I mentioned in my last post that I might be experiencing a natural ebb in the initial enthusiasm of someone new to the path of the nembutsu. As I’ve thought about it for the past week, I realized that this "ebb" is perhaps an indication of a transition to a deeper kind of "hearing" of the call of Amida.
This understanding was brought home when I read these words from Taitetsu Unno in his wonderful book River of Fire, River of Water:
Shin Buddhism comes alive for those who live in the valley and in the shadows. It challenges people to find the meaning of life in the abyss of the darkness of ignorance . . . The wonder of this teaching is that liberation if made available to us not because we are wise but because we are ignorant, limited, imperfect, and finite. (pp. 11-12)
Recently, I feel that the compassion of Amida is working on me, making me more aware of who and what I am. It isn’t a pretty picture to see the truth about oneself sometimes, but this isn’t where it ends. It is precisely because of of my faults and imperfections that the compassion of Amida can save me. Namu Amida butsu!
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