Dharma Message from Mitsuyo Makinodan

Gratefully reprinted from the
Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Newsletter, November 2006

“ New Year”

 

 I realize that the new year is for living, creating, and appreciating the gift of each precious moment we are given. This moment is always fresh and new. It is fresh and new of spirit, of commitment, of our capacity to see and live dearly. True awareness of self and life happens only in this absolute moment. I realize that life does not always go our way—“my” way. This often leads to feelings of frustration, agitation, confusion, loneliness, disenchantment, and even other afflictions. We struggle for solutions in our past or future, but the solution often escapes us. They escape us because we often look in the wrong places. Our sufferings and afflictions are not separate from who and what we are now. We are our suffering now. We own all that we are now. The solution and answer are with and within us, here and now.

I realize too because we cannot escape who and what we are, our only recourse is to realize and accept ourselves as we really are, just as we are, in the present—fragile/strong, intelligent/ignorant, willful/vulnerable, courageous/fearful, giving/selfish, modest/opinionated, etc. When this realization and acceptance occurs authentically and clearly, a new indescribable dimension of life opens us for us. Our self-generated sufferings become less burdensome as immeasurable light (amitayus = wisdom) and immeasurable life (amitabha = compassion) illuminates and transforms our life. We are, in this very moment, joined in “one body” with Amida Buddha.

I realize now that we are not lost nor confused when we are fully present to immeasurable light and immeasurable life. Nothing is added or subtracted from our life. We are fully present to our real life just as we are. We are, in effect, simply who we are. Joyful gratitude and deep feelings of humility and wonder naturally emerge.

Namu-amida-butsu is the name we are given in voicing and affirming this genuine moment of awakening and acceptance. This is the most selfless spiritual and liberating gift we receive in our daily, ordinary life. This unconditional gift of Namu-amida-butsu empowers and fulfills our deepest human wish for peace, harmony, and fulfillment. Namu-amida-butsu too is the compassionate prayer of Amida Buddha for the spiritual awakening and liberation of all beings in their quest for meaning and authenticity. I say goodbye to the old home of samsaric suffering; now I live in Namu-amida-butsu.

 

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