My Experiences with Amitabha Buddha
by
Rev. Tri Ratna Priya Karuna
I never thought
that our Abbess Rev. Karuna would ask me to give another
Dharma talk on Amitabha Buddha so soon after the last one.
I thought I would be back to such subjects as the Four Brahma
Viharas or the Twelve Links of Causation. Nevertheless,
I am delighted to have another opportunity to talk about
Amitabha Buddha and the teachings associated with Him.
It is safe to
state categorically that no religion in world history has
managed to survive for hundreds of years, let alone over
two millennia, if it has appealed only to scholars and intellectuals.
Therefore, since Buddhism has flourished for over 2500 years,
there must be important elements in it that have nourished
and sustained millions of people through the centuries who,
even if they were born with less than brilliant minds or
lacked the educational opportunities to develop their mental
abilities, were nevertheless endowed with rich emotional
resources and the capacity for deep faith.
The poor, humble,
hard working people gained their primary satisfaction not
from scholastic pursuits, but from the expression and involvement
of their emotions in various relationships. They wanted
to give love, of course, but most of all they wanted to
feel loved, nurtured and protected, not just by a human
support group like family, friends and lovers, but also
by some infinitely caring and compassionate divine powers.
The great masters
who shaped and developed the Mahayana or Great Vehicle during
the latter decades BCE and the early centuries CE, were
keenly aware of the deep need that existed among the majority
of lay persons who followed the Dharma teachings for a primarily
devotional form of Buddhism that could bring meaning and
inspiration into their drab lives.
With the appearance
of the three sutras which tell the story of Amitabha Buddha
and the development of the trikaya doctrine which I discussed
in my last talk, a purely devotional sect of Buddhism not
only became a possibility, but eventually a reality. In
India, a preference for the intellectual approach and the
supreme importance of wisdom as the ultimate goal prevented
any form of Buddhism that emphasized faith and devotion
from becoming an independent school there. However, it is
interesting to note that the great Nagarjuna--who lived
in the second century CE, founded the extremely influential
Madhyamika sect, and according to tradition, revealed the
Prajnaparamita literature to the world--expressed the view
"that for those who seriously undertake to lead the Buddhist
life, two paths are open, the difficult path of self reliance
and the easy path of dependence upon the compassion of the
Buddha." Nagarjuna has been called by some authorities the
second most important figure in the history of Buddhism,
and because of his recognition of the legitimacy of the
path of faith and devotion, he is considered to be the first
Patriarch of the Pure Land devotional schools of the Far
East.
Nagarjuna stated
that the principal activity of those who follow the devotional
path should be simply the worship of the Buddha of the future,
Maitreya, and Amitabha Buddha.
Maitreya, waiting
in the Tusita heaven until it is his time to come into the
world, is obviously not--now or for thousands of years to
come--involved in the unfolding destiny of the world. Thus
it would seem that the deities most deserving of veneration
in Nagarjuna's day, as well as our time, are Amitabha Buddha
and his son/daughter Kwan Yin, since it is they who are
actively in charge during this world-period.
Even though for
many centuries devotional Buddhism of one sect or another
was practiced by all schools of Mahayana as an integral
part of their programs of study, practice and worship, it
was not until the fourth century of the common era in China
that a monk named Hui Yuan (333-416 CE) developed an intensely
devotional sect whose adherents concentrated upon the worship
of Amitabha Buddha. Eventually, this sect became acknowledged
as a separate school, the Pure Land school, which in time
was accepted universally as one of the four main schools
of Mahayana Buddhism.
Buddhism in general
passed through many vicissitudes in China, reaching its
zenith of power, influence and popularity during the Tang
Dynasty (618-907 CE), declining and periodically reasserting
itself during later centuries. In time, as a result of all
the strains to which Buddhism was subjected, the scholastic
sects fell by the wayside, while only the two strongest
and most popular sects managed to survive. These two were
the Ch'an sect, known as Zen in Japan, and the Pure Land
sect.
In Japan, where
Buddhism was originally introduced in 552 CE, it was not
until the Kamakura period (1185-1397 CE) that Pure Land
Buddhism, which emphasized the idea of salvation through
the grace of Amitabha Buddha, was propagated. Before long
it gained a wide following among the farmers, fishermen,
laborers, and shopkeepers, who were grievously oppressed
by the higher classes of society.
