#namo amituofo

[mahayanapilgrim]

The Four Noble Truths

Buddha taught this at his first teaching.

1 - Life is suffering

Life is suffering and will remain so as long as one refuses to recognize its true nature.

People understood that they suffered, of course, but believed this was an unavoidable aspect of living. Buddha explained that it was not but arose from the skandhas (Sanskrit for "heaps" or "aggregates") which he identified as "the five aggregates of attachment" and further as "the five aggregates of suffering".

2- The cause of suffering is craving

The second truth is samudaya, meaning "origination", and addresses the cause of suffering

The cause of suffering is the craving for permanence in an impermanent world.

Believing one is a permanent entity, one constructs a false world of illusion which, because it is not real, cannot satisfy and leads to continual pain and disappointment. Buddha defines this craving as a passionate desire for things one cannot have.

3- The end of suffering comes with an end to craving
The third truth is nirodha meaning "cessation".
In order to stop craving, one must understand what one is actually craving and recognize that the illusion of permanence cannot satisfy one's needs. The end of suffering comes with an end to craving when one realizes that what one is craving is true reality, not illusions of reality Buddha encourages an abrupt stop to the craving behavior along the lines of abandoning a bad habit

4- There is a "middle way" in navigating life

The fourth truth is marga, meaning "the path", by which Buddha means his "middle way" in navigating life. He begins by simply stating that there is a path which leads one away from craving and suffering. The Noble Truth of the Path leading to the cessation of suffering is this: It is simply the Noble Eightfold Path, namely, right view; right thought; right speech; right action; right livelihood; right effort; right concentration; right mindfulness.

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

The Origin of Humans on Earth

May all beings hear the name of Amitabha Buddha and be reborn in His Land of Ultimate Bliss 🪷🙏 

 🙏 Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏 

🙏 Namo Amituofo 🙏

[nateconnolly]

What Does the Lion Turtle Chant Mean?

Excerpt from the Script:

The short autobiography Hojoki begins by recounting great disasters like earthquakes and political upheavals. After describing all that pain and chaos, Chomei asks a deceptively simple question: “Where can one be, and what can one do, to find a safe little shelter in this world, and a little piece of mind?” Chomei tells us the story of his twilight years. Chomei’s house was so small that it was in constant danger from snow, wind, and flooding. He couldn’t even afford a front gate. He had no wife, no children, and no job. “What was there to hold me to the world?” he asked. 

At the age of fifty, Chomei decided that he had so few attachments that he should relinquish what little he had become a Buddhist monk. Chomei left for the Ohara mountains, where he lived as a monk for five years. He then built himself a small final home for his old age. That’s where the title comes from — a hojo is a “Ten-Foot-Square Hut”. There’s a lot of debate over whether Chomei literally lived in a house that exact size, but the most important thing to understand is that his house was small, and modest. He was sleeping on a pile of leaves. It doesn’t sound better than the house where he lived before he was a monk. 

But it was a great life. Chomei could relax without anybody around to judge him; he could read poetry, and watch boats go by; he helped babysit a local a ten-year-old, and they played games together. And he lived modestly, peacefully, and happily.

Now, when I first read this story, my intuition was that Chomei had attained liberation from worldly desires, right? Right? When I read Hojoki, I expected him to claim this was his last life before nirvana. But Chomei went in a different direction. Hojoki isn’t a success story — it’s his confession. He writes that he has failed to live up to his Buddhist principles because he has become attached to his modest way of life. All that happiness he found in the mountains is a bigger attachment than anything he had before he was a monk. Chomei has answered both his questions — he now knows where one could find “a safe little shelter,” but he also accidentally found something to “hold [him] to the world.” He has failed to detach himself. 

That story is really intense. Chomei moved into the woods and lived on a pile of leaves, and yet he still says that he failed. If he couldn’t do it, who could?

Aang faces a similar dilemma. He knows the standards that he wants to live by, but he isn’t sure that he can. 

Sometimes, religion and spirituality help us make sense of the world, but not always. Just like Chomei, Aang’s spiritual beliefs have actually made life more difficult and confusing. And neither of them can solve their problems alone. Aang needs the help of the Lion Turtle. Chomei invoked a Buddha called Amituofo. As in, "Namo Amituofo," the real prayer behind the Lion Turtle Chant. Amituofo is a person — and Chomei is asking him for help.

This podcast episode

Bluesky

⁠Substack

⁠Twitter

⁠Patreon

Nate's short story about Buddhism

Transcript with Citations

[a-chuffed-floating-panda]

A love in the eye of the hurricane ch 23 (unedited)

(Originale posted 10 October 2022 slightly better edited chapter)

Childhood, early fall.

Flying over thick green forests that seemed to go on forever and ever, she gasped when she saw the white Buddha and golden chorten in the distance. They stood above the trees and tall mountains on a platform of sorts, or maybe on the side of a mountain? She couldn’t tell.

It looked like only someone with a flying companion could access the temple. The dense forests and mountains went on for miles. It’d take months, at least, of constant running to reach it by foot. Then you’d have to climb the temple as well… something only a dedicated individual could manage.

Koko-chan said that there was a staircase, but visitors, not pilgrims, never took them unless they were desperate; a ride on a friendly bison always won over the 4500 step staircase.

Uma let out a content groan, and she patted her fur. “I know, this is going to be awesome!” Sister Tsering gave Palden permission to take her on a one week training trip to Wat tham suea. Jaya had whined about her being gone and ‘who’s going to help her with homework now?’ Jamyang promised to write letters every single day, and that seemed to make it better. She’d beamed, thrown her arms around her in a big hug and pressed a showy kiss on her cheek with a loud ‘muwah!’

