Bombu's (foolish being)
From "A Glossary of Pure Land Terms" as found in the Collected Works of Shinran:-
Bombu:-
[i]A person possessed of blind passions and ignorance. One of the Sanskrit equivalents of foolish being is bala, which has various connotations: immature, silly, stupid, foolish, ignorant. This term, however, is not to be understood in the conventional sense of these words, for it points to a profound religious awakening in which even the so-called intelligent person, when illumined by the Unhindered Light and brought to awareness by the wisdom of shinjin, comes to realize himself as a foolish being who is forever motivated by blindly self-centered desires, attached to the fascinations of this evanescent world, and unable to resolve the contradictions of human existence thoroughly. In fact, Shinran says that true wisdom is brought forth only from the heart and mind of the person who has awakened to Amida’s great compassion, and in the light of that compassion realizes himself to be a foolish being.[/i]
From Saichi's Journals:-
[i]Not knowing why! Not knowing why! That is my support, not knowing why! That is the Namu-amida-butsu![/i]
[i]My eyes being hindered by blind passions,
I cannot perceive the light that grasps me;
Yet the great compassion, without tiring,
Illumines me always[/i]
(Shinran, from "Hymns of the Pure Land Masters" verse 96)
Meister Eckhart:- [i]Love has no why[/i]
Bombu:-
[i]A person possessed of blind passions and ignorance. One of the Sanskrit equivalents of foolish being is bala, which has various connotations: immature, silly, stupid, foolish, ignorant. This term, however, is not to be understood in the conventional sense of these words, for it points to a profound religious awakening in which even the so-called intelligent person, when illumined by the Unhindered Light and brought to awareness by the wisdom of shinjin, comes to realize himself as a foolish being who is forever motivated by blindly self-centered desires, attached to the fascinations of this evanescent world, and unable to resolve the contradictions of human existence thoroughly. In fact, Shinran says that true wisdom is brought forth only from the heart and mind of the person who has awakened to Amida’s great compassion, and in the light of that compassion realizes himself to be a foolish being.[/i]
From Saichi's Journals:-
[i]Not knowing why! Not knowing why! That is my support, not knowing why! That is the Namu-amida-butsu![/i]
[i]My eyes being hindered by blind passions,
I cannot perceive the light that grasps me;
Yet the great compassion, without tiring,
Illumines me always[/i]
(Shinran, from "Hymns of the Pure Land Masters" verse 96)
Meister Eckhart:- [i]Love has no why[/i]
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