Dharmakara
Vows
Practice
Shinjin
Pureland

Amida
Wisdom
Awareness
Karma
Existence
Nembutsu
Impermanence
Ningen (human)
Gratitude (Gassho)

Mahayana Buddhism

THREE TREASURES

• BUDDHA
• DHARMA

• SANGHA

SIX PARAMITAS

• Dana

• Shila

• Virya

• kshanti

• dhyana

• prajna

FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS

• "As I contemplate the nature of Amida's Pure Land,
  I find that it surpasses the three worlds.
  It is ultimately like space,
  Vast and without bounds."
            — Vasubandhu in the Discourse on the Pure Land

• "When aspirants for birth in the Pure Land are led into the Sea of Great Wisdom of the Primal Vow,
   They are endowed with True Entrusting Mind, indestructible as diamond."
           — Shoshinge

• Amida Buddha is that which leads you to awareness....Rev. Nori Ito

• Amida Buddha is "and yet,"....Rev. David Matsumoto

• Amida Buddha is another, and also you, and also that, and a myriad of others....Rev. Gregory Gibbs

• "There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.
  There is no way to peace. Peace is the way.
  There is no way to enlightenment. Enlightenment is the way.".....Thich Nhat Hanh

• The vain cherry blossom that believes that there is a tomorrow;
  will not the storm gail in the middle of the night?

  poem attributed to Shinran Shonin at the age of nine years

   

• The faults of others are easily seen. The faults of my own person go unknown. If there exists a fault that becomes known to you, then you should think "it must be something so bad that I could know of it" and have a change of heart. One should simply and carefully rely on what others say. It was thus said because my faults go unknown.

  from Rennyo Shonin Go-ichidai Kiki Gaki, "Recording of what was heard during the life of Rennyo Shonin"

• Religion that does no more than relieve one's own personal pain and anxiety can no longer be called authentic

  Rev. Kosho Ohtani, Monshu of Honganji-ha, Honganji

• It is natural to love good and hate evil. But if evil is merely disliked and not reflected upon, it will never become enlightened as to what it is.

  from "Muyuge: Flower Without Sorrow"

• Through Nembutsu, we are able to move freely in an old world made new

• Each day is the "youngest" day of the rest of our lives

• All the joyous events, sad events, good things, and bad things are all together for my benefit, all these things were endowments difficult to have that helped to nurture me; if this kind of attitude can be had with gratitude, then where can a greater happiness of life, or greater benefit be found?

Rev. Gibun Kimura

• In this rush, rush, rush freeway world of ours, the next lane always looks faster

• I am grateful for three things. I am grateful to be born as a human being. I am grateful to be living this very moment. And I am grateful that I have encountered the Nembutsu

• Instead of dwelling on the reason why one became sick, why not accept the illness and do something about it? Instead of complaining about the problems you are faced with today and looking back to the "good old days," why not accept the problem as "mine" and look ahead?

Rev. Kosho Yukawa

• Love is sacred, but when love by one person towards another becomes possessive, that is the beginning of sorrow.

from "Muyuge: Flower Without Sorrow"

• Those who do not reflect on their own evil nature are likely to exaggerate the little good that they do.

  from "Muyuge: Flower Without Sorrow"

• If we put our shadows to our backs and face the light, then even if we may have the heaviest of shadows all we will see is the light.
  If we put the sun to our backs and walk into our shadows, then regardless of how bright the light may be, we will have to walk through the darkness.

Rev. Jitsuen Kakehashi

• No experience is meaningless. Unfortunately, even the most meaningful experience can be wasted.

• If illness is cured by benefits (accrued through good faith or practice), then the buddhas and gods that promise the condition of no illness should they not be called con artists?
  The life that does not waste even illness, does this not become the real benefit?
  The reason for this is because we must all eventually become ill, while having the body that continually approaches old age.

• We are not able to direct the wind, but we can learn how to adjust the sails.

• "In this age of political rhetoric, it is a shame that we still try to see the world with our black and white television sets, when we know how much prettier and true to life color television is"

• "Today is a brand new day"

• Happiness is not material things. It is a spiritual state; it is being able to "live without wasting one's life away."

Rev. Gibun Kimura

• "A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work unless it's open."

• Persimmon

Bright persimmon:
Heavy, lonely with no leaves
alone and yet, so sweet

• "The Nembutsu that is heard while being recited"

The above quote is an English Translation for "Tonaenagara, Kiku Nembutsu" which was written by Rev. Junnin Kiritani an immenent scholar and priest of the Hompa Honganji tradition. It is a saying that reminds us that everything and every moment becomes Namo Amida Butsu if only we allow ourselves to hear: we may not, for example, learn to love our neighbor, try as we may, but if we can hear the Nembutsu we are reciting, then we can still learn to appreciate our neighbor for allowing us to see how easy it is for us to ignore the truth that we are all a part of the same interdependent web of life.

• A door mat is doing an important job, although everyone steps on it.

From "The Center Within"

• While peace may be a universal desire on the part of mankind, the fact that we must be endlessly concerned about victory or defeat is one of the sorrows of mankind.

  from "Muyuge: Flower Without Sorrow"

• Beauty is that which allows us to see our own humanity

  M. Prentice

• You cannot get apple sauce from a tomato. Then again, you cannot get ketchup from an apple.

• After all of the name calling you realize that all you are left with is the Name (Namo Amida Butsu) Calling.

• Service to others is Faith in action. The act of Dana is part of our life and in Jodo Shinshu it is to place oneself in the position of another and give service with joy and gratitude. This is the person of Shinjin. Your suffering is my suffering and your happiness is my happiness for it is the nature of Buddhahood to be compassionate.

Rev. Chikai Yosemori, Bishop Hompa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii

• What I posess is not mine. Only in giving to others does it become mine.

Rev. Ryoshin Okano

• By responding to the needs of the community we reach the realization of the oneness of all life, and of the interdependent nature of all life

Rev. Shigenori Makino

• A building can stand only as tall as its foundation allows. A temple can only grow as much as its members allow.
  A foundation is only as solid as the earth it sits on. A member is only as enriched as the Nembutsu path (s)he walks.

• Buddhism is like a good flouride toothpaste. You can look at it and study it all you want, but it won't help you prevent cavities until you apply it.