Jamyang blinked with owlish eyes as Jaya dragged her off as she insisted she help her pack.

It might’ve been her imagination, but she thought she heard the nearby nuns laugh under their breaths and Palden smothering Koko-chan with her sleeves.

Jamyang steered Uma so that they were following Palden, Koko-chan and sister, Nyima; She’d insisted on being called that, because Sister made her feel old.

She followed them as they steered down over the mountain, her eyes widening and mouth dropping at the clusters of buildings and towers that met her eyes; a tall golden Buddha stood in the centre of all of them. “Woah…” She looked forward to what her week would entail.

She grumbled when something disturbed from her sleep, pulling the blanket over her head in an attempt to muffle the sound out.

The volume increase was gradual, like it was coming closer. She opened her eyes, annoyed, and sat up to peek out of the window. Her eyes squinted at a long blurry blob and she reached up with a hand and rubbed the sleep out of them. Her sight cleared more and Jamyang saw lines upon lines of monks and nuns carrying lights when she blinked. 

The chanting was steady, like a strong heartbeat. “Namo amituofo, Namo amituofo, Namo amituofo….” She recognised the mantra, having heard a group of monks recite it while visiting her temple. It was the mantra of Öpakme, Om ami dewa hri.

Such devotion. She leaned closer to the window as the lines of people walked around the corner of the tower she was staying in. Many of the people she knew didn’t practise like that, but that didn’t mean that the positive karma they were cultivating was anything less bad, did it?

Jamyang didn’t have enough wisdom to answer that question herself.

She laid back down when she couldn’t see them anymore, not being able to sleep. She reached out with a hand in front of her, opening and clenching it. “Om ami dewa hri.”

Jamyang wasn’t a fan of big robes, but she was on the smaller side and she didn’t control the world. The robes they gave her to wear during her stay didn’t fit properly. She stared at them for ten minutes, hoping that she’d scared them enough from glaring at them.

The grey robes were big on her. It was difficult to tie down the brown rakusu they gave her with the spacious sleeves.

“Need some help?” Palden stood in the doorframe, smiling at her struggle. Jamyang pouted at her. “Yes, please.”

“There.” Palden finished, patting the rakusu.

Jamyang looked down. Her sleeves were so big. They’d just get in the way when she’d do her hair. “Can you braid my hair, too?”

Jamyang remembered getting looks like the one Palden was giving her when she was younger. The ‘oh, you’re so adorable that I just want to eat you up!’ look.

She grumbled when Palden pinched her cheek. “Of course.” She grabbed a brush and urged her to sit down in front of the bed.

Jamyang sat quietly as Palden brushed her hair. It was her first time in different robes. She wasn’t used to grey, regardless of how many times she’d seen Aden in his grey robes. They were so big, too. Why were they so big? It didn’t seem practical if they were big enough, so you’d trip over your robes while running.

“Palden?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are the robes so big?” She held her arm in front of her, watching how far the bottom of her sleeve dipped.

“It’s to cast an illusion on the enemy.” She said, “They can’t see your body build, limbs and joints move well, and it hinders their ability to predict your moves.” Jamyang remembered reading about a prodigious swordsman who did the same thing; he’s worshipped as a guardian on one of the fire nation islands, if she remembered correctly. It was Tsugikuni something.

His birthday was a celebration, akin to a short festival lasting three days; Shaohao had invited her and her friends, including Aden, to come and celebrate it earlier this year.

“I guess that makes sense.” She conceded. “But is me tripping over them also a good reason? I’m tiny.” Build wise; she read more than she ran around when she was younger. She was over average when it came to height.

“I guess not.” Palden laughed and finished her braid. “But then it means that you’ll be learning stealth walking. I know that you’re already a natural at stealth, but it helps with getting used to the robes.”

Jamyang didn’t know just how Palden was going to teach her that.

The tall grass always found a way to tickle her, even when fully dressed

“Why are we here?” She stomped on the grass, annoyed at its intrusiveness. It wouldn’t be too noticeable. She saw some animals on their way here and they could blame the slightly flattened grass on them.

Palden was crouched down beside her, the hilt of the holster peeking up underneath her robes and pointed to a house in the distance. “See that house?”

“Yeah?” It looked like a farm or maybe an inn for travelers. Palden handed her a small golden bell, a piece of paper, and a chubby brown panda. “You’re going to sneak into that farm, leave that bell behind and write anything you deem important. Miso is joining you in case something out of your control happens, like an ambush or something.” Jamyang stared at her, shocked. She was going to sneak in on that farm?! No practise run? What if she messed up? 

“I’m going to sneak in on that farm?” She pointed, voice cracking. She’d never snuck into a house before. Miso made herself comfortable on top of her shoulders.

“Yep.” she answered. “Sneak in, leave the bell and write anything you deem important. In and out, no fighting.” Palden reassured and patted her head. “Why did you have me bring my ninjaken then, if there’s no fighting?” It’s strapped to her waist; her jian was back at the temple.

Palden also gave her a utility belt to wear across her chest.

“So that you can get used to carrying it. You’ll be surprised at how it can limit your movement.” Jamyang puffed her cheek at her. It couldn’t be that bad. She put the bell into one of the pouches on the belt and folded the piece of paper into another pouch.

“Look at it as a test run and see how stealthy you are from a different perspective.”

For a test run it was… informative.

Young adult, early summer.

The ache of the healing tattoos made it uncomfortable to walk and do tasks around the temple. Jampo seemed happy to accompany her, bouncing on his feet as she walked and sitting down behind her ankles when she stopped for a quick break.

He also enjoyed the pets and attention passing children would give him during those breaks. They also congratulated her on getting her tattoos as well. Jamyang thanked them with headpats and an affectionate panda.

