December 2024

In December we will be celebrating Bodhi Day. This is to commemorate Siddartha Gautama realizing enlightenment after leaving the palace and going on a spiritual journey. Frustrated at not being able to find his answer in either extreme of comfort or self-deprivation, he resolved to sit under a tree and meditate until he found what he was searching for. Eventually, he had the awakening he had worked so hard for and began to teach this understanding. Of course, without this happening he would not have become the Buddha, and we wouldn’t have Buddhism!

However, as Jodo Shinshu Buddhists, we believe that enlightenment is unattainable in this day and age. It puts us in a precarious position with what it is exactly that we’re seeking and what we should be doing with our time and energy. But, what Shinran taught us is that instead of worrying too much about our efforts to realize the same Truth that the Buddha did, we should let go. No matter how amazing or talented we think we are, the path to awakening is not through our own effort because it will always be colored by our self-centeredness.

So, if we are not to focus on our ego, what are we to focus on? The Pure Land is a representation of the realm of enlightenment and is a perfection, although unattainable, that we should strive for. The Pure Land exists for us, but not because we made it. It was created by, directed to us by, and promised to us by Amida Buddha. If we can stop clinging to how deeply we prefer and love ourselves for a little bit, we can see that. And Shinran tells us that it is the equivalent of enlightenment. Therefore, this Bodhi Day, let’s all try to relinquish our self-centeredness and center ourselves on Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. 

Gassho,

Rev. Matt