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- HISTORICAL BACKGROUND -
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A Buddhist View of Easter

by Rev. Marvin Harada
This article is one of many Orange County Buddhist Church's minister messages found at http://www.bca-ocbc.org

You are all aware that Easter is the Christian religious observance that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is thought in Christianity that Jesus rose from the dead, or was “resurrected.” This event proved that Jesus was the son of God, the Christ. Christians throughout the world celebrate this event as Easter.

My feeling is that the real “resurrection” of Jesus does not rely on whether he rose from the dead or not. I would think that the real “resurrection” occurs when Christians receive the teachings of Jesus within their hearts and minds. When a Christian really and truly receives the teachings of Jesus in one’s heart and mind, then Jesus truly “comes alive.” From a Buddhist perspective, isn’t that the real meaning of “resurrection?”

In the same manner, for Buddhists, when we receive the Buddha’s teachings in our hearts and minds, then the Buddha comes “alive” for us. Shakyamuni is not just a great teacher that lived over 2500 years ago, but is a “living teacher” in a spiritual sense for us today. Shinran Shonin lived over 700 years ago, but when Shin Buddhists sincerely follow the path of the Nembutsu, Shinran Shonin comes alive for us today. Of course the Buddha and Shinran do not “literally” come alive or come back from the dead, but their teachings, their way of life of the Dharma, “comes alive” for us today.

Buddhism is not as concerned with historical fact as it is concerned with religious truth. Historical fact stands at one point in time. Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492. America became independent on July 4, 1776.

Religious truth, however, stands beyond time. While Shakyamuni Buddha lived and died as a human being in history, the truth that he attained is a timeless, eternal truth. What is significant for Buddhists is not to simply celebrate the historical events of the Buddha’s life like his birth or entrance into Nirvana, but that the Buddha “come alive” for us in our life here and now.

If Christianity focuses on the historical event of Jesus rising from the dead, then it stands on one event in time. If instead it focuses on Christians receiving the teachings of Jesus in their hearts, then it becomes a religion that stands beyond time.

Thich Nhat Hanh, a well-known Buddhist Monk and prolific writer of Buddhist books writes:

“Redemption and resurrection are neither words nor objects of belief. They are our daily practice. We practice in such a way that Buddha is born every moment of our daily life, that Jesus Christ is born every moment of our daily life.” —from Going Home.

Thich Nhat Hanh has even written a book titled, “Living Buddha, Living Christ” in which he discusses his appreciation of both Jesus and Shakyamuni Buddha, and how they must become living teachers for us today.

“When we understand and practice deeply the life and teachings of Buddha or the life and teachings of Jesus, we penetrate the door and enter the abode of the living Buddha and the living Christ, and life eternal presents itself to us.”

—p. 56, Living Buddha, Living Christ by Thich Nhat Hanh

In the book Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh relates that he came to have an appreciation of Jesus and Christianity not by reading the bible, but by meeting kind and wonderful Christians. Through these Christians, he came to respect and admire the life and teachings of Jesus.

In the same manner, people who do not know anything about Buddhism, or who have never been exposed to Buddhism can come to know Shakyamuni Buddha through how we live as Buddhists.

For Thich Nhat Hanh, the life eternal, is not an everlasting life in heaven which occurs after death. Life eternal means to transcend life and death, to stand beyond time. It is what is expressed as “immeasurable life” in Shin Buddhism. Amida Buddha is immeasurable life and immeasurable light. Namuamidabutsu means “I open my heart and mind to immeasurable light and immeasurable life.” Through the Nembutsu, through receiving the truth of Namuamidabutsu in our hearts and minds, we become life eternal, we transcend life and death.

Why should we attempt to transcend life and death? Why should we try to stand beyond time? Because to do so means our fear and apprehension of death is gone. It means that our life is fulfilled, whether we live to be 9 or 90. It means that we can truly be one in our hearts with the loved ones we have lost, whether it was last year or fifty years ago. It means that we have the peace of mind to someday leave our loved ones behind when our time too has come. Who is there that would not want to transcend life and death?

May the Nembutsu enter our hearts and minds, and may we find the true peace, joy, serenity, and meaning of life eternal, of immeasurable life, of life that stands beyond time.

Namuamidabutsu.

A man stumbled over a stone which upset him greatly.The cause of his stumbling was the stone. Therefore, the cause of anger and misery which was produced by his stumbling was completely outside of him. If there were no stone in his path, he might not have stumbled; hence, no anger or misery would have resulted.

This logic seems quite correct. However, many people pass the same path. Some of them stumble over the stone and others do not. Those who do see the obstruction are able to avoid the trouble.

Thus, the cause of anger and misery really lies in this man who did not see the stone. He himself is the cause of trouble because he did not or was unable to see the stone. A man who observes and is careful, is free from stumbling. Therefore, the cause of trouble is carelessness, blindness and ignorance.

This analysis shows the difference between a religious and non-religious person. A religious person from a Buddhist point of view always sees the cause of misery or happiness just as a scientist looks into the cause of things. Religion begins from introspection. Without self-introspection there is no religion. Buddhism teaches the truth about life, and the world, and the causes of miseries and troubles of life. It teaches how to understand and to face and transcend human miseries and troubles.

In our life there are many troubles which we stumble over. A man stumbles over a stone and scorns to find a stone in the middle of the road and he blames someone for leaving it there. A man says that he is deceived and blames the deceiver, but some are not deceived no matter how much others try to deceive them. A wise and alert person is not deceived. Those who are gullible or greedy are easily deceived. Here again, we see the cause of deception is in the one who is deceived rather than the one who tries to deceive. A husband thinks that his wife is the cause of his unhappiness and, contrarily, the wife thinks that the husband is the cause of her troubles. This is typically a modern way of thinking which is always looking outward and blaming everything around oneself. Perhaps this is the influence of the modern materialistic outlook of life. Materials are everything for a materialist who has no time to think what he is. He always looks around him but never looks at himself.

Let us think of an instance that I stumbled over. That "I" becomes the most important factor. It is said in the Dhammapada:

Awakening is the ultimate goal of the Buddhist path, no matter what school or tradition one may follow. From a narrow, ego-centered world one is awakened to an open, limitless world. In Pure Land vocabulary one realizes the limits of self-power and awakens to the vast universe of Other Power. In the language of Heidegger, calculative thinking gives itself up to meditative thinking, a "thinking which is open to its contents, open to what is given."

The highest form of awakening is Buddahood that has a single clear focus: the deliverance of all beings drowning in the ocean of samsara. This is summed up in the classical East Asian Definition of a "Buddha":

Awakening is dynamic, constantly evolving in accordance with life's realities–unfolding from ego-self to compassionate self, from enclosed self, from foolish self to enlightened self.

Several years ago, one of my students, Kate, participated in the annual Japan-America Student Conference. Started in 1934, it is a prestigious gathering of the top eighty students from both countries. It holds a four-week traveling seminar during the summer in the U.S. and Japan. A series of round-table discussion were held in various cities, starting in Tokyo and culminating in Nagasaki in August.

Due to the demanding schedule and the hot, humid weather, Kate was fatigued and restless. When the group came to the Nagasaki Peace Plaza, dedicated to the victims of the 1945 atomic holocaust, they came to a large fountain spraying cool water into the summer heat. When Kate first saw the fountain, she just wanted to jump in, cool her body, and soothe her fatigue. But when she saw the plaque that read "This fountain is dedicated to the children of Nagasaki who died crying for water," such thoughts completely vanished. Instead her thoughts turned to the dying, burned children, the unspeakable horror of war, the inhumanity of humankind that runs deep.

At that very moment Kate experienced a radical awakening, a transformation of consciousness, which completely changed her life. Her thoughts no longer fixated on herself and her needs–they were now directed to the plight of others in need. And this was not a momentary sentimentalism at work. Returning to her college, she concentrated on elevating the status of low-income students and welfare mothers. She eventually graduated from law school as an effective advocate for the poor, the underprivileged, and the disenfranchised.

Many people experience this type of awakening, but normally it touches only one aspect of life and rarely involves the total person. Furthermore, a single experience may not effect any real transformation. The awakening must be repeated and deepened for as long as we are living and breathing. As one writer put it, "It isn't like you have one rite of passage, one death-rebirth experience, and then you Get It!" Hakuin, who revitalized Rinzai Zen in eighteenth-century Japan, spoke of awakening (satori) on two stages: initial awakening through use of the koan-riddles, and subsequent series of awakening to deepen the first exposure, the latter being even more important on the path.

