“Namo Amida Butsu” Heard Throughout the World (February 6)

Rev. Hogen Fujimoto

The words “Namo Amida Butsu” are the voice of the Buddha calling us to take refuge in his awakening, wherever we may be, whatever we may be doing. Through his work in prison chaplaincy, Rev. Hogen Fujimoto brought the comfort and guidance of the Nembutsu into the lives of inmates who were seeking to direct their lives toward wisdom and compassion.

This Sunday, Rev. Adams will share the inspiration he’s received Rev. Fujimoto’s memoir Out of the Mud Grows the Lotus, and how Rev. Fujimoto’s work in the prisons reflects the 17th Vow of Amida Buddha, which affirms the Buddha’s commitment that his voice of wisdom will reach all those who seek the path to awakening:

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the countless Buddhas throughout the worlds in the ten quarters should not all glorify and praise my name, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

Schedule
8:30 a.m. Shoshinge Sofu Chanting (click here for chanting text)
9:00 a.m. Taiso Exercise with Juliet and Grace Bost
9:30 a.m. Dharma Service
10:30 a.m. Shotsuki Hoyo Monthly Memorial Service

To join us for this online Dharma Service, CLICK HERE to sign up for “Live Broadcast of Services”.

Shōshinge: Hymn of True Shinjin and the Nembutsu (Session 4)

This month we learn about the origins of our practice of reciting the Nembutsu as expressed in the following lines from Shōshinge:

In five kalpas of profound thought, he embraced this Vow, Then resolved again that his Name be heard throughout the ten quarters.

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“The Origin of Jodo Shinshu: Roots/History” Special Dharma Lecture by Rev. Giei Sasaki

「浄土真宗の源流:roots / history」

特別講師:佐々木義英先生

Sunday, September 13, 2020

5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)

2020年9月13日(日曜日)午後5時(米国太平洋時間)

Rev. Giei Sasaki

Hongwanji Guiding Dharma Teacher

Director of the Research Office for Doctrine and Propagation at the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji Research Institute

Chuo Bukkyo Gakuin Buddhist Seminary Instructor

佐々木義英先生

本願寺派司教、浄土真宗本願寺派総合研究所教学伝道研究室長、中央仏教学院講師。

Continue reading ““The Origin of Jodo Shinshu: Roots/History” Special Dharma Lecture by Rev. Giei Sasaki”

48 Vows of Bodhisattva Dharmakara (Amida Buddha)

From the Three Pure Land Sutras, Volume II: The Larger Sutra, pg. 20-29

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1

“‘If, when I attain Buddhahood, there should be hell, the realm of hungry spirits, or the realm of animals in my land, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

2

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land, should, after their death, return once more to the three evil realms, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

3

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not all be the color of genuine gold, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

4

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not all be of the same appearance and should be either beautiful or ugly, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

5

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not remember all their former lives,[1] and thus be unable to know at least the events of the previous hundred thousand kotis of *nayutas of kalpas, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

6

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not possess divine eyes,[2] and thus be unable to see at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha‐lands, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

7

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not possess divine ears,[3] and thus be unable to hear the teachings being expounded by at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddhas or remember them all, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

8

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not possess the wisdom to see into the minds of others,[4] and thus be unable to know the thoughts of the sentient beings of at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha‐lands, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

9

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not possess divine feet, and thus be unable to go beyond at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha‐lands in a thought‐moment, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

10

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should give rise to any thought of attachment to their body, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

11

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should not dwell in the stage of the truly settled and necessarily attain nirvana, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

12

If, when I attain Buddhahood, my light should be finite, not illuminating even a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of Buddha‐lands, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

13

If, when I attain Buddhahood, my life should be finite, limited even to a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of kalpas, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

14

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the number of sravakas in my land could be counted and known, even if all the sravakas and pratyekabuddhas in the *triple‐thousand great thousand worlds should spend at least a hundred thousand kalpas counting them, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

15

When I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land will not have a limited life span, except when they wish to shorten it freely according to their original vows. Should this not be so, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

16

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the humans and devas in my land should even hear that there are names of evil acts, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

17

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the countless Buddhas throughout the worlds in the ten quarters should not all glorify and praise my name, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.[5]

18

If, when I attain Buddhahood, the sentient beings of the ten quarters who, with sincere and *entrusting heart, aspire to be born in my land and say my name even ten times, should not be born there, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment. Excluded are those who commit the *five grave offenses and *those who slander the right Dharma.[6]

Continue reading “48 Vows of Bodhisattva Dharmakara (Amida Buddha)”