Amida Buddha, Ecology, and Shin Buddhism

As I continue my (re-)reading of various Pure Land Buddhist books in my collection, I realized that all my reading was centered around a medieval-Japanese-Buddhist viewpoint, with all its arguments about the minutiae of the tradition. It’s been a fun time for me, and with the benefit of age and hindsight, I have come to understand some things I didn’t when I was younger.

However, one thing pre-modern Buddhist authors seldom wrote about was Ecology.

To be fair, medieval authors never had to worry about climate change, mass extinction of wildlife, plastic in oceans, etc. They did have to worry about plagues, natural disasters, feudal rulers and other issues. Different generations, different issues.

Buddhism and its concept of metta, or goodwill towards all beings, implicitly includes an ecological outlook, as does the notion of interconnectedness of all things. So, Buddhism definitely lends itself towards a more ecological viewpoint, but it’s never been really emphasized.

However, faced with monumental ecological problems we have now though, we have no choice but to confront them and adapt Buddhist teachings to educate and inspire people to make wiser choices. This is the problem of our era. But where to begin?

I think Jodo Shinshu, or “Shin” Buddhism as Westerns often call it, provides a particularly helpful attitude into how ecology and Buddhism can work. Shin Buddhism focuses awareness of, and gratitude toward everything arounds us that sustains us and carries us forward. This is embodied by Amida Buddha, the same Buddha in other Pure Land traditions, but Shinran the founder’s interpretation heavily leans toward the side of “other-power”. In other words, it’s through Amida’s grace, rather than set of practices, that one is led toward the Pure Land. Thus, one says the nembutsu (namu amida butsu) as an expression of gratitude than an explicit practice.

Further, other Buddhist practices are done out of gratitude, or because one is inspired by the Dharma (the Buddhist teachings), rather than because one is aiming towards something.

With me so far?

Out of any Buddhist tradition, Jodo Shinshu/Shin Buddhism probably has the most “Calvinist” viewpoint of anything I can think of. Granted that, under the hood, Buddhism and Christianity are quite different, but Shin Buddhism shifts the emphasis away from traditional Buddhist practice toward the power of Amida Buddha and his compassion towards all beings. Amida calls to us (just like Parable of the Two Rivers), and if we heed that call we are brought along the Buddhist path.

Thus in popular Shin-Buddhist culture, people often referred to Amida Buddha as Oya-sama (親様, “Honored Parent”). It’s not that we are born from Amida Buddha, but his compassion surrounds and sustains us like a parent. Even the famous haiku poet, Kobayashi Issa (小林 一茶, 1763 – 1828), a Jodo Shinshu follower himself, once family wrote a haiku at New Year’s when he was broke and penniless:

Japanese	Romanization	Amateur translation
ともかくも	Tomokaku mo	At the closing of the year
あなたまかせの	Anata makase no	I turn to you, Amida Buddha;
年の暮れ	Toshi no kuré	come what may.

So, what does this have to do with Ecology?

First, Shinran, the founder, didn’t see Amida Buddha as just another Buddha within the larger Mahayana pantheon. He felt that Amida was the embodiment of the Dharma itself, and since the Dharma, the Buddhist teachings, reflect reality as it is (even if us unenlightened beings don’t fully get the full scope of it) whenever we see reality, we see Amida Buddha, and his compassion for all beings. The restorer of Jodo Shinshu, Rennyo, taught similar sentiments.

Thus, goodwill, and awareness of the interconnectedness of all things, is us seeing Amida at work. When we “pay it forward” and help others, or help the environment, this is an expression of our gratitude toward Amida, but also to the life and nature around us that sustains us daily. In this light, the nembutsu isn’t just a bunch of words chanted over and over, it’s a living expression of our gratitude.

It’s something I haven’t fully fleshed out yet in my head, but I realize more and more the years that Rev Castro had been ahead of his time.

P.S. This post is pretty unpolished (I usually try to proofread things at least once), but I wanted to write down this stream of thought in my head before I forget.