A Fistful of Sand

  Ah The Four Bodhisattva Vows are among the most well-known and profound commitments in Mahāyāna Buddhism. At first glance, they appear paradoxical, even impossible to fulfill: Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them all. Delusions are inexhaustible; I vow to end them. Dharma gates are boundless; I vow to master them. The Buddha way is unsurpassable; I vow to attain it. Taken literally, these vows seem unattainable. How can one possibly save an infinite number of beings? How can one end delusions that continuously arise? How can one master all Dharma teachings or attain an unsurpassable path? However, these vows are not meant to be fulfilled in a linear or conventional sense. Instead, they serve as a profound  upāya  (skillful means) to dissolve self-centered limitations and awaken one to the nature of reality. Saving All Beings: The Non-Dual View The first vow, "Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them all," seems impossible if we think of it in ter...

Pure Land Buddhism is often misunderstood as a devotional practice focused on faith and rebirth in a celestial paradise. However, at its deepest levels, Pure Land is one of the most advanced expressions of Buddhist thought, aligning with non-duality, Buddha-nature, and the direct realization of awakening. This article explores how Pure Land Buddhism transcends conventional religious paradigms, why it is an advanced tradition, and how Hongaku Mikkyō Jōdo represents an even further refinement of its teachings. The Depth of Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism originates in the Mahayana tradition, where the concept of Other-Power ( tariki ) plays a central role. Unlike self-powered approaches ( jiriki ), which emphasize rigorous meditative discipline, Pure Land shifts the emphasis to complete reliance on Amida Buddha’s vow. This is often mistaken for passivity, but in reality, it embodies a profound realization of the inseparability of self and other, effort and grace, practice and enlig...

  One of the most pervasive misconceptions in spiritual practice is the belief that enlightenment or liberation is about becoming a perfected version of oneself. This belief, deeply ingrained in human psychology, is at odds with the core Buddhist insight that the self is an illusion. Even within advanced traditions such as Pure Land Buddhism and Vajrayāna, there is a tendency to interpret spiritual attainment as the evolution of an individual into a higher or more enlightened being. This article explores how this misconception arises and how it can be resolved through a deeper understanding of non-duality. The Ego as an Illusion From a Buddhist perspective, the ego is not an enduring entity but a construct, a fabrication — a temporary aggregation of thoughts, emotions, memories, and conditioned patterns. However, because it feels real, we instinctively try to preserve and enhance it. This manifests even in spiritual practice, where instead of deconstructing the self, many practitio...

Dohan's " Himitsu Nenbutsu Shō " doesn't discuss self-power and other power as Shinran does in his writings. Might this be because of esoteric pure hold holds to the idea of non-dualism? Just as there is no separation of samsara and nirvana, there can be no separation between self-power and other power. This does not mean they are the same, it only means they cannot be separated. Dōhan's  Himitsu Nenbutsu Shō  reflects the Esoteric Pure Land perspective, deeply rooted in non-dualism, which profoundly shapes how concepts like self-power ( jiriki ) and other power ( tariki ) are approached. In Esoteric Pure Land, the distinctions we often draw—such as samsara versus nirvana or self-power versus other-power—are ultimately seen as provisional or relative truths, existing only from the standpoint of conceptual duality. From a non-dual perspective, self-power and other power are not the same, but they are inseparable. This aligns with the Mahayana and Vajrayana understa...