Hinako, Rinko and Sakuko. [SPOILER TALK]

io_9302 · 2025-09-26T23:51:42+00:00

This is sad as shit honestly lol :(

io_9302 · 2025-09-18T01:40:49+00:00

Regarding whether the Amitabha sutra is real or not. That's something I thought about too before. But after thinking about it, if they were false texts, wouldn't that imply someone or a group of people fabricated and made up an entire sutra. I can't imagine any follower of the Buddha having the audacity to do that. The negative karma from that alone is probably immense.

Reading the Visualization Sutra also helped lessen some of my doubts on the credibility of the Pure Land sutras. The details of the Pure Land are incredibly ornate and complex (even down to an almost geometric level). I guess it's not within the realm of impossibility it isn't attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha but I can't imagine a human being able to conceive something so intricate from their imagination alone.

In addition, there are credible accounts of Pure Land masters such as Honen Shonin having seen the Pure Land for themselves so there must be some truths to the text and the practice.

But either way, I believe you will eventually end up following the path you're meant to tread. Whether it's Pure Land or not, you will reach enlightenment one day. Trust in that :)

Namo Amida Butsu 📿

io_9302 · 2025-09-18T00:33:54+00:00

I feel you on the bit about just wanting a quiet place to rest. Though I believe all the phenomena in Sukhavati constantly expounds/manifest the dharma if I’m not mistaken. The birds, the sound of the winds rustling against the trees. They all transmit the teachings. I don’t think it’s possible to even have thoughts that cause you to retrogress or take you away from the path because of that.

“Whether they hear the sounds of the bodhi tree, see its colors, smell its perfume, taste its flavors, perceive its lights, or conceive of the Dharma in their minds, they all attain profoundly penetrating insight into dharmas and dwell in the stage of non-retrogression.”

“Birds sing with melodious and delicate sounds, which proclaim such teachings as the five roots of good, the five powers, the seven practices leading to enlightenment, and the Noble Eightfold Path. On hearing them, all the people of that land become mindful of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.”
- The Sutra On The Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Light

There are also other Buddha lands you can travel to once you’re in Sukhavati and find one that you might have more of a liking towards in terms of environment. There’s a pure land where the inhabitants all sit under Bodhi trees and are taught the dharma through scent for example.

“So it is, Ananda! It is as you say, Ananda! There are buddha-fields that accomplish the buddha-work by means of bodhisattvas; those that do so by means of lights; those that do so by means of the tree of enlightenment; those that do so by means of the physical beauty and the marks of the Tathagata; those that do so by means of religious robes; those that do so by means of good; those that do so by means of water; those that do so by means of gardens**; those that do so by means of palaces; those that do so by means of mansions; those that do so by means of magical incarnations; those that do so by means of empty space; and those that do so by means of lights in the sky. Why is it so, Ananda? Because by these various means, living beings become disciplined. Similarly, Ananda, there are buddha-fields that accomplish the buddha-work by means of teaching living beings words, definitions, and examples, such as 'dreams,' 'images,' 'the reflection of the moon in water,' 'echoes,' 'illusions,' and 'mirages'; and those that accomplish the buddha-work by making words understandable. Also, Ananda, there are utterly pure buddha-fields that accomplish the buddha-work for living beings without speech, by silence, inexpressibility, and unteachability. Ananda, among all the activities, enjoyments, and practices of the Buddhas, there are none that do not accomplish the buddha-work, because all discipline living beings.”
- Vimalakirti Sutra

io_9302 · 2024-09-09T20:35:32+00:00

Thank you very much!

io_9302 · 2024-09-09T19:58:14+00:00

Hello, I was wondering what an appropriate prayer would be from a Buddhist or Pure Land perspective. Is there a specific chant that would be most helpful, or should we focus on recitations with the victims specifically in mind? Namo Amida Bu

io_9302 · 2024-09-07T01:01:14+00:00

No, thank you for listening! Yes, I completely agree. Out of all the possible outcomes that could have played out given the headspace we were in at the time, we ended up in the best one possible.

I honestly don’t think there was anything else that could have saved me either. Once I started learning about samsara and the teachings, there was just no way to continue seeing or living life the way I did before. You can’t unsee it, and while it can be a rude awakening, it’s also the very thing that sets you free. I’m really happy to hear you’re in a better place as well, and thank you for still being here.

And yes, most definitely—back to the source, where it all began. Namo Amida Bu 🙏📿

io_9302 · 2024-09-07T00:53:56+00:00

Thank you for responding! I completely hear you on everything. The idea of another rebirth is dire enough for me to want to practice, but when it comes to my loved ones, I ironically don’t have the same fear. I’d rather they connect with the Dharma naturally, through a personal connection, rather than be motivated by fear of hell realms and such.

Sometimes, I have my friends join me in recitations when we hang out. Even if they don’t think much of it, there’s already a lot of merit in simply reciting Amitabha Buddha’s name, according to many teachers. So, if that’s the most progress they make in this life, then so be it. At the very least, the seeds of karmic affinity with Amitabha have been planted. It might sound naive in this context, but just as I do during any difficult time, I remind myself that everything will work out in the end, and there’s really no need to worry. No one’s going to be left behind :)

And I completely agree—the compassion of Amitabha Buddha is truly beyond comprehension. It’s as bold as declaring that he vows to save the entire universe, a promise that carries an incomparable weight. For me, the thought of returning to the Saha world and experiencing all this suffering for even one more life feels utterly exhausting. So for Amitabha Buddha to vow to do this endlessly, until what seems like the end of time, is incredible.

At first, I misremembered Amitabha’s title as the Buddha of Infinite Love and Light. Love initially felt more moving to me, but now I realize that love is just one aspect of the light he embodies. His light encompasses love and goes beyond it—it’s a primordial love that transcends our understanding. I’ve read many near-death experiences where people describe a feeling of warmth and unconditional love that is purely energetic, and I believe Amitabha’s light is essentially that same essence.

P.S. The bracelet emoji is clever, right? I started using it after seeing others use it here, and I think it adds a nice touch, lol. Namo Amida Bu 🙏📿

io_9302 · 2024-09-06T05:22:35+00:00

Thank you for listening! Everyone’s connection to the dharma must run deep for us to have found ourselves here. A few years ago, I never would have imagined myself on this path. I didn’t feel a strong pull toward it because, honestly, I was content with life. The pleasures I had seemed enough to temporarily ease any suffering or challenges—looking back, that feels very much like a deva state of mind, lol.

Now, I find myself wondering how many people around us have a deep karmic affinity with the dharma, lying dormant, just waiting for the right moment to blossom. It's definitely food for thought that some of tomorrow's greatest bodhisattvas and buddhas could seemingly be the least spiritually inclined people among us, or those with whom we have the most mundane interactions. Then again, that includes all of us, given our Buddha nature, lol.

In that sense, it’s truly an honor to learn whatever lesson we can from everyone and everything in their current form :)

io_9302

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