Jodo Shinshu and Mahayana non-Buddhism

Thank you Yu-san for your question.

I think it's very shocking that the sutras, which should be said to be the foundation of believing, were not solved by the Buddha. There are probably many people who are worried about false sutras and non-Buddhist theories. I also understand that it's unbelievable because of this.

In the Shinshu sect, it is said that the Buddha came into this world to pass on the teachings of Amida. It is said that Amida's teachings are true faith.

Even if false sutras and non-Buddhist theories are true, if the teachings conveyed are felt to be true for you, then I think they are teachings you should believe.

There are several thought circuits that lead to faith.
One is the deep sense of purpose (I am an afflicted ordinary man and hard to be saved, so if I don't have Amitabha Buddha's original wish, I'm going to hell).
Also, if doubts arise because they are an ordinary person who is worried and grumpy, it is possible to think of accepting the doubting self as it is.
Next, I sympathize with the great mercy of the Jodo Sanbu Sutra, which says “I wish everyone were saved without omission.”
Next, although the Pure Land and Amitabha Buddha may not exist, they live by treating them as real. In other words, it's a lifestyle where you keep doing nembutsu for the time being.
For example, there is debate about whether brain death is human death, but in Japan, in the case of organ transplantation, brain death is regarded as human death.
If you don't know until you die, there is also a path where you live by assuming that there is a Pure Land until you die.
That's all, but there's no need to force yourself to believe it.
There is also a way to learn Therawada Buddhism in Japan today.
Both Kobo Daishi and Honen Shonin updated Japanese Buddhism by incorporating information on Buddhism from overseas, and maybe continuing to listen to the latest information (new Buddhism from overseas) (for Japanese Buddhism) rather than sticking to the teachings of the Pure Land is also a path in line with the intentions of the founders of Japanese Buddhism,

Hello. I understand the feeling that I was surprised to hear the phrase “Mahayana non-Buddhism theory.” When Mahayana Buddhism was established, Buddha had already passed away, so when you hear “Mahayana Buddhism was not preached by the Buddha,” you may feel that what you have believed will collapse. However, it is natural to have such questions, and that in itself is a step towards deepening one's faith.

Now let's think about what it means to believe. You can simply say “believe because someone said it,” but in fact, it may also be called “believing.” I believe that believing is not just believing words; it is something you “gain from your own experiences and realities.”

For example, let's consider club activities as an example. Even in sports and practices that didn't go well at all at first, as you continue, you will gradually be able to perform techniques, and once you are able to achieve results in games, you will be able to realize that “it is important to keep practicing.” This is also a kind of faith gained from experience. Similarly in Buddhism, when we actually praise “Namu Amida Buddha,” we can feel “this is true” through the experience of lightening our hearts or making our minds feel at peace.

Throughout history, many Buddhist doctrines and practices have been tested and repeatedly verified. There may have been schools of Buddhism that have disappeared from time to time, but that means they “disappeared due to the waves of history.” In other words, the fact that something left over a long period of time is now in front of us is also proof that it is worth believing in.

I myself sometimes had doubts about believing that “praising Namu Amitabha Buddha will save me.” However, I actually praised “Namu Amida Buddha,” experienced calming down my mind, and gradually began to feel “I can be saved by this.” I didn't believe this simply because it was a Buddhist teaching; it was faith I gained through experience. The truth is that we live by experimenting.

After all, “believing” is not believing because someone says it; it's something you believe because you actually experienced it yourself. That's why each of us practices Buddhism “at our own pace,” and as a result, our minds become calmer and more positive. That is what I believe in “confidence from experience.”

Yu-san is also closely related to the Jodo Shinshu sect. Now, faith can be explained in two main ways. The first is that Yu-san believes in Amida. In that case, the main character of Shinshin is Yu-san. Yu-san needs to accumulate money and various acts as proof that she believes. As a result, I am blessed with beneficial results for myself. As a prerequisite for believing, the fact that you can understand and be satisfied based on your own experiences and experiences is also a major factor. Many religions have captured faith in this direction.
The second way of thinking is from Amitabha to me. Nobushin's main character is Amida. The Jodo Shinshu is in this position. Therefore, there are times when I talk about “Confidence received from Amida.”
Why are there diametrically opposite directions in the Jodo Shinshu sect? That's because Amida has seen through what we humans are, starting with Yu-san. One is that, as Yu-san honestly said, humans are constantly influenced by surrounding situations and information, etc., so they cannot maintain consistency in their way of thinking and behavior. Accumulating money and various acts as proof of belief is wonderful, but because of that, you can compare yourself to others and not be able to separate the separation of superiority and inferiority. Furthermore, being bound by self-centered ways of thinking and behavior, including the secular world.
As long as such human actions and qualities are the basis for faith, no one can attain enlightenment without omission. If that is the case, it was thought that Amitabha Buddha would arrange all the causes and conditions for attaining enlightenment. For example, it can be called a “Copernican transformation.” “It was wanted by Amida even before Yu-san wanted it.” Then, as proof of that, when the nembutsu that was praised unexpectedly is heard as “the nembutsu of prayer,” Yu-san's devotion is determined. Furthermore, life on top of that turns into “every day full of sorrow and joy is not alone, but days guided by Amida's wisdom and embraced by mercy.” In order to encounter Amida's teachings, they will be raised so that they can take on all of their own lives, assuming that their sorrow and suffering up until now were not in vain. Also, when they run out of life, they always go to the Western Pure Land of Paradise and be born, and the attainment of Buddhism comes true.
I haven't put it into words enough, so please refer to the other monks' answers as well. From now on, all of us at Hasunoha will continue to support you.

Thank you for your question.
For me personally, Buddha told future generations of monks, “Don't worry about anything after death just praising Nembutsu and everyone will pass away in paradise. Rather than that, face the reality right in front of you and do your best to live.” I think I made you write it because I wanted to tell you.
Namu Amida Buddha