Path Free of Hindrances
When I think about the past history of my family and the directions my life path has taken me, it certainly has not always been a smooth and unencumbered path. Like all of you, different decisions in my life experiences could have significantly changed my place today. Shinran is quoted in the Tannisho, “the nembutsu is the single path free of hindrances” for those who have realized shinjin.
When Shinran calls it a path free of hindrances, today we might just laugh at the notion that our lives certainly are not free of hindrances especially when Covid was seemingly impeding our path no matter where we turned. There are so many things that happen in our lives that don’t go how we want them to. With so many difficulties we seem to face every day, how can we think about a path free of hindrances like the nembutsu?
One way to think of this is to start by acknowledging the idea that we are walking a path even though we may not realize it at the time. In reflecting on our journey on this path, we realize we are walking with and carried by countless others. Without them we would not be where we are. If we think of the nembutsu like a stream, there may be pebbles or rocks in the way of the current. But the stream always finds a path. It does not push the obstructions out of the way, but it works its way beyond them. Being part of the whole, we are carried through by the flow of the stream itself, by the flow of others. When we say Namo Amida Butsu we hear the calling voice of the Buddha. It is a path that is always there for us even if we don’t see it.
We tend to think of our path as a means to an end; to get to a destination. That is not what the Buddhist path is. The path of the nembutsu is the journey and the journey is the destination. It does not mean that we don’t come across difficulties. When we reflect on our path, we see the help and support of others. When we look back we can see more clearly the things that we have received, then our hearts are filled with gratitude. That is our life of Namo Amida Butsu.
Namo Amida Butsu
Rev. Todd Tsuchiya
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