Jetsun, not Sister Jetsun Dronma, but Jetsun Chesa, a toddler at the mature age of almost two winters, squealed when she saw Jampo and toddled up to them away from the older Sister Jamyang. She’s technically a Sister now, weird. She didn’t feel like one.

“Chi la ‘om chung!” Ji la dom chung, almost right. She smiled as Jetsun sat down to pet an eager Jampo.

“Be careful. Don’t be so rough when you pet him.” Jetsun listened to her words and gave Jampo really slow pets with an adorable frown as she focused on not hurting him. 

“Jetsun,” Sister Jamyang’s voice sounded in front of them and steps followed. “Don’t run off like that.”

Jetsun’s eyes got big, and she tried to pick up Jampo, who sagged in her small hands, and turned to her. “Chi la ‘om chung…” Sister Jamyang sighed and pinched her nose. “Fine, you can continue to pet him.”

Jetsun cheered and her adorable frown returned as she continued to give Jampo’s fur slow and gentle strokes.

“Congratulations on getting your arrows.” 

“Ah, thank you.” She put her hands together and gave her a small bow. “Your mastery is certified now, even if you’ve been one for years.” A small smile played on her lips. “Tsering was close to fighting them to get you to have your ceremony, you know.” Of course she did. 

“I imagined something like that happening, yeah.” She likely wouldn’t have had her ceremony otherwise.

Jetsun giggled as Jampo licked her face.

“Okay, come now.” Sister Jamyang said, and Jetsun pouted. “You wanted to meet Elder Rabten and we have to get preparations ready.” Jetsun hung her head, not wanting to leave. “Jampo flies around the temple daily, and you can always ask Jamyang if you can play with him.” Jetsun looked back at them with sad eyes as they walked away.

“Churr-squeak.” Jampo looked sad too. She lightly nudged him with the side of her foot. “Come on, let’s continue.” 

After a few steps, she heard laughter. 

… Jamyang startled at the yell while she crawled through the vent.

She paused to listen, but the person was spewing nonsense. Were they drunk? Through their gibberish, it sounded like they were accusing someone and she heard… sobbing? She crawled towards the sound, grabbing the small red pouch, filled with what felt like powder she found on her way there.

“Yoush bucssh!” Unsteady steps and something breaking with a loud crash. The sobbing increased in volume. “No, no!” they cried. “Not him, stay away!” 

“Miso!” she whispered, and the panda stirred. “Chri?”

“Go find Palden.” Miso took a few seconds before rolling away from her position on her neck and pattering down in the opposite direction. The slight creak of the vent opening told her she was out.

Jamyang had tied the bell to one of the fences outside and petted the ostrich-horse that caught her. It was a risky bribe, but it worked and it left her alone.

Maneuvering in the tight space, she got out the piece of paper and added a new thing to her list. “Relationship problems?” She scribbled with a charcoal stick she found on the floor above. Jamyang continued crawling. She needed to get out of the vent.

Glancing around the corner of a doorway, she saw the source of said laughter being Choda as Tashi spun her around.

Jamyang felt herself smile. She was happy on their behalf. It’d been a little awkward in their friend group at the beginning of their relationship, but it got better after around a month or so, if she remembered correctly. One or two months, somewhere around there.

Choda giggled when Tashi put her head into the hollow of her neck. “Nyingdu-la.” Jamyang tensed when she heard the phrase and sped away as fast as she could, leaving them alone.

She wasn’t meant to hear that. She was not meant to hear that.

Jampo followed her, tripped over his feet and rolled into the back of her legs.

“Be careful!” She chided and picked him up. “We’re sorta, accidentally sneaking a round.” She didn’t plan this, and she heard peals of laughter coming from another room further ahead. 

“We can’t get caught.” Not because she wanted to listen in, but because she didn’t want to ruin the others’ moments together. That’d be so rude of her and she’d feel so bad if she ended up actually ruining something.

Jampo stared at her, leaned in and licked her nose. Just like Uma, she smiled.

“Come on.”

… the man laid unresponsive on the floor. Palden said he was okay, just unconscious.

The woman- wife? Girlfriend?- she tended to, couldn’t get much out in between her cries and choked up words of gratitude while she healed her. 

“Do you have anywhere safe to go?” 

“N-no.” She sniffed. 

“You should take your son and go to the golden temple.”

“B-but.” She stuttered. “This is baba’s farm. I’m tending to it while he’s on a trip. I can’t just leave!”

“It’ll be momentary until we can ensure you and your child’s safety. I’ll send someone I know to take care of your farm. Is that okay?”

The woman eventually agreed, and they acted as her guards on the road there.

“Hide in the grass!” Palden hissed when she saw… a group of people in the distance. Jamyang watched in anticipation as Palden confronted the group.

She snuck by multiple people having their ‘moments’ with someone and succeeded in not ruining them.

She could find solace in her room, maybe a nap. All the children congratulating her had been overwhelming; was this the exhaustion Gawa felt during her mastery celebration? 

Jaya’s familiar laugh echoed in the dorm hallway, followed by another laugh she didn’t recognise. “Hm, must be the crush.” She mumbled to herself, Jaya hadn’t introduced them yet. ‘Soo cool! And so handsome!’ Didn’t tell Jamyang much about the person.

Aden was weird when she stumbled upon him. Serious looking. Unreadable look in his eyes. He was thinking hard about something. “What’s wrong?”

“Um…” He started, sounding unsure. “It’s nothing important. I’m helping someone solve a… personal conflict.” Hm, it’s something he doesn’t want me to know. Jamyang hadn’t noticed anyone dealing with personal problems recently, but it could also be a temple individual from Yonggunsa he was helping that she wasn’t familiar with. He looked unsure, but she wouldn’t prod.

