Focus on the one.....

The actions of a few
have affected the hearts of the many
without focusing on the one,
Amida.




gassho,
Jishin

Light of Compassion

If it were not for the light of Compassion
I would be hiding in the shadows of my dark self
The blinding light helps me to see clearly
I am grateful to know
I am ok
Just as I am.........
Namu Amida Butsu





Thank you..
A beautiful sunny day here in my new home in
Deer Island, Oregon

Jishin

It's hard to feel good

It's hard to feel good, when my thoughts are scattered and not focused on the saving power of Amida's Vow...

Grateful that Amida is always focused on foolish folks like me...
Never scattered, always working towards my birth in the Pure land....Amida, Amida..thank you thank you...

Namu Amida Butsu






Jishin


- Namu Amida Butsu

A moment in the life of a Shin Buddhist

A moment in the life of a Shin Buddhist


Sometimes taking just one moment to sit, stay and type at the computer seems like a huge task that can not be completed.

My mind is racing and whirling with the daily tasks of life.

Sit...be still for one moment

Stay...stay in the moment

Breathe...take a deep breath...breathe in the moment

Namo Amida Butsu

Namo Amida Butsu is in every moment of my life...for me, there is no doubt.

I am grateful...

I am humbled...

I am foolish...

I am a Shin Buddhist.....I know no other way.....

Namo Amida Butsu




Thank you...

Jishin

It took a wise man to remind me

It took a wise man to remind me that being "just as I am" is ok.

It took a Buddha to remind me that I am assured birth in the Pure Land "just as I am".

It took a great teacher to remind me that what I have done in this life is a gift.

If my life ends this moment, I trust that Amida will guide me home.

Friends, Buddhas, Teachers....we need these Dharma friends along this path we call "our life"...embrace them always.


Thank you,
Jishin


- Namu Amida Butsu

I don't wish...

I don't wish to be a little lonely flower petal floating on the rough sea of suffering...Instead, with the gentle breeze of Amida's Compassion, I wish to float sweetly and gently, glisten with great brightness and fade into depths of Amida's great ocean...floating, floating, then sinking deeper when the time comes....Namo Amida Butsu





Thank you
Diane


- Namu Amida Butsu

STOP THINK THANK

The reality of my life is this...I do not make the time to blog daily.  You could say lack of discipline, adult attention deficit disorder, scattered brained...yes all of these describe me exactly.  I have so many thoughts swirling in my head that I think are good enough to write into a blog...but then I just let them go, discard them like garbage and go about my day.  I often think "oh, I don't have anything nice to say, or happy to say, or worthy to say to the world." Yet, here I am pounding out a few thoughts on this computer, pecking at the keyboard, grateful for the chance to sit down for a few solitary moments and say Namu Amida Butsu to the world.  I am grateful for a few moments to STOP, THINK and THANK.

That is what being a Shin Buddhist is all about...STOP for a moment, THINK about your actions and THANK the causes and conditions that have brought you to hear the Dharma.

Basic

Simple

Shin

STOP

THINK

THANK

Thank you,

Jishin

This is my Nembutsu!

This is my Nembutsu!

Namo Amida Butsu...these are Amida's words for me.

These are the words of Compassion calling me to listen.

These are the words of Wisdom calling me to hear.

This is my Nembutsu....I know this, I feel this....I am grateful, indeed.

Listen

Hear

Know

Feel

Be grateful....

Namo Amida Butsu

thank you,

Diane

Three simple words to describe Shin Buddhism

I recently attended the NW Buddhist Conference of BCA temples and had the honor of hearing Rev Jeff Wilson give a dharma talk.

He said that Shin Buddhism could be described in three basic words..not Buddhist words...but everyday words that anyone can relate to:


relax

trust

thank


Here are my thoughts on these three words.

Three words of action.....three words the simply describe the practice of Jodo Shinshu.

Relax....you don't need to do special practices ... Just relax...

Trust....trust in the working of Compassion...trust in Amida's vow..trust that your heart is embraced by Namu Amida Butsu

Thank....be thankful for this moment, this life, this awareness of compassion and wisdom that embraces us all...give thanks for hearing the call of Amida.

Even if no one has ever heard about Buddhism or Jodo Shinshu or Amida or Shinjin...we can set those words aside in the beginning when someone asks us "what is Shin Buddhism all about anyway?"

A simple answer will naturally lead to more questions and more study...but we must start from a basic and simple beginning point...

Relax

Trust

Thank


This is my Shin Buddhism ...



- Namu Amida Butsu

Thank you Jeff for the inspiration!



Thank you
Diane

Why did I....

Why did I become a Buddhist priest?

From the start I didn't have much confidence in myself.

I knew I was a terrible student.

I didn't think I would be a very good teacher.

I felt I couldn't live up to my teacher's standards.

And yet, with all my insecurities weighing heavy on my mind...the weight of the Dharma, the embrace of Amida's compassion and the call of Namo Amida Butsu was strong enough to walk me through Tokudo...strong enough to pull me through my own darkness and to guide me into a life of sharing the Nembutsu with others.

