help us, but generally we resist their help. By calling out to them we open the door to our inner being through which they can help us and, through us, help others.
  
  Actually, the Buddhas are always calling to us. Amida Buddha is calling each of us. Amida’s light penetrates the deepest part of us, but unless we also call we remain closed. Once we begin a practice of chanting, however, a process of transformation begins. Something subtle starts to happen. Each person who chants becomes a vehicle for Amida’s compassionate work in the world, whether they are aware of it or not. Mostly, in fact, one is not aware of Amida’s action until one looks back over a period of time and sees that one’s life has changed. One has become more trusting and more effective in many ways and obstacles that used to seem big now seem manageable or small. We do not chant in order to change. We do not chant in order to help others. We chant in order to call the most loving presence into our life and to make ourselves available to it, but the effect is that we do change and others are benefited.
  
  Auxilliary Practices: Nei Quan and Chih Quan
  Posted by Dharmavidya on January 1, 2009
  
  The primary practice of Amida Shu is nembutsu, the verbal utterance of "Namo Amida Bu" or its equivalents. Nothing else is required for salvation. Nonetheless, the auxilliary practices of Nei Quan and Chih Quan do have intrinsic merit and they can expand one's appreciation, both intellectually and exprientially, of the importance of the nembutsu in our life.
  
  Nei Quan (inner reflection) derives from vipassana and refers to the first half of the nembutsu, that is, to reflection upon "Namo" - what is the nature of this creature that calls out? It’s nature is 'dependently originating nature' - we therefore reflect upon 'What have I received?' 'What has supported me?' 'What burden has my existence placed upon other things and other beings?' 'What have I done in return?' This kind of reflection can be targeted on a particular relationship or upon a situation or a time period. In a nei quan (Naikan in Japanese) intensive one might review one's whole life bit by bit - 'What did I receive from my mother in the first five years of my life?' '... between five and ten?' etc '...from my father...' and so on. Gregg Krech has written a nice book called Naikan. The practice generates many emotions and insights. It does not require formal meditation posture (in fact formal posture may hinder). Some people like to write or draw as part of the practice. It is a spiritual exercise that is not aimed at generating a particular state of mind, but rather a shift in one's orientation to life and feeling for others. It tends to generate gratitude, generosity and fellow-feeling, but each time one practises, new things may be discovered.
  
  Chih Quan (reflection on cessation) derives from samattha and refers to our experience of the second half of the nembutsu, Amida's grace. In this practice one imaginatively offers everything to Amida - all feelings, thoughts, sensations, imaginings, circumstances - whatever comes up. If one does Chih Quan after Nei Quan then one probably starts with feelings and thoughts generated by one's inner reflection. Offer them to the Buddha. Imagine that the Buddha receives them with a smile, joyfully (which is not actually just imagination). Whatever we offer to the Buddha, whether it is something that we think is good or bad, worthy or shameful, whatever, the Buddha has a way of using and transforming it. So we can give to the Buddha in a sense of confidence and assurance. There is no judgement from Buddha, only delight. As Buddha receives, so we feel peace - the Buddha's grace - descending through our being. You can feel it physically in the body.  We experience that joy and ease of which the sutras speak. As we feel that joy and ease we can simply dwell in it. Dwelling in that joy and ease, or deep peace, we are actually in the second (or a higher) dhyana. If something (a thought, sensation etc.) comes along that disturbs that peace, then we simply offer it to the Buddha and so continue.
  
  Through Nei Quan we gain a deeper sense of ourselves as bombu, dependently originated beings. Through Chih Quan we receive a taste of the Buddha's grace bestowed. Insight and grace make up facets of the nembutsu. When they are totally unified it is called nembutsu samadhi. This unification, however, is not something one can work at or achieve. From one's own side one can merely utter the nembutsu in faith. The two auxilliary exercises, Nei Quan and Chih Quan can, however, give one a stronger sense of oneself as bombu and of the Buddha as gracious and this makes utterance of the nembutsu more meaningful for the practitioner. These two exercises are not salvation nor do they lead to salvation, but they are the joy and ease that is the rightful heritage of practitioners, given to us by the Buddhas, that have been treasured by the faithful throughout the ages.
  
