Dharma Wheel

Recently, I have noticed less political stuff by Amidaji. Indeed, the separation from Hongwanji played a role since they mainly criticised things that Hongwanji seemed to push (though it's more a matter of taking a non-position). That being said, I always struggled to understand where the political ...

Although it focuses on his return to Lumbini, you may find the following book to be relevant, as it touches on Newar narratives and iconography related to this period: Gudrun Bühnemann, Śākyamuni's Return Journey to Lumbinī (lumbinīyātrā): A Study of a Popular Theme in Newar Buddhist Art and Literat...

To a normal person this means that a person has his or her own mental events. Things arise due to causes and conditions, not because a "self" wills it to happen. Thoughts arise due to causes and conditions within the mind, but can also be caused externally (e.g. ordinarily, this occurs if...

This is a bit of a circular conversation, Aemilius, because you are talking "to us" but not "with us." You are not reading what we write. We already expressed that Shinjin, which is the mind of Other Power, includes the three minds, but you continue to treat the three minds as on...

Shinran, like the rest of us, works and functions in the world of becoming where causes have results. If Shinran had not read those three sutras hundreds and even one thousand times, he would not have experienced what experienced, he would not have attained the insight (and merit) that he attained....

Your examples confuse me, because you're applying them to Adrian now, suggesting that his hateful speech is not the real issue here, but rather the fault is people's inability to compartmentalize and see things with your level of dispassion. Your relationship to the historical figures you mention i...

Yes, he's a member of Amidaji. The comparison with Suzuki and so forth is to express that one can agree with a sentence ("I can't connect with Buddha on a schedule") without being a supporter or "chooser" of someone.

I don't think agreeing with a sentence is the same as personal support for everything someone stands for. I agree with a lot of what DT Suzuki said, but I also disagree with his support for Imperial Japan. I agree with some of Frauwallner's arguments and use and appreciate Tucci's work, but disagree...

You don't have to listen to him if you don't like who he associates with, but I like how he speaks honestly and spontaneously from the heart about Amida.

Here's one thing he said recently that made me smile (I wanted to thank him personally but can't find his contact info). On the topic of reciting Nembutsu spontaneously and casually versus only in a set ritual when all the conditions are right: "I can't connect with Buddha on a schedule" :...

Shinran has not said that the Three Pureland sutras are false. These three sutras quite clearly teach the causes for rebirth in Sukhavati. ... The Visualisation sutra teaches that the reading of Mahayana sutras is one of the causes for rebirth in the highest of the nine grades of rebirth. You need ...

Inedible wrote: ↑Sat Nov 25, 2023 7:17 am If you think it is too difficult for you, that's okay. It was just a suggestion.

The first issue is that it doesn't answer the questions of the OP at all. The Usnisa Vijaya Dharani won't let you know if you have shinjin or not.

Master Shan Dao writes : "People of the present, both monks and laypeople, have each awakened the highest aspiration, But birth-and-death is extremely difficult to abhor, and the Buddha Dharma hard to seek. Together you should make the diamond-hard resolution and leap over the four violent str...

My reply is the same as bosamic.

How do you know if you have shinjin? Is there any sort of spiritual experience or feeling that you'll have? Rennyō Shōnin said "Shinjin is to accept that when a single thought of entrusting to Amida arises in one's mind, Amida immediately saves such a person." After that thought of entrus...

There are some, perhaps important, consequences from the arising of bodhimind, like for example, do you envisage that a person after shinjin will practice the bodhisattva path for countless millions of life times for the benefit of beings in the six worlds, or do you envisage a kind of eternal, ins...

Sure, but I’m using Shinrans meaning of self power, and for Shinran the idea of a nembutsu that affects faith is self power. I agree that all pure land has other power, even all Buddhism, but if you think your own nembutsu cultivates the three hearts that is self power according to Shinran I must n...

There are some, perhaps important, consequences from the arising of bodhimind, like for example, do you envisage that a person after shinjin will practice the bodhisattva path for countless millions of life times for the benefit of beings in the six worlds, or do you envisage a kind of eternal, ins...

Echoing what PVS said, tummo does require a teacher and many sects require a three year retreat as preliminary, or as a part of the training. It isn't something that you should learn online or mess around with at home, because if done improperly it can be catastrophically dangerous and you can perma...

I hope you realize that as Shinjin equals Bodhicitta, it means that the person really becomes a Bodhisattva. Thus he or she attains what was first declared to be "unattainable" in the present era of corruption. I've never seen Shinran say that shinjin = bodhicitta. Do you have a source fo...