Pure Land Buddhism: Just As I Am

Something I was thinking about lately while pondering this famous tale between 12th century Japanese monk, Honen, and a woman of the night. Honen’s advice to the woman was non-judgmental but a genuine concern for her well-being, and at the same time, it also acknowledged her circumstances.

Something I’ve always liked about the Pure Land Buddhist path is its openness. The light of Amida Buddha calls to all beings, regardless of their background and circumstances, or their accomplishments as Buddhists (or non-Buddhists) and unconditionally leads them to the Pure Land. How one interprets Amida, the Pure Land and such doesn’t really matter. What’s important is that Amida accepts all beings as they are, and leads them forward.

And so, when I was thinking about this, I realized that if Amida Buddha accepts you for who you are, then it makes sense to do the same.

Thinking about the woman of the night that Honen encountered, it made me realize that Pure Land Buddhism is a great expression of Buddhist metta, or goodwill.

This is not exclusive to Pure Land Buddhism, though. In Theravada Buddhism, there is the practice of metta meditation (separate from mindfulness meditation), and Zen similarly teaches contentment with oneself and the world around you. So, each tradition in Buddhism takes metta as a core teaching and find different ways to express and foster it.

The accessibility, simplicity and portability of Pure Land Buddhism makes it ideally suited for everyday folks. As a foundation, one can then explore other aspects of Buddhism, or be content with the nembutsu.

What’s important is that even if you are a crappy Buddhist, it’s OK. Obviously, like exercise and eating, Buddhist practice provides many positive benefits, so anything you can do, however often, is always worth the time and effort. However, if circumstances work against you, you do not need to punish yourself for your failings either. Like the woman of the night, sometimes life just gets in the way, but there’s no need to punish yourself for it. Amida Buddha’s light and goodwill extends to you just as it extends to others. Practice what you can, when you can, and Amida will guide you along the Buddhist path (via the Pure Land) somehow or some way.

Namu Amida Butsu

P.S. Featured photo is something I took at the Kyoto train station in summer 2023, part of a promotion to celebrate Honen’s 850th birthday. I always liked this poster, but couldn’t find a post I could work it into. 😅