- January, 2006
ENCOUNTER WITH THE TRUTH
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima
Happy New Year! Last year my wife and I left the Visalia Buddhist Church and the Hanford
Buddhist Church, which took care of us for two years, and I became minister of the Buddhist Temple
of San Diego. It was very sad for us to part from the Visalia and Hanford Buddhist Church members,
but it gave us the chance to have various encounters with many people here in San Diego.
San Diego is new ground for us, and being here has encouraged us greatly. We are grateful for
the chance to establish some meaningful ties. During our lifetimes, we have many such separations
and encounters. Even if these meetings last only for an instant, I try to keep the spirit of each and
every meeting, and treasure them forever, for they will never occur again.
Our life consists of various encounters. Life is a constant string of encounters with people,
events, and nature. Our thoughts regarding an encounter will change when we realize we are
having an encounter, when we open our eyes, and feel joy for the meeting. There is a great
difference between a person who passes a pretty flower, and a person who stops to look and is
fascinated and impressed deeply by its beauty.
We meet many people every day and in our interactions with family, work and society. However,
how many people do we truly connect with? There is a danger of becoming estranged from people,
even if we meet with or are near many people daily, because we tend to force our wishes and
thoughts on others.
We need to empty our heart to hear the wishes and words of those around us. To hear the voice
that calls from everything is to devote ourselves to them. Therefore we have to empty our hearts. To
be brief, it is a heart of Gassho.
In Shin Buddhism, the heart of Gassho doesn’t mean putting our hands together to Buddha and
asking, “Please hear my wish” or “Please save me.” It means emptying our hearts to the realization
that we live our lives in the Buddha’s wish and in realizing the calling from Amida Buddha.
Shinran Shonin studied with Honen Shonin and said, “I will never feel regret being obedient to my
teacher’s instructions, even if I fall into Hell.” I believe that Shinran reached this wonderful stage of
understanding as the result of seeking and feeling his way to the truth. However he said that his
encounter with the truth was due entirely to Amida Buddha and Honen’s guidance. Shinran Shonin
was able to truly encounter Amida Buddha through Honen Shonin.
We are apt to think that we understand Amida Buddha when we listen to and understand the
teachings and nod our head. However there are those of us who listen to the teachings about
Amida Buddha, but don’t realize the truth. Buddha has already led us without abandoning us. How
grateful we are.
Interacting with the world is like looking at a flower and listening to the voice that calls from
everything. Life is all about putting our hands together, emptying our hearts and merely listening.
Although we encounter various people everyday, do we really meet them?
While hailing the New Year, let us make our hearts empty and listen to Buddha’s wish that we live
our lives in Amida Buddha’s great compassion. We can then realize that our daily life is a
continuation of precious encounters.
In Gassho,
| Dharma Message |