I am Amida's child...ready, willing and able to be open to a life filled with gratitude.


Thank you,
Diane


- Namu Amida Butsu

New Moon Nembutsu

Tonight..just a few moments ago I arrived home in time to look out across the back deck of my house to see the incredible sight of a new moon, large and low on the horizon...incredible!

I thought to myself "this is something special that I may never see again!"

Have you ever seen something so special that you felt frozen with excitement?

Have you ever felt something so spiritually special that you became absolutely still with wonder?

Have you, without question, felt the deep stir of Amida's Compassion in your heart that you want to jump for joy with gratefulness?

Yes, yes, yes...Namu Amida Butsu!


Grateful for the new moon, grateful for a new awareness of Amida's Compassion, grateful for another moment to share the Nembutsu.




Thank you,
Diane


- Namu Amida Butsu

A Year in the Life of a Shin Buddhist

Hello dear friends...

Thank you for reading my posts. I have received many positive notes of encouragement to continue sharing my thoughts. I have also been asked if I would compile all of my blog posts into a book. Thank you for that!

Forgive my periods of silence as I struggle with boughts of depression...a lifelong struggle to stay afloat on Amida's great ocean of compassion.

I don't claim to know much.
I am not a very good student.
I am not a very good teacher.
My mind is always whirling with deep thoughts and foolishness and sometimes it's hard to separate the two.

My ability to study and retain has been a lifelong difficulty. So I will never be a scholar or have a degree of any stature. I will just be the quirky lady with the red wooden clogs feeding her chickens and whispering "namandabu" to whoever will listen.


Na man da bu........



Thank you,
Jishin


- Namu Amida Butsu

Your heart is filled with the Nembutsu

For Rev. Greg Gibbs and his family
January 29, 2014


Your heart is filled with the Nembutsu.
Let your fear, sadness and anger swim in Amida's ocean of compassion.
Let it go and float...float, let go, and be free.
You are surrounded by those that care about you.
You are surrounded by those that are grateful to you.
You are surrounded by your family and friends.
You are surrounded by love.
You are grasped by Amida, never to be abandoned...never to be abandoned.

This is your mantra.
This is your time.....
This is your heart filled with the Nembutsu!

Namo Amida Butsu....














Thank you,
Diane J.

No good answers

Today has been a stressful day and I have no good answers to stop the emotional roller coaster I am on.

Amida is not magically going to "make it all better", no one is coming to "save" me...it is what it is.

The root of my suffering is planted deep in my own mind. I react to bad news, I cower when others are angry, and I choose to shut down emotionally when the going gets too rough...self preservation isn't always a pretty or healthy response.

So, you might ask, "where is your faith? Where is your Buddha?"

And I will respond by saying, "I have faith in the process that is beyond my control. I trust that compassion will make it's way into my heart and mind and help me to work through my thoughts, which in turn will help me to make better choices..Therein lies the wisdom that will find it's way through the muddy-ness of "me" and bloom right under my nose".

I trust in this process...I entrust to the working of Compassion and Wisdom...I'm embraced by Amida Buddha...

That's what I've got...that is what has got me...

Namo Amida Butsu!


Thank you,
Jishin


- Namu Amida Butsu

There is always...

There is always a smile buried beneath my darkness...
It is Amida's smile that rests upon my heart
There is always a light shining deep within my despair...
It is Amida's unwavering light of compassion burning deep within my heart
There is always hope within me, even when I am filled with great sadness...
It is Amida's wisdom that breaks through my ignorance and guides me back to the light that is always shining

There is always Amida
There is always Namo Amida Butsu




Namo Amida Butsu

Jishin



- Namu Amida Butsu

Look don't see, listen don't hear

Look don't see, listen don't hear...

I read these words tonight by author Lee Childs.

Look
Don't just see

Look deeply, engage, examine, explore your life in relationship to the world around you...
Look deeply and see how compassion and wisdom are a part of your life in each moment..
Don't "just see"...look, engage, question, embrace your life in the Nembutsu

Listen deeply, listen to the sound of compassion and wisdom in your life...what does that truly sound like? Listen to the sound of your own voice as you speak to others...as you speak to yourself...do you hear words of care and concern? Do you hear words of hatred and negativity? Do you hear Amida's voice speaking to your heart? Listen listen listen..don't "just hear"...listen, learn, respond with gratefulness!

Namo Amida Butsu!





Thank you,
Jishin


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone while sitting on a lotus blossom and dipping my toes in the mud.

What have I got to lose?

What have I got to lose?

Namu Amida Butsu!

What can I say?

Namu Amida Bustu!

What good am I?

Namu Amida Butsu!

What can I do?

Namu Amida Butsu!

What makes me worthy?

Namu Amida Butsu!



Namu Amida Butsu is not the answer.


Namu Amida Butsu is the question!


Namu Amida Butsu is my answer!

Gassho
Gassho
Gassho

Grateful
Grateful
Grateful

Namu Amida Butsu!



thank you,
Jishin

Namu Amida Butsu

January 11, 2014 ..where does the time go??

