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