Buddhist awakening differs in two ways from ordinary forms of heightened consciousness. First is the somatic involvement, such that the final test of real transformation is a body-mind that has become supple, pliant, and gentle. The somatic emphasis helps us avoid playing mind games and engaging in discursive strategies. Second is the shattering of the conventional notions of I, me, and mine that opens the self up to bottomless and endless reaches of life itself. This is evident in the goals of various Buddhist traditions.

Awakening in Yogacara Buddhism occurs with the turnabout (paravritti) at the base of the whole mind system deep below our normal consciousness and involving the entire phenomenal world. In Hua-yen Buddhism the enlightenment experience is symbolized by a huge flower garland, Gandavyuha, placed on the entire universe, signifying a cosmic awakening. In Pure Land Buddhism the karmic bondage from the beginningless beginning of time is transformed into the very content of supreme awakening, dedicating itself to the salvation of all beings, including a single blade of grass.

In 1960, a group of medical personnel conducted research on how to cure sickness. The results were published in a book entitled, "Your Mind Can Make You Sick And Well." In their research they found that it is more important to take care of our mind than our body. This does not mean the body is not important; it too, is important. In Buddhism the mind is more important than any other physical item. One of the teachings about the mind is as follows:

"All mental states have Mind as their forerunner. The Mind is their chief, and they are Mind–made. If one speaks or acts with a defiled mind, Suffering follows—even as the wheel follows the hoof of the draught ox." Buddha – Dhammapada -1 stanza.

Today everyone suffers from mental problems on many different levels. In the West, doctors, parapsychologists and psychiatrists are available to help us. As an Eastern world religion, Buddhism tries to analyze the cause and effect of suffering and unhappiness and tries to keep the mind pure. In order to achieve this, Buddhists practice Temporary Preventive Methods and Permanent Preventive Methods.

The Buddha said, "O bikkhus, there are two kinds of illness. What are those two? Physical illness and mental illness. There seem to be people who enjoy freedom from physical illness even for a year or two—even for a hundred years or more. But, O bukkhus, rare in this world are those who enjoy freedom for mental illness even for one moment, except those who are free from mental defilement." — Dr. W. Rahula, "What the Buddha Taught" (Page 67, 1996 edition, Sri Lanka.)

According to the Temporary Methods, we should always strive to do the right things in our day to day life. Sometimes defining what is right or what is wrong differs among many people and that can create confusion. In Buddhism, precepts are considered as right actions or free from misconduct. There are precepts for different people and for different occasions. In my country of Sri Lanka, for example, monks have many precepts to guide them (more than a thousand!). Five of the most commonly practiced precepts are:

I take the precept to abstain from destroying living beings.
I take the precept to abstain from taking things not given.
I take the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct.
I take the precept to abstain from false speech.
I take the precept to abstain from distilled and fermented liquor that
causes intoxication and heedlessness.

If we are free from taking alcohol, or heavy drugs and are free from sexual misconduct, then basically our body is in good condition. If every one of us does not steal or tell lies, our life would be very peaceful. Whoever is not killing any human or any other beings, his or her mind would be filled with love and compassion. These five rules are very simple and anyone who practices it can have a healthy mind and body.

To achieve permanent relief to our life, Buddhism recommends meditation or mind cultivation. It is suggested that this be practiced regularly in order to benefit the health and mental state. There are two kinds of meditation methods which appear in Buddhist texts:

1. The development of the Mental Concentration or Samatha Bhavana
2. Insight Meditation or Vipassana Bhavana.

There are various methods of Mental Concentration prescribed in our religious texts that lead up to the highest mystic states such as the sphere of Nothingness. This form of meditation existed before the Buddha. One is advised to first seek out well-experienced teachers or a meditation master. Then, with the help of the meditation master, a meditation technique is suggested that will be most appropriate for that person. There are forty methods that appear in the guide textbooks (religious books).

Practicing Insight Meditation leads to the complete liberation of the mind—to the realization of nature. It is an analytical method based on mindfulness, awareness, vigilance, and observation—the mindfulness or awareness of In and Out Breathing (ANAPANASATI BHAVANA). This meditation method is very popular among Buddhists meditators in the world, and it is included in the above two meditation methods. It is easy to use in day to day life without disturbing one's normal activities.

Preparing for Meditation
You may sit, stand, walk, or lie down. But for cultivating the mindfulness of In and Out Breathing, one should sit, and if so desire, use a chair to keep the body erect and the mind alert. It is very necessary in this exercise that the meditator sit erect, but not stiff; with the hands placed comfortably on his or her lap. Thus seated, you may close your eyes or you may gaze at the tip of your nose, whichever is more comfortable for you. Now bring your mind to concentrate on breathing in and breathing out; let your mind watch and observe your breathing in and out. When you breathe, you sometimes take deep breaths, sometimes not. This does not matter at all. Breathe normally and naturally. When you do take deep breaths you should be aware that they are deep breaths, and soon your mind will be so fully focused on your breathing that you will become aware of its movements and changes. Forget all other things, your surroundings, and your environment. Do not raise your eyes and look at anything. Try to do this for five or ten minutes.

The Result That You Acquire.
This exercise on breathing will bring you immediate results: you will feel healthy and relaxed, sleep soundly, and be more efficient in your daily work. You will feel calm and tranquil. Even in moments when you are nervous or excited, if you practice this for a couple of minutes, you will see that you become immediately quiet and at peace. You will feel as if you have just awakened from a good rest.

Nature of Modern Life.
Today we are living in a world where people have to work very hard physically and mentally. Without working hard, it is difficult to survive in the modern society. Competition is everywhere and one cannot easily rest. The Mind is the nucleus of life. When there is no real peace and rest in the mind, it is hard to enjoy life. People will naturally try to overcome this through pleasing the senses: drinking, gambling, etc.–all the while having the illusion that they are enjoying the real happiness in life. Sense stimulation is not the real way to have relaxation. The more we try to please the senses, the more will we become slaves to them. There will be no end to our craving for satisfaction. The way to relax is to calm the senses by training the mind. If we can train the mind, then we will be able to handle life's challenges better. When the mind is relaxed and purified, it will be free. When the mind is free, it will see many things which others cannot see with their naked eyes.

What points about Buddhism do you like?

I find Buddhism appealing because it is voluntary, open, personal and peaceful.

By "voluntary" I mean it's not a "sin" to turn away from the Dharma or teaching. We make efforts to share the teachings and our experiences, but if people are not interested, we simply wait for them to become interested. When the time is right they will seek answers to their question. The Buddha called out, "ehi passiko" (come here and see!) if people are interested.

"Open" mean that Buddhism is open-minded about other religions and sects. Buddhists think there are 84,000 ways to enlightenment. Of course, although Buddhists would like others to take an interest in the Dharma, they just don't think it's right to force people to take interest. What's more, we don't think people are doomed to be punished if they walk other paths.

By "personal" I mean that there is much value given to personal understanding. Dharma cannot come alive without speaking directly to our unique experience. We do not accept the Dharma blindly. We test how it works in our everyday life. Just before he died, the Buddha said, "Make yourself the light, and make the Dharma the light." Also he cautioned:

Do not accept a statement on the ground that it is found in our books, nor on the supposition that "this is acceptable," nor because it is the saying of your teacher.  Anguttara-Nikaya IV, 382

But he did not mean to imply that we can do whatever we please because there is no standard. No, the standard is the Dharma. The Buddha was telling us to see how the teachings work in our lives before we accept them.

I am also impressed by how peaceful Buddhism is. Throughout history, Buddhists have taught not to be violent towards others just because they believed differently. In modern times the Dalai Lama of Tibet is a great example of a Buddhist leader acting peacefully. Even though the Chinese regime has taken over his Buddhist country and make life miserable for his people, the Dalai Lama works without rest to find a peaceful way to free his homeland.

This is not to claim that the Buddhist communities were or are completely immune from violent actions against each other. There have been skirmishes to be sure, but they were motivated more by institutional jealousies than doctrinal differences. I suppose all religious institutions sometimes fail to live up to the pure ideals of their teachings. Buddhism is no exception. It seems to me, however, that Buddhism has exhibited, relatively speaking, a high degree of peace that many observers, including non-Buddhists, regard as the hallmark of the tradition.