Where does the time go...

many times I was successful in my efforts...

many times I failed in my efforts...

I will keep pushing ahead...

I will keep a grateful heart...

I will not punish myself for my failures...

I will be more compassionate towards myself...that is my biggest challenge!

I had the great idea that I could blog every day, find some words of wisdom to impart...

I am not wise...

I am such a fool...

Forgive my laziness...

Forgive my random thoughts...

I am just a simple priest floundering in the winds of Amida's compassion...

I sleep when I should be awake!

Always sleeping, always sleeping.......

Asleep at the wheel of life most days...

Thanks for reading...

Thanks for being here...

Thanks for being you...


Namu Amida Butsu!

Jishin

Amida's Child

Amida's child is frightened
Amida's child is vulnerable
Amida's child is selfish, greedy and full of suffering
Amida's child knows darkness
Amida's child knows fear
Amida's child knows loneliness

I am Amida's child
scared
alone
greedy
angry
lonely...

then I hear my parent calling....Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu...

Amida calls me...I open my eyes and the darkness within becomes flooded with the light of Amida's Compassion....I open my heart and the darkness within becomes flooded with Amida's Wisdom.....

Un-ending light.....un-ending life....compassion...wisdom..Amida never fails her lost child...Amida never fails his broken child....Amida never fails....

I am Amida's child....forever grateful, forever grateful...

Namu Amida Butsu











thank you,
Jishin

Amida is watching....look busy!

Ok, this is a take on a bumper sticker I saw recently, it said, "God is watching, look busy!"

So I thought to myself, "if Amida is watching me, should I look busy?" Should I be doing something to look like I am worthy of hearing the Dharma? Should I be a better person in order to look like I deserve to be grasped by the Vow?"

I already knew the answer...it's not about being busy or doing good deeds or my worthiness when it comes to the embrace of Amida's Vow Power.

I should indeed strive to be a good person, but not for the sake of gaining "points", but for the sake of creating a more compassionate existence among my fellow travelers. I often fail miserably, yet Amida's vow never fails to uphold the promise of saving us foolish beings plowing through this world driven by ego.

I am comforted by Amida's Vow.
I am comforted by the Nembutsu.

The Nembutsu is calling you...get busy listening!

Thank you,
Jishin

Nothing much has changed....

Nothing much has changed

I am still as foolish as ever
I am still frightened of my own shadow some days
I am still chasing my dreams
I am still stumbling over my own feet
I am still biting off more than I can chew
I am still plagued by back pain
I am still fighting off the negative voices in my head
I am still saddened by my youngest son's mental health issues
I am still missing my grandchildren that are far away
I am still missing my daughter and son so far away
I am still missing my grandfather, died three years ago
I am still working through my darkness
I am still hearing Amida's sweet call
I am still chanting Na-man-da-bu
I am still finding comfort in the Universal Vow of Amida
I am still grateful to hear the Dharma
I am still grateful for being grasped by Wisdom and Compassion
I am still grateful to have found Shin Buddhism
I am still grateful
I am still
I am
grateful................


Nothing much has changed.....

Namu Amida Butsu!





Thank you,
Jishin

Three Words for the New Year...

Three Words for the New Year

Namu Amida Butsu!

No words are more appropriate to start the New Year.
No words are more appropriate to start the new day.
No words are more appropriate to start this new breath.....Namu Amida Butsu

Three words for the New Year

Namu
Amida
Butsu

Keep these words close to your heart
Keep these words close to your mind
Keep these words close
Keep these words

Namu Amida Butsu

Namu Amida Butsu

Namu Amida Butsu







Thank you,
Jishin

The dragon within

A dragon stirs deep within...
Lashing his thorny tail through my hopes and dreams...
Spewing fire from his forked tongue, spouting hatred and discouragement...
This creature only knows the seas of suffering...

I am the dragon
I am the creature
I call the seas of samsara home

And yet, not even the greatest storm of self doubt keeps the winds of compassion and wisdom from reaching my heart

Clearing the darkness
Calming the great sea
And putting the great dragon to rest once and for all

Namu Amida Butsu



Thank you
Jishin

It's important now

It's important now, right now, to get your heart truly settled in the Nembutsu!

What could be more important than this?

Nothing.

Once settled, always grasped.

Namu Amida Butsu





Thank you
Jishin

Late night thoughts

I am very tired
Yet my mind won't rest
My body hurts
Aches and pains
Thoughts crowd into tight corners
Time is not on my side
I need to sleep
I need to sleep
No rest for this foolish priest
Only my heart knows peace
Only my heart knows Amida
I will sleep now
Grasped
Loved
Just as I am




Good night Dharma friends



Thank you
Jishin

Second day of year

The Nembutsu is alive and well.
Light
Love
Ever reaching, grasping, seeking the open heart of wisdom
in which to call home.

Open your heart
Namu Amida Butsu
Find your way home
Right here
Right now




Namu Amida Butsu


Thank you
Jishin
1-2-13

New year old me foolish still

Namu Amida Butsu my dear friends near and far.

Jishin


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone while sitting on a lotus blossom and dipping my toes in the mud.