Adzel says, "Namu Amida Butsu." (p. 274)
-which means:
"Homage to Amida Buddha" or "I take refuge in Amida Buddha" (see here)
- or:
"Hail to Amitabha Buddha" (see here).
Ordination as a lay Buddhist, the equivalent of baptism and/or confirmation, comprises "taking refuge" in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha (the founder, the teaching and the monastic order) which is followed by the practice of meditation and precepts.
Amida/Amitabha is not the historical founder, Gautama, but a mythological figure like St. Michael or St. George. Pure Land Buddhists take refuge in Amida so that in return he will transfer some of his boundless merit to them, thus facilitating their rebirth in a realm where conditions are particularly helpful toward enlightenment. I just believe in the value of meditation here and now! (And also appreciate diverse mythologies.)
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
You might "appreciate" mythologies, more so, it seems, than Buddha himself, but what seems your disavowal of belief in rebirth/reincarnation does not seem very Buddhist to me. I thought that was a key doctrine preached by orthodox Buddhists.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
It is but I am not a Buddhist.
Paul.
Just as those who disbelieve in the historical Resurrection are not Christians.
Kaor, Paul!
It seems odd, no offense meant, when you so often go to a Buddhist monastery and practice some of their meditation methods or customs.
Correct, it's impossible to be a Christian if a person denies the Resurrection of Christ.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
But zazen, "just sitting" meditation, can be practiced by anyone and the same practice could have come to us from the Yoga, Vedanta or Taoist traditions. I have read convincing evidence that Chinese Ch'an/Japanese Zen is a synthesis of Taoism and Buddhism. The practitioner that I quoted in this post described herself as a Zen Taoist. At the monastery, a young woman said that she was a Christian. A monk replied, "You will go on believing Christianity and we will help you to meditate."
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Many thanks for your explanation. I certainly have to accept the way you prefer to meditate, despite not being a Buddhist.
Christianity has its own tradition of meditation and contemplation, as exemplified in such works as THE CLOUD OF UKNOWING, Dame Julian's REVELATIONS OF DIVINE LOVE, THE SPIRITUAL EXERCISES of St. Ignatius, and the works of St. John of the Cross and Thomas a'Kempis (and many others). Which I hope this young lady will become aware of.
I was actually surprised to once know, online, another young woman who was surprised Christianity has its own monks and monasteries.
And to tie this in with something from the works of Anderson, I only need to cite how his story "Kyrie" opens with the convent of St. Martha on the Moon!
Ad astra! Sean
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