By Rev. Marcos Sawada
Are you a positive or negative thinker? We humans love to be negative thinkers. We think about our hardships, problems and worries, imaging the worst scenarios. Our minds are filled with such thoughts, emotions and passions.
I recently moved from Oahu to serve again as minister on the big island of Hawai’i, where I began visiting temple members. There’s been a huge decrease in the Hilo Higashi Hongwanji sangha. Before I moved away, usually 30-to-50 members attended the monthly service, but now only about half those numbers attend. I think this trend isn’t exclusive to the Hilo temple; attendance at many temples and churches is declining in the United States.
Do we humans not need religion anymore? I think the opposite! People need spiritual strength to continue their journey of living, but they’re choosing not to embrace religion.
Living in this world—where we are connected with people, animals, and the environment—represents a world with plenty of suffering. According to the Buddhist teachings, we suffer because we prioritize the darkness of ignorance as our primary guide. Maybe we should think positively and try to reverse this picture by doing something about it now.
Sometimes, I too feel empty inside and lost with no direction. This feeling of emptiness comes from prioritizing my thoughts, feelings and beliefs within a narrow world of my desires, instead of following the right path of the Buddha’s world.
“Right” isn’t the “right” in a conventional sense. Rather, I mean following the path of Dharma, the natural flow of the universe. It’s like understanding and accepting the law of gravity—if I drop an apple, it always falls to the ground. This law doesn’t change; it always stays the same, whether it’s morning or evening, past or present, now or in the future. It’s the same for everyone.
For me, the Buddha’s teachings are like GPS. It shows me where I am, here and now. It tells me where I’m standing at this very moment. Consequently, I have a sense of where I need to go.
Dharma means “nature, as it is,” pointing us to firm ground on which to stand. It is the world that encompasses everything without discrimination. If we are to live fully and in harmony in this life—even in this world of conflicts—we must stand on a strong foundation.
We may try to change our thinking and be “positive,” but this is just a projection of the future and not actual reality. It’s just an idea of the human mind, shaped by our dreams and fantasies. My definition of GPS is “Guiding and Positioning for Salvation.” This means seeing ourselves through the eyes of the Buddha, enabling us to see where we’re standing now. In this way, we can become a MAP, a “Most Authentic Person.”
We might try to change our situation through our self-efforts and by accumulating merits, believing the world we are creating is real. No matter what we do, can we really find happiness this way? Can we somehow change the way we think, purify our thoughts, and find peace of mind? We may think we are doing so, but it’s only temporary. It’s only a matter of time before the truth of reality crushes our world of desires and passions.
Although I refer to “now,” it’s impossible to freeze time. As the Buddha teaches us, everything is constantly changing and impermanent, nothing stays permanently the same. This dharma, this “Law of Nature,” is true for everyone. This also means that we are all unique, that we cannot be exactly the same, and that all lives are precious.
Each person has their own karma, viewpoint and feelings. Each has their own relationship to all others, their environment, and the universe. Yet, all are inter-connected. This is the message of the Larger Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life, in which Shinran Shonin found great meaning.
The Buddhist teachings also say that everything is empty of permanent existence. In this way, there’s existence and non-existence at the same time. This is a paradox in the mind, which is attached to fixed ideas and perceptions, and longs for permanence.
Yet, the universe is impermanent and constantly changing, which we don’t see or refuse to accept. Thus, suffering arises. Despite, our ignorance, we live in Dharma, the natural flow of the universe. It doesn’t matter if we agree or disagree with this truth, or what our individual faith and belief may be, we can’t help but live in this Universe of Dharma. We suffer because we don’t understand or accept this truth.
For example, I may try to keep my body from aging, but it’s impossible. I can’t stop impermanence. There are other great truths I don’t see or don’t understand or ignore, such as interdependence and Oneness. My world has “me” at its center. It is “self-centered,” not in accord with how the universe is actually working.
Although we are ignorant, self-centered, and filled with passions, Amida Buddha’s Aspiration, “hongan,” accepts us as we are. This means that everyone may find spiritual liberation through hongan. No one is excluded. We can awaken to Truth, to Dharma, to the universe’s power, and transcend “samsara,” this world of suffering and passions. Liberation from my ego is Buddha’s wisdom exposing my ignorance and making me understand who I am, here and now.
Hongan is the aspiration of all my loved ones and all Buddhas wishing for me to awaken to True Reality, enabling me to become a true human being. This is most important! This is the meaning of NAMUAMIDABUTSU!
In Gassho, Namandabu, Namandabu, Namandabu…
-Rev. Sawada is minister of Hilo Higashi Hongwanji Temple, Hawaii