It has been exactly six months since I came to Toronto. I’m gradually getting used to life abroad. For me, living overseas is a completely new experience, and these past six months have been full of discoveries and new encounters. I have also been encouraged and supported every day by the many people who have kindly reached out to me.
Now, I’d like to ask you: when you wake up each morning, do you ever feel, “I’m glad I’m alive today”? Unfortunately, I don’t often feel that way myself. When I wake up, I usually think, “Did I sleep well or not?” or “What should I talk about in this week’s Dharma talk?” I rarely find myself thinking, “I’m glad I’m alive today.” I believe this is because I take being alive for granted. And I think many of you may feel the same way. Even if we try, it’s difficult to consciously reflect on our own lives every day.
For example, when I am driving and narrowly avoid a car accident, I feel a strong sense of relief: “I’m glad I didn’t die, “or “I’m really glad to be alive.” It is only when we face danger that we are reminded of the preciousness of life.
In his writings, Rennyo Shonin wrote in the “White Ashes” that, “There is no knowing whether I will die before others, or whether death will come today or tomorrow.” This means that even someone with a healthy, rosy face in the morning may be gone by evening. In other words, we are always in a state where life could end at any moment.
Often, it is only when we lose something that we truly realize what is valuable. When we awaken to the truth that our lives could end at any time, we are finally able to reflect on the meaning of our own existence.
Listening to the teachings of Jodo Shinshu is a way of understanding the destination of our lives. It is Amida Buddha who accepts me, even though I take life for granted. We can entrust ourselves to Amida Buddha’s compassionate working, which always embraces us. These teachings are open to everyone. What is important, however, is to hear Amida Buddha’s Vow and take it to heart as something that concerns us.
For example, making curry completely from scratch using a full set of spices can be difficult. But if you use curry roux from the supermarket, anyone can easily make a delicious curry. In the same way, we do not need to create our own salvation from scratch. Amida Buddha has already prepared everything for us. We only need to hear this Vow and entrust ourselves to it.
Let me repeat: listening to the teachings means understanding the destination of our lives. We may quickly forget this, but whenever you see curry roux from now on, I hope it will remind you of Amida Buddha’s working and of today’s talk.
“Namo Amida Butsu.”
Rev.Sugiura
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