  Amida Shu Definitions
  Posted by Dharmavidya on October 20, 2008
  
  Q: What is Amida Shu
  A: Socially engaged Pureland Buddhism, a generic, religious spirituality animated by the energy of Amida Buddha. Amida Shu has three basic teachings: the trikaya nature of Buddhas, the bombu nature of adherents and the nembutsu as principle practice. The core teachings of Amida Shu are found in the Three Pureland Sutras. Amida Shu is an other power spirituality.
  
  Q: What is other power?
  A: Other power refers to the Buddha's teaching of 'dependent origination', according to which all things arise in dependence upon causes and conditions. This means both that the causes in our karmic history will always cause us to be bombu and also that there are other causes that can, nonetheless, empower our spiritual life. All of these - our own karmic history and our openness to the healing power of Buddhas - are outside of ('other' than) our present self. We are both victims and beneficiaries of other powers. When we take refuge in the healing power of a Buddha it is as though a seed were planted within us that will then grow by itself. We then become a tathagatagarbha, or 'buddha-womb' within which the seed of Buddha gradually matures. Calling upon Amida Buddha is thus like allowing oneself to be impregnated by the Buddha's healing power which will then grow of its own accord. At some time in the future, a Buddha will be born.  Amida Shu thus relies upon a subliminal process.

Q: What are the Three Pureland Sutras?
A: The Smaller Pureland Sutra, also called the Amida Kyo; the Larger Pureland Sutra or Sutra of Immeasurable Life; and the Contemplation Sutra.

Q: What does the Larger Pureland Sutra say?
A: In brief, it is the story, told by Shakyamuni Buddha to his disciple Ananda, of a bodhisattva called Dharmakara who establishes a Pure Land and thereby becomes Amida Buddha. Included are Dharmakara's prayers that describe the nature of that land as a place where there are no hells or places of punishment, no discrimination or disadvantaging of particular social groups, no war or oppression, only opportunity for spiritual advanement and enjoyment. Dharmakara also promises that he will bring to his realm anybody who sincerely calls upon or takes refuge in him. The beings in Amida Buddha's Pure Land are all either shravakas or bodhisattvas. Thus the sutra specifies the calling of Amida's name as the means by which an affinity is created between oneself and the Buddha and also provides an archetypal example of how, in the case of Dharmakara bodhisattva, such a connection eventually ripened into the creation of a Pure Land and full Buddhahood.

Q: What is a shravaka?
A: The word means 'listener'. Somebody who listens to the Buddha's teaching and enjoys the benefit. Merely listening is enough for the Buddha seed to become lodged within one. All shravakas will eventually be Buddhas after many lifetimes or after a long period in Amida's Pure Land..

Q: What is a bodhisattva?
A: Somebody who 'serves all Buddhas' and thereby dedicates their life to the spiritual assistance of others. Those who are powerfully inspired by Buddhas, but are not yet Buddhas themselves, are called bodhisattvas. Bodhi is the vision of things that is held by a Buddha. While bodhisattvas do not yet fully embody that vision, they have some of its spirit at work in their lives.

Q: What does trikaya nature mean?
A: Tri means three. Kaya means body or manifestation. Trikaya is a Buddhist teaching that Buddhas have concrete, spiritual and absolute manifestation. A Buddha acts in the mundane world, appears in our spiritual life and embodies the absolute truth of unconditionality. This means that Buddhism is a spiritual, not merely a moral teaching.

Q: What does 'bombu' mean?
A: This is a Japanese term referring to the fact that we are vulnerable, limited, unenlightened beings subject to conditions. We have various delusions, are affected by greed, hate, and a variety of other wayward passions. To recognise one's bombu (or 'guchi') nature is to adopt a realistically modest assessment of what it is to be an ordinary human being.

