our experience of shinjin

[Robert McCarthy]

I would love to hear from members of any experience they may have had that they relate to as shinjin. Dharmavidya has described shinjin as faith, especially the enlightening experience of the sudden awakening of faith. He refers to the ecstacy of spiritual breakthrough when the light reaches us and we feel uplifted. Two aspects to keep in mind- it is situated in ecounter and we are bombu- we may feel we have experienced shinjin, but we must accept we do not really know.

[Richard Modiano]

"...Practice remains for the love of amida, but we have not left our bombu nature while living in the mundane. In jodo shinshu, does settled mind, anjin, really knowing, take us from our bombu nature while in the mundane?"

Very likely there are doctrinal differences between Amida-Shu and Jodo Shin Shu, but settled mind does not mean we drop our bombu nature. We remain foolish beings of blind passion and subject to karma, but as you so nicely put it, "Practice remains for the love of Amida, but we have not left our bombu nature while living in the mundane." The difference is that we have the assurance of birth, and the assurance of birth makes us even more aware of our foolish egocentric proclivities.

Somewhat unrelated, I see that the Contemplation Sutra is not part of Amida Shu whereas it is part of the doctrinal basis of Jodo Shinshu along with the Larger Sutra and the Amida Kyo.

[Robert McCarthy]

Thank you very much Richard. It is especially important for me to understand differences as I am living in Melbourne where amida shu is quite unknown, but there are other pureland places of worship. namo amida bu

[Dharmavidya]

The Contemplation Sutra is part of the doctrinal basis of Amida-shu. There are no major differences of doctrine between Amida-shu and Shin-shu. There are differences of presentation and there can, of course, always be hair splitting, but then that goes on within each school too. Warm wishes - D

[Richard Modiano]

Thanks Dharmavidya.

I read a brief description of Amida-shu that mentioned the Larger Sutra and the Amida-kyo but omitted any mention of the Contemplation Sutra. Obviously it was erroneous.

In Japan there are 10 branches of Shin Buddhism. In the West only Nishi Honganji and Higashi Honganji are represented. Where does Amida-shu position itself in relation to these sub-sects? Or should that be a separate discussion?

[caroline brazier]

Hi Richard

Was just looking at your photos of Oakland. Lovely to see them. We have good friends in Nishi and Higashi as well as Jodo-shu (there are Jodo-shu temples in Hawaii where we have been welcomed, so they too are in the West)

Prasada

[Richard Modiano]

"...(there are Jodo-shu temples in Hawaii where we have been welcomed, so they too are in the West)..."

Good to hear from you Caroline.

Just to clarify a bit, there are doctrinal differences between Jodo-shu and Jodo Shin-shu, so it's not considered a sub-sect of Jodo Shin-shu. The Jodo-shu North America Buddhist Missions bestsuin (headquarters temple) is located here in Los Angeles across the street from the Higashi Honganji betsuin and a few blocks from the Jodo Shin-shu Los Angeles betsuin.

However,

[Wong Zhi Xiang (Shaku Hanryo)]

Dear Bro. Robert,

Thank you for starting this discussion on shinjin. I would like to share with everyone my experience of shinjin. In the past before my encounter with Amida and the Pure Land teachings, I was a devotee of the Lotus Sutra. I had never felt so happy, so joyful, so lighthearted like the spiritual joy the Lotus brought to my life. And I recited the Sutra everyday. The Sutra became the most important thing in my life and I would placed the precious Sutra beside my pillow and bow to it.
But even that, I discarded after encountering Amida and the Pure Land teachings.

On the night that I gained shinjin I was struggling. Somehow I thought I had slandered the Lotus Sutra which I had loved beyond everything else. I was in great agony, in abyss, in hell which I was falling. Without expecting any hope of recovery or redemption, suddenly I realized Amida's vow of great compassion, the infinite compassion to save even the most evil person without condition, the person who has slandered the Dharma. At that time a joy that couldn't be described in words, a joy inconceivably great all at once flooded my consciousness and rocked my entire being blowing away everything like an atomic bomb. That was how I attained shinjin. From that time onwards I was constantly living in Amida's light. Whenever I go to the temple to listen to the Dharma, without knowing I would always cry. Because of the compassion in Amida I felt deeply in my heart.

Amida is compassion and light taking in every kind of sentient beings filled with various kinds of blind passions and karmic obstructions; never forsaking them and never angry. The Pure Land is the land of enlightenment in which everyone becomes a Buddha. Wise and compassionate. Inagaki Sensei has written a Q&A on shinjin. He is a most wonderful Shin Buddhist teacher. Please click on this link to visit his website: http://www12.canvas.ne.jp/horai/shinjin-38.htm

Namo Amida Bu,
Hanryo.