Are there any other points that you like?

Yes. I am attracted to the teaching that "All sentient beings possess Buddha nature." This means that not only humans, but animals, birds, fish and other creatures are all sacred and should be treated with respect. Humans do not have any right to rule over them. When their lives are taken so we can have food, we must be grateful to them for their sacrifice. The East Asian Buddhists expanded this way of thinking to even include inanimate things such as the mountains, rivers, grass and soil. We humans must also live well together. We are part of nature, not rulers of nature. We must cherish and protect it.

Buddhism is often accused of being too difficult for the average person. Ministers are often requested to speak more simply. And when we do, it is often dismissed as good for children but not something a grown adult could believe in. This dilemma is the result of differences in attitude. Of all the divisions of learning, the one that is approached with the most preconceived notions is that of religion. When we study a foreign language, calculus, biology, or even a class in skiing, we empty our minds and listen carefully, trying to understand something that is completely foreign to us. And once we get the general "hang" of things, we begin to ask questions on fine points.

This is true of most types of learning – except for religion. When it comes to religion, we bring to it a whole lifetime of images, ideas, emotions, and Sunday School conclusions about the nature of man and life. Rather than trying to learn about Buddhism as we learn about skiing, we instead go shopping for the "right" interpretation of Buddhism, or worse, for the teaching which most closely fits what we already believe. In other words, the best religion is the religion that most closely agrees with what "I" already believe. We have already formed our own religion and when we say that "I am Buddhist", we often mean that "Buddhism is the religion that most agrees with my theories of religion". We accept and use Buddhism to fit our needs.

The real value of Buddhism however, is in its ability to transform a human being. Any religion worth its salt must be able to take a human being to a deeper and broader level of awareness, it must change a person's life for the better in a fundamental way. One must encounter Buddhism on its terms not on one's own terms. When a minister is told that his sermon was very good, it often means that it was entertaining, that it agreed with what the hearer believes.

For all these various reasons, the Buddhist admonition to "listen" is an important concept. For minister and layman alike, "listening" means to set aside for a moment the desire to hear what one wants to hear. It is to listen to what is being said by the scriptures with an "empty" mind, "empty" meaning open-minded, free of ulterior motivations. Since the minister is essentially the transmitter and/or interpreter of the written scriptures, it is his duty to read the scriptures with an "empty", "listening" mind. It is for the minister, a narrow and tricky path between talking about Buddhism and talking about "Kodani-isms". Likewise for a layman. A non-swimmer who falls into the water never thinks to relax and thereby float. Instead he acts on what he thinks is right and thrashes his arms wildly – and drowns. "Listening" is to relax one's defenses, to set aside one's preconceptions, to lower one's hand of critical comment, and to quietly relax and float. Gassho!

Love exists in itself,not relying on owning or being owned. Like the pearl, love can only buy itself, because love is not a matter of currency or exchange. No one has enough to buy it but everyone has enough to cultivate it. Metta reunites us with what it means to be alive and unbound.

Researchers once gave a plant to every resident of a nursing home. They told half of these elderly people that the plants were theirs to care for – they had to pay close attention to their plants' needs for water and sunlight, and they had to respond carefully to those needs. The researchers told the other half of the residents that their plants were theirs to enjoy but that they did not have to take any responsibility for them; the nursing staff would care for the plants.

At the end of a year, the researchers compared the two groups of elders. The residents who had been asked to care for their plants were living considerably longer than the norm, were much healthier, and were more oriented towards and connected to their world. The other residents, those who had plants but did not have to stay responsive to them, simply reflected the norms for people their age in longevity, health, alertness, and engagement with the world.

This study shows, among other things, the enlivening power of connection, of love, of intimacy. This is the effect that metta can have on our lives. But when I heard about the study, I also reflected on how often we regard intimacy as a force between ourselves and something outside ourselves – another person, or even a plant -- and how rarely we consider the force of being intimate with ourselves, with our own inner experience. How rarely do we lay claim to our own lives and feel connected to ourselves!

A way to discover intimacy with ourselves and all of life is to live with integrity, basing our lives on a vision of compassionate nonharming. When we dedicate ourselves to actions that do not hurt ourselves or others, our lives become all of one piece, a "seamless garment" with nothing separate or disconnected in the spiritual reality we discover.

Significantly, when we do metta practice, we begin by directing metta toward ourselves. This is the essential foundation for being able to offer genuine love to others. When we truly love ourselves, we want to take care of others, because that is what is most enriching, or nourishing, for us. When we have a genuine inner life, we are intimate with ourselves and intimate with others. The insight into our inner world allows us to connect to everything around us, so that we can see quite clearly the oneness of all that lives. We see that all beings want to be happy, and that this impulse unites us. We can recognize the rightness and beauty of our common urge towards happiness, and realize intimacy in this shared urge.

If we are practicing metta and we cannot see the goodness in ourselves or in someone else, then we reflect on that fundamental wish to be happy that underlies all action. "Just as I want to be happy, all beings want to be happy." This reflection gives rise to openness, awareness, and love. As we commit to these values, we become embodiments of a lineage that stretches back through beginningless time. All good people of all time have wanted to express openness, awareness, and love. With every phrase of metta, we are declaring our alignment with these values.

From this beginning, metta practice proceeds in a very structured way and specific way. After we have spent some time directing metta to ourselves, we then move on to someone who has been very good to us, for whom we feel gratitude and respect. In the traditional terminology, this person is known as a "benefactor." Later we move to someone who is a beloved friend. It is relatively easy to direct lovingkindness to these categories of beings (we say beings rather than people to include the possibility of animals in these categories.) After we have established this state of connection, we move on to those that it may be harder to direct lovingkindness toward. In this way we open up our limits and extend our capacity for benevolence.

Thus, next we direct lovingkindness to someone whom we feel neutral toward, someone for whom we feel neither great liking nor disliking. This is often an interesting time in the practice, because it may be difficult to find somebody for whom we have no instantaneous judgment. If we can find such a neutral person, we direct metta toward them.

After this, we are ready for the next step — directing metta toward someone with whom we have experienced conflict, someone toward whom we feel lack of forgiveness, or anger, or fear. In the Buddhist scriptures this person is somewhat dramatically known as "the enemy." This is a very powerful stage in the practice, because the enemy, or the person with whom we have difficulty stands right at the division between the finite and the infinite radiance of love. At this point, conditional love unfolds into unconditional love. Here dependent love can turn to the flowering of an independent love that is not based upon getting what we want or having our expectations met. Here we learn that the inherent happiness of love is not compromised by likes and dislikes, and thus, like the sun, it can shine on everything. This love is truly boundless. It is born out of freedom, and it is offered freely.

Through the power of this practice, we cultivate an equality of loving feeling toward ourselves and all beings. There was a time in Burma when I was practicing metta intensively. I had taken about six weeks to go through all the different categories: myself, benefactor, friend, neutral person, and enemy. After I had spent these six weeks doing the metta meditation all day long, my teacher, U Pandita, called me into his room and said, "Say you were walking in the forest with your benefactor, your friend, your neutral person, and your enemy. Bandits come up and demand that you choose one person in your group to be sacrificed. Which one would you choose to die?"

I was shocked at U Pandita's question. I sat there and looked deep into my heart, trying to find a basis from which I could choose. I saw that I could not feel any distinction between any of those people, including myself. Finally I looked at U Pandita and replied, "I couldn't choose; everyone seems the same to me."

U Pandita then asked, "You wouldn't choose your enemy?" I thought a minute and then answered, "No, I couldn't."

Finally U Pandita asked me, "Don't you think you should be able to sacrifice yourself to save the others?" He asked the question as if more than anything else in the world he wanted me to say, "Yes, I'd sacrifice myself." A lot of conditioning rose up in me – an urge to please him, to be "right" and to win approval. But there was no way I could honestly say "yes," so I said, "No, I can't see any difference between myself and any of the others." He simply nodded in response, and I left.

Later I was reading the Visuddhi Magga, one of the great commentarial works of Buddhist literature which describes different meditation techniques and the experiences of practicing these techniques. In the section on metta meditation, I came to that very question about the bandits. The answer I had given was indeed considered the correct one for the intensive practice of metta.

