Pure Land Buddhism is one of the major schools in the East, yet has hardly made a dent here. I remember once hearing it being described as too ‘Christian’ for Westerners, yet almost all of the other schools encompass the notion of a Pure Land in some way or other. Even in Theravada the three Refuges can easily be interpreted in a Pure Land way. The very essence of it is that one is taking refuge…
nembutsu
Peaceful Awareness by D. T. Suzuki
Reading this poem reminds me of Bodhidharma’s declaration to Eka: ‘On your behalf I have already bestowed on you peaceful awareness’ Without this special element in religion, shinjin or satori would not be possible.