Toward the end
of the twelfth century, two great masters appeared on the
scene, and it is to their credit that Pure Land Buddhism
has flourished and grown until it has become the most popular
and widely accepted form of Buddhism in Japan. The first
of these masters, Honen Shonen (or Saint Honen) founded
the Jodo shu, Pure Land sect, and later Shinran Shonin (Saint
Shinran) founded the Jodo Shin shu, the True Pure Land sect.
Both masters emphasized that those persons who, while longing
to be reborn in the Pure Land, thought of Amitabha Buddha
with sincerity and faith and repeated the nembutsu or the
mantra Namo Amida Butstu, would after their death, be welcomed
into the Sukhavati, Pure Land. Honen and Shinran both believed
that calling upon the sacred name of Amitabha Buddha (Amida
Butsu, Jap.) was sufficient , since the name itself contains
the essence of Amida Buddha and is inseparable from Him.
Honen, while
not disparaging other Buddhist practices such as study,
meditation, asceticism, etc., clearly considered that the
repetition of the nembutsu was superior to all other practices.
However, he repeatedly states that unquestioning faith in
Amida Buddha and his power to lead one to rebirth in the
Pure Land is absolutely essential for the attainment of
this goal. Shinran, on the other hand, taught that the desire
to be reborn in the Pure Land was sufficient to ensure rebirth
there, because Amida Buddha himself, will supply this unquestioning
faith once a devotee sincerely wishes for salvation and
begins to believe in Him.
Honen taught
that Amida Buddha has the power to come forth and welcome
to his Pure Land those persons who possess the very worst
karma, because humankind has so seriously degenerated since
the time of Sakyamuni Buddha. Shinran went even further
and stated that Amida Butsu's vow of salvation was intended
primarily for the sinner, since a virtuous person can attain
enlightenment through self effort. Devotional Buddhism,
then, after twelve centuries of development, reached its
climax in the teachings of Shinran Shonin. He went so far
as to state categorically that rebirth in the Pure Land
is identical with the attainment of Nirvana. In a beautiful
quotation Shinran said, "In the Pure Land is unsurpassed
Enlightenment."
Shinran recommended
that we should seek rebirth in the Pure Land or Enlightenment
not so much during the course of our everyday lives, with
all their stress and distractions, but especially when we
are dying. Then the faith that Amida himself has supplied,
if we have fervently and sincerely desired to be reborn
in the Pure Land, will lead us to an instant of pure egolessness,
during which we will realize that any attempt to gain Enlightenment
by our own efforts will only strengthen our sense of separateness.
As we drift closer
to death, we will surrender unconditionally to the Compassion
of Amida Buddha, relying on Him to carry us, regardless
of our unworthiness, to the blessed shores of Sukhavati.
Just imagine that after a life fraught with suffering, frustration
and anguish, the heart in your bosom begins to falter, and
each new breath requires a supreme effort. A minister of
the Jodo Shin shu has been called to console you in your
moment of extreme distress. He has brought with him to your
bedside a beautiful painting or image of Amida Buddha, and
he will place in your hand one end of a golden thread. The
other end of the thread will be attached to the radiant
figure of Amida Buddha, and symbolically you are united
with him. As your consciousness leaves your worn out body,
your eyes will linger for a moment on the painting or image
of Amida, and then as your spirit rises from your discarded
physical remains, the depiction of Amida will fade and be
replaced by the real Amida Buddha, accompanied by Kwan Yin
and Seishi, and surrounded by His heavenly host. Amid the
rejoicing and celestial music of innumerable angels, you
will be carried off to the Happy Land of Bliss, Sukhavati,
the Western Paradise. Once there you will never again be
subject to the law of karma and have to be reborn in one
of the six realms of the wheel of transmigration. However,
even at this point you will not retreat into the cool refuge
of final Nirvana, detached from the world and all of its
suffering creatures. Nothing will force you to return to
the earth except your own overflowing compassion and intense
desire to liberate other beings from suffering if and when
the opportunity arises. Eventually, according to the inexorable
will of Amida Buddha, all beings in one way or another will
be led to Enlightenment.
