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As a contribution to this thread I would just like to offer one or two quotes (!!) in the time honoured tradition of Tariki........if not of Dookie! The quotes are from the letters of Thomas Merton, in this case written to Aldous Huxley. In effect they imply some distinctions within mysticism...

Earl, I have seen your post "in passing".................unfortunately I've been banging my head against a brick wall in the form of another thread and feel mentally exhausted. Need a refill of the Other Power before attempting to jump in......................more in the form of a good nights...

We seem to have reached an impasse here, with Silas claiming that his original question, as set - or at least, as he understands it to have been set - has not yet been answered. From my own perspective, it appears to have been answered perfectly comprehensively, yet perhaps another try? (As...

Sorry, I just can't resist! The body is the Bodhi-tree The mind is like a clear mirror standing. Take care to wipe it all the time, Allow no grain of dust to cling to it. ...............and the winner is...... The Bodhi is not like a tree, The clear mirror is nowhere standing...

Wil, Yes, there is a very "pragmatic" side to the Dharma, deriving from various suttas. The Buddha is often recorded as speaking of that which he "declares" and that which he does not "declare", and the importance of understanding why. He once likened his own teaching to just a handful of...

Well, getting back to the theme of this thread. One of the finest books on Pure Land I have read is that by Hiroyuki Itsuki, "Tariki - Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace" The book is very existential, very patchy and "bitty" in parts, yet its conversational style and autobiographical ring...

Agreed! We certainly need some strong barriers against fundamentalism, whatever the variety. Just as another comment, the founder of Shin Buddhism, Shinran, in effect turned history upside down. He understood all reality as the expression of the "Vow mind", as the manifestation of...

I must admit to admiration of the sheer honesty of Silas. I must admit myself that though virtue is indeed its own reward - or at least should be - often I still seek something just a little more tangible :D . We all seem to have various perspectives on this. (Just as a quick aside, for...

Francis, Ultimately I not concerned about "how Buddhist it is". I would leave that to the experts. I suppose "Buddhism" can be defined in such a way as to exclude any part of the Pure Land teachings. So be it! The Pure Land teachings have a long lineage, which includes such as Nagarjuna...

Each draws upon their own "treasures" and "hopes"......................to "make angels of demons" is one of my own (confused or not!). Thank you. (and perhaps in the end we need to become free of all our treasures/possessions. A monk came to Joshu and asked, "When a person comes to you free...

Thomas, the quote you gave brings to mind some words of Merton that I am unable to trace. Yet I remember that they revolved around the need to submit to the will of God................and Merton spoke of this as not being submission to some enigmatic yet demanding command that would be the...

Although I have said that this thread is not here to expound Pure Land doctrine/teaching as such, I think it would be appropriate to create a "peg" on which the various poems and quotes can be hung, or seen in context by those unfamiliar with either Buddhism or the Pure Land variety. Drawing...

Earl, Thanks. I never intended this thread to be any sort of expounding of Pure Land "doctrine", far less any attempt at "evangelisation"......:eek: In my mind it was to be much the same as the Thomas Merton thread, a "quiet place" for a few poems and quotes by devotees expressing their own...

Nick, Took a quick peep at their web-site. Thanks. (As far as personal attendance is concerned, unfortunately I am based in the UK) :)

Earl, No need for apologies, I need all the help I can get! Although I am relatively well read on most of the various Buddhist meditation techniques, it is only meditation of the "watching the breath" type that I had persevered with - although the Buddha did say that even this type...

InLove, Nice to hear some whispers other than my own.......:) Your post made me think of some Buddhist symbolism, taken from some ancient sutta, where the Buddha is depicted as entering one of the deepest hells carrying a lamp. By it's light the inhabitants become aware for the very first...

Earl, Thanks for your brief advice re "receptive" meditation "techniques". I will definitely - Amida willing! - be renewing some form of practice. As I explained, for better or for worse, I indentified a certain problem and need a few years ago...in order to give the nembutsu a chance...

Silas, And thank you for your words which seek to reconcile and understand rather than to refute ( the Trappist monk Thomas Merton has said that we should always seek the "yes" to another where-ever we can - see the Thomas Merton thread for the full quote) Yes, we appear slightly back to...

Silas, Thank you.......and you did in fact PM me. To be honest I suspected from your previous questions that you were in fact probing to the point where I would use a set of words or terms that you would then be able to dismiss as not being adequate to conform with your own concepts...

Snoopy, Just a quick response (I would just say that I am not at my best when seeking to elucidate Pure Land "doctrine" as taught and expounded by others. My style - if it can be given such a grand name! - is more to just tell it like it is for me, right or wrong) Anyway, concerning...