She’ll either figure it out or see it go down. It’s happened before.

“Have you seen Choekyi?” He asked. “I think she’s ignoring me. She won’t talk to me one on one.”

“Oh, she isn’t ignoring you.” She answered. Choekyi was doing a lot of sneaking around when it came to Aden. Jamyang knew because she caught her and subsequently told her how to sneak around better.

She also promised on Uma and Chenrezig that she wouldn’t tell a soul of what she saw.

Jamyang was good at secrets. She heard many of them unintentionally over the years of being stealthy and being at the wrong place at the right time.

They still hadn’t caught Danan dyed the robes a darker colour over the ten years she’d known him; She may or may not have told him of a secret passage when she was thirteen winters.

“She’s dealing with a personal problem that includes you.” She said, and watched how his face morphed. He only needed a little push. She wouldn’t flat out say it. “Me? But, but, what did I do?” 

“Nothing.”

“Huh? I don’t get what you are trying to say.”

“Think, Aden. Personal problems are universal for feeling related matters and those matters are related to you.” He blinked at her, eyes widening and face blushing.

“O-oh, where is she?”

“The last time I saw her, she was on one of the temple pagodas.” He thanked her with a stiff bow and ran off.

Jamyang stared at the trail of dust he left behind and thought of dusting the hallway, but the nap appealed more to her. She shook her head with a smile and made her way to her room.

… her yell was frightening. A tremor shocked Jamyang’s bones. She hadn’t seen Palden like this before.

“Fight me!” She pulled the dao from the holster on her back and proceeded to cut down every single individual of that group. Her hands trembled. Palden was scary. Jamyang had never seen her as scary before. Palden was funny and joked with her. She was her teacher.

The woman held her son’s head into her chest so that he wouldn’t see. 

The group of people- bandits?- had taken a hostage. Palden bent down and cut the ropes around their wrists. They bowed at her and helped move the bodies out of the way.

Palden waved at them to come. “It’s safe.” She yelled, and they made their way over.

Jamyang glanced at the bloodied bodies and prayed for them. It conflicted her feelings. All life was sacred. But they were bad and had taken a hostage. What if they were driven to this because they were desperate?

She avoided the splattered blood on the ground. “All life is sacred.” She whispered under her breath.

“They are.” Palden said in a solemn voice, suddenly standing beside her. She patted her head and Jamyang leaned into her side. “That’s why you defend them, but you don’t have to like it.”

Jampo jumped on top of her stomach with a loud quack. “Oof!” She played along. “Ugh, I’m dead.” He chittered, giggling, and crawled up her body, nestling into the crook of her neck with his small arms reaching around her neck in a hug.

Jamyang closed her eyes and evened her breathing, falling asleep within seconds.

It was difficult to breathe. Gawa pulled at the loose parts of her robe. She wanted to run out of the room and cuddle with Cintsha and Jannu, but she wouldn’t do that. She wasn’t a coward.

Well, she was a coward, but not that much of a coward. Gawa would stay to support them. She’d only be rude and cause a scene if she left. Plus, they’d likely hate her.

That’s her anxiety speaking. She’d never seen them ‘hate’ in the years she’d known them, but they’d definitely hate her if she left.

Yara’s move was a small cyclone that she spread around the room, up to the ceiling, each of the corners, down to the floor again and whirled it into small controlled circles in front of her before dispersing it. Master worthy. It took perfect control to do that. Everyone clapped. Tora cheered loudly in front of her. 

Aden nudged her. Apparently she’d forgotten to clap, and she hurried to clap because who’d she be if she didn’t?

Then it was Jamyang’s turn. The elders took great amusement at Shaohao’s enthusiasm. “Here, or here?” Jamyang pulled his shirt so that he stood in between the two places. “There.”

The flame floated over his palms, warm and flickering. “Ready.” He held his hands out and Jamyang started a whirling air in between her hands.

First thing she noticed, the concentration of the air. She felt the air being sucked towards her from where she sat in the back of the room. Almost back of the room, second to last row.

With slow moments to keep the whirling air intact, she eased it over Shaohao’s flame and it bolstered up in size and flickered uncontrollably. It didn’t go out, nor did any embers from his fire fly out of the compact air Jamyang surrendered it with. She was in control of the flame, letting it blaze brightly, giving the room golden glow.

Impressive. Truly impressive. She’s been a master for a while. Gawa had seen it in the past and she saw it now. Jamyang told her about it and Izumi and Michiko had begged to see it, but she’d held firm and said that they’d see it after her ceremony. 

Jamyang’s amazing. She deserved this. Screw the rules of the temple for having her wait so long. The arrow suited her. She looked great with them.

The atmosphere was tense as she removed the air around the flame, layer by layer, slowly giving back the control to Shaohao. The flame flickered down to its previous size, unharmed.

She’s great and so, so talented.

They clap for her and Aden had to nudge her twice to clap because she was so enthralled by her move. Her chest constricted and warmth spread out to her limbs. Go away.

Go away.

Jamyang found her eyes in the crowd and sent a smile her way. Oh, how it warmed her to her core. She wanted to cry. Please go away. Gawa sent a small one back. Why was this so difficult?

Om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi. Breathe. In and out, just a little more until she can leave without being rude to them. Incense flowing was next and after that was the people who couldn’t witness it. She could sneak away then. It was hard to breathe. 

It was embarrassing how much she struggled and Aden kept giving her looks out of the corner of her eye.

Just hit the spirit damned bells. The dungchen blared in her ears. Focus.

She hit a few of them, not all of them, but she did hit them. She’d take that. 

