“His countenance is perfectly pure and round, like the full moon;
His majestic light shines like a thousand suns and moons;
His voice is like a heavenly drum, yet like a heavenly bird;
Thus I prostrate myself before Amida Buddha”
Ju Ni Rai – Twelve Verses of Homage to Amida Buddha
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
******
This is a translation of the third stanza of Ju Ni Rai Sutra. The translated name of the sutra is The Twelve Verses of Homage to Amida Buddha and it was written as a Gatha by Nagarjuna, the first of the Seven Masters of Jodo Shinshu. In our o-naijin , he is at the top of the scroll on the far-left side, as you look into the o-naijin from the gejin. Nagarjuna wrote Ju Ni Rai to express his deep gratitude to Amida Buddha. Nagarjuna was one of the first Dharma teachers to write about the Nembutsu path, or the “Easy” path as we sometimes call it, to end suffering for those unable to follow the Difficult Path such as becoming a monk and following strict practices. Because Nagarjuna recognized that Amida’s Compassion enables all beings to be born into Amida’s Pure Land, he expresses his deep appreciation for Amida Buddha in Ju Ni Rai Sutra.
When you hear the words of Ju Ni Rai, the words themselves can sound like someone is idolizing Amida Buddha and Amida’s Pure Land. From the stanza at the beginning of this article, the words say his face is pure and beautiful, he projects a light or presence that shines for all to see, and his voice is strong yet soothing. There are also some descriptions of Amida’s Pure Land in Ju Ni Rai Sutra. It describes Amida’s Pure Land as a “golden treasure pond where lotus flowers bloom” and there is a wonderous throne where Amida Buddha reigns over his Pure Land like a king. Even more wonderful things are described in Amida’s Pure Land in the Amida-Kyo:
“in the Buddha Land heavenly music is played at all times;
gold is spread on the ground; and
six times each day and night it showers Mandarava blossoms.”
You might wonder why wonderful descriptions of things are used when we’re so often told that we should not be attached to these kinds of things because they are impermanent.
One of the reasons such descriptions of Amida Buddha and Amida’s Pure Land are used is based on our human limitations to perceive what we cannot see. Because the Pure Land and the enlightenment it leads to is something beyond our human ability to fully understand, Shakyamuni Buddha used these wonderful descriptions so that ordinary humans could begin to perceive that the Pure Land was a wonderful place where they should aspire to be born. In other words, because there is no way for us to fully understand enlightenment itself, there must be a way for us to be guided towards enlightenment. Rev. Mukojima has explained this to us as the “finger pointing to the moon” in past Dharma messages.
To give an example of how perceptions can become beliefs, I’ll share an experience I had at work. Around 25 years ago, I was assigned to support my company’s sales office in Singapore from my work location in California. At that time, we didn’t have Zoom or Teams so all my first interactions with the Singapore office were by telephone – audio only. For the first 3 – 4 months of this work, I was on the phone daily with the sales staff in Singapore, but it was only by voice. Then the time came for me to make a trip to Singapore to meet them face-to-face for the first time. When I arrived at the office, the first thing the Singaporean Sales Manager said was, “Hey! You’re Asian!” He truly had a surprised look on his face. Because I was born and raised in America and I have an American English accent, the Singaporeans had built a perception that I would be a Caucasian American. It turned out that the whole Singapore office thought the same thing. This is an example of how our human minds work. Our perceptions of what we directly experience form what our minds believe will be reality.
I don’t know if it’s just me, but even in today’s world of Zoom and Teams, there are still similar cases of perception. After having video meetings, when I meet people face-to- face for the first time, I often get told, “I thought you’d be taller.” Because in Zoom you get to see the person’s face, so general ethnicity can be seen, but you only see a person’s head and shoulders. The best one of these instances was this past year, when I first met one of my company’s Korea sales manager face-to-face. We were talking casually to get to know each other better and he said that he thought over Zoom that I might be Samoan; like “the Rock”. I guess that reality of meeting a “pebble” instead of a “Rock” might have been disappointing for him.
So, back to Buddhism. Why are such wonderful and positive descriptions used for Amida Buddha and Amida’s Pure Land? One reason is to give us a finger that provides guidance towards Amida’s Pure Land. Another reason is to use descriptions that build our aspiration to be born in that Pure Land. Amida’s Pure Land is closely associated with Nirvana because all who are born there are assured of attaining enlightenment. However, Nirvana is the cessation, or the end, of suffering and often described by negation using terms like being “unconditioned.” Because true enlightenment is beyond what our human minds can understand, it is often described by negation. Defining things by negation can be something like “Darkness is not having any light.” It is used when defining things by example is difficult to do. Because we cannot give a good example of what enlightenment is, it becomes described as “not conditioned by causes of suffering”. A way to explain enlightenment is to say it is not living in a world of suffering. By using the Pure Land as a finger, or what can be called an expedient device, that uses positive images, the path to Nirvana can be more easily imagined by ordinary humans like all of us and be perceived as somewhere to aspire to be born. This is why the closing stanza of Ju Ni Rai expresses why Nagarjuna has such deep gratitude for Amida Buddha; because Amida’s Compassion has created a Pure Land that all can be born into and once you are born in Amida’s Pure Land, you are assured to attain Nirvana.
“Thus have I praised the virtues of Amida.
Boundless are they like the water of the sea.
Upon receiving these pure and good qualities
May all beings be born into his Land”
Ju Ni Rai – Twelve Verses of Homage to Amida Buddha
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
Namo Amida Butsu
Sensei John Arima