MURYOKO
'Infinite Light'
Journal of Shin Buddhism
John Paraskevopoulos
In the Embrace of Amida Buddha
Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shin school of Pure Land Buddhism, was acutely aware of the pitfalls and perils that the untrammelled ego poses for each individual. In his Hymns of the Dharma-Ages, he writes:
Ignorance and blind passions abound,
Pervading everywhere like innumerable particles of dust
Desire and hatred arising out of conflict and accord
Are like high peaks and mountain ridges
Sentient beings' wrong views grow rampant,
Becoming like thickets and forests, brambles and thorns;
Filled with suspicion, they slander those who follow the nembutsu,
While the use of violence and poison of anger spread widely.
We need not look very far in our world to see countless examples of humanity's ever-darkening descent into madness, cruelty, greed and despair. Just watching half an hour of world news every night suffices to convince us of the depths of depravity to which our lives can sink when they remain unilluminated by the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. When confronted by so much unhappiness, fear and uncertainty in the world, one may very well ask: 'Can I be certain of anything in the world?'; 'On what can one truly depend in this life of endless vicissitudes?'
Shinran's answer was to exhort people to seek refuge in Amida, the Buddha of Infinite Light, in whom true liberation is to be found. In the Hymns of the Pure Land, he says:
The light of purity is without compare
When a person encounters this light
All bonds of karma fall away
So take refuge in Amida, the ultimate shelter.
The radiance of enlightenment, in its brilliance, transcends all limits;
Thus Amida is called 'Buddha of the Light of Purity'.
Once illumined by this light,
We are free of karmic defilements and attain emancipation.
Amida Buddha, the ultimate reality and the only real certainty in our lives, is the source of our existence and the true home to which we return after we leave this world. Being none other than Nirvana, the Buddha's realm is one of peace, joy and unutterable bliss. It transcends this world of grief yet permeates it through to its deepest centre, embracing it and all its limitations in its limitless, compassionate embrace. All we need do is to open our hearts to the ever-present reality of Amida and accept the liberation he offers from the nightmares created by our ego-centric drives and appetites which are never satisfied however hard we may try to satisfy them. Shinran's message may seem stern and uncompromising but he is merely describing the world as he sees it; with wisdom and full objectivity. Ultimately, however, his message is one of great joy - the joy that accompanies the certain knowledge that the Buddha, in his inconceivable compassion, accepts us as we are and assures us of his illumination and grace throughout our voyage into eternity.