Of course, in different life situations many different courses of action might be appropriate. But the point here is that metta does not mean that we denigrate ourselves in any situation in order to uphold other people's happiness. Authentic intimacy is not brought about by denying our own desire to be happy in unhappy deference to others, nor by denying others in narcissistic deference to ourselves. Metta means equality, oneness, wholeness. To truly walk the Middle Way of the Buddha, to avoid the extremes of addiction and self-hatred, we must walk in friendship with ourselves as well as with all beings.

When I was practicing metta intensively in Burma, at times when I repeated the metta phrases (May I be happy; may all beings be happy), I would picture myself in a wide open field planting seeds. Doing metta we plant the seeds of love, knowing that nature will take its course and in time those seeds will bear fruit. Some seeds will come to fruition quickly, some slowly, but our work is simply to plant the seeds. Every time we form the intention in the mind for our own happiness or for the happiness of others, we are doing our work; we are channeling the powerful energies of our own minds. Beyond that, we can trust the laws of nature to continually support the flowering of our love. As Pablo Neruda says:

"Perhaps the earth can teach us, as when everything seems dead in winter and later proves to be alive."

So the intention is enough. We form the intention in our mind for our happiness and the happiness of all. This is different from struggling to fabricate a certain feeling, to create it out of our will, to make it happen. We just settle back and plant the seeds without worrying about the immediate result. That is our work. If we do our work, then manifold benefits will surely come. Fortunately, the Buddha was characteristically precise about what those benefits include. He said that the intimacy and caring that fill our hearts as the force of lovingkindness develops will bring eleven particular advantages:

1)  You will sleep easily.
2)  You will wake easily.
3)  You will have pleasant dreams.
4)  People will love you.
5)  Devas (celestial beings) and animals will love you.
6)  Devas will protect you.
7)  External dangers (poisons, weapons, and fire) will not harm you.
8)  Your face will be radiant.
9)  Your mind will be serene.
10) You will die unconfused.
11) You will be reborn in happy realms.

People doing formal metta practice often memorize these eleven benefits and recite them to themselves regularly. Reminding ourselves of the fruit of our intention and effort can bring a lot of faith and rapture, sustaining us through those inevitable times when it seems as if the practice is not "getting anywhere." When we consider each of these benefits, we can see more fully how metta revolutionizes our lives.

• YOU WILL SLEEP AND WAKE EASILY;YOU WILL HAVE PLEASANT DREAMS.
When we steep our hearts in lovingkindness, we are able to sleep easily, to awaken easily, and to have pleasant dreams. To have self-respect in life, to walk through this life with grace and confidence, means having a commitment to nonharming and to loving care. If we do not have these things, we can neither rest nor be at peace; we are always fighting against ourselves. The feelings we create by harming are painful both for ourselves and for others. Thus harming leads to guilt, tension, and complexity. Sleeping easily, waking easily, but living a clear and simple life, free from resentment, fear, and guilt, extends into our sleeping, dreaming and waking.

• PEOPLE WILL LOVE YOU.
The next benefit the Buddha pointed out is that if we practice metta we will receive in return the love of others. This is not a heartless calculating motivation, but rather a r recognition that the energy we extend in this world draws to it that same kind of energy. If we extend the force of love, love returns to us. The American psychologist William James once said, "My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items I notice shape my mind." Perhaps this is partially how this law works – opening to the energy of love within us, we can notice it more specifically around us.

• DEVAS (celestial beings) AND ANIMALS WILL LOVE YOU AND PROTECT YOU.
The next set of benefits the Buddha points out promises that if we practice metta we will be protected. Devas, and other invisible beings, are classically taught as part of the Buddhist cosmology, but we don't have to believe in the intervention of invisible forces in order to comprehend how the practice of metta protects us. Pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, and fame and ill repute will revolve throughout our lives. But nevertheless we can be protected by the nature of how we receive, how we hold that which our karma brings us.

• EXTERNAL DANGERS (poisons, weapons, and fire) WILL NOT HARM YOU.
Imagine taking a very small glass of water and putting into it a teaspoon of salt. Because of the small size of the container, the teaspoon of salt is going to have a big impact upon the water. However, if you approach a much larger body of water, such as a lake, and put into it that same teaspoonful of salt, it will not have the same intensity of impact, because of the vastness and openness of the vessel receiving it. Even when the salt remains the same, the spaciousness of the vessel receiving it changes everything.

We spend a lot of our lives looking for a feeling of safety or protection; we try to alter the amount of salt that comes our way. Ironically, the salt is the very thing that we cannot do anything about, as life changes and offers us repeated ups and downs. Our true work is to create a container so immense that any amount of salt, even a truckload, can come into it without affecting our capacity to receive it. No situation, even an extreme one, then can mandate a particular reaction.

• YOUR FACE WILL BE RADIANT.
Another benefit of cultivating of metta is that one's face becomes very clear and shining. This means that an unfeigned inner beauty shines forth. We know in life situations how mind affects matter, how if we are enraged about something, it shows in our face. If somebody is full of hatred, it shows in the way they stand, the way they move, the way their jaw is set. It is not very attractive. No amount of make-up, jewelry, or embellishments bring beauty to a sullen, disgruntled, angry face. In just the same way, when someone's mind is filled with the rapture of lovingkindness or compassion, it is beautiful to see the expression of light, of radiance, on their face and bearing.

• YOUR MIND WILL BE SERENE.
With the practice of metta one also has a serene mind. The feeling of lovingkindness generates great peace. This is the mind that can say, "You are really a klutz, but I love you." It is a feeling endowed with acceptance, patience, and spaciousness. This great peace allows union with all of life, because we are not relying on changing circumstances for our happiness.

The peace of metta offers the kind of happiness that gives us the ability to concentrate. Serenity is the most important ingredient in being able to be present or being able to concentrate the mind. Concentration is an act of cherishing a chosen object. If we have no serenity, the mind will be scattered, and we will not be able to gather in the energy that is being lost to distraction. When we can concentrate, all of this energy is returned to us. This is the potency that heals us.

• YOU WILL DIE UNCONFUSED.
If we practice metta, another major benefit is that we will die unconfused. Our habitual ways of thinking, acting, and relating to life tend to be the ones that are strongest at the time of death as well. If we spend a lifetime feeling separate, apart, cultivating anger, giving way to frustration, to fear, to desire, that will likely be the mental-emotional environment within which we face our death. But if we have lived our life in a way that honors our connectedness, reflects our oneness, and cultivates caring and giving, that is likely to be how we will die.

• YOU WILL BE REBORN IN HAPPY REALMS.
The last specific benefit the Buddha spoke of was being reborn in happy realms as a result of filling our hearts with lovingkindness. The potential for rebirth again and again in various realms of pleasure or pain is part of the Buddhist worldview. For someone who subscribes to this vision of life, rebirth in a realm where one can attain liberation is most important. For those who don't subscribe to this vision, the benefits of metta can surely be seen to come to us in this lifetime.

Metta is the priceless treasure that enlivens us and brings us into intimacy with ourselves and others. It is the force of love that will lead beyond fragmentation, loneliness and fear. The late Hindu guru Neem Karoli Baba often said, "Don't throw anyone out of your heart." One of the most powerful healings (and greatest adventures) of our lifetime can come about as we learn to live by this dictum.

Last Sunday I talked about the classic movie, "The Wizard of Oz", and related its story to Buddhism. Many years ago I wrote a similar article, but this time I would like to write it from a slightly different perspective.

Of course, we all have seen "The Wizard of Oz," and it is one of my all time favorite movies. Dorothy, getting stuck in a tornado, hits her head and wakes up to find herself in an altogether different world, the land of Oz. She is lost, and seeks to find her way back home. She is instructed by the Good Witch of the East to follow the yellow brick road, to meet the Wizard of Oz, who could surely help her get home.

Although Dorothy is lost, once she is instructed to follow the yellow brick road, her journey home has begun. She is not lost anymore. She has been given a direction on her journey home.

It is scary to be lost. If you have ever been lost before, it can become a panic stricken situation. To be lost in the woods, not knowing which way is out, can be petrifying. To drive in a strange city, to lose your way and find yourself in a rough part of town can also be scary.

Sometimes we are lost and we don't even know it or want to admit it. Men never get lost. That's why  men never ask for directions. I can remember driving around looking for a place that I swear I knew, only to drive around and around aimlessly. Gail would ask, "Why don't you stop and ask someone?" I would respond that I was sure it was just right around here – somewhere. Finally, I would have to swallow my pride and admit I didn't know where I was. As soon as I stopped to get directions we were on our way to our destination.

