Namaste Everyone,
My apologies ahead of time for the long post. There is some apparent rambling involved, but I am offering those ramblings in order to help explain how I came to my current musings. Out of necessity, I have used some Christian terminology, but hopefully it will not be taken as a sermon of any kind!
Vaj, you asked me about whether I was introduced to these thoughts through meditation. I suppose one could call it meditation, but it seems more like a state of being to me. I guess I might describe it as “praying constantly”. But there is no set formula to these prayers most of the time, save that the Name of Jesus is always present—but it isn’t Christ to whom I pray. It is through Him, and I see Him as my constant Companion, because of the Holy Spirit of God. When I say I have “visions”, I don’t mean that I am special in any way. I think perhaps this is something available to everyone. Moreover, I think many do experience visions (as well as other things), but maybe do not attribute them to the Source in exactly the same manner, or place such importance on them. In fact, some Christians are appalled by such claims, as they believe that visions are no longer valid, and therefore based in lies. Needless to say, I disagree. After all, there is, in this existence, an element of individual perception, although ultimately, this may not be the most desirable way of seeing. For me, it has developed over time, and because they have been so helpful to me, I have learned to trust these experiences when they arise. And I profoundly hope that in telling about this, people realize that I am not holding my self forth as someone with “special knowledge” or something like that. It is just the way I am able to relate. And I know I am not alone, but I think it is a subject that is difficult to discuss, as it can set one up for so much scrutiny. And it can be a dangerous thing to tell, especially in some contemporary communities, whether religious or secular. Some of the things I say here in CR, I would not say in a non-virtual environment, except to those in my family and my very closest friends, because these folks have witnessed how it all plays out.
Anyway, as far as the “established Christian traditions of meditation” go, I find it terribly limiting, and nearly impossible to fit sincerely and neatly into any particular pocket of Christian theology (and this is most definitely not from a lack of effort!), or to experience prayer any less than all the time. I am aware that sometimes I sound quite fundamentalist to many liberals, but at the same time, most fundamentalists seem to think I am a radical liberal. So where and when do I rest? Where can I live? The answer is “in the present moment”. I have said it before, but I’ll say it again for purposes here: To me, it is in this very moment, each moment, where the past and the future meet. There aren’t many ideas that I believe in so strongly as this, but my experience so far proves it to me. To me, it is both logical and spiritual--and even Biblical. Exactly how this might embrace various Buddhist philosophies, I am not sure, but it does seem to want to weave its way in somehow. And for me, at the present moment, it does seem to involve Amida Buddha (oh, and by the way, I did hesitate to use the term “followers” in my previous post. I kind of knew that wasn’t quite right, but I am learning.)
The best guess I have about the reason for this is that in the Pureland Tradition, there seems to be a particular emphasis on (I hope I say this correctly) kyosei. From what I understand, this is about the idea of us all being born together. So, even though I may face physical death apparently alone, I am connected with others. And we are basically all One. There is purpose in physical death, and it is beneficial, not only to me, but to “posterity”. The reasons for this may be explained differently in Buddhism than in Christianity, but in me there is no conflict here. I won’t go into a drawn out analysis about this as this post is getting pretty lengthy already! In fact, I should probably wrap it up, for now.
I appreciate and welcome the conversation, all the links and comments provided, and even any concerns posted. I will write some more in a day or two. In the meantime, I love the following so very much:
“...my foolish self is embraced by infinite compassion; embraced never to be abandoned…”
If I see Amida and Jesus walking together, perhaps it is here. I know it may be hard to put together. I call on the Name of Christ as my Saviour, and I realize that Buddhism doesn't need this. Christ is an expression of Love that I choose to carry with me. But I feel certain that Amida walks in compassion, and at present, I see no threat for me from this vision. 
InPeace,
InLove
