The Pure Land Way
As said elsewhere, I'm not really one for labels. They often create distinctions that are then given more weight and credence than necessary. But that said , I'm happy to identify as a Pure Land Buddhist. At least as I see it, it is obviously mythological in its core texts, which allows more freedom to the heart/mind. No time is spent seeking to defend events of time, place and space, more often than not seen as incredible and beyond belief.
In Pure Land, it is the nature of Reality itself that is the source of what is known variously as "salvation" or "enlightenment". Therefore śalvation is more a [i]realisation[/i]of that which has always been, not a step from one condition into another.
As one Father of Pure Land has said (Shinran) , the reality of Grace requires nothing from the side of a human being, including the act of faith, as the [b]causal basis [/b]for birth in the Pure Land. Otherwise the emphasis on Grace would be devoid of meaning and significance. Our residual karmic bondage may influence the point in our experience when we become aware of the nature of Reality but it is not a factor in determining whether or not we "receive" Grace.
Way back, I was reading a commentary on a book of the New Testament, written by William Barclay, which made much the same point from a slightly different perspective. He was speaking of his own father, of seeing him as rather stern and forbidding. One day in church, on a hot day, sitting beside his father, the sermon was long and tedious, and little William began to become drowsy. He felt himself begin to slump sideways and immediately sensed a movement in his fathers arm. He cringed, anticipating a quick slap, but instead felt his father's arm reach around him, encouraging him to rest his head upon his father's shoulder. William Barclay testified that at that moment he knew his father for the very first time.
As I see it, many can trust in their "decision" for "Jesus", and even believe that at the moment of decision the nature of God's reality towards them changed. From wrath to mercy. Or whatever. Well, so be it.
From the Pure Land perspective it is suggested that from the standpoint of Grace all are equally saved even now, despite the presence or absence of the experience of faith itself. The reason for this is that salvation depends on Grace, the very nature of Reality, and not on any finite condition.
So what is the point of faith? If all are "saved"? Such a question reflects the virtually universal notion that religion is a means to an end. We get the benefit of salvation from being religious. For Shinran, however, religion becomes the way to express gratitude for the compassion that supports all our life. It is not a tool for ego advancement or gaining benefits. With faith, and living in it's light, we truly become free to live a full and meaningful existence in this life. Here and now.
As another has said, Shinran's perspective [i]permits a person to see deeply into their life to detect the springs of compassion which sustains it; it allows them to participate and associate with all types of people despite their unattractiveness or difficulty because they understand the potentiality that works in their very being. In perceiving the compassion that embraces all life, the person of faith can themselves become an expression of that compassion touching the lives of others.[/i]
I'm well aware that a post such as this will possibly draw down upon it the rebuttal of some who insist that truth with a capital "T" can only be found in their own creed. All I can say is that Truth is not words, nor even concepts. It is not creeds or doctrines or part of any testimony. Truth is unfolding, alive, blowing where it will.
Thank you (words at the heart of Pure Land Buddhism)
In Pure Land, it is the nature of Reality itself that is the source of what is known variously as "salvation" or "enlightenment". Therefore śalvation is more a [i]realisation[/i]of that which has always been, not a step from one condition into another.
As one Father of Pure Land has said (Shinran) , the reality of Grace requires nothing from the side of a human being, including the act of faith, as the [b]causal basis [/b]for birth in the Pure Land. Otherwise the emphasis on Grace would be devoid of meaning and significance. Our residual karmic bondage may influence the point in our experience when we become aware of the nature of Reality but it is not a factor in determining whether or not we "receive" Grace.
Way back, I was reading a commentary on a book of the New Testament, written by William Barclay, which made much the same point from a slightly different perspective. He was speaking of his own father, of seeing him as rather stern and forbidding. One day in church, on a hot day, sitting beside his father, the sermon was long and tedious, and little William began to become drowsy. He felt himself begin to slump sideways and immediately sensed a movement in his fathers arm. He cringed, anticipating a quick slap, but instead felt his father's arm reach around him, encouraging him to rest his head upon his father's shoulder. William Barclay testified that at that moment he knew his father for the very first time.
As I see it, many can trust in their "decision" for "Jesus", and even believe that at the moment of decision the nature of God's reality towards them changed. From wrath to mercy. Or whatever. Well, so be it.
From the Pure Land perspective it is suggested that from the standpoint of Grace all are equally saved even now, despite the presence or absence of the experience of faith itself. The reason for this is that salvation depends on Grace, the very nature of Reality, and not on any finite condition.
So what is the point of faith? If all are "saved"? Such a question reflects the virtually universal notion that religion is a means to an end. We get the benefit of salvation from being religious. For Shinran, however, religion becomes the way to express gratitude for the compassion that supports all our life. It is not a tool for ego advancement or gaining benefits. With faith, and living in it's light, we truly become free to live a full and meaningful existence in this life. Here and now.
As another has said, Shinran's perspective [i]permits a person to see deeply into their life to detect the springs of compassion which sustains it; it allows them to participate and associate with all types of people despite their unattractiveness or difficulty because they understand the potentiality that works in their very being. In perceiving the compassion that embraces all life, the person of faith can themselves become an expression of that compassion touching the lives of others.[/i]
I'm well aware that a post such as this will possibly draw down upon it the rebuttal of some who insist that truth with a capital "T" can only be found in their own creed. All I can say is that Truth is not words, nor even concepts. It is not creeds or doctrines or part of any testimony. Truth is unfolding, alive, blowing where it will.
Thank you (words at the heart of Pure Land Buddhism)
SW-User