Q: What is nembutsu?
A: Nembutsu means to be mindful of Buddha - to bring Buddha or Buddhas to mind. To conceive of the unconditioned and make it sacred in your life makes one a Buddhist. This is called taking refuge. The unconditioned is embodied by Buddhas, described in their Dharma teachings, and works itself out in the life of the Sangha. All Buddhists take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. These are called the Three Jewels. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels is the act that makes one a Buddhist. This refuge may be focussed upon a particular Buddha. In the case of Amida Shu the particular Buddha is Amida Buddha.

Q: Why Amida Buddha?
A: Amida Buddha is the Buddha that most completely manifests unconditionality. Amida Buddha made a paradise called Sukhavati for everyone who calls upon him. This means that if we put Amida Buddha at the centre of our life we shall create a karmic connection with that Pure Land and this will be so irrespective of what spiritual or moral level we have reached. Amida loves us unconditionally, just as we are, already.

Q: What is social engagement?
A: Social engagement means to resist oppression, assist the afflicted and demonstrate an alternative, individually and/or collectively, and to apply Buddhist ethics at a social as well as a personal level. It includes social action, relief work, education, psychological and pastoral assistance, community building, alternative lifestyle, eco-awareness, life simplificaion, and participation in specific projects, campaigns, communities, or programmes intended to contribute to a Pure Land in the world. There are many ways of being socially engaged and different people contribute in different ways. Shravakas listen to the Buddha's teaching and put it into practice in their personal life, thereby allowing the seed of the teachings to grow secretly. Bodhisattvas more openly dedicate their lives to the cause taking on the task of assisting all sentient beings. Both are welcome in Amida's Pure Land.

Q: What is sangha?
A: Sangha is the term for the Buddhist community - all those who have taken refuge in the Three Jewels. The sangha aims to be the ideal community that demonstrates an alternative way of life and faith that avoids the extremes of consumerism and self-indulgence on the one hand and those of fundamentalism or puritanism on the others.

Q: What is Pureland Buddhism?
A: Buddhism is the spiritual tradition deriving from Shakyamuni Buddha who lived in India 25 centuries ago. It is a religion of personal and social peace and harmony based upon the creation of karmic affiliation to a Buddha or Buddhas through an act of 'taking refuge'. 

Q: What is a Buddha?
A: A being who is awakened to the power of the unconditional: unconditional love, unconditional wsidom, unconditional goodness, unconditional generosity, unconditional patience, unconditional energy, unconditional presence. Buddhas support the unconditionality of one another - Buddhas are inspired by Buddhas. We who are not Buddhas are also inspired by Buddhas.

Q: What is meant by the unconditional?
This is the principle of willingness and complete acceptance. A Buddha loves each person just as he or she is. A Buddha does not condemn. Ordinary people are not capable of doing this, but they can grasp the principle.

Q: What is spirituality?
A: Spirituality has a number of meanings. Amida Shu is spiritual in being (a) a relationship with what is sacred, (b) a personal and individual form of devotion and religious exploration as well as a collective one, (c) a relationship to Amida Buddha who is commonly experienced as spirit, appearing in dreams and at death, not merely as a historical existence, and (d) centred on religious feeling and devotion.

Q: What is meant by religion?
A: Amida Shu is a religion inasmuch as it is an organised communion of fellow spirits. Religion generally refers to the institutional aspect of the spiritual life. Buddhism takes a middle position on religion - not too organised and not too anarchic. A degree of organic organisation is necessary if a group of people are to have any effect in the world. Since Amida Shu has an acknowledgedly utopian vision to create 'Pure Land in this world' some organisation is necessary. Amida Shu is therefore a communion of people of common faith in the Pure Land of Amida, working together for a better world, supporting one another as a mutually caring family, and thereby demonstrating an alternative way forward in which diverse people care for one another and co-operate in the service of a better vision.

