A Fistful of Sand

  In my own practice, the Dharma does not appear as separate traditions—Pure Land, Zen, or Vajrayāna—but as different expressions of a single path. When the mind becomes heavy or uncertain, the practice naturally becomes nembutsu —calling the name of Amitabha Buddha. In this, there is a shift from effort to entrusting. One does not try to awaken; one relies. This is the heart of Pure Land: not technique, but relationship. At other times, especially when there is clarity or openness, the same mind moves into a Vajrayāna mode. Experience is not abandoned or surrendered—it is recognized, transformed, and allowed to self-liberate. The world itself becomes the mandala, and awareness reveals its luminous nature. These are not two different practices. They are two movements of the same mind: Nembutsu expresses surrender —the recognition that the self cannot complete the path through effort alone. Vajrayāna expresses recognition —the direct insight that the nature of mind is alre...