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2009 Year-end Affirmation
Rev. William Masuda

As 2009 comes to a close, I am thankful to each of you who have supported and participated in our temple programs and activities throughout the year. Your involvement, not only provides the practical financial and physical means in maintaining our temple and its programs and activities, but, in a basic way, it is an affirmation of your faith in the limitless wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha to bring spiritual sustenance and acceptance into our harried daily lives.

As I reflect at this time, the dharma teachings are here to express Shinran Shonin's clear realization and affirmation of the spiritual power and efficacy of Amida Buddha's immeasurable light and life to liberate and transform our life from its many sufferings. In Amida's immeasurable life and light, we see the depth of our karmic foolishness and, at the same time, which is transfomed to a new life of inexpressible joy and happiness, indescribable gratitude and awareness. We are awakened to the heart of Amida's immeasurable light and life as manifestations of wisdom and compassion and are "grasped and never abandoned" in life and in death.

This awakening caused by the other power of Amida Buddha manifests itself in the single phrase, Namu-amida-butsu. A single intoning of this name in deep trust opens our heart to the boundless dharma treasures in ways unimaginable to our calculating mind. Shinran expresses this transformation of our life in Namu-amida-butsu as,

In other words, our deepest sufferings born of our spiritual ignorance - past, present, and future - all are transformed in Namu-amida-butsu; unburdening us from our blind passions and karmic foolishness. This transformation of self and others is at heart of Amida Buddha's primal vow to save all beings by any and all means. Such an unconditional affirmation of all beings empowers us to live with a deep sense of awareness, assurance, authenticity, and grace, This is the spiritual liberation Shinran calls "shinjin", our awakening and entrusting in the efficacy of Amida Buddha's primal vow. Inner peace and harmony, limitless gratitude and inexpressible fulfillment - all emerge and prevail in our heart and mind from this transformative power of Amida Buddha's primal vow. Our life's meaning, purpose, and direction become clearer and brighter as we live each given moment.

The awakening of "shinjin" deeply turns our life from self-centered preoccupations to the meaning of manifesting Amida's primal vow for the sake of all beings. The two lines in the Juseige, chanted innurmerable times in our dharma services, express the fundamental promise and vow of Amida Buddha and reads, "for the sake of all sentient beings, I open the storehouse of dharma treasures, and share their spiritual virtues and power equally with all beings". "Shinjin" then becomes the very catalyst of the bodhisattva way in serving all sentient beings in the spirit of dana (selfless) giving. We are drawn to the service of all beings, especially in response to their sufferings, by the boundless heart of wisdom and compassion of Amida Buddha. This is the life of Namu-amida-butsu, a life emanating from the crumbling of our blind ego self, but in concert with the selflessness of immeasurable light and immeasurable life.

May your commitment to our temple as the living center of a deep spiritual legacy in Namu-amida-butsu become clearer and brighter as your happiness and thankfulness for each life moment you are given deepens and expands beyond the myopic concerns of a self-centered ego. May each intoning of Namu-amida-butsu become an effortless connection of your heart with Amida Buddha's heart of boundless wisdom and compassion. In Namu-amida-butsu we are genuinely connected with the buddha-nature of all sentient beings.

May you be happy and well; may no karmic harm or difficulties come to you; may you live with unbridled peace and harmony. Namu-amida-butsu.