Namu Amida Butsu

This work is especially dedicated to Zuiken Saizo Inagaki, who sheds light on the pristine and original teachings of Jodo Shinshu (Shin Buddhism) for many people, including myself. I regard him as my soul teacher and I am very much influenced by his words and thoughts, which are deeply imbued with the Wisdom of Compassion of Amida Buddha. I read most of his writings available in Chinese language and I wish to share some of his golden words in this blog in English. Rev. George Gatenby and Mr. Gabriel Schlaefer have been kindly and untiringly assisting me to edit the translated essays so that they are readable and true to the intent of Sensei. May all partake of the wisdom of Shinshu teaching and be overpowered by the light of Amida Buddha.

Namu Amida Butsu!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Prologue 91, 92, 95


Prologue 91

The empty hands obtain the gems of limitless storage

If I have to die now I cannot do anything about birth.

However, Amida Buddha never gives me the cold shoulder; on the other hand, He raises the Vow to save me. This moves people to tears.

‘Hear the Name and rejoice in faith’, is the feeling that comes along naturally when one has come to entrust oneself reverently in the ‘inconceivable power’ as ‘inconceivable’.

The life of a person of Nembutsu is life in the joy of faith. 



Prologue 92

Though I don’t know the way, Oyasama takes me with Him
Whether I am walking, stopping, sleeping or sitting, the Buddha’s name is calling

Believing in the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom is not like bombu’s belief of ‘I have to acquire shinjin in order to attain birth’.

Pure Land is not a place bombu can go with their belief, to understand the disparity between the two of them can be very tricky. ‘Faith-mind’ and ‘bombu-mind’ are not the same.                           

The ‘substance’ of faith-mind, is being elated with the glee of riding on the sail of vow-power for birth, what the mind does contain is ‘the vow-power is inconceivable’; ‘the great compassionate-power is inconceivable’. Whenever thinking of this, it is nothing than reverential entrusting to the ‘inconceivability’; this is what we call ‘substance of entrusting (faith)’.

The mentality of ‘I have entrusted reverently in the inconceivable vow-power’, ‘I am determined of my birth’ is not the ‘faith-mind’ but bombu’s delusion (delusionary mind).



Prologue 95

The Oyasama has waited so long
The ignorant child is crying and sorrowing, seeking after the parent

The salvation is a certainty right here, right now.

The huge cord of Namu-amida-butsu is now pulling me out of hell. It is fine, it is fine, inconceivable, inconceivable.

To go to the Pure Land you don’t need to take with you a ‘matchmaker’, a matchmaker refers to bombu’s ‘thinking’.  

‘Buddha’ is inconceivable, inconceivable. ‘The Original Vow’, ‘The Name’ are inconceivable, inconceivable.

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