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Faith (Shinjin) is Amida's Paramita

Rev. William Masuda

In the framework of Mahayana Buddhism, the six paramita of perfections are likened to a raft carrying us from this shore of samsara, the constricting ocean of birth-and-death in which uneasiness - dukkha-suffering - is experienced to the new world of the other shore of enlightenment and freedom.

The six paramita expresses the very life of the Bodhisattva, who does not savor the sweet fruit of enlightenment merely for himself, but turns and gives freely of that power and enjoyment of enlightenment for the welfare of all beings.

This giving is in effect the movement of the Buddha's heart of great compassion where no traces of ego-gratification is found and is experienced as dana-paramita, the empowering move of selfless giving itself.

The purity of dana-giving is rooted in the inner accomplishment of sila - personal discipline in mastery of self; kshanti - patience in knowing the timeless quality of dana; virya - resolute and wholehearted effort; dhyana - power to focus on what is true and real, and prajna - the wisdom to clearly see and discern life, including the self and others, as they truly are.

The smooth functioning of all the paramita is like the motion of a well - balanced wheel on a car which rides and moves easily over the bumps and potholes of the road of samsara. It is truly an ideal way for each of us to attain and live the true freedom of spirit that comes to us in the realized life of enlightenment.

In the daily course of our personal, work, and social life, however, it is truly difficult to have the paramita function smoothly and gracefully. Our life frequently moves as if its wheels of were out of alignment and off center - the very meaning of dukkha-suffering itself.

Imbalance seems to be the order of things rather than balance. How often during the course of a single day do we feel frustrated and agitated when our life doesn't go our way, whether at home, work, school, or in other endeavors? Or, how often have we felt the pangs of incompleteness as we've reached out to others with love and care and not feel accepted? And have we allowed ourselves to experience the deep feelings of loneliness and sorrow which rise from an unfulfilled life?

At the hub of this deeply felt imbalance lies the movement of a blind ego-self which fundamentally seeks satisfaction for itself above all else; making it difficult to give to life: freely, spontaneously, and above all, selflessly. This is the basic insight into the human condition which emerges in our existential encounter with dharma and opens us to the reality of our inexpressible sufferings.

The life of samsaric imbalance with all its accompanying forms: agitations, disease, afflictions, frustrations, anxieties and pain - is the very field in which the Buddha's enlightened and perfected dana-paramita as compassion and wisdom is activated in the heart and mind of any person responding with trust and faith (shinjin).

For the person, caught of the web of his/her self-created frustrations and agitations and not knowing the true way of peace, satisfaction and fulfillment, the Buddha Amida directs his great dana of selfless compassion and clear wisdom wholeheartedly to transform the heart of suffering beings. In the words of Shinran:

When we are empowered by Amida's great dana and respond fully in faith, for the first time, we find ourselves on the raft of Bussha's perfected paramitas. We realize too, for the first time, the Buddha's way of timeless compassion and wisdom were always in play before, during, and through all of our sufferings. In our transformation, we are now able to respond and emulate's Buddha's dharmic way with the ease that comes to one relaxing on the raft of enlightenment and move with grace and humility like the smooth lubricated movement of a well aligned wheel. The world of anshin, meaning 'a tranquil inner heart', unfolds in the heart of one who lives joyfully and gratefully in receiving this gift of Buddha's fulfilling paramita.