Buddhism gives us many metaphors in imparting the teachings to us. One of the metaphors to describe the unenlightened life is the metaphor of being lost. The unenlightened life of delusion, is to be like a lost soul in the forest, wandering about aimlessly, not knowing the way out. Buddhism gives us direction, a way out of our ignorance, our delusion, out of the world of samsara.

We have to ask ourselves, what is the direction of my life? Where is my life headed? What is the focus of my life?

You might think that you have some kind of direction of your life right now, but ask yourself if that direction is a true and lasting one. For example, your main focus or direction of your life might be your career. You are focused and are headed in the direction of your career, climbing the ladder within the company. But what happens to your focus or direction if you lose your job, or someday when you retire. Many people whose lives have been their work cannot cope with retirement. The whole meaning of their life was work, so when (one's) work is gone, then one's meaning in life is gone as well.

What if your direction of life is to find a spouse, a husband or wife. Finally you find the person of your dreams, and you begin to have a blissful marriage. What do you do if one day your spouse says he (or she) is leaving you for someone else, or you are separated from your beloved spouse by death? The direction of your life is gone.

For many parents with children, the focus, the direction of their life is raising their children. Especially for mothers, during the child-rearing years, they give their children the utmost of care and nurturing. During the infant stage, mothers wake up two or three times during the night for feedings. Later, there is the constant shuttling to school, piano lessons, soccer practice, and scout meetings. What does a mother do, however, when her children are all grown up and raised? If the focus, the direction of the mother's life has been raising her children, then when her children are raised, it can leave a huge void, an emptiness in her life. I know of some mothers who actually have had depression and psychological disorders after their children were raised and left home. If the total focus, direction of your life is gone, then what do you do? What direction do you go in?

Our work, our marriages, our families, are all vitally important to our lives. We give everything of ourselves to succeed in our work, marriage, and family life. They are the main focus, the main direction of our life. However, we must understand that they are not the ultimate, lasting direction of life. Events can take away that focus, that direction from our life. Once one of those directions are gone, then we find ourselves lost, wandering about in the forest of life. What should I do now? What meaning is there in life now? Temporarily we might go to Las Vegas, or on a cruise to make ourselves feel better, but it is only a temporary reprieve from a deeper emptiness, a void in our life.

Buddhism gives us the ultimate, true direction in life. Once we turn our lives towards the teachings, towards truth, towards enlightenment, we will never be lost, we will never lack meaning or purpose in life.

If we lose our job, or retire, we always have something to do, we can listen to the Dharma, we can reflect on the teachings.

If we lose our spouse, we are not alone, because we have discovered a path that is filled with fellow travelers also seeking the truth.

If our children grow up and leave home, we still have meaning and purpose in life. Now, instead of raising one's children, it is time for us to be raised, to be nurtured, by the heart of the Buddha.

Even if one's health begins to fail, and you can no longer play golf, or work in the yard, you still have direction, meaning in your life. Kaneko, Daiei, a great minister and scholar in Japan, spent the last two years of his life bedridden. He expressed how those years taught him so much about life and true gratitude.

To follow the path of Buddhism, to follow the path of the Nembutsu, is to have a direction for your life. By having a direction for your life, you will never be lost, you will never lack meaning or purpose in life. You will never feel totally alone, nor feel emptiness in your heart or mind. Who is there that would not want such a direction of one's life? That is why the message of Buddhism is so universal, so important to all people of all time.

May we discover the true direction of our life, the path of the Buddha-Dharma. Gassho.

As with many of you, I sat glued to the television watching the tragic events of September 11, 2001 unfold before my very eyes. I had just come downstairs for breakfast when the live pictures showed the first tower collapse onto itself. Shocked into denial and confused, we sat as pieces of a deranged puzzle were revealed to us one by one. When the majority of the pieces had fallen into place and the big picture finally sank in, we sat in horror and sadness.

Not wishing to trivialize what had happened, but the emotion that I felt reminded me of a scene from the first Star Wars movie. Immediately after the Dark Imperial Force had destroyed the planet Alderran using their new technological weapon, the Death Star, the great Jedi master, Obi Wan Kenobi even though he was billions of miles away, suddenly lost his balance and stumbled during a training session with his protégé, Luke Skywalker. When asked what was wrong, Obi Wan's reply was, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force."

Along with millions of people around the world, we have proceeded through this week in a fog and haze. We have been stumbling along because our balance has been lost. We have all felt and witnessed "a great disturbance" in our hearts.

We can only begin to imagine the panic and horror that the passengers on the plane must have felt as they realized that their planes were not going to their original destination. We can only touch the surface of the deep grief and hollowness of those families who lost their loved ones as they watched helplessly as the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon collapsed. We can only begin to ask the questions that even if answered will never settle our hearts and bring all the lost lives back.

Without any doubt, we as a nation and as part of this global community, have been able to witness in one instance the marvels and ingenuity of the human potential by being able to build skyscrapers over 100 stories high and planes that weigh tons carrying hundreds of people at a time. And in the very next instant, we witnessed the cold, horrible human potential and calculation that has willfully allowed such destruction and turmoil upon another fellow human being.

And we have taken this personally. Our nation's leaders have told us that we are under attack. All that we stand for; all that our founders have worked for: democracy, free trade, freedom, itself, is being attacked. Someone has dared to step into our neighborhood and pick a fight. From the comments and opinions that have been broadcast on the newspapers, radio and television, we, as a nation, feel justified for "eye for an eye" retaliation.

This is also a great disturbance.

Make no mistake. I think that those who are directly and indirectly responsible for this horrific crime should be pursued, captured and punished to the fullest extent of our nation's law. What disturbs me is the almost flippant, and arrogant attitude for revenge, that if carried out will once again disrupt the balance of life and death. Let us not mistake revenge for justice.

Rudyard Kipling once wrote, "Keep your mind about you while all others are losing theirs." This sentiment fits in with our observance of Higan. Higan is the reference to the "Other Shore" of Amida Buddha's Pure Land of Utmost Joy. This is in contrast to the term, shigan that refers to "This Shore" of delusion, ignorance, greed and anger. The Higan service is to observe the perfection of the Six Paramitas:  "dana" selfless giving, "sila" discipline or morality, "ksanti" patience, "virya" endeavor, "dhyana" insight or meditation, and "prajna" wisdom. Through the perfection of the Six Paramitas, one is able to cross over from the shore of delusion and arrive upon the shore of Enlightenment or Nirvana. Higan is observed twice a year at the Equinoxes of the autumn and spring. This is the ideal time for practice: there is a sense of balance because the length of day and night is equal and the temperature is neither too cold nor too hot. There are no external things to inhibit one's practice. The perfection of the Six Paramitas challenges and awakens us to our limitations and our ultimate potential. They teach us about the human limitations of an egocentric, self-serving Self. At the same time they reveal the infinite and boundless wisdom and compassion of a power beyond this self.

Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), the founder of our Jodo Shinshu school of Buddhism relates the following about this limited Self. Good thoughts arise in us through the prompting of good karma from the past and evil comes to be thought and performed though the working of evil karma. The late master Shinran said, "Know that every evil act done–even as slight as a particle on the tip of a strand of rabbit's fur or sheep's wool, has its cause in past karma. Since you lack the karmic cause inducing you to kill even a single person, you do not kill. It is not that you do not kill because your heart is good. In the same way, a person may wish not to harm anyone and yet end up killing a hundred or a thousand people. If the karmic cause so prompts us, we, human beings will do anything."

If the causes and conditions are just so, we will commit any kind of act. That is the nature of human beings. We can fall into the deep abyss of darkness and terror as long as this deluded, self-centered, egotistical self is maintained. However, when this self is abandoned, we can then realize the ultimate potential that transcends this limited self and embrace this life with ultimate and pure wisdom and compassion. This is a power beyond our limited self, which transcends the borders of countries created by man. May this Power bless not just America but the whole world.

Before we feel justified in retaliation, we must examine our thoughts, action and speech. As Shinran Shonin's insight reveals, we have that same potential to commit such horrid actions as the terrorists had committed on that fateful September  day.  We also have the same potential to awaken ultimate wisdom and compassion as well. All actions are the result of previous causes and conditions. Whatever action we choose to take, as individuals and as a nation, we must be willing to accept the full responsibility and effects without hiding behind a veil of justifications, excuses or even religion. Perhaps this is a crucial time for us to reflect upon the words of Rudyard Kipling and try during this Higan or Equinox season to regain the "balance" of our lives that was recently lost.

