Dear Members,

   Recently, I was asked to prepare a brief, simple outline of our belief system for presentation to a group of other ministers. They are all from the Southern Alberta Area and are primarily coming from a Christian belief system, so they know that we exist, but they do not necessarily know what we are about, so to speak.

  Of course, I felt that I could not do justice to the entire teaching of Jodo Shinshu on a two-sided sheet of paper (far greater people than me, have written huge books on the subject), but I thought it might be a useful exercise for me also.

  Some of you may have noticed that, during the course of my Dharma talks, I quite often gloss over the mythology of Jodo Shinshu. This is partly because I feel that you already know it, and partly because I, personally, am more interested in the effects on one's life that this teaching produces. So, I am sending this out to you as a Dharma message partly as an apology and partly as a thumb-nail sketch of the basic tenets of our doctrine for you to have.

  Thank-you for being on the path. Thank-you for being you.

   In Gassho,

   M. Hayashi

  All Buddhism works on the principle of karma. Karma, very simply put, is the tendency for the results of actions, emotions and intentions to resonate on for a period of time after the initial impetus that gave rise to them. Within this framework it becomes possible for a being to amass huge amounts of positive karma, through the practice of a religious path. The being may then use this karma to create a purified realm or a Pure Land. Since this land has been built upon the intention of this being to offer spiritual salvation to others, people can be born there to either, depending on the nature of the being's land, further their spiritual growth, or gain instant enlightenment. When the people born there receive their enlightenment experience they join the effort to bring all beings to spiritual perfection.

  A certain Buddha named Amida having the wisdom to see that most people would not have the opportunity (ie to surrender their homes and life for a monkish existence), or the determination required to bring their spiritual path to completion, and also possessing a heart full of compassion towards these very beings, decided to create a Pure Land specifically for these people. He spent some six kalpas (six immeasurably long periods of time) amassing the spiritual merits required for its creation.

  The practice that one must follow to get there had to be simple, as it was planned to offer salvation to those who would not have a hope of getting to any other Buddha Land on their own merits. Amida decided to put enough merits to acquire birth in his land into his name. People could then avail themselves of all the spiritual merits that they will need through a simple recitation of his name, Namuamidabutsu, with a singular and devoted heart of faith.

  The practice of saying the Nembutsu (literally translated as; "I place my faith in Amida Buddha.), may in time give rise to an experience that we call Shinjin. In this one moment one's life is transformed. The practicer realizes that he has always been the object of Amida's heart that seeks to comfort all beings. From then on one lives a life of gratitude. The person knows where they are going after death and that they are fully accepted and cherished while they are here in a physical existence. One feels thankful to Amida as the agent of their newfound security, but that sense of gratitude is broadened to encompass all of the beings who have contributed to his wondrous existence.

  At the moment of death, one's karmic residue (the results of one's dreams, goals and intentions that they had while they were here) is encapsulated by enlightenment. We call this being born in the Pure Land. One is instantly enlightened and is able to assist Amida in bringing all beings to this same state. They are free to come back to a physical existence in either of a physical incarnation, or as a less tangible entity (a bodhisattva) in order to accomplish this goal. Part Three - What does this Mean to the Follower who is on the Path?

  As with any religious path, one reaches a point where one must decide if one's religious leaning is serious enough to pursue. Given a mythology and a set of symbols to lead us on, we all have to either actualize the teachings, or leave them on a shelf to be dusted off in times of extreme duress. The following has to do with a person who has decided to at least try to manifest the ideals of wisdom and compassion in their lives.

  Whether one ever gets to the Shinjin experience, or not, one gets an inkling at least that one is an integral part of a universe that runs on the principles of wisdom and compassion. Other people are not seen to be combatants; instead they are people who care for us, hold great ideals for us and sometimes even challenge us to interact with the teachings more deeply. One's feeling of interconnectedness towards others gets markedly higher. One's connection to the world around them gets deeper also. The world/universe is no longer seen as a cold, solitary place; instead it becomes a warm, inviting realm full of all the wonders and pit falls inherent in a physical existence.

  The next and biggest psychological jump takes place within this framework. I know that the world is an enervating amazing place, that more than enough people have been caring for and supporting me while I have been here, and I have no worries about the lifetime after this one. If this is so, how come I quite often behave like a childish whiny idiot? Maybe its because I have let my mind/feelings/intentions fly out of control for a long time. All Buddhist schools aim at the big realization that I am entirely responsible for the thoughts that are floating around in my head. I may not be responsible for putting them there; but I am certainly responsible for letting them stay to influence my subsequent moments.

  Once one takes complete responsibility for one's own thought, a whole other world opens up. One can feel the potential present in each moment. With each of our present acts, no matter how simple they may seem, we are paving the way to our future. This being the case; and since I am here influencing/creating my existence anyway, I might as well try to manifest the best possible being that I can be.

  The symbol of Amida becomes an ideal; a goal, of sorts, for us to live up to, to the best of our ability. In straining to live up to our own ideals of what wisdom and compassion might be, the Nembutsu takes one on an inner journey. Just the process of taking the time to reflect on one's own ideals is a good thing; but we also have the added advantage of having a trusted practice, backed up by a heart of wisdom and compassion, to help us along when the journey turns murky. And the journey towards complete honesty often turns murky and, at times, almost brutal. It also leads to humility because we are forced to look inside to see how inane most of our acts are, and how often the things that we do are not based on our ideals, but instead based on needy, graspey, self- indulgent motives.

  In Gassho,

  Mike