Universe is Infinite Happiness
What is the meaning of spiritual development?
People easily misunderstand the meaning of spiritual development and think that it is something that will make them become greater and greater, that they’ll be better people, that they’ll be more admired.
People may think that this is spiritual development, but it is not!
This is because we all have Amida Buddha inside us. We have infinite potential. The meaning of spiritual development is to awaken our spiritual potential.
How can we awaken our spiritual potential? How can it be more open and develop infinitely?
To start, we can ask, “Why do so many religions talk about praising God?”
You can find words in the Bible that encourage praising God. For example, it was written that Jesus performed a miracle, healing a patient, and afterward he praised God before going back home.
Also, in the sutras, you can find the words “praise Buddha.”
I didn’t know why one of the main subjects in spirituality was the practice of praise. But then one day I thought that by praising God or praising Buddha, maybe people’s spirituality will develop, their potential will awaken.
Then we did some ki work on how when A person praises Buddha in the ki field, B person clearly feels the infinite development, the spiritual development of the universe, through A person’s praise of Amida Buddha.
Until I realized that, I thought we didn’t need to praise God or Buddha because they are great anyway! But actually, when we praise Buddha it awakens our spiritual potential and we will share in the spiritual development of the universe.
But why!? Why praise Buddha to awaken our spiritual development?
Because the source of our existence is infinite happiness, infinite pleasure, infinite joy. The Buddhist word for this is “kangi.”
Because once you’ve connected to and awakened the source of your existence, once you’ve connected to Amida Buddha, this springs out! Infinite happiness springs out.
This happiness has nothing to do with your situation, nothing to do with your physical body, nothing to with anything — infinite happiness just springs out!
How? Why?
When you are praising Buddha or God, this infinite happiness will connect you to Amida Buddha and to the source of your existence.
But, this praise has to be from “yushin” — you must have yushin. The translation of yushin is “playful heart.” And a playful heart is a childlike heart.
A child easily praises something impressive, a child easily says, “Oh! That’s great!” There’s no judgment, just praise.
If you have a childlike heart, you will have a playful heart, and with a playful heart, it’s easy to praise others, it’s easy to praise Buddha.
That’s why Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like a little child, you will never go to heaven.”
It means that if you have a playful heart, like a child, and praise God, then infinite happiness will be open to you, the source of your existence will be open to you.
The source of existence is infinite joy; Amida Buddha is infinite happiness. The universe itself is infinitely developing.
Why is everything changing every moment? “Everything is changing every moment” is basically what Shakyamuni Buddha told us 2,500 years ago.
What does this mean?
Each and every existence, including small dust motes, affects and includes the whole universe. Each one includes all others at the same time. This means that one movement of a finger affects all of the universe — the 3,000-world universe — that’s the result of the movement of one finger.
But at the same time the movement of one finger affects everything, each and every existence affects all others.
This is the meaning of “every moment everything is changing.”
Why is everything changing every moment like this?
Because each moment the universe is spiritually developing. Every moment the universe is awakening to infinite potential because its source is infinite happiness. There can be no awakening of potential without happiness. That’s why you need to praise and compliment like a child.
A child’s potential opens with compliments, with praise. “Oh, you’re doing so well!” “You’re so nice!” If you don’t look at the child with potential, potential will not open, but if you look at the child and see the possibility of potential, they’ll respond to the source of their existence, which is infinite development.
This is the meaning of emptiness.Some people think that emptiness is nothing, means nothing.
But infinite development, infinite happiness, infinite potential, increasing every moment, this is the meaning of emptiness.
How can reach you this state? When you practise Yang Nembutsu chanting.
In Yang Nembutsu chanting you influence all those who exist to visualize the image of the lips form of Amida Buddha, you encourage all who exist to praise Amida Buddha, and give prayers to all devas, the guardians of all beings. You give prayers so that others will spiritually develop with joy, with happiness. By doing these three things you will receive the pleasure and joyful light of Amida Buddha and you can connect to the source of your existence. You will connect to the joyful light of Amida Buddha and be unified with the infinite development of the universe.
Don’t think the universe is flat. The universe is alive, all the time, with infinite happiness, infinite joy. It is expanding everyone’s existence, inside their Buddha nature.
When you and others praise Buddha, everyone in existence is affected and you are spiritually developing each other.
This is the real meaning of the universe. The real meaning of Pure Land is infinite happiness.