[Robert McCarthy]

Dear Hanryo, Your expression of shinjin, vivid, alive; helps open the path to me. Thank you very much for sharing this with us here. namo amida bu, Rob

[Katrien Sercu]

Dear...(i don't know what name is your name, sorry), i'm glad you awaken again this discussion.
I'm very touched by the fact that your whole life is embedded in Buddhism from childhood until now; totally intended to the Lotus Sutra and, after struggle and shinjin now, totally intended to Amidabuddha. This totallity touches me: no doubt, no thoughts, no disappointment. Namo Amida Bu
I realise now, full of wondering, that one can be so devoted to one part of the Dharma that it can feel as slandering when an other part of the Dharma becomes priority, as you describe above. Choice and change can give deep struggle and struggle can give opening to something bigger (shinjin). You experience very deeply the compassion of Amidabuddha for all sentient beings -just how they are- and it give you tears, listening to the Dharma.
This deep trust and faith touche me and awaken me in the fact that i take refuge in Amidabuddha, without this unconditional trust (as a karmic obstruction?). I'm glad to read such an unconditional experience and it opens my heart for what is possible. Thank you. Katrien

[Wong Zhi Xiang (Shaku Hanryo)]

Dear Bro. Katrien

Thank you very much for sharing your inner thoughts with us! My Buddhist name is Hanryo. I am very touched by your sincerity and faith in Amida Buddha and Pure Land Buddhism. I think which path a person takes is often not a matter of choice but decided by the accidents of birth, circumstances, encounters and other "causes and conditions". And yet there are defining moments for each one of us that can change the entire course of life. For me it was Amida Buddha and His Pure Land which supported me in times of great sorrow and pain. I have written a song about Amida and myself. It's called "You just cry for me" of which I would like to share it with you.

You would never despise me
Despite my this heart
Is so full of evil and untruthfulness
Standing by my side
Giving me peace and joy
And the strength to carry on

In times of happiness
I keep forgetting you
Remembering everyone else but you
But you from far away
Always remember me
Never for once did you forget me

In the middle of the night
When everyone else has left me
Only your blissful light
Keep shining on me
Never for once forsaking me
You just cry for me

You just shed tears just for me
Though my heart is so full of lies
You have never ask me why
My heart is so disguised

Namo Amida Bu.

Respectfully,
Hanryo.

[Katrien Sercu]

Dear Hanryo,
Tears come, reading your song, that is a poem. Tears of joy, gratitude or sadness? Your tears, my tears or tears of all sentient beings? Deep faith and trust in the unconditional compassion of Amidabuddha shines out this words; they warm my longing heart and make me laugh to Amida: yes, He-She-It (?) is always there...for all of us, for all in life.
You could give your song in the Amida poetry group, if you want...a present for more Amida Friends?
Namo Amida Bu, (sister) Katrien

[Wong Zhi Xiang (Shaku Hanryo)]

Dear Sis Katrien,

Reading your inspiring message warms my heart with joy and brightens up my day. I will send you another verse:

Without the Nembutsu, I have nothing
With only the Nembutsu, I have everything
There is nothing I want other than the Nembutsu
Namo Amidabutsu. Namo Amidabutsu

The nembutsu Pureland Buddhists recite is made up of six Chinese characters, Na Mo A Mi Da Butsu which is a transliteration of the Sanskrit Namo Amitabhaya Buddhaya. Which means "I take refuge in Amida Buddha". In the Shinshu school of Pureland Buddhism, Namo stands for the person (Ki) wandering in samsara, lost and confused without a moment of respite. Amidabu stands for the Dharma (Ho) which liberates such a person, embracing and bringing us to the Pure Land. Thus the nembutsu in which we recite stands for the oneness of ourselves (Namo) and the Buddha (Amidabutsu).

There is a koan-riddle (?) I have written in which Amidabutsu stands for the awakened Buddha, Namo stands for the unenlightened person caught in samsara and Namo Amidabutsu stands for the oneness of the Buddha and the foolish person in recitation of the nembutsu.


Namo Amidabutsu is Amidabutsu. Amidabutsu is Namo Amidabutsu.

Amidabutsu is Namo. Namo is Amidabutsu

Namo and Amidabutsu are Namo Amidabutsu. Namo Amidabutsu is Amidabutsu and Namo.

Yours in Namo Amida Bu,
Hanryo.