In the Contemplation Sutra, it talks about nembutsu samadhi. What exactly is nembutsu samadhi? How do you achieve it? How do you go about visualizing the Pure Land, the bodhisattva, and Amida?
Nembutsu Samadhi is Nembutsu Meditation, which takes several forms.
In the Contemplation Sutra, it refers to a type of meditation using visualization. In particular, one is supposed to meditate on “seeing” what the Pure Land is like—sights, sounds, smells and everything. The Pure Land is often described as the “Land” of utmost bliss.
By visualizing the Pure Land, one should desire, all the more, wanting to be born (or re-born) there. So, one tries to visualize the perfection of the Pure Land, which is so far beyond this world of Samsara (world of change).
Shinran acknowledged the role that the Contemplation Sutra plays in the development of Pure Land Buddhism, but he did not directly say that we should be concerned with things like Nembutsu Samadhi.
Shinran considered such practices as interesting, but had to be considered as selfpower practices which did not necessarily directly assist us in accepting the Wisdom and Compassion that is Amida Buddha.
Some of the other forms of Nembutsu Samadhi are:
- to continuously recite the Nembutsu (saying Namu Amida Butsu) and counting the number of times it is repeated
- to constantly walk around a statue of Amida Buddha for 100 days, with only one hour a day as rest while reciting the Nembutsu
- to perform certain esoteric rituals.
Gassho (with palms together), Rev. Ron