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kstrosper
13 February 2011, 12:16 AM
hello,

as a Pure Land Buddhist does one seriously need to follow any formal practices beyond having faith in Amida Buddha and faithfully chanting the Namu Butsu, reading the sutras of Pure Land and faith in Amida Buddha?

I feel personally in my life having an altar and malas and other (IHO) things to tie myself down beyond mental agony into mental self abuse.

I figure it is about working on understanding as much as possible with reason and to the best of ones personal capacity and letting Amida Buddha into ones heart and the Buddha strengthening ones faith. not formalities beyond that. in other words letting Amida Buddha do what Amida Buddha does.

the sufferings i have endured in my life have left me with only the most simple of understandings of Buddha Dharma.

i find reading about buddhism confusing at this point in my life and inane and the simplisity of the 3 pure land sutras are all one would want to work with along with chanting the namu butsu.

my mother was a Pure Land Buddhist and she told me about Amida Buddha the best she could. she had lived in japan for 8 years and her way of faith and her way of being made it hard for me to understand Pure Land. A very long story. i was raised a Pure Land Buddhist but I am just now really starting to see it due to some strange events in my life now and in the past. i did not take it seriously and buried it in my mind and now as a 38 year old it is becoming something potent and serious in my life now.

thank you
Namu Amida Butsu

Eastern Mind
13 February 2011, 04:11 PM
Vannakkam kstrosper: Welcome to HDF. We don't get many Buddhists on these forums, so I am looking forward to your valuable contributions. I wouldn't mind getting a better understanding of your faith.

Aum Namasivaya

kstrosper
14 February 2011, 12:39 AM
Honestly I see my self as a someone who studied for 30 years religion and found little knowledge that helped me personally.
being raised in pure land i left it be for a very long time and not understanding the confusing world of books and the concept of faith as written.
Then I came to a impasse and then a great enlightenment came to me that set me on a path that i could follow as I could understand. reading the pure land sutras I saw many questions and ideas in my mind on paper and it all made sense to me. now having a true faith and true understanding of faith that made me feel comfortable without the chains of western misdirection.
my mother taught me many things but only Amida Buddha could give me what I needed to start and feel truly comfortable. I needed a purge of misinformation and fear and it was given to me like a hard blow to the head things instantly made sense. I knew in this world of Maya I could never achieve enlightenment or serve sentient beings in a productive way.

seeing the great confusion that Maya and the Kali Yuga had on the minds and souls of sentient beings I knew that we could not learn properly and that we needed a pure land to practice like the pure land of Amida Buddha as seen by the Hindus as Goloka where Lord Krshna could teach us. Golka is a Pure land and Lord Vishna seen as Krshna teaches. Lord Buddha the avatara of Lord Vishnu teaches those that understand in a certain way. Hindu Darma is the way for some people and Buddha dharma is for others.

the pure land way is for the layman the common man to have a special place to achieve enlightenment unhindered by Maya. At this time there is no avatar of Lord Vishnu on the earth so we have no teacher here and now so confusion prevails.

i see the Buddha as a incarnation of Lord Vishnu and I consider my self a Hindu buddhist, I believe in all the Devas of Hindu dharma and I choose to serve and worship Lord Buddha/Lord Vishnu in the pure Land way.

The conditions of the world make so people thing one way is better then others and due to politics they suppress each other. Some Buddhist believe that Hindus suppress the Buddhists and I see the various Buddhist schools as supressing different sects of buddhists. The Astika/Atheists (Theravadas and Aheist hindus and secularists) supress everyone and have a totally corrupt and harmful view of life, dharma and living that has killed true dharma of all forms.

as far as my faith and learning you are best to read the three pure land sutras and form your own understanding. I can not explain my faith in the dharma and i do not believe at this time anyone can in the world due to Kaliyuga. the teachers today make many false claims and i am sure they know this and use the faith of people to harm them and deceive them.
I do not believe there is a avatra on the earth at this time and anyone claiming they are lie and are hooligans and should be reminded and told they know better and they are creating much negative karma for all.

Good luck and I hope i have given you enough information to help you form a understanding