Without a doubt, the lives that were lost due to the terrorists are a tremendous tragedy. Their lives should never be forgotten. Our nation and community leaders have asked us to remember the lives lost on September 11th. They have asked us to remember the victims trapped in the buildings and planes, of the brave who risked and  in  some cases lost their lives while helping others. They ask us to use their memory as the nourishment to strengthen us so that we can rebuild and once again become a proud America. Their lives will not pass in vain if they help us awaken and cherish the sanctity of human life regardless of country or creed I submit to you, instead of becoming a Proud America or one that is only concerned with the welfare of One's Self or one's country, let us become a Grateful America, one that is concerned for the welfare of all beings.

Namo Amida Butsu

Hanamatsuri, literally Flower Festival, is celebrated on April 8, commemorating the birth of Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha became enlightened as Sakyamuni Buddha and this mark the release of sentient beings from suffering and sorrow.

According to our tradition, the historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, was born in Nepal on April 8, 566 B.C. He was born the son of King Suddohana and Queen Maya. There are many flowery descriptions of the scene at his birth, including celestial birds singing beautiful songs, beautiful flowers, and a sweet gentle rain bathing the baby Buddha. It is not necessarily the beauty of the flowers, the sounds of the celestial birds, nor the sweet gentle rain that fell, but the vibrant fact that on this day was born the greatest of sentient beings who became the Enlightened One, the Buddha.

Every year we celebrate our own birthday. In our youth we are anxious to reach "adulthood," and in our old age we attempt to cling to our "youth." What are the meaning and reason for celebrating our birth? Much of the meaning of our own birth is often lost in the gifts and the merriment. The celebration of our birth is an expression of gratitude. This gratitude is extended towards our friends, parents and to life itself. This gratitude grows from an understanding that our birth is the result of many people and that our lives are intertwined with all others.

Understanding the Buddha's teaching of interdependency of all things will make it clear that our birth is the result of many causes and conditions. Realizing this we can see that our birth is truly a rare and wonderful gift, and we have an obligation to live out this life in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha.

This obligation to live our lives out to the fullest becomes even more striking when we look at the symbolism and the significance of the flower. The flower, as with all human beings, has its moment of youth and beauty, but its beauty soon begins to fade and eventually it dies. Our birth is like the blossoming of a beautiful flower, but it is the seed of our own demise. When we can understand our own impermanent nature, then it becomes very clear how we should live our lives.

From the murky depths of this quagmire of life, there still are occasions when sentient beings may, out of sincerity of mind, effort and intelligence, produce pure thoughts which may bloom into the ultimate purity of the white lotus, enlightenment. Hanamatsuri represents one of these occasions. It is a time for us to show our gratitude and rededicate ourselves as we contemplate the importance the birth of our teach, master, spiritual guide and friend, Sakyamuni Buddha.

Namo Amidabutsu.

from Dharma Chatter by Rev. Masao Kodani

That the universe is an ever-inter-changing infinity of matter and energy with no beginning and no end.

That there is no creator-being separate from this universe.

That true-reality is a verb and not a noun and that awakening is in regards to this verb-ness of things.

That the "I-ness", "Me-ness"; "myself-ness"; the "noun-ness" of myself and things is a delusion I cling to as if my life depended upon it.

That it is in the nature of being human that we slavishly cling to the idea of a permanent, unchanging self; a soul, a tamashii, a reikon which moves through time and space and that the real world is a relationship between noun things when all the while the truth is that the real world is the becoming itself.

That awakening to this true world is not a matter of objective observation or intellectual effort, but an awakening involving ones entire being (kokoro) which brings a transformation of being. It is not a cold scientific fact, but one which involves intellect, emotion, truth, love, and beauty. For us it is the human personification of truth, love, beauty, goodness, etc. as Amida Buddha, a truth which moves towards us, taking all forms to jostle us into seeing our attachment to self and the "thing-ness" of the world, and in so doing, allowing us to experience if not clearly understand, the "be-ing-ness" of everything.

That for us, religion is not a matter of belief, a way of life, a philosophy, or a set of moral-ethical rules by which to live. It is not miracle healing, horoscopes, omamori, lucky days and unlucky days, who we were in former lives, auras, amulets, divinations, or exorcisms - but awakening to not who but what we are, what it means to live and die, and how wonderful it is to breathe this air this day.

That the goal and purpose of Buddhism is Enlightenment, a wisdom beyond wisdom, beyond logic, beyond objectivity, beyond subjectivity. The problem is not how to get it, but rather understanding what it is we are being given. There are no conditions, no deals, no promises to keep; no prayers, no meditative powers, no vibrations to use to "break through" - There is only being given and receiving what is being given. This is the "most difficult of difficult things", to accept unconditionally the Diamond-Kokoro.

For Shin Buddhists, the truth of enlightenment is expressed as "Amida Buddha." What do we mean when we say we take refuge in Amida Buddha? If we are not careful, Amida can become objectified and taken to mean a kind of deity or god. This is not what is meant by Amida Buddha in Shin Buddhism.

The word "Amida" is a combination of two Sanskrit words, Amitayus and Amitabha. Amitayus means "immeasurable life." Amitabha means "immeasurable light." Therefore, the contents of enlightenment are immeasurable life and immeasurable light. What does this mean? Allow me to explain this by two examples. First, I would like to explain immeasurable life by an example from Saichi the Myokonin.

Myokonin is a term used in Shin Buddhism to refer to the most devout and exemplary followers of the Nembutsu, Namuamidabutsu. These Myokonin, in many cases, wrote poems expressing their understanding of the Nembutsu, Amida Buddha, the Pure Land, and other aspects of Shin Buddhism. Saichi wrote one particular poem that I am especially fond of and that I think clearly illustrates what we mean by immeasurable life.

 The poem goes as follows:

We must read this poem by Saichi carefully, because it is easy to misinterpret this subtle but most profound poem.

First, Saichi says, "How grateful! While others die, I do not die."

Here, Saichi is not saying arrogantly, "I am strong and healthy! I outlived all of my friends. Others die, but I am still alive and kicking!"

I don't think that is what Saichi is saying by those few lines. Through the Nembutsu, through the truth of enlightenment, Saichi has touched upon an essence of life, life beyond his ego self, life beyond his limited physical life as a human being. That essence, that truth, is immeasurable life.

The last two lines are also subtle and almost like a Zen koan. Saichi says, "Not dying, I go to Amida's Pure Land."

Normally we think that we die, and then go to the Pure Land. Here Saichi throws that logic and way of thinking upside down. Saichi says, "Not dying, I go to Amida's Pure Land." How can Saichi say this?

Saichi can make this statement because he has touched upon immeasurable life. In so doing, he touches the Pure Land here and now, not as a heaven or realm up there as a place to go when he dies, but as the world of truth or enlightenment. Physically, he knows he will die like all human beings, but religiously, spiritually, he has touched on a truth, an essence of life that transcends life and death. That is the meaning of "Not dying." His life here and now is not just a life of a mere 70, 80, or 90 years. His life has touched the infinite. His life is immeasurable.

Amida is immeasurable life. Immeasurable life is all around us. It flows through our hearts and minds. It is one with us in life, and is one with us in death. We can sense it even as we stand in front of the great ocean, or at the foothills of a great mountain. Saichi touched on this great immeasurable life, and in so doing, his life too, becomes immeasurable.

I would now like to explain immeasurable light by quoting from our recently published book, "Coffinman." This book, a true story about a man who became a mortician, clearly illustrates what is meant by immeasurable light.

The author, Shinmon Aoki, in working as a mortician, and preparing corpses for funerals by placing them in coffins, comes to be known as the "Coffinman." Although he is first confronted by the unpleasant things that he must do as a mortician, he continues in earnest his work, and begins to sense a radiance, a light, in the faces of the deceased. He then begins to sense this light in insects, in trees, in life around him. This leads him to a study of religion, and eventually Shin Buddhism. In Shinran Shonin's writings, he discovers what he has been seeing and sensing experientially, as "immeasurable light."

In his book "Coffinman," Shinmon Aoki quotes from a Dr. Kazukiyo Imura, who has also seen this light. Dr. Imura was terminally ill, but in facing death, his heart and mind were opened to great immeasurable light.