Q: What is meant by saying it is a 'generic' spirituality?
A: The basic principles of Amida Shu define a simple structure within which a person can live a spiritual life. All that they have to do is recognise their own limitations, recognise the unconditional ideal, and adopt a practice that relates the two in their consciousness. This latter, whatever form it takes, will be a form of nembutsu. The framework of Amida Shu is thus of more or less universal application for people with a spiritual outlook. Thus, it is easy for an Amidist to relate to the other major religions by simply assuming that their gods are Buddhas. So long as your god is a Buddha - i.e. embodies unconditional love - then your religious practice is a form of refuge and parallel to Buddhism. Buddhism claims no exclusivity. (Problems in inter-faith dialogue generally derive from claims to exclusivity, but Buddhas do not claim exclusivity because what they teach is universal.) So Amida Shu is universalistic both in the sense of recognising the validity of other spiritualities and being able to talk about them in its own language as well as theirs and also in being a simple structure of doctrine that persons of any faith background can readily utilise.

 

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Post-Mappo Rediscover Innocence ~ Dharmavidya

The first Dharma talk of the 2019 Bodhi Retreat at Amida Mandala. Dharmavidya writes:

In my Dharma talk today I suggested that we are now in the fourth age of the Dharma. In the first age of the Dharma Buddha Shakyamuni was still in this world or had recently passed away and people became enlightened by direct encounter with him or with one of his great disciples. This was the age of direct inspiration.

In the second age of the Dharma, people were able to become enlightened and enter nirvana by means of self-power practices. It was not that these rituals had an intrinsic power, but they were what still connected practitioners with the original source. By doing what Buddha did, people received the transmission. This continued for eight hundred years or so.

By the third age of the Dharma, called Mappo, things had deteriorated. Although the self-power practices remained a shining example, there were few or no people capable of actually realising them. The times were degenerate. At this time there arose teachers who showed the path of faith as the only available possibility for deluded beings to reach the Buddha and receive the transmission, if not in this life, then in the next.

Now we are in the fourth age, the Post-Mappo. In this time of materialism it is not even possible for people to follow the path of faith with any ease. In fact, many people have become inoculated against faith by exposure to its degenerate forms. What can possibly avail us in these latter days? Life has become immensely complicated. People are under pressure from all sides to conform to the path of worldly success.

Those who still attempt self-power practices do so mostly for the sake of this-worldly benefit. We do not have Shakyamuni nor Shariputra, Kashyapa nor Ananda to show us the way. We are more sophisticated than the people of old, but this very sophistication blocks our way back to the source. What is needed now? What is needed now is a return to innocence.

Only by cutting through the interminable woes and worries of our age can we hope to find the light and this cutting through involves a great simplification and lightening. Lighten your life! Reclaim the innocent eye of the child without letting go of the knowledge gained by maturity. Learn once again to play and skip. Life has become too heavy.

We are all weighed down by possessions and responsibilities, deadlines and protocols, debt and work. Riding the Dharma, leap free. Break out of the prison. Embrace nature. Let the mind expand in wonderment. Talk to the stars and bathe in the light of the moon.

The innocent heart is unselfconscious. Through innocence one can find faith renewed. Through faith renewed one can find the real meaning of the practices. In these real forms one can meet the Tathagata. Meeting the Tathagata one can receive the transmission. It all unfords naturally.

We are in the fourth age, the Post-Mappo, and a return to the simplicity of innocence is now the only gate that is not locked.

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Some Distinctive Amida Shu Points ~ Dharmavidya

Dharmavidya:

1. The correct attitude is to be willing to do whatever the Dharma requires, in whatever realm, in whatever aeon. Enlightenment means to see clearly what needs to be done. It is to walk the eightfold path and to know what that means. Yet, as bombu beings, we cannot fully know this. Our ideas are bound to be inadequate and coloured by self-seeking. Yet we have faith that the Buddhas will employ even such beings as ourselves for their great purpose.

