The way of Bodhisattva Nembutsu (1)

Bodhisattva Nembutsu is really different from traditional Nembutsu as a practice.

The difference is that we call this Bodhisattva Nembutsu.

Why Bodhisattva?

All Mahayana practice has to be based on the spirit of the Bodhisattva. This is a practice for others, that we call transference.

It was not clear how to explain transference as a practice, but Tao Sangha made it clear and showed how to make it fit into the daily life world.

But before we start to talk about practice, we need to make clear what your determination is for.

I hope you can listen to what I’m saying because before you practise, you need to make clear three things. This will be the condition:

Follow Ki.

The meaning of following ki is to follow what “ki” shows, which ki shows the way, and follow that way.

For example, many people experience ki in our Tao Sangha workshops:

1) They experience the strength of ki. If the ki is strong, then this is good for health. Strength of the ki.
and
2) They experience which way of thinking, which way of living, is a comfort, or the lightness of the ki.
or
3) Which way of ki, what you are thinking, your attitude toward life, makes you powerful.

It was not really clear how to confront this because even when ki shows you an example, you should keep practising the way of Tao Sangha.

Even when ki shows people that this is very comfortable, very powerful, very strong, what percentage of them will follow the ki, even if it is better, even after their experience shows that ki is good for their future, good for the world? How many people, even after this experience, will keep going, keep practising?

This is what Lao Tzu said: “If you follow nature, you’ll be healthy.”

“Nature” meant “ki” in ancient times. There was no word for “nature” in the East with the meaning it had in the West, because everything is nature. … In what Lao Tzu said, nature means “follow the ki.”

Many people don’t know this about ki.

So, let’s make one condition clear: If you find out that this is a better way, then follow it. Otherwise, if you are not following it, if you are not determined to follow, if you make up any excuse not to follow, then forget about practice, forget about Tao Shiatsu.

We have to make clear that we all follow the ki, which brings you to a state of comfort of the ki, which brings you to a state of the strength of the ki, which brings you power from the ki for yourself and all other people around you.

Based on this condition, I’d like to show you how to practise Bodhisattva Nembutsu.

1) The First Step

Today I’d like to show you the way to practise Medium Nembutsu. The purpose of Medium Nembutsu is the relief of karma. Karma is the energy of the circulation pattern, the pattern of your decision, the pattern of your image.

That’s what I mean when I say there is a condition to following the ki.
If you don’t choose the way of believing that the ki shows you is comfortable, then even after you are finished with your physical body you will not choose the comfortable world, which we call the Pure Land, the heavenly state, in Buddhism.

If you choose the uncomfortable way of living now, in this lifetime, how can you choose the comfortable world after this? It’s not possible. Please don’t have the illusion that you will automatically be taken to the Pure Land if you practise Nembutsu.

There is the heart, “Kongo Shin,” the Diamond Heart.

I’ll just skip how to experience Kongo Shin because I want to show you how to go on to the next step.

Inside the Kongo Shin there is a very hard little ball, called “Gogyoku,” the Diamond ball. It’s in your heart. Through this heart you can feel it with ki. This is how to control your practice. This is how to control your will. You have to awaken your Diamond ball to clear your will for your practice.

What do we do? This is very basic.
Visualize the nose form of Amida Buddha and accept the Diamond ball.
Accept the nose image of Amida Buddha into the Diamond ball, 100 percent.
These are the basic steps when you practise Nembutsu.

But, let’s do it this way.
Traditionally, we easily drop into this idea. For example, “I” accept the nose form of Amida 100 percent into “my” Diamond ball, this is practice.

We can easily think this way, but for Bodhisattva Nembutsu, this is not enough. So I would like to show you this as part of the workshop.

[Exercise]
With three people, decide who is A, who is B, and who is C.
A person is the “doer” and B person is the “sensor”, and sit back to back. (C person wait untill next part)

If A person will accept the nose form of Amida 100 percent into his Diamond ball, B person will feel that A’s ki has become pure, 100 percent.

Let’s do this first step as a preparation.
Please, A person do it, then B person confirm when A’s Ki becomes 100 percent clear.

Real practice is not like this. Real practice is the next step.

Now, this is practice for C person. C will let A accept the nose form of Amida Buddha 100 percent into A’s Diamond ball, and will start chanting Nembutsu.
B will confirm when A’s Ki becomes clear.

This is it. Not that “I” do it, but let the other person accept the nose form of Amida Buddha into their Diamond ball. This is practice.

Understand? Not that “I” am accepting.

Let, or make, all beings accept the nose form of Amida Buddha 100 percent into their Diamond ball.

Actually, this is not enough.

Let people accept the nose form of Amida Buddha 100 percent into their Diamond ball with Nembutsu prayers.
And they can cause all other people to accept the nose from of Amida Buddha … repeat.

The person who is chanting wills all other beings to do this practice. This is the real Bodhisattva Nembutsu, for all beings.

Not that “I” do it, but I’m willing all others to do it.

So, the first step is nose form to Diamond ball.

2) The Second Step

The second step is Juji from the center core. [Juji: Taking responsibility (explained in #3).]

What is center core?

Center core is a point about 1.5 to 2 meters below the ground that we call the tailbone point.

Next week I will explain why this is called the tailbone point.

[Exercise]
A person and B person sit back to back.
A person is going to put the nose form 100 percent into his Diamond ball and open his center core. The center core, which is 1.5 to 2 metres down, is going to open.

The next phase is that A will awaken his Juji heart into the center core.

Then what happens is that B person will experience the body sensation called “Emptiness.”

There are two effects of nose form into Diamond ball:
The first effect is to make ki pure, 100 percent.
The second effect is to open up the center core, and if you put Juji into the center core you experience the body sensation of emptiness.

But, this is not the Bodhisattva state yet.

You have to get other people to do this.

Let’s make all other beings be mindful of putting Juji in their center core.

[Exercise]
A person sits, with B person sitting a little in the distance, C person sits next to A person.

B will let A be mindful of Juji in A’s center core.

Now B is not thinking anything.
C person puts one hand on A’s knee and the other hand on A’s shoulder and presses parallel to ground to check A’s Ki.
A is very weak this time.

Now B puts Juji in A’s center core and wishes for A to becomes mindful of the Juji 100 percent in A’s center core and chants Nembutsu.
When C checks A’s ki, A is very strong.

What’s happening is that A’s subconscious is working with this. If B prays for all beings to do this, their subconscious will be affected.

This is the way to change the world.

Bodhisattva Nembutsu will change the world.

Thank you.