 "On the evening of that day, as I was parking the car at the apartment, I saw a mysterious aura. Everything around me was extremely bright. The people going to the supermarket to shop appeared to be shining. The kids who were running around appeared to be shining. The dogs, the drooping heads of rice, the weeds, the telephone poles, even down to the tiny pebbles, all appeared to be shining. When I got back to the apartment, even my wife appeared to be shining, so much so that I wanted to put my hands together in reverence."

—p. 58 Coffinman, by Shinmon Aoki

Dr. Imura, as he faced his own death, had his heart and mind opened up to immeasurable light. He saw a radiance in all things around him. People, animals, plants, even inanimate objects like telephone poles and tiny pebbles, all radiated immeasurable light. This light is not the kind of light that you would see in a movie like, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," or "Star Trek." It is a light that we see more with our heart than our eyes.

Shinran Shonin, the founder of Shin Buddhism, expresses this light throughout his writings. In one of his poems, or wasan he expresses how immeasurable light radiates and shines within flowers.

This great immeasurable light shines within each and every flower. As Shinran states, "There is no place they do not reach." This means that immeasurable light reaches everywhere, even into the depths of my heart. It radiates within the hearts and minds of all beings. It radiates within the mountains and trees, and illuminates the oceans and rivers. Although the world might appear dark and dreary, there is a great immeasurable light that can brighten the darkest of days, the darkest of lives.

Amida Buddha means "immeasurable life and immeasurable light." Namuamidabutsu therefore means, "I open my heart and mind to this great immeasurable life and light." Although my life might be dark and dreary, although my life might be sunk in my limited ego self, Namuamidabutsu, as immeasurable life and immeasurable light, illuminates my heart and mind, and allows me to touch the timeless, the infinite.

Gassho.

According to scholars who study such things, there was no equivalent in ancient Japan for the English word "nature," which in modern Japanese is the word shizen. When a Japanese of ancient times wanted to express the equivalent of our word "nature," he did so by using concrete expressions of it. For example, the ancient Japanese referred to nature itself as mountains-rivers-great earth" (san-ga-daichi) or "grass-trees-country-ground" (so-moku-koku-do). They referred to the changes in nature as "flying flowers-falling leaves" (hi-ka, ruku-yo).

The fact that the ancient Japanese used concrete terms to express what we today refer to as "nature," does not mean that they did not have the ability to express things abstractly. It means that rather than considering nature to be something standing in contrast to themselves, or that nature is something to make use of, they felt nature to be a part of themselves. That is why the poems of that period used mountains, rivers, moon, flowers, wind, etc., to express their feelings of nostalgia, impermanence, love, sorrow, etc.

Today, however, because Japan has been so influenced by the West, nature is considered something to be used for our benefit. This feeling is the basis of science and technological development.

A scientific principle may be important to a scientist first for itself, but for most of us, a scientific principle is important for how it can be used to make life "easier."

The near catastrophes in American and Russian atomic reactors, however, show what can happen if we one-sidedly try to exploit nature solely for what seems to be our benefit.

We have benefited a great deal from the scientific and technological developments of recent years, but at the same time, we have lost sight of nature for what it is for itself. That is, we no longer look at things with an attitude that the thing in itself is sufficient reason for its existence.

Stated in other words, a mountain is no longer simply accepted as a mountain; it is something that must be exploited because it may give various resources. A river is no longer looked on as having value as flowing water. It is looked at for how many kilowatts of power will be generated if a dam were constructed across it. Trees are considered for the number of board-feet of lumber that it will produce and grass for the number of cattle it will support. Similarly, people are no longer valued as individuals, but for the work they can do and how much they can consume.

When we consider the utility of things as the most important characteristic of that thing, that thing is no longer what it is, but what it can be used for.

Regarding this matter, I am brought to recall a story about Rennyo Shonin, the Eighth Spiritual Leader of the Hongwanji. He once found a scrap of paper in the corridor. "This belongs to the Buddha," he said, and reverently placed his hands together in gassho and bowed towards it.

I believe the Japanese term mottai-nai should be used more often by us in the United states. This term is written with the characters for "thing" and "essence" and a negating suffix. It is often translated as "irreverent" or "sacrilegious" when used by itself. When used as in, "How mottai-nai!" it is usually translated as "how wasteful!" or "What a waste!" but mottai-nai implies that if you consider something only from the point of how you can use it, you disregard the essence or life of that thing.

When, however, we consider everything as "belonging to the Buddha," we accept water as water, a scrap of paper as a scrap of paper, and acknowledge its value for itself.

That is the world in which everything has its own reason for existence. It is the world in which, as the Amida Sutra says about the Buddha's Land, the world in which white colors radiate white light, red colors radiate red light, yellow colors radiate yellow light, etc.

The American Jodo Shinshu meaning of Obon and Bon Odori is unique. It is a meaning that is significantly different from other schools of Buddhism and in particular from the popular Japanese belief that it is dancing performed for the "souls" of deceased relatives who are believed to return to this world at Obon time.

Obon stems from the story of Mokuren (Mogallana), a disciple of the Buddha, famed for his meditative prowess. While in a deep meditative state, Mokuren sees his mother suffering in the realm of Hungry Ghosts and rushes to the Buddha to seek advice on how to help release her from this realm of suffering. The Buddha advises Mokuren to participate in the annual rainy season retreat and make an offering to the Sangha of his fellow monks at the end of the retreat. Having done this, Mokuren sees his mother released from her afflictions and danced for joy. This dance of joy is seen to be the original Bon Odori. The name Bon or Obon is from the Japanese reading of the sutra where this story appears—the Ullambana Sutra or Urabongyo in Japanese. The offering of clothing and food to the monks is popularly seen to be the act that affected Mokuren's mother's release, hence the offering of food, lights, and entertainment at Obon.

The Jodo Shinshu rejects the idea of "tamashii" or "soul" and interprets the story of Mokuren as the memory of one's deceased relatives and friends as stimulating or urging oneself to awakening. It is this awakening to a deluded self and its embracement in the Truth that causes us to "dance in Joy."

Jodo Shinshu temples in America observe Obon and Bon Odori over a one or two day period. The majority of the temples have the Obon services in the morning or over a weekend, separate from the Bon Odori. In most cases the Bon Odori is held in conjunction with the temple bazaar or carnival. Some temples separate their fund-raising activities from the Bon Odori so that everyone can participate in the dancing as a spiritual and festive activity.

As a spiritual activity then, the idea of Bon Odori is to just dance, without fretting over how one looks or showing off one's ability. It is to come and dance just as you are with no conniving, no calculating, no image protecting or flaunting. According to Jodo Shinshu, Truth-Reality is ours for the receiving. We need do nothing but hear and receive it. But to simply hear and receive is as difficult as it is to just dance. We would much rather practice until we have "got it" before we dance in front of others—in much the same way that we rehearse "really living" and only end up watching life go by.

ON THE OTHER EXTREME, when we have mastered the dance, we strut and preen to impress others—much in the same way that we do in life—re-living rather than living anew. To "just do" anything is extremely difficult, for it involves setting aside one's ego for a moment. Bon Odori is an exercise in "just dancing," in "just hearing and accepting," in being a river forever flowing and changing instead of the riverbank forever watching. The beauty and significance of live is a "be-ing" not "being."

When people no longer have the energy or inclination to dance the old dances, it means that something of greater value is replacing the life that the old dances embodied. The old language is the first to disappear and the old foods the last. Somewhere in between, the old songs and the old dances maintain a link to our ancient inheritance, giving form and substance, however unconsciously, to our ancient habits and values. Sometimes those old songs and dances remain frozen in time, like an exotic insect frozen in amber. At other times, the songs and dances send out new roots to grow and flourish in new soil and new sunlight and shade. Bon Odori is such a dance. It cannot remain alive and vibrant if people cannot come "sono mama - just as they are," join the circle and dance. It is not meant to be watched, it is meant to be danced—and therefore no professional dancer or singer can preserve it in its purity. Its purity is in being done by anyone and everyone.

Bon Odori is the one great Japanese-American tradition of folk culture. It reveals for all to see what remains of the old culture, what's in it that is still valued because it can still nourish and enrich us, and how much of it has taken root in its new environment to become something new yet familiar.

Namo Amidabutsu.