2. There is no conflict between Buddhas. We do not laud Amitabha by rejecting other Buddhas. All Buddhas have similar compassion and wisdom. To worship one Buddha is to worship all Buddhas. Those already in the Pure Land spend their time making offerings to other Buddhas and serving them in whatever way is appropriate to those other Buddhas.

3. One trusts that, after death, through faith, one will be born in the Pure Land of Amitabha and from there may enter nirvana, but one also accepts that this may, or may not be what is in store for one. Those destined to be bodhisattvas will not enter nirvana until all can do so. They will therefore return to samsaric worlds for the sake of all sentient beings. In this matter of life, death and other lives there are many mysteries beyond what we can understand. The right attitude is to entrust oneself to whatever is needed.

4. There is no fundamental difference between the satori of the Zen path and the awakening of shinjin in the Pureland path. Such awakening cannot be contrived by any practice, but may come as a grace. In any case, varying degrees of spiritual inspiration occur. The full transmission of the Dharma from generation to generation hangs by a thread, but there are degrees. A person only practises insofar as such inspiration has entered their life. This is what is meant by being seized by Amida. The Buddhas use us for their compassionate purpose and the more suitable material we are the more they use us, but even the most benighted being has a place in the Buddha’s great scheme and it is those who have fallen lowest who attract the Buddha’s greatest care..

5. While accepting that one’s judgement may be at fault, one is, nonetheless, bound to do what seems best in the judgement that one has, allowing that one might be granted greater wisdom subsequently. If one lives the wisdom that one has, one will surely be given more. We should always, therefore, regard our judgements as provisional even though we must act upon them with all our heart and strength. The danger of becoming proud of whatever little understanding one has is a continual danger on any spiritual path and we should, therefore, continually reflect upon the great gulf that separates us from the way of heaven.

6. One conforms to the Buddhist precepts insofar as one can clearly see the disadvantage of doing otherwise. Thus the preceptual life is natural to those who see clearly. We do not see so clearly and this is why our lives deviate. When we notice how deviant we are we get some measure of our own delusion. This does not mean that we can abolish our deluded state at will. We cannot. With this realisation of our bombu nature arises great gratitude for the goodwill of the Tathagata who accepts and works for beings such as we.

7. Sometimes in life we encounter great grief or pain. Sorrowful states are inevitably part of being in this world of conditions. There is no avoiding it. While some specific troubles can be averted and we do what we can, sooner or later impermanence strikes every life. Some of the greatest sages met great loss early in life and this deepened their realisation of the urgency of putting one’s faith to work. Other beings drift along in uncertainty, not realising the importance of practice until it is almost too late.

8. The best practice is to take refuge with all one’s heart and might in everything one does and the simplest expression of refuge is nembutsu. Pray ceaselessly. I myself recite thousands of nembutsu every day. One nembutsu is enough. One thought moment of untainted faith is sufficient, and out of that single simple seed naturally springs millionfold proliferation.

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Amida Shu Buddhism

Dharmavidya writes:

Amida Shu is a form of Pureland Buddhism. It derives from a tradition of Buddhist teaching that started in India, matured in China and flowered in Japan. In all probability to derives mostly from teachings that Buddha gave to lay people. There is, therefore, relatively less emphasis upon renunciation, meditation and the monastic life. However, different strands of Buddhism have influenced each other down the centuries and we are all trying to follow the original teachings of Shakyamuni. In China there was a good deal of interaction between Pureland and Zen and also between these forms of Buddhism and Taoism.

There are three foundations of Amida Shu. These three are like the legs of a tripod. Each depends upon the other two. These three are the Trikaya Nature of Buddha, the bombu nature of the practitioner and the practice of nembutsu.

