Buddhist Thoughts for the Week

How to reach Enlightenment the Jodo Shu Way

In Jodo Shu Pure Land Buddhism, you put your faith in Amida Buddha and his vow of universal enlightenment. By doing so, you are assured of rebirth in Amida Buddha's Pure Land, where you will hear the pure Dharma and attain enlightenment.
The creed of Jodo Shu is as follows:

1. Believing in the salvation by Amida Buddha as preached by Shakyamuni Buddha in his teachings, we pray to Amida Buddha as our anchor, and give thanks and services in return.
2. Following the teachings of Honen Shonin, the founder of Jodo Shu Buddhism, we repeat the sacred name of Amida Buddha (Namu Amida Butsu), and always try to be sincere and to be introspective.
3. We extend the circle of prayer to Amida Buddha, help one another, and try to contribute to the promotion of social purification as well as to peace and welfare.

How to reach Enlightenment in this lifetime

Many sects and traditions will have different practices to complement the Eightfold Noble Path laid out by Shakyamuni Buddha, but all have these as their basis:

1. Right Views: i.e., Knowledge of the Four Noble Truths:
   
   
   1. The world is full of suffering and stress.
   2. The cause of this suffering and stress is desires of physical instincts.
   3. If desire can be removed, and suffering and stress will be ended.
   4. Desire can be removed by following the Eightfold Noble Path: Right Views, Right Thoughts, Right Speech, Right Conduct, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration.
2. Right Thoughts: Aspire to attain realization of Nirvana, i.e., perfect wisdom, the ultimate true permanent reality.
3. Right Speech: Abstain from all lying, falsehoods, evil, abusive and frivolous speech.
4. Right Conduct: Keep the Five Precepts:
   1. Abstain from taking life,
   2. abstain from taking that which is not given,
   3. abstain from misconduct done in lust,
   4. abstain from lying,
   5. abstain from all forms of intoxication.
5. Right Livelihood: Abstain from all evil living and all manner of ill-gotten gain or means of livelihood.
6. Right Effort: Abstain from all evil states of mind; foster and maintain virtuous states of mind; compassion, pity, sympathy, calmness and tranquility
7. Right Mindfulness: Regard everything as being impermanent, ill and corrupt: i.e., all feelings, perceptions, inclinations, consciousness, thoughts, mental states, mental images and mental activities.
8. Right Concentration: Foster dispassion, detachment, and revulsion for the things of the world as being decaying and impermanent. Practice aloofness from evil states of mind, from the senses and all sensations. Practice dwelling in solitude and seclusion, meditating and reflecting with singleness of mind.