I once asked a sansei temple member what Buddhist characteristicshe most remembered about her grandmother. She responded by telling how, whenever her grandmother washed rice, she would replace any grains of rice which had washed out of the cooking pot and declare, "Mottai Nai (how unworthy I am)." As the wonderful Shinshu teacher Yoshitaka sensei of Denver has written, "With this one phrase we are filled with Buddha-centered power (tariki) that is impossible to measure...We will never be deadlocked if we work with the feeling of 'motta-nai'."

The feeling of "motta nai" arises out of the awareness of the interdependence of all existence and how we must live at the expense of other beings. While we cannot help but cause pain to others, it is through our Buddhist practice that we try to minimize the pain we cause others. There are many examples of this kind of behavior in Shinshu history. The stories of our eight patriarch Rennyo Shonin poignantly illustrates this feeling of "mottai nai." Once, Rennyo Shonin was walking down a hallway when he spotted a scrap of paper lying on the floor. Picking it up, he placed it between his palms in gassho and said, "This is also the Buddhas; it will not do to regard it lightly." Of this episode Tamai sensei comments, "In Rennyo Shonin's eyes, the light of our indebtedness sparkled in even a tiny scrap of paper."

Often, I am asked how to live Jodo Shinshu in our daily lives. Frequently, the question is asked while we are enjoying refreshments following a Sunday service; eating off a paper styrofoam plate with plastic utensils and drinking from a styrofoam cup. Following our discussion, everything is dumped into the trash, used once and wasted! This is truly "motta nai", especially since all this time we have cupboards full of ceramic dishes at the temple which we almost never use anymore.

When I reflect on the few grains of rice or the scrap of paper, I cannot help but feel overwhelmed by the waste of our modern world. It was amusing yet sad to see the elderly issei (first generation) women face the same dilemma when I was a minister at the San Francisco Buddhist Temple. There was one room set aside for an increasingly growing accumulation of used tofu containers, paper and plastic bags, etc., which the ladies could not bring themselves to throw away. They were caught between two cultures: their traditional, often impoverished upbringing and the opulent, consumption/convenience world of today. We have lost their spirit of "mottai nai" at this very juncture of history when we need it most for many people today have become acutely aware that we are destroying our world with our waste, all in the name of progress and for the sake of convenience. I am not speaking merely of trash. Waste or pollution is an accumulating by-product of our opulent lifestyle, a lifestyle which caters to desire which, in Buddhism, is the very cause of suffering. Some of those problems with the greatest potential for disaster seem to me, to name just a few, the destruction of the earth's protective ozone layer, the so-called "greenhouse effect", the pollution of the world's water supplies, the loss of wilderness and radioactive waste.

If we think carefully about waste or pollution in our world, we realize it is the result of countless, thoughtless, and insensitive actions. For instance, it seems that the majority of people I talk with feel it necessary to travel long distances for a vacation. It is quite common for people from "the mainland" to travel to Hawaii for a week or two, especially graduating high school students. Yet, this must be a trip in excess of twelve thousand miles, multiplied by millions of people each year contributing to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This sense of having to "get away" for a vacation reminds me of an old Japanese story.

There was once a man who was searching for the first sign of spring. He set out and scoured the whole countryside looking for the first plum blossom that had opened. Everywhere he saw swelled buds ready to burst open but not a single one had bloomed so he trudged home disappointed. As he entered his own yard, he glanced up and spied a single open blossom on his own tree! Why is it we tend to seek far away from ourselves for happiness when it is right at hand? Those who feel the need to "get away" are most likely trying to get away from themselves. Of course, vacations or rest may be necessary for health, but we need not go far. We may actually choose to stay where we are - perish the thought!  and probably not be so tired from our trip.

In order to keep our Shin Buddhist spirit alive, we need to translate its principles and values in terms of modern experience. At the same temple where the lady related the story of her grandmother and the rice grains, I often spoke of Buddhism as an ecological perspective, yet very few people were open to such a view. After every social event, the garbage would be filled with styrofoam and easily recycled aluminum soda and beer cans. I took this as a theme for one of the sermons and talked about the two levels of reality as taught in Buddhism.

The first level is a kind of flat, two-dimensional view of things which sees them without any depth; a superficial view of life. This view lacks any profound view of "causes and conditions", a phrase we often encounter in Buddhism. The fact that everything is produced by profound causes and conditions is the second and true view of existence. In the words of Rev. Phillip Eidmann, "We are thus endlessly interrelated with all and everything in the universe. When we really understand our relation to the whole universe, it makes us very humble...our gratitude extends to everything in the universe...To express our gratitude, we then strive to make all beings happy." We find an example of this kind of attitude when, before eating, we say "Itadakimasu (I humbly partake of this food)." So often I hear people, even ministers, flippantly and with gusto saying "Itadakimasu" while their hands are joined in gassho. What a contradiction! They might as well shout "Dig In!" This kind of attitude truly lacks the Shinshu spirit which recognizes that all forms of life have the right to exist on their own terms. It is arrogance to think that other forms of life were put here for our benefit.

In the superficial view of existence, everything and everyone are barely, if at all, reflected upon. An aluminum can, for instance, is used and discarded with the assumption that it exists only for our convenience. Within the vast realm of the true perspective ("the vast ocean of the Dharma") we see the past and the future of the aluminum can: the bauxite ore, probably from Jamaica, where whole hills are torn away and shipped to the United States or Canada where the refining process requires a tremendous quantity of energy produced by burning oil which contributes to acid rain and the Greenhouse Effect, and so on and on, to a profound extent. Understanding this, how can we toss the can into the already enormous trash sites of America? The least we can do is place the can between the palms like Rennyo Shonin, reverently bow in gassho, and while saying "mottai nai", place it in the recycling bag. Actually we don't need what's in the can to begin with! What is so sad to me as a minister is that, after I delivered the above sermon, most of the easily recycled aluminum cans and the other unnecessary trash continued to be discarded. It seems that people want their religion, too, to be convenient.

The crisis and challenge for modern man is to find a way to live in harmony with his environment, whether that environment be his family or his physical environment. Shin Buddhism teaches us a way to live harmoniously in our inner mental world, and the external world. Actually the inner and the outer are ultimately the same. This Buddhist sense of the unity of opposites is too deep to go into here but, as one aspect of this idea, suffice it to say that our thoughts and values become manifest in our behavior. If we have a mind of harmony, our behavior will be harmonious. In this spirit, we could adopt a lifestyle that is sustainable. In other words, it would be a lifestyle that people a hundred, thousand, or ten thousand years from now could also pursue without damaging or destroying the fragile ecology of the earth. This truly is harmony, something we are far from today.

In this essay, I have emphasized only one aspect of Jodo Shinshu, although an integral aspect. I have done so because it is a side almost virtually ignored. If I am asked how one lives Shin Buddhism in one's daily life, it is certainly proper for me to give suggestions such as the following: by turning off unnecessary lights around the house; by traveling less (the automobile being one of the main sources of pollution of this planet); by not promoting the use of pesticides by demanding perfect fruit and vegetables (you don't demand a perfect spouse do you?); by promoting beauty and quality in our homes, work places and surroundings; by promoting renewable energy sources, returnable bottles and recyclable materials; by turning down the thermostat on your heater.

This list could go on and on but I hope the connecting thread of all these actions is evident. In Shin Buddhism, we often speak of our deep indebtedness to all that supports us, for all existence is possessed of Buddha nature. It is our responsibility to conserve our great physical and cultural endowment for the future. This is the true meaning of the conservation movement, a movement motivated by humility and gratitude.

Rev. Haya Akegarasu, in an essay titled, “One Flower,” states the following:

I hold here a single violet. The Kegon Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Yuima Sutra, Muryoju Sutra—none of them can compare to this single violet. The Koran, the Bible, the Zend-Avesta, the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Analects of Confucious—none of them can compare to this single violet. Paintings by Raphael, sculpture by Rodin, brush painting by Sesshu—none of the works of art on earth can compare to this violet.
 Things made by a person’s hands or words that come out of his mouth are always secondary as compared with the person himself. Something that is made cannot compare with something that is born. I like that man who said about the lilies of the field: “King Solomon in all his glory is not clothed as one of them.”
 No empire or kingdom can compare to the single violet that is smiling in my hand.

 I think that this is a profound statement. It has particular meaning for us as we live in an age of technology and science. Over the centuries, man has created many inventions and developed technology. We have gone from a horse and buggy to the automobile. We have landed a man on the moon. We have built towerin