Nembutsu literally means “mindfulness of Buddha”. It refers particularly to calling the Buddha’s name. In Amida Shu this is usually done in the form “Namo Amida Bu”, but there are a number of variants in different languages and rhythms. It is intention that makes a particular form of words into nembutsu. It is nembutsu if you sincerely mean it to be so. Nembutsu is the Amida Shu way of taking refuge. We particularly call the name of Amida Buddha, but to call one Buddha is to call all Buddhas. Taking refuge is the very heart of Buddhism. In his very first teaching, given to two merchants whom he met on the road, Buddha taught refuge. In his dying words, Buddha said that if you want to shine a lamp in the world, make the Dharma your lamp. So refuge is the alpha and omega of Buddhism and in Amida Shu it is expressed as nembutsu. This means that we try to keep the Buddhas always in mind and reference everything that happens back to them.

The bombu nature of the practitioner means that in Amida Shu we admit that we are ordinary human beings, that we have emotions, mixed motives and limitations, that we are “foolish beings of wayward passion” and do not have control of our fate. We are fallible and do not expect perfection. This means that basic attitudes of Amida Buddhism are gratitude and humility. These make a sound basis for practice and for community. One day, if we continue to have faith in the Buddhas and their Dharma, we shall all be Buddhas and bodhisattvas ourselves, but we don’t expect it in this lifetime and in the meantime there is still plenty to do. Amida Shu tends, therefore, to be a rather socially engaged approach because we are aware that we bombu humans are not making a very good job at looking after the planet nor, sometimes, even at looking after each other. The bombu paradigm leads us to engage with such issues rather than retreat from them. It also means that one can understand how troubles arise. Compassion springs from fellow feeling.

The Trikaya Nature of Buddha means that we think of Buddha in three ways: as the teacher who appears in this world, as the spiritual manifestion that comes in dreams and visions, and also as an ultimate truth that is unborn and eternal. This is the basic framework of religion: to receive the teachings as practical advice, as spiritual inspiration and also as ultimate truth. As ultimate truth, Buddha is timeless and universal and so is like a light that shines throughout every possible universe. As a spiritual presence, Buddha inspires each of us and bestows a special blessing upon each individual. As a living teacher Buddha is the source of our tradition. These three dimensions are the basis of our faith. We believe that the practice of the nembutsu way leads to birth in the Pure Land of Buddha. Those who are born in the Pure Land naturally attain the samadhi of being always in the presence of all the Buddhas. Since the Pure Land also has trikaya nature, we can think of it in three ways. Ultimately, the Pure Land is not separate from the perfect Dharma. Spiritually, the Pure land is the sacred realm where everyone receives exactly what they need. Concretely, Buddhas are always in the business of creating better conditions in the relative sphere. As devotees, we are also caught up in the work of the Buddhas to make this world and this life into a Pure Land. We shall not achieve it today or tomorrow, but we are all, in one way or another, dedicated to the bodhisattva path of benefiting all sentient beings.

Different people proceed differently.

Some may begin with a practice of nembutsu chanting and only gradually come to realise the importance of the Amida Shu attitudes toward the Buddha, the Pure Land and toward the person.

Some may begin with a confrontation with their own nature, a sense of contrition or realisation of a need for help. They may then turn to the Buddha, and the nembutsu then comes as the desperately needed prayer connecting them.

Others, again, may find that they have a natural spiritual sense that there is something much greater than ordinary mundane life and may have an experience of grace that lightens the heart. For these, humility comes naturally and the nembutsu simply puts some shape and sound to a longing that has been in their heart all along.

It is characteristic of the Amida way that the practice works differently in different people. Saying the nembutsu one day one may be moved to tears. Another day, one may be more cerebral and thoughtful. Another time, one simply enjoys the company singing together. One is not here trying to attain a specific preordained state of mind or, indeed, any kind of spiritual attainment. Amida Shu is not a path of self effort. Realising our bombu nature we know that it is pointless thinking that we can become enlightened by our own effort, or by adopting this or that practice. We simply have faith in the Buddhas and say the Name without expectation. It is enough in itself. This simple practice and unassuming attitude makes for a wonderful sense of sangha community. Bowing to the Buddhas in our hearts and raising our voices to them, love for one another naturally flowers and Amida’s golden chain stretches round the world.

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