Now let us look
at the figures which I have brought for you to see. The
main figure, naturally, represents Amitabha Buddha, looking
in all respects exactly like Sakyamuni Buddha, because they
are in essence the same. The hands are in the mudra which
symbolizes Amida's vow to save all beings. To the left of
Amitabha you see the representation of his son/daughter
Avalokitesvara, called Kwan Yin in China and Kannon in Japan,
a personification of the compassion of Amitabha. She holds
in her hands a lotus blossom with a reliquary, in which
she will carry the spirit of the deceased human back to
the Western Paradise, where it will be reborn. On the other
side of Amitabha, you see a representation of Mahastamprapta,
which literally means One Who Has Gained Great Power, called
Seishi Bosatsu in Japan, he can be thought of as a personification
of great wisdom.
The other two
figures I have placed on the altar, one on each side of
the triad of deities, may at first glance, appear incongruous
and inappropriate. Instead, they are touching depiction
of the most humble devotees one could hope to find anywhere.
To me they represent those millions of oppressed persons
who possibly must wear rags and hardly have a crust of bread
to eat or a place in which to sleep. These humble ones are
worthy to stand beside Amitabha because they are not separated
from him by a false sense of a permanent self or ego, which
is the worst barrier that can prevent a person from receiving
the transforming grace and abundant life energy that Amitabha
eagerly sends to all his children. They see only beauty
around them, reflected from the purity and benevolence of
their own inner beings, and all outward unpleasantness fades
into nothingness compared to the bliss and security they
feel coming from Amitabha's limitless love for them.
I am sure that
everyone here today, like the imaginary couple we have just
discussed, would prefer to cast his/her cares aside and
experience the peace and bliss of the Pure Land here and
now in their own daily lives. It is as though each of us
is a lightbulb, until the electricity which is Amitabha
is turned on. As far as rebirth in the Pure Land is concerned,
once we allow Amitabha Buddha to shine through us, we become
like homing pigeons that instinctively will find our way
home to Sukhavati, no matter what the distance, difficulty
or danger of the flight.
So, what does
Amitabha mean to my own life? I can state categorically
that without the influence and inspiration of Amitabha I
would not be here today. I accept the doctrine of Anatta
or no permanent soul and realize that lacking any essence
of my own, I only function as a channel through which Amitabha
may send his healing, enhancing, nourishing energy to all
other living beings. If there is any merit in my work, it
is because Amitabha Buddha is expressing himself through
me.
However, practically
all of my training in Buddhism has been here at I.B.M.C.,
which considers itself to be a Zen temple. Therefore, in
addition to my faith in Amitabha, I believe that every sincere
Buddhist devotee should have a meditation practice if he
is mentally equipped to do so. My channel through which
Amitabha flows is partially obstructed and the flow of Amitabha's
grace is impeded by the accumulated sludge of defilements
which I have allowed through ignorance, anger and delusion
to creep into my consciousness. I know of no better way
to scour, cleanse and unblock my channel than by the daily
practice of meditation. Is it possible to be both a Zen
Buddhist and a Pure Land Buddhist at the same time? For
the answer to this question I refer to the inspiring book
Zen Philosophy, Zen Practice, by
our esteemed founder Dr. Thich Thien-An. He states that
certain eminent scholars who advocate the exclusive development
of Zen style "self power" do not consider reliance on the
"other power", meaning that they rely only on the Zen master
who teaches them how to sit, discipline the mind , work
with a koan and practice shikentaza. Dr. Thien-An asks the
question, "Without the constant prodding of the master how
many people would reach satori?"
This question
leads to the inescapable conclusion that if a Zen master
who has realized only a limited amount of wisdom and compassion
can be of such enormous assistance to his students during
their quest for enlightenment, then Amitabha Buddha who
has reached a state of perfect wisdom and infinite compassion,
undoubtedly can help them infinitely more.
Dr. Thien-An
states categorically that belief in the "other power" of
Amitabha Buddha helps us develop our "self-power". In fact,
he strongly recommends a practice which combines the development
of Zen-style "self power" with reliance on the "other power"
of Amitabha Buddha. In other words, the student should combine
formal meditation with the chanting of the mantra "Namo
Amitabha Buddha." The meditator and the Buddha become fused
together in a mystical union. No longer is there any distinction
between Zen and Pure Land, self-power or other power, wisdom
or compassion, for everything has become transformed into
the brightness of Infinite Light. Samsara becomes Nirvana.
All the bliss and purity of the Western Paradise are realized
in the here and now of every day life. Here the Zen and
Pure Land schools meet in that common center from which
they both emanate, the One Mind of Buddha, which is our
true and permanent Essence of Mind.
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