Do You Have Your Own Smartphone?

Do We Know When Our Heart Battery is Running Low
The problem, of course, with that our heart doesn’t have a battery icon like a smartphone does. There is no warning that says “3% charge remaining.” And by the time we notice, our energy has been running on Empty like it’s shut down.

When our heart’s battery runs low, what happens? We get upset easily over what people say, feel down about little things, or start comparing ourselves to others or even blaming ourselves. It’s like a phone that still turns on, but runs painfully slowly. It is hard to put up with.

Passwords are Critical
Something else that’s very important when using our smartphones is the Internet. We have become very dependent on it. That’s why everyone gets upset when there’s no Wi-Fi. Last year when there was construction happening at the apartment next door, and we didn’t have Wi-Fi at home for an entire day. Without Wi-Fi, we couldn’t do anything. It was really frustrating and everyone in my family complained about it. So, in our daily lives, Wi-Fi is absolutely essential.

But thinking about this topic one day, I realized something important. When we connect to Wi-Fi, we need a password. And to my way of looking at it, the Wi-Fi password feels a lot like the Nembutsu, “Namo Amida Butsu.” In other words, the Nembutsu functions like the password that connects our hearts with Amida Buddha. Wi-Fi signals are everywhere – at home, in cafés, even at the Temple. But if we don’t actually enter the password on our smartphones, we can’t be connected to Wi-Fi, so our smartphones are pretty much useless.

Recite the Nembutsu to Keep Connected with Amida Buddha
It’s the same with the working of Amida Buddha’s compassion, which is always reaching out to each one of us. We won’t connect unless we remember the right password. If we forget to say the Nembutsu, we won’t feel that connection nor compassion. When we get busy, distracted or caught up in worry and ego, our minds go offline without realizing it. We may sometimes accidentally switch to “airplane mode” as well! If we don’t recite the Nembutsu, we lose that connection. Amida Buddha’s “server” is always switched on and working perfectly. But the reason we are disconnected so often is that the problem lies on our “receiver’s side.”

Life moves so fast these days — emails, news, social media, traffic, deadlines and so much more are always demanding our time and attention. For these reasons, we often live like our hearts are running on just 3% battery. If our phone drops to 3%, we stop everything and plug it into a power source immediately. But when our hearts drop to 3%, we just keep pushing ourselves…until one day they will suddenly shut down.

Have you ever thought, “Today’s sutra chanting is taking forever” or “Sensei’s Dharma Talk sure is dragging on…?” I know many of you probably feel that way at times. But the time you spend chanting and listening is also when your hearts are plugged in and recharging. When you charge your phone, you plug it in and wait, don’t you? It doesn’t hit 100% right away. But little by little, the energy comes back. It’s the same when we chant together and listen to the Dharma. Our heart’s energy is also slowly recharging.

When we are tired, impatient and complain about or blame others – these are all signs that our energy is running very low! When our phone battery runs down, it goes into low-power mode and its screen begins to fade. And certainly, when our tolerance and patience wear thin, our faces reflect these emotions, too.

Recharge Your Battery at Every Sunday Service
When that tiredness hits us, we should immediately “plug in.” For most of us, our heart’s battery lasts about a week. So, please come to the Sunday Service and recharge yourselves there! Your home altar (Obutsudan) is also like a charger for your heart and you can rely on it anytime.