"Who is Amida Buddha and why is he central to Jodo Shinshu? This dharma talk addresses this and more. Notable and quotable from the talk, "Recognition that we alone are the sole objects of Amida's Wisdom and Compassion does not take place through calculative thinking, i.e meditative practice, rather through effortlessness for it is precisely when we lose confidence in nailing down reality and truth through our own efforts do we simultaneously come to appreciate the story of Amida Buddha." In Gassho, Rev. Bryan Siebuhr Priest, Midwest Buddhist Temple Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha "The True Pure Land Teachings, Temple of the Primal Vow" "Even when we act upon our ignorance, if we revere the power of Amida Buddha's Primal Vow, all the more deeply, gentle-heartedness and forbearance will surely arise in us through great naturalness. With everything we do, as far as our becoming a Buddha after our physical body has been discarded, we should constantly and fervently call to mind Amida's immense benevolence without any thought of being wise. Then the Nembutsu, Namu-Amida-Butsu, will indeed emerge; this is great naturalness. It is itself Other-Power." Shinran Shonin From "Collected Works of Shinran"

The Six Word Novel - This week's dharma talk begins with Sensei talking about writing your own story. How story telling is an important device for learning. Sensei tells of the story of Ernest Hemmingway and how he was able to write a novel of six words. In Jodo Shinshu there is also a story told in six Kanji characters. Listen to this week's talk to discover the value of stories. You can also access an archive of several years of past talks from iTunes. Search for "Midwest Buddhist Temple" in iTunes and you should be able to locate our archive.