Dear Sangha,
I wanted to share a post
that I wrote in response
to a question on the True
Shin Buddhism Yahoo Group
when one of our member's
asked about Shinjin and
divergences that have
crept in. My response
follows...
Rick, thank you for your
open and honest
recollection of what
happened to you and so
many people who have been
caught in the Divergent
teachings that are
globally threatening the
Truth of the Dharma.
It is exceptionally sad
that many Modernist
Teachers are well
regarded, and seekers are
unaware that these
modernist teachings are
not the truth.
The only way we can
guarantee we are hearing
is the correct Dharma is
by READING/LISTENING to
the Masters words for
ourselves, pondering them
in our own heart and
taking them to Amida for
his guidance. And if we
dont feel that we are
there yet; read the
Masters words for yourself
- and particularly the
Tannisho, and Master
Rennyo's letters (The Ofumi) which are
very simple to understand
and are repeated in
different ways over and
over so there is NO WAY
they can be
misunderstood. Just
doing this alone will show
the divergences in the
teachings of many of our
well known (divergent)
teachers.
We are also told within
the texts that a scholars
faith is not assured due
to his knowledge...
In 'Lamp for the Latter
Ages' - 6, we read...
I recall the late Master
Honen say, "Persons of the
Pure Land tradition attain
birth in the Pure Land by
becoming their foolish
selves." Moreover, I
remember him smile and
say, as he watched humble
people of no intellectual
pretensions coming to
visit him, "Without doubt
their birth is settled."
And I heard him say after
a visit by a man brilliant
in letters and debating,
"I really wonder about his
birth." To this day these
things come to mine.
Each of you should attain
your birth without being
misled by people and
without faltering in
Shinjin. However, the
practicer in whom Shinjin
has not become settled
will continue to drift,
even without being misled
by anyone, for he does not
abide among the truly
Settled.
<<<
This is so true, as we saw
from Master Shinrans own
son Zenran, who although
being the Masters eldest
son, and thereby we would
assume had the best
teachings possible, still
had unsettled or falsely
settled shinjin and went
on to disregard the true
teachings; whilst lying
and making up his own
teachings for the power
and ego that he craved...
It just shows us that
knowledge can lead to ego
and power and then
divergences can come from
this combination -
certainly not always...
But it can. When Rick for
example tells us straight
out that Alfred Bloom, who
is a well known Teacher in
the Global Sangha, told
him 'Of course Amida isnt
a REAL Buddha' I mean
what can you say to
that....
The Questions that arise
in my mind are...
HOW can you ENTRUST
yourself completely to a
Buddha you dont believe
exists!!!
How can you be born into a
Pure Land you dont believe
exists!!!
How can you entrust
yourself and receive
Shinjin from something you
believe is a myth!!!
Its impossible, No wonder
these modernist teachers
dont KNOW what a person of
Shinjin KNOWS - they cant
KNOW because they dont
trust to begin with.
So while we are helping
bring the truth to those,
in the position like Rick
was in 2009, to come to
the truth; it is very sad
when well known modernist
teachers are not teaching
what the Masters taught,
but worse they are
CHANGING THE DHARMA,
telling untruths, and
expounding the Dharma in
their own view, and not
how it is written...
EXACTLY what Yuien-bo
WARNS us about in the
Tannisho written centuries
ago, and yet these
modernist scholars who
have surely read it,
dismiss it and believe
they know better!!!
Which of course bears the
question - Do modernist
teachers really believe
they know better than the
Buddha Shakyamuni, who
explained in GREAT DETAIL,
everything about Amida
Buddha; about the Pure
Land; about the
Bodhisattva Dharmakara;
and even where the Pure
Land was to be found...
And then the Masters of
our tradition gave us in
greater details the things
we needed to know - How
can the Modernist teachers
believe they know
better!!!
I know without a doubt who
I put my faith in - and
that is Amida Buddha,
Shakyamuni Buddha and our
Masters over and above
what ANYONE tells me...
It is upto ME, to ensure I
am hearing the Dharma as
expounded, it is upto me
to check it out and make
sure it is right.
And so I agree with Rick
totally, and Thank you
Rick, for sharing your
story so openly and
honestly.
And Thank you Paul for
standing up for the truth
even though you were shot
down again and again for
doing so; and
Thank you Eiken Kobai
Sensei, for speaking the
truth even in the face of
these divergences; and
Thank you Josho Adrian
Cirlea for standing up for
the truth no matter what
and being the voice in
Romania; and
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK
YOU AMIDA BUDDHA - for
ensuring that we HAVE
these people who continue
to expound the truth no
matter what - And Thank
you again for your
wonderful gift of Shinjin
as there is no more doubt
about YOU or the Dharma;
there is only horror at
the slander of the true
Dharma that is going on;
and the knowledge that
there is no worse karma to
be had.
And so it is with
compassion that we hope
that these modernist
teachers will look again
at what they are doing,
and realise that they not
only have the karma they
are collecting for
themselves, but all the
followers they are guiding
away from Amida, rather
than towards him. We HOPE
that they will READ the
Masters words, and
Shakyamuni's words with
NEW EYES so they can SEE
the error of their ways,
and be Humble enough to
admit it to themselves and
their followers - it takes
a much stronger man (or
woman) to admit their
mistakes and stand up for
the truth, than to
continue in ego and pride.
And yet we are so
fortunate again that we do
have the internet and that
our voices, that once may
have been quiet and
insignificant - are now
loud and can reach all
ends of the earth and sing
the praises of Amida
Buddha, and announce THAT
HE IS A REAL BUDDHA, and
we will not be silenced;
we will continue to
expound the truth, and if
even one person hears it
and realises what they
need to do then it is
worthwhile. Our Sangha is
the light of truth in this
world globally, just as
Eiken is a light of truth
in Japan; and Josho is a
light of truth in Romania,
and together combined we
are a force for the TRUTH
of the DHARMA, and the
TRUTH of AMIDA BUDDHA and
the amazing difference he
has made in our lives.
NAMU AMIDA BUTSU
THANK YOU AMIDA BUDDHA
Gassho, Camille
