“The Buddha did not create this Universe.
The Buddha did not create you.
The Buddha does not punish your evil deeds.
The Buddha does not reward your good deeds.
The Buddha does not cure your illness.
The Buddha does not protect you from harm;
Make you wise or keep you happy.
What then is Buddha?
The Pure Land is not simply a romantic story.
It is the real world.
All that you see and do now is the dream.
A self-centered world created for your appeasement
of your own greed.
What then is the Pure Land?
Now is the time to ask.
If you would know, you must ask,
Or live and die for no reason at all.”
We live in a world where permanence is stressed. We try to hold on to our youth, forgetting the knowledge that our age has given us. In our lives we stress over the natural changes that occur. Shakyamuni Buddha proclaimed that birth, sickness, old age and death were the natural conditions of our lives. There are certain times in our lives, when we focus on these conditions as problems, rather than see them as natural occurrences, as the Buddha explained. When we do this, we are usually wasting that which we are so fearful of losing — life itself.
If you are at all like me, you must be wondering about the reality and sustainability of the concrete physical world we live in. What is this life I am living? For the past year or so, I have almost continuously stayed in my house, either glued to my television screen, iPad or computer. For example, last week, Tuesday to Saturday I was on Zoom for a minimum of four to almost seven hours a day. Zoom calls I feel are another reality. Before the pandemic, how many of you imagined or wished you could just sit at home all day, thinking how nice it would be to not have to dress up, get in a car or plane and go to work. I know I certainly did.
I use my iPad for most of my reading. The other day. I was reading an article I wrote almost twelve years ago, for either a September or October newsletter. I included it in my book Teriyaki Priest. Here is the first paragraph:
This summer has been very busy. When things get hectic in my life, I forget how good my life is. There was a period of about a month, beginning with our Salt Lake Obon to about August 18 when it felt like I was on a rapidly moving treadmill and beginning to fall behind. During this time period I had: visited 12 cemeteries throughout Utah and Nevada, performed and spoken at four Hatsubon/Obon services, four funerals, two weddings and a number of memorial services and then I went on a bus trip throughout Northern California with our Jr. YBA and a bus trip with our BWA to the Las Vegas Obon. I flew to the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley for three separate meetings and seminars. After the Fong Family hosted the BWA Japan exchange students, Carmela and I hosted them at our home. Just as I began writing this article and I thought I would get a slight break, I had to prepare for two funerals in Honeyville and the Mountain States District conference is in a week and I’m still struggling with this month’s article. During this time we also moved everything from the main temple building (yes, including the naijin) to the west wing building and I moved the temple office to my home. Along the way I also had a bout with the flu. Whew! It has been quite a summer.
I remember how tired I felt when I wrote that. Yet, this June the thought of moving about like I did twelve years ago for live in-person services here in Utah, in Ontario, Oregon and possibly the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley really excited me. I was so ready to get going again. I was very happy that we had the live Hatsubon services in Salt Lake, Ogden and Honeyville, even a few smaller funerals either outdoors or with under fifty people at the temple. I thought, “YES!” here we go, and then this variant comes out. It starts out hearing on the news some people not wanting to be vaccinated and then Carmela telling me to start wearing my mask again. Then a couple weeks ago, I hear from IOBT that a vaccinated member there has come down with Covid, so the service I was preparing to go to over Labor Day weekend was cancelled.
Now I’m sitting in front of my screens again. Up and down and up and down, our temples will not be opening in September. I just got word that the Jodo Shinshu Center in Berkeley will not be opening until possibly Spring of 2022. In the past two weeks, I know of a number of friends that have suddenly died. For example, Rev. Kanya Okamoto’s wife Judy was fine, until she had a brain aneurysm and died within two days. An extremely humble and generous man that many in our area may not know was Mr. Jeff Follick, who was diagnosed with cancer ten years ago and had been in remission staying active and always donating to a variety of BCA, IBS and Orange County Buddhist Church projects. His wife said he didn’t feel good, stayed in bed one day, the next day he still didn’t feel better so she was calling the doctor; when she went back to tell him what the doctor said, he was gone. These people were not that much older than me!
I just don’t know how to make sense of all of this. There are so many times I’ve wondered, what is going on? I hear people that I know and respect say, “This world is the Pure Land, we just don’t have eyes to see.” Or “Amida Buddha and the Pure Land are just metaphors.” I have to say in no uncertain terms, “This is not the Pure Land!” This is a world constantly changing. This is a world that people we love die. This is a world where good people die and evil people survive and thrive. This is a world where people don’t have to wear a mask or get vaccinated, for various personal reasons. This is a world where some people don’t care if what they do has deadly effects on those around them. If they can’t see it or understand it, it can’t exist. As the quote I began this article with, written by my dear friend and mentor Rev. Russell Hamada, says: “The Pure Land is not simply a romantic story. It is the real world. All that you see and do now is the dream. A self-centered world created for your appeasement of your own greed. What then is the Pure Land? Now is the time to ask.” Rev. Russell Hamada died over twenty years ago at the age of 46, leaving behind a wife and three small children. This year, his youngest son Jonathan graduated from college. He was just three years old when Rev. Russell died. Russell is in the Pure Land!
Where is the Pure Land? I can’t give you the direction or GPS coordinates, but I can hear Russell speaking to me from it. I can see the reflection from the Pure Land in the kindness I see in this world: first responders, doctors and nurses in the hospital ICUs, taking care of those people who didn’t care about these doctors’ and nurses’ safety, but just didn’t want to wear a mask or be vaccinated. I feel the Pure Land in the people who defend this country so people can refuse to wear masks or get vaccinated. I can hear the Pure Land and Amida Buddha calling me as I say the Nembutsu in gratitude. I can know the Pure Land in the love for my friends and family that embrace this foolish, confused being that I know I am. Maybe this life I call my own is the simple romantic story. In this story, I hope and wish that we will one day be able to hold in-person services again, and until then, that you will stay safe with your family and friends, who may be only a phone call, a mouse click, maybe just a few steps away. This is an amazing dream, and when I wake up, I will call you, with Namo Amida Butsu. Do you know where the Pure Land is? Please stay safe and Listen.
~ Rev. J.K. Hirano