…n. AMIDA (J), see AMITABHA BUDDHA. AMITABHA BUDDHA (S), Amida Butsu (J), “O-mi-t’o-fo” (C). The Buddha of Fathomless Light, or Amitayus, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. His is another name for the Cosmic Buddha. See also COSMIC BUDDHA, NEMBUTSU, PURE LAND BUDDHISM. AMITABHA SCRIPTURE, Amida-kyo (J), Sukhavati-vyuha (S). One of the three most important Scriptures of the Pure Land Church. ANANDA (S). The Buddha’s personal jiisha. ANATTA (P), anatma…
…of a separate self and separate others is seldom questioned amidst the day-to-day flow of events in life. These perceptions arise from the natural part of us, the functioning of which is very much concerned with preserving our physical existence. If Understanding belongs to a realm wherein the opposites of existence and non-existence are transcended, then the path of the natural self is, on its own, limited and is unlikely to lead to enlightenme…
…ering our normal life. Most of us need a bit of time to ‘come to’ and to re-establish contact. We may be going from a silent reflective atmosphere to a noisier one. Those we return to may be apprehensive of how we may be after a retreat. We may feel like reading the paper, eating cake, watching TV, not unpacking our bag, all at once! ‘Phew, I don’t have to do it’. Or we may feel a strong urge to tell everyone what we experienced. We may feel a bit…
…“willingness” than “will”. It is the willingness to let go of things moment-by-moment: ideas, opinions, wants, fears, ideals, judgments, … everything. It is the willingness at all times to learn, to be open to seeing new ways, as Dogen Zenji put it “to be disturbed by the Truth”. And it is the willingness to do whatever comes next. “Doing what comes next” is more a matter of honesty and courage than of will. The honesty is that of looking straight…