Some Q&A with Master Honen
Is it better to recite Nembutsu abstaining from doing evil and doing only good, or to recite Nembutsu believing only in the true wish of Amida Buddha?
Abstaining from the evil while doing good things is the total admonition of Buddha. But for us, living in the real world, we disobey the admonition, so by believing from the bottom of our hearts in the real wish of Amida Buddha to save all kinds of people, we are able to say "Namu Amida Butsu". Amida Buddha will lead all people into the Pure Land without any discrimination between people with or without wisdom, or between those who can or cannot keep the precepts. Please keep this in mind. (Clause 145)
Is it true that when a corrupt person dies, Amida Buddha will go back without taking him to the Pure Land?
Why does Buddha not return without taking the person, just because that person is corrupt? For Buddha, there is no difference between a righteous person and a corrupt person. The corrupt may be seen as righteous and the righteous be seen as corrupt, depending on one's perspective. Nembutsu is the only important thing. Even if you are clean, you will not have divine favor if you do not recite Nembutsu. Just chant Nembutsu casting aside all the conventional ideas. There is much evidence to prove this. (Clause 140)
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Amida Buddha Saves All
Re: Amida Buddha Saves All
Yes, Amida's Light and Life reach even the most muddled of us Bompus
Re: Amida Buddha Saves All
Amitabha will rescue any beeing wishing honestly to achieve Pure Land. Of course that a being wishing that is a being with the objective of reaching Nirvana and someone who follows Dharma. Following Dharma here means to have the desire if help other beings and try to do your best to eliminate impurities.
Amitabha will not make a difference between a good monk and a killer. What happens, i think, is that the good monk developed a quiet and peaceful mind enough to "conect" with Amitabha; in other words, the good monk removed lots of karmic obstructions. The killer, the guy that dont have a peaceful mind, will be more disturbed and have more heavy karmic that will make things more difficult to him. But if he to believes in Amitabha and have an honest desire to help others and reach Nirvana (on Pure Land), these karmics obstructions will be dimnished and he will be able to be saved by Amitabha.
You must see Amitabha as someone in a boat trying to save every drowning people around his boat. He will extend his arms to everybody. In the analogy, the good monk is someone trying who is peaceful enough to see that there is someone there (Amitabha) able to save him. The ordinary persons, the non believer, is just a drowining guy without the knowledge of the guy in the boat.
Amitabha will not make a difference between a good monk and a killer. What happens, i think, is that the good monk developed a quiet and peaceful mind enough to "conect" with Amitabha; in other words, the good monk removed lots of karmic obstructions. The killer, the guy that dont have a peaceful mind, will be more disturbed and have more heavy karmic that will make things more difficult to him. But if he to believes in Amitabha and have an honest desire to help others and reach Nirvana (on Pure Land), these karmics obstructions will be dimnished and he will be able to be saved by Amitabha.
You must see Amitabha as someone in a boat trying to save every drowning people around his boat. He will extend his arms to everybody. In the analogy, the good monk is someone trying who is peaceful enough to see that there is someone there (Amitabha) able to save him. The ordinary persons, the non believer, is just a drowining guy without the knowledge of the guy in the boat.
Re: Amida Buddha Saves All
Great Thread.
I see the nembutsu as key, however I am inspired to follow the dharma any ways.
Gassho
I see the nembutsu as key, however I am inspired to follow the dharma any ways.
Gassho
Re: Amida Buddha Saves All
Welcome aboard.Tree wrote:Great Thread.
I see the nembutsu as key, however I am inspired to follow the dharma any ways.
Gassho