🙏🏻 Namu Amida Butsu
This is Shinran Shonin who founded Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in the 12th century, the most popular form of Buddhism today in Japan.
Living in an age of turmoil and unrest (1173-1263), he believed enlightenment was not possible through rigorous practice. Instead, he preached that entrusting Amida Butsu, the Buddha (God) of light and love, with a genuine heart is what it takes to find the path to rebirth in the pure land (heaven).
“Namu Amida Butsu” is a Nembutsu (prayer) that means I entrust myself to the Buddha of light and love. Entrusting oneself to Amida Butsu means you entrust the power of others to guide you to enlightenment (Tariki) as opposed to relying on your own effort, discipline and meditation (Jiriki). When you trust others, you are carried to enlightenment instead of climbing there.
Shinran rejected the idea of hierarchy and clergy, making the practice more accessible to everyday people. He lived a simple life as a married man who spent his time teaching about the Nembutsu.
Shinran Shonin at Kitamado Temple in Osaka, Japan. Credit: Alex Porter
Inside Kitamado Temple in Osaka, Japan. Credit: Alex Porter
