Friends of Amida - Spiritual Networking -
Ganko-sha
I am reposting this piece because we have had some further discussion and thoughts, especially around the inclusion of the term ko.
The term ganko-sha means 'person of the vow light'. "Gan" means a vow or prayer or deep aspiration as in the key phrase from Tan Butsu Ge "Gan ga sa butsu" = "my prayer [is that I] become buddha". "Ko" means light. "Sha" means person. So the term ganko-sha has a double meaning. On the one side it means a person who lives in the light of Amida's vow - and the vows of all buddhas of all times. On the other side it means someone who longs to become buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. When we operate from an other-power perspective we know that we do not have the power ourselves to make ourselves into buddhas, but we know that if we long for it the buddhas who do have such power will hear and shed their light upon us. Thus through our prayer or longing, our lives will become instruments of liberation for many beings even though to ourselves the process will remain mysterious.
Buddhism has always placed great store upon a person's gan. According to the gan, so the future. It matters what we dedicate ourselves to, however good at fulfilling that dedication we may be because this is what will work upon the karmic stream. The term ko has much the same meaning as spirit: as Buddhists we do things in the spirit of the Buddha, or, we say, in the light of the Buddha and, in particular, in the spirit or light of the Buddha's intention (gan).
We have decided that within the Amida Order we shall use the term ganko-sha to refer particularly to those who have taken the 156 precepts - a group that have heretofore been referred to as "chaplains". This has become overly confusing since "chaplain" is also, and primarily, a functional term. We have therefore had the situation where there were chaplains who did not do much chaplaincy and some people doing chaplaincy who were not chaplains. It was clear, therefore, that a shift of terminology was called for. For the time being this development is still experimental, but if it sticks we will later propose that it be incorporated into Provisions which is the constitutional document for Amida-shu. The term ganko-sha can be abbreviated to ganko ["vow-light"] in day to day usage.
When we reached this agreement in a group of order members recently there was general rejoicing. A name can be a powerful thing and to have found one that is deeply meaningful for many of us is satisfying. The Amida Order will henceforth consist of amitaryas (and novice amitaryas), ministers, ganko-shas, and lay members. The expectation is that a ganko be somebody who has taken vows and is deeply committed to the path of culturally engaged Buddhism. The ways of actualizing that engagement may be quite various - through social projects, priestly functions, group co-ordination, or leadership of some other kind, as has, de facto, been the case with those formerly called chaplains. Formally, therefore, this changes nothing other than the name, but we all feel that there is a powerful significance in this shift. The Order is a pathway for people to become deeply immersed in the Dharma life whatever the constraints of their life situation.
This leads me on to say that beyond the formalities of the Order, questions such as "what is my gan?" and "within what gan do I conduct my life?" are of crucial importance in the spiritual life of everybody and this always has these same two sides - one's own longing on the one hand and the longing of the buddhas on the other. They give their all for the welfare of all beings. We long to be part of their project, conscious as we are of our own limitations and short-comings.
The term ganko-sha means 'person of the vow light'. "Gan" means a vow or prayer or deep aspiration as in the key phrase from Tan Butsu Ge "Gan ga sa butsu" = "my prayer [is that I] become buddha". "Ko" means light. "Sha" means person. So the term ganko-sha has a double meaning. On the one side it means a person who lives in the light of Amida's vow - and the vows of all buddhas of all times. On the other side it means someone who longs to become buddha for the sake of all sentient beings. When we operate from an other-power perspective we know that we do not have the power ourselves to make ourselves into buddhas, but we know that if we long for it the buddhas who do have such power will hear and shed their light upon us. Thus through our prayer or longing, our lives will become instruments of liberation for many beings even though to ourselves the process will remain mysterious.
Buddhism has always placed great store upon a person's gan. According to the gan, so the future. It matters what we dedicate ourselves to, however good at fulfilling that dedication we may be because this is what will work upon the karmic stream. The term ko has much the same meaning as spirit: as Buddhists we do things in the spirit of the Buddha, or, we say, in the light of the Buddha and, in particular, in the spirit or light of the Buddha's intention (gan).
We have decided that within the Amida Order we shall use the term ganko-sha to refer particularly to those who have taken the 156 precepts - a group that have heretofore been referred to as "chaplains". This has become overly confusing since "chaplain" is also, and primarily, a functional term. We have therefore had the situation where there were chaplains who did not do much chaplaincy and some people doing chaplaincy who were not chaplains. It was clear, therefore, that a shift of terminology was called for. For the time being this development is still experimental, but if it sticks we will later propose that it be incorporated into Provisions which is the constitutional document for Amida-shu. The term ganko-sha can be abbreviated to ganko ["vow-light"] in day to day usage.
When we reached this agreement in a group of order members recently there was general rejoicing. A name can be a powerful thing and to have found one that is deeply meaningful for many of us is satisfying. The Amida Order will henceforth consist of amitaryas (and novice amitaryas), ministers, ganko-shas, and lay members. The expectation is that a ganko be somebody who has taken vows and is deeply committed to the path of culturally engaged Buddhism. The ways of actualizing that engagement may be quite various - through social projects, priestly functions, group co-ordination, or leadership of some other kind, as has, de facto, been the case with those formerly called chaplains. Formally, therefore, this changes nothing other than the name, but we all feel that there is a powerful significance in this shift. The Order is a pathway for people to become deeply immersed in the Dharma life whatever the constraints of their life situation.
This leads me on to say that beyond the formalities of the Order, questions such as "what is my gan?" and "within what gan do I conduct my life?" are of crucial importance in the spiritual life of everybody and this always has these same two sides - one's own longing on the one hand and the longing of the buddhas on the other. They give their all for the welfare of all beings. We long to be part of their project, conscious as we are of our own limitations and short-comings.
Add a Comment
-
Comment by Franco Acquaro on October 29, 2009 at 8:38pm - I enjoyed reading this development concerning the change from "Chaplain" designation to "Ganko-sha" designation...makes good sense to me all the way around.
About
Badge
© 2009 Created by Kaspalita on Ning. Create Your Own Social Network
You need to be a member of Friends of Amida to add comments!
Join this social network