She snuck out when the ceremony finished, collapsed on all fours in an empty hallway, and gasped for air. She stumbled on her feet to the room she was staying in before anyone saw her.

She fell on the floor, motionless. Her breaths coming out in gasps, Gawa clutched at her chest and hugged her knees.

“Go away.” Her heart beat loudly underneath her hand; Having the audacity to defy her. Her composure finally broke, and she cried. Her lovely pandas scurried over to comfort her.

That’s how Aden found her, crying in the fetal position on the floor, being comforted by pandas.

“Gawa?” He opened the door, peeking through the small door crack before stepping in. “Are you okay?”

“Fine, just fine. Great.” Bold lie, and Aden knew that.

Aden shuffled over to her and sat down beside her. “Why did you leave? They asked where you were.” Of course they did. Now she felt guilty for leaving.

“It was overwhelming.” Truth. “It was difficult to keep myself composed.” She anticipated his next questions while he thought of them. Something told her she wouldn’t like it.

“... Do you like her?”

“No.” Another lie. “I don’t.”

He was quiet for a couple of seconds and brushed her hair with his hand. “You know, it’s okay if you do.”

“I know that, but I don’t.” Lie. “I don’t like her.” Lie. A terrible lie as well.

She fiddled with the threngwa Jamyang gifted her for her sixth birthday when Aden left.

A sleepy Jamyang and Jampo found her hours later. “Hey,” she hugged her and Gawa tensed. “Where were you?” She pulled away, pouting. “I looked for you, y’know.”

“It was overwhelming.”

“Oh, that’s okay, you should’ve just said so.” Her heart thudded so quickly she feared Jamyang would hear it.

“Um,” she looked around her room, she remembered bringing it with her. Relief washing over her when she spotted the white clay pot she brought with her.

“What?”

“Sit.” She went and grabbed the pot.

“Anywhere?” 

“On the floor is okay.” Gawa joined her quickly afterward. Opening the pot, she scooped up a clear gel and grabbed Jamyang’s right and rubbed the gel in.

“What are you doing?”

“Returning the favour.” Jamyang laughed after seconds of comprehending the situation, a lovely sound and a balm to her nerves.

“I see. It’s not that bad though and I’m not poisoned like you were.”

“Hush!” She glared at her. “I’m returning the favour. Let me take care of you.” Whops, she bit her lip. She didn’t mean to say that.

Jamyang laughed again, and her heart raced. “Okay.”

It wasn’t an excuse to touch her skin. Gawa genuinely wanted to return the favour, but somewhere along the line as she worked, it did turn into an excuse so that she could touch her skin.

She screamed at herself, at her beating heart. Go away!

Notes:

Procrastination and hyperfixations are officially kicking my butt. I am still not done with the other chapter to the Tsering-centric story T_T ugh (I don't know if anyone reads that, but if you do, I'm sorry). Maybe its a bad thing that I started taking Mondays off? Maybe I'll take half of the day off instead so that I can get something done without pulling an all nighter every time I update. But hey, wassup. Gawa's feelings hit her like a bang and it does not go well and she'd like for them to go away, please. Shaohao got to be a stand in and they're officially masters now! Yay! A few more years of pining and they'll be getting together. I am ready for it. Palden is scary when she wants to be and I have the perfect image of her in my head, but I don't trust myself to draw her at my current noobish level. I have three thumbnail sketches of Jamyang and Uma flying over the mountains of Way Tham Suea that I'll be posting on my Tumblr, if anyone is interested in them....   Threngwa: mala Ji la dom chung: red panda Om ah hum vajra guru padma siddhi: mantra of Guru Rinpoche

[holybookslibrary]

Taming the Monkey Mind - A Guide to Pure Land Practice

Taming the Monkey Mind - A Guide to Pure Land Practice Taming the Monkey Mind - A Guide to Pure Land Practice. Pure Land Buddhism is branch of Mahayana Buddhism. In Pure Land practice people focus on buddha in the form of Amitabha, the buddha of infinite life and infinite light. Believers put their faith in Amitabha Buddha and recite his name, confident in the promises he has given to deliver all who invoke his name. Download the free ebook here: (145 pages) :

 Taming the Monkey Mind  

What is Pure Land Buddhism?

Pure Land Buddhism is a branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes devotion to the Buddha Amitabha (also known as Amitayus or Amida Buddha) as the primary means of salvation. The ultimate goal for Pure Land Buddhists is rebirth in the "Pure Land" or "Western Paradise" — a celestial realm where one can practice the Dharma without the distractions and difficulties present in our current world, thus ensuring progress toward enlightenment. Key features of Pure Land Buddhism include: 1. Nianfo/Nembutsu: The core practice of Pure Land Buddhism is the recitation of the name of Amitabha Buddha. In Chinese, it's called "nianfo" and in Japanese, it's "nembutsu." The most common form of this recitation is the phrase "Namo Amituofo" in Chinese or "Nam(u) Amida Butsu" in Japanese. 2. Faith and Devotion: Pure Land places a significant emphasis on sincere faith in Amitabha Buddha and his vow to save all sentient beings. By reciting his name with genuine faith, believers hope to be reborn in the Pure Land. 3. Amitabha's Vows: Central to Pure Land teachings are the 48 vows made by Amitabha Buddha, particularly the 18th vow, in which he promises to ensure the rebirth in his pure land of anyone who sincerely recites his name. 4. Pure Land: This is a paradisiacal realm described in various sutras where practitioners are free from rebirth in the six realms of samsara and can pursue enlightenment without the obstacles found in our current world. 5. Scriptures: Pure Land Buddhism relies on several sutras, but the most important are the Longer Sukhavativyuha Sutra, the Shorter Sukhavativyuha Sutra, and the Amitayurdhyana Sutra. These texts describe Amitabha Buddha, his vows, and the nature of the Pure Land. 6. Accessibility: One of the appeals of Pure Land Buddhism is its accessibility. The primary practice of chanting Amitabha's name is simple and can be done by anyone, regardless of their level of education, social status, or previous deeds. Historically, Pure Land traditions became especially popular in East Asia, including countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. In Japan, the Jodo Shinshu (True Pure Land School) and Jodo Shu (Pure Land School) are major representatives of this tradition. While the practices and teachings might differ slightly between regions and specific sects, the emphasis on faith in Amitabha and the aspiration to be reborn in the Pure Land remain central to all. Read the full article

