Radical Other Power

I have been thinking a great deal about Other Power recently. Other Power is how we describe the Buddha working on us, liberation through taking refuge in the Buddha, rather than liberation by our own means.

What I've been thinking about is something I've begun to call Radical Other Power. This is an idea that is a step beyond how I usually frame my experience of the world.

I have usually thought of Other Power as something which calls to me, a guide if you like, rather than an active agent in this world. Other Power tells me I am okay, just as I am, that I am loved. Other Power tells me to love, but leaves me to figure out the best way to do that.

But recently I’ve been thinking that there is more to it than that. More mystery. Today my therapist picked on up how many of the things I have been talking about somehow fit into ‘happening at the right time.’

Suddenly, when I have the emotional space to start taking on therapy clients, two appear at once. The timing seems more than coincidence.

There have been other similar examples.

I am reminded of the Buddhist idea that when one lives by one’s vow all the Bodhisattvas comes to one’s aid.

I suppose that comes to mind because I am fighting to resist “Everything happens for a (good) reason”. There must be something one can do, the self-power part of me says. I wonder if that’s true anymore?

Perhaps everything is in the hands of Amida. Namo Amida Bu. Namo Amida Bu.

Part of me is trying to find a middle way between these two extremes. When I practice in the morning, chanting, prostrations and so on, I do feel differently during the day than if I don’t. And yet – surely it’s Amida that brings me to practice...

Someone has posted a quote from Ty Unno on the front page of Friends of Amida. I think it’s from a recent interview he did for Tricycle magazine. It encapsulates what I am trying to get to. Another coincidence?

...we can never surrender ourselves. Resistance comes from the deepest center of our karmic selves... [nonetheless] the surrender takes place by virtue of true compassion. This is “other-power” working through “self-power.” But this requires a tremendous struggle. As long as I think I can do it myself, it’s not going to work
~ Ty Unno

Podcast: Shinran - liberation by faith alone

Shinran Shonin (1173-1262)

Monday 16th February was the 750th anniversary of Shinran's death. Shinran was probably the most important of Honen's disciples and his teachings have led to the largest Pureland school - Jodo Shin Shu.

What is distinctive about Shinran's teaching is that he believed his liberation came as a gift from Amida Buddha. Shinran's practice of nembutsu was an expression of gratitude for that liberation, rather than an attempt to get liberation.

In our evening service last night I reflected on Shinran's life, and on some of these themes. Listen to the talk here:

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Podcast: Sange Mon - gate of contrition

image by Anguskirk

The new year is often a time for reflecting upon our own lives, not only looking forward with enthusiasm for the new year, but also taking responsibility for our actions in the past year. In our evening service this week we read the Sange Mon verse by Shan Tao, and then I reflected a little on what this means. Listen below.


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Podcast: Christmas thoughts: Sin is Behovely, but all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well

image by Yatharth

What can Julian of Norwich's spiritual experience tell us about our Buddhist practice as Pureland Buddhists?

This talk was recorded from our evening service the week before Christmas, and in it I think about how a Christian spiritual experience can shed light on our own spiritual experience.

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Wagesa (small robe)

Someone was asking about the wagesas we wear last night at our evening service. In the meantime Sujatin, one of my mentors, posted this description online:

The wagesa (輪袈裟), or what is called a stole, is a strip of cloth about two feet long and three inches wide.^-1- This cloth is symbolic of a monk’s robe and is intended to show one’s devotion to the Buddha and following his teachings.^-2- In fact, in older times, some temples had posters that said, “those without a rosary and a wagesa are not considered worshipers.” These wagesa are considered the “uniform for worship” and so by wearing one, one is dedicating one’s self to worship and religious ritual. The origins of the wagesa lie in the clothes of the historical Shakamuni.^-3- Stories hold that Shakamuni wore the same set of clothing for the six years he meditated and practiced before reaching Enlightenment. Thus, his clothes were full of holes and ragged. Monks take old, ratty clothes and repair them for usage in order to get closer to the heart of the Buddha. This robe, called a kesa (袈裟) was then abbreviated repeatedly until only the two-inch wide wagesa remained.^-4-

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Dharma discussion Zen and Pureland

On 28th January we'll be holding a Dharma discussion group. We're going to look at a paper on Zen and Pureland (which you can read online here: Zen and Pureland) by David Brazier, and use that as a jumping off point for discussion.

What can these different styles of Buddhism tell us about practice? What can they each offer us?

Find out more on our facebook event, or email me: kaspalita@amidatrust.com

Podcast: Dealing with difficult emotions

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This morning I'm talking about how we create stories (particularly around 'big life events') and unconsciously act on those stories, re-creating them over and over again. Why is it called dealing with difficult emotions? Because difficult emotions can be clues to when we are in the midst of a dysfunctional story....

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