A Fistful of Sand

Mushin  "no-mind" In an era of collapsing attention spans and spiritual branding, it has become common to hear people claim the title of “Buddhist” while disavowing or bypassing the core practices of the Dharma. Meditation is often seen as optional. Dharma quotes adorn social media posts alongside self-help slogans. “Mindfulness” is marketed like a weight-loss product. But can someone truly be called a Buddhist if they do not meditate? Is compassion alone enough? The Threshold: What Makes Someone a Buddhist? In traditional Buddhism, one becomes a Buddhist by taking refuge in the Three Jewels: the Buddha (teacher), the Dharma (teaching), and the Sangha (spiritual community). This act is a conscious turning of one’s life toward liberation. In this view, practice may begin small, and perfection is not the measure — sincerity is. So yes, a person who has taken refuge, who aspires to walk the Path and live ethically — even without formal meditation — can be considered a Buddhist. ...

Artist — Lim Chung Hee When we sit in meditation, thoughts arise. That’s not a problem—it’s natural. Thoughts, feelings, and sensations are the raw material of our practice. They are not interruptions; they are the very field in which mindfulness and insight develop. Often, a practitioner has a session that feels clear, balanced, even luminous. There may be a sense of accomplishment, ease, or emotional release. Then, perhaps the very next day, the mind shifts. A wave of negative emotions appears—anger, jealousy, anxiety, irritation, or despair. The contrast can be jarring:  “Yesterday I was calm. Today I feel poisoned.” And then comes the fork in the path. The Habitual Move: Projection For many, the default response is projection. Instead of meeting these inner states directly, we unconsciously look outward for a cause. The discomfort is disowned and relocated onto someone or something else:  “It’s because of her.” “He made me feel this way.” “They are the problem.” This is no...

Courtesy of Nembutsu Art   Introduction: Trust Beyond Effort What if awakening wasn’t something to strive toward—but something already here, waiting to be realized? In the Pure Land tradition of Buddhism, this realization is known as  shinjin  ( 信心 )—a profound, transformative “true entrusting” that opens the heart to boundless compassion. More than belief, more than feeling,  shinjin  is the awakening of trust beyond self-effort. What Is Shinjin? At its core,  shinjin  is not about believing in a distant deity or reciting mantras for favor. It’s about  awakening to a truth that is already true : that Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow encompasses all beings, without exception. For Shinran Shōnin,  shinjin  was not a result of effort ( jiriki ), but a realization of  other-power  ( tariki ). It arises when we awaken to the truth that we are already grasped, never to be abandoned. “Shinjin is itself enlightenment.” —  Tannishō Moder...

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...

  In the vast landscape of Buddhist practice, the figure of Amitābha Buddha stands as a central beacon of light, compassion, and wisdom. In both Hongaku Jōdo as a Mikkyo lineage and Vajrayana Buddhism, the practice of Amitābha as the root guru is not just a means for personal enlightenment, but a path toward deep inner peace and harmony—the very qualities that are essential for the cultivation of world peace. This article explores how Guru Amitābha leads to profound inner transformation and how this inner transformation can ripple outward to promote peace and harmony on a global scale. Amitābha as the Embodiment of Inner Peace At the heart of Amitābha’s practice is the recognition of his boundless compassion and infinite wisdom, qualities that naturally cultivate peace within the mind. Amitābha, often visualized as bathed in a radiance of golde...

  Courtesy Nembutsu Art The  Hongaku Jodo  lineage, grounded in Tendai Buddhism’s philosophy of  hongaku shiso (“original enlightenment thought”), can be considered a complete system capable of leading one to enlightenment in this very body ( sokushin jobutsu ). This capability arises from its integration of doctrinal, meditative, and ritual elements that emphasize the immediacy of enlightenment and the Pure Land as a present reality. However, this depends on the depth of one’s engagement with its practices, philosophical understanding, and the degree to which it integrates complementary esoteric and Pure Land methods. Below is an exploration of how  Hongaku Jodo  functions as a potentially complete system: Philosophical Basis: Original Enlightenment The core of  Hongaku Jodo  lies in the doctrine of  hongaku shiso , which asserts: All beings are inherently enlightened because they possess Buddha-nature. Enlightenment is not something to be a...