[pure-land-mind-life]

Namo Amituofo

[despertar-renovar-viver-e-seguir]

Cuidado com quem muito se justifica! Mesmo que as justificativas sejam verdadeiras, elas geralmente são um sinal de distúrbio de personalidade, de acordo com algumas características, psicológicas, tais como: Transtorno de Personalidade; Transtorno Obsessivo-Compulsivo (TOC); Transtorno de Personalidade Antissocial; Transtornos de Conduta (identificado principalmente em crianças e adolescentes); Transtorno de Personalidade Borderline; Transtorno de Personalidade Narcisista; e Transtornos de Comportamento. Quem muito se justifica, nem sempre tem muito a esconder, porém até pode ser que tenha. Se justificar, pode ser por insegurança. Quando se explica, e se justifica o tempo todo, desperta dúvidas e insegurança nas outras pessoas. Valorizar inverdades, ou distorcer verdades, com o objetivo de chegar ao ponto de acreditar nelas para fortalecer uma crença, ou visar alívio. Então, ficar dizendo repetidas vezes a mesma coisa, compulsivamente, determina uma mudança de comportamento, e patologicamente um transtorno. É necessário procurar ajuda psicológica e terapêutica para procurar um tratamento adequado, e se for possível, até reverter os estragos feitos ao emocional. Gratidão sempre Namo Amituofo Namastê Namaskar  Autor Euclydes Zanon Filho https://www.instagram.com/p/CoZeg3ru8UI/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[xingshengshi]

Shi Yan Zhuang 释延庄, 34a generación del Templo Shaolin. Entrenador en jefe de los Guerreros Shaolin. 1964 - 2023 "Canción del Zuo Chan" Desde el principio todos los seres por naturaleza son Buda, como el hielo no es otra cosa que agua. De la misma manera que sin agua no hay hielo, sin los seres no hay Buda. ¡Cuán cerca la verdad, y cuán lejos la búsqueda! ¡Somos como alguien en el agua que sufre de sed! Como un príncipe vagando entre los pobres, perdido en los caminos de la ignorancia, dando vueltas por el terrible samsara, de oscuro sendero a oscuro sendero, ¿cómo nos liberaremos de la muerte y el renacimiento? ¡Oh, el zazen del mahayana es el camino al más alto destino! Devoción, arrepentimiento, entrenamiento, generosidad y las varias perfecciones todas nacen del zazen. Aquellos que prueban el samadhi del zazen una vez, con eso tienen para erradicar crímenes, karma e impurezas desde tiempo inmemorial. ¿Entonces donde quedan todos los senderos oscuros? La Tierra Pura está cerca. Escuchar esta verdad una vez siquiera con corazón abierto, y practicar la sabiduría, logra bendiciones infinitas. Y aún más si miramos hacia dentro y notamos nuestra verdadera naturaleza: que la verdadera naturaleza no tiene esencia inherente, nuestro yo es no-yo, así vamos más allá de las palabras. Aquí la causa y el efecto son iguales. Ni dos ni tres es el Camino. Cuando entiendes que la forma es no forma, tu ir y venir no ocurre en ningún lugar más que en el que estás. Cuando entiendes que tu pensamiento es el pensamiento de lo que no tiene pensamiento, tu bailar y cantar no son más que la voz del dharma. ¡Cuán ilimitado es el cielo del samadhi! ¡Cuán refrescante es la luna brillante de la cuádruple sabiduría! Siendo así, ¿acaso algo falta? El Nirvana se muestra abiertamente, el lugar donde te encuentras es la Tierra del Loto, y tu cuerpo... el cuerpo del Buda. Namo Amituofo 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Namo Amituofo 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Namo Amituofo 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 (en Shaolinsi, Henan, China) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnPQQ0fu2Qu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[aerial-jace]

Advice from an on-again and off-again Buddhist if you're trying to get into this, whether as a secular, Buddhist or other kind of practice: build up a mantra recitation practice to train endurance before trying to train concentration with bare attention or mindfulness of breath. Focusing on chanting and the sounds of your own voice is way easier and while it will not help your attention with the breath it will help you keep still longer and longer on the cushion. It doesn't really matter what you recite, whether it's "om mani padme hum", "namo amituofo", or even a secular affirmation or a Christian prayer, just get one and stick with it.

30 minute guided meditation sessions absolutely kill me. I probably should have foreseen my failure coming from doing 15 minute very daydreamy sessions but in my defense I'm only following instructions from a course billing itself as aimed at absolute beginners.

[mahayanapilgrim]

Maitreya Buddha, known as the future Buddha, symbolizes compassion and hope. In Buddhist tradition, he is expected to appear on Earth, bringing enlightenment and harmony. Depicted often as a joyous figure, he embodies the promise of peace and renewal for humanity.

[mysticalblizzardcolor]

Incredible Amituofo Chant by Imee Ooi | 启动南无阿弥陀佛圣号

[sukhavatiaspiration]

Tu templo, Tu habitación, Tu mente: Practiquemos el dharma en cuarentena.

Ir a un templo es una oportunidad fantástica para practicar el dharma, pero también lo puedes hacer desde tu hogar. Un espacio donde poner un altar sencillo bastará para hacer de tu habitación un pequeño templo. Prender una vela, poner incienso y dedicar el mérito a todos los seres sintientes también vuelve tu casa en un templo. O simplemente traer el nombre de Amituofo en tu mente, vuelve tu consciencia un templo, el mejor lugar de práctica de dharma es el aquí y el ahora, si es que durante la cuarentena no puedes ir a un templo, no te desanimes, pues lo mejor que puedes hacer es recitar el nombre de Amitabha, para llevar el templo contigo a dondequiera que vayas.

Namo Amituofo!

[smol-stone]

I've been reading a Buddhist prayer for world peace and I wanted to share it here, you can read the original on Instagram, it was written by the beautiful people of @/pure.land.buddhism

May there be peace in the world

May there be no war

May all beings hear the Buddhadharma

May all beings walk on the path of awakening

May all beings realise the impermanence of the Saha world

May all beings hear the Name of Amitabha Buddha

May all beings seek rebirth to the Pure Land

May all beings be happy and free from suffering 🙏

We will transfer merit to all beings in the entire Dharma realm and also those who suffer from wars in our daily Nianfo sessions.

Peace in the world comes from peace within each and every person.

If most of the people on Earth can find peace within, then there will be peace in the world.

If more people can drop the mind of separation and see the Oneness in who we are, then there will be peace in the world.

May there be peace on Earth 🙏

May all beings find peace within 🙏

May there be Pure Land on Earth 🙏

Namo Amitabha Buddha 🙏

Namo Amituofo 🙏

[cma-chinese-art]

Buddha Amitābha with Two Attending Bodhisattvas, 1200s, Cleveland Museum of Art: Chinese Art

Devotees of the Pure Land Buddhist School, for which this painting was made, held the belief that if a person verbably intones the following six syllables—Namo Amituofo (南無阿彌陀佛)—with the utmost sincerity, he or she can successfully visualize the apparition of Buddha Amitābha descending along with two celestial attendants. This hanging scroll, which must have served as a visual aid for such ritual practice, is divided into two parts: the sacred words repeatedly written ten times in the upper half, and the descending Amitābha (阿彌陀 in Chinese), Mahāsthāmaprāpta (the one with a white lotus), and Avalokiteśvara (the one with a lotus-shaped incense burner) in the lower half. Size: Painting only: 134 x 79.7 cm (52 3/4 x 31 3/8 in.); Overall: 223 x 95.7 cm (87 13/16 x 37 11/16 in.) Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk

https://clevelandart.org/art/1974.35

[seoafin]

i just noticed sth— the way that the place that tsumiki got cursed at, yasohachi (八十八 → 88) bridge is v v ironic. bc the number 88 is one of the numbers which has a significant meaning in buddhism, and 88 is important in mahayana doctrine. and we gotta go thru with that first, bear w me for this

so the mahayana school is an umbrella concept for variety of other buddhism schools. like the tantric section from tibet and nepal to the pure land section found in china, korea & japan (reliance on simple faith of the amitabha buddha), also i’ll be straying over a bit into chinese buddhism, but dw it’s more or less same as the japanese and related to this. the mahayana doctrine is supposedly an “easier” path to nirvana (only after countless lives of karma-building & right-thinking does one attain enlightenment) as opposed to theravada’s doctrine of quite harsh monastic life (which is often the stereotype potrayal in media). and the “pure land” faith in amitabha is a mahayana philosophy which represent a “quick path” to nirvana. the pure land sect claim that anyone could attain salvation by faithfully reciting the name of amitabha buddha.

even today, the key practice for amitabha devotees is simply to chant amitabha’s prayer, “namu amida butsu,” (apparently this is for japanese buddhists, his name differed from languages bc as in chinese my parents usually say “namo amituofo”) amitabha vowed that whoever calls his name with faith shall be reborn in a paradise called the pure land. those who live in pure land of bliss, also called jodo/ gokuraku—a land devoid of worry/ toil so they can focus their entire energies on attaining nirvana. here, they don’t need to worry abt rebirth in the 6 relams of existence, as they are no longer trapped in the cycle of death and rebirth. but the nichiran sects rejected this way of teaching, saying that pure land followers are mistaken bc chanting his name is only a first step in religious advancement. this must be followed by rigorous practice and meditation. to nichiren followers, chanting alone will not bring salvation. (tho the “quick path” in the pure land section is still considered longer compared to the vajrayana buddhism which i have little to no knowledge of, but i’ll try to search abt it if akutami end up using it later on)

3 deities— amitabha buddha, kannon bodhisattva (avalokitesvara), and jizo bodhisattva are intimately connected with jpn’s popular pure land sects. all 3 became extremely popular saviors among the common people in the centuries that followed. even today, these 3 remain the bedrock of folk buddhism in modern jpn— amitabha for the life to come in paradise, kannon to assist those in distress in the earthly life, and jizo to protect against the torments of hell. both kannon and jizo serve amitabha.

gojo’s ultimately not a “buddha” even tho he did reach enlightment and went as far to quoted the gautama against toji but he still remained at the school and trying to reform the system (postponing his “buddhahood” to help others reach enlightment/ bodhisattva status), so in a way he can be considered as an incarnation of kannon (avalokiteshvara) who actually has 33 forms and commonly depicted as the woman with white robes with 2 children beside her. and guanyin means “observer of the (human) world” 👁

(extra: rmbr the monk whose remains turned into prison realm? an irl lore abt him : apparently his mother wanted a child, and prayed before a statue of kannon. after receiving a vision where a monk handed her a jewel, she is said to have become pregnant with genshin (the monk) and gave birth to him)

tbh at first i wanna say geto is based on amitabha in the bhaisajyaguru thing bc of the mudras (uh the website is fully in chinese, but the specific mudra i refer to is the first picture of the 3rd row) but then when i look closely i feel like bhaisajyaguru’s mudra is more accurate since both of geto’s and his middle & index fingers are slightly curled in chapter 70’s cover art (the medicine buddha))

i’m this close to conclude that shoko’s based on jizo, but that’s probs the lack of canon content speaking out 💔 but let’s see if she’s actually based on him once akutami gives more info bc,,,, I ACTUALLY WANNA SAY STH ON THIS BUT THIS MIGHT END UP AS A REACH so until then 😔

anyways...BACK ON TRACK. (1)

the relation of the pure land section and the number 88? there’s this repetance ceremony called 八十八佛大懺悔文 (bā shí bā dà chàn huǐ wén) in chinese or the great 88 buddhas repentance ceremony, while in japan it’s called amida keka (阿弥陀悔過). a type of repetance memorial service where the participants repent by striking the bell and bow/ prostate after every paragraph and after every of the 88 buddhas name. apparently an excellent way to clear karmic obstacles and draw out inner wisdom. ppl reflect on and repent the bad habits that keep them from enlightenment. they gradually eradicate the 3 poisons/ root of klesas in order to open new paths for the future.

our actions based upon any of these 3 poisons inevitably create suffering for ourselves and/or others, bc they are counter to how the world truly is, in that they assume existence for something that truly has no existence. so, the suffering we experience, in fairly simplistic terms, stems from a misunderstanding of our world. therefore, repentance is largely the willingness to say, “i know i do not see things clearly; and i wish to perceive things better.”

(btw, the repetance in buddhism isn’t inherently the same as the western’s views over it, along with “sins” hence we said defilements [i’d tell the reason, but i feel like that can go into a dangerous territory if i word sth wrong so if ur curious abt why is it so just google]. so basically, since one’s wrong acts ultimately stem from ignorance of the true nature of life, to awaken to that nature, or the true aspect of all phenomena, and bring forth one’s inherent buddha wisdom, thereby purifying one’s life, is the ultimate act of repentance.)

that’s why in jjk, if u notice, when the characters look like they haven’t process the trauma properly yet, i feel like akutami use the “anicca/ impermanence” theme in buddhism for that. any and all phenomena that come into being holds no permanence value (anicca). there’s nothing u can cling to or hold dear that won't be constantly separated from. so when someone dies, it’s an inevitable conclusion. we don't get to pick and choose how it happens all the time. but that’s just how it is. happiness, family, health aren’t guaranteed in life with birth. but aging, death, separation, sickness are all guaranteed in life with birth.

this is  “dukkha”, dwell on it longer bc of the misconception of the word “forever, always” and it only add fuel to the flame. the only option u have is to keep moving however long ur legs are capable of to wherever ur supposed to be. this way of thinking was drilled to me and other kids ever since i was 6 and had to take the mandatory classes, kinda shatter my concept of life before that which was build on media and personal experience, ngl in a way i’m still bitter abt this “harsh” lesson taught to me and the others way too early but there’s nothing i can do abt it either. (religion is actually listed in the id card in my country, so there rly was no way out to begin with 😃)

for someone like tsumiki that megumi said as a “good” person got cursed in a place which shares the same number of the chant that could grant u repetance is weird. we still only got lil info on her, like who is she based on from buddhism to quite literally (i’m still not sure abt this bc it’s vague whether she only went to observe or  bungee jumped too) fall to a lower birth like gojo. is there actually a certain condition to trigger the curse that she actually fell into coma like the sleeping beauty or was it actually whimsical and indiscriminately

atp ijk akutami was having a field day and projected themself onto toji and sukuna’s character theme specifically the “fuck them kids”. i ont like kids to a certain degree either but this is becoming too much 😭 the only plot armor to survive in jjk is being a conservative/ elder huh,,, like gakuganji is there?? someone better get their pee paw real quick, he’s way off schedule from the nursing home and played guitar for an unreasonable time now 🗣❗️❗️❗️

also this might b wild but in the goodwill event arc, at first i thought that yaga was the traitor bc yaga was the one who went back into the complex and he specifically went alone. so how did mahito find the correct door to the room out of 1000 door where sukuna’s finger is stored. also that mf useless as hell, his students went thru existensial crisis after sending them for a mission where it’s implied the kid will d word in the end and what he do after all’s done??? not to mention his first name “masamichi = right path” is ? , is the path rly right? or is it another one of “the path to hell is paved with good intention” 😐. plus his technique,,,,, is it possible for brainy to transfer itself into an inanimate object 🤔

also i actually cant believe i found sth abt mahito’s curse technique, gojo (again...sigh TIRED OF THIS MF), some of buddhism in kaikaikitan that i could somewhat decode and in a way finally understand the “death is a mirror, and mahito is that mirror” thing - 🐱 (end)

NOT YOU CALLING OUT GAKUGANJI AND YAGA

(AS YOU SHOULD)

“the only option u have is to keep moving however long ur legs are capable of to wherever ur supposed to be.”

okay but that perfectly falls in line with the entire system that akutami set up in jjk + geto’s whole crisis. curses will always exist as long as people have negative emotions. yuji’s entire speech to mahito about killing him and how he doesn’t need to find meaning it in because that’s his “role” in the grand scheme of things makes me so sad. yuji is going to fucked up after this arc and i am really going to hate to see it 😭