2nd
“When we entrust ourselves to the Original Vow, the great Ocean of that Vow fills our minds with the waters of faith, waters that, beyond good and evil, all taste the same, for the ‘waters of faith’ are a metaphor for the great energy of the Original Vow that melts away good and evil until these two have but a single flavour.” (Head Priest at a seminar on the Shozomatsu-wasan in Fukuoka.)
“Regarding the meaning of the phrase ‘Let’s give rise to a diamond-like bodhicitta (enlightenment-mind),’ the Head Priest helped me understand by explaining, ‘That line means we should travel together the path to the Pure Land, because, left just to ourselves, there is no way we will manage to find a solution to our problems’.” (Female Dharma friend at a meeting held at the Sokokan Taya house).
16th
(No translation)
23rd
“I found that conversation with my husband was like one-way traffic: when he talked to me I barely listened to him and vice versa. It was not proper communication at all, in fact. What really we should do is each of us speak and listen to the other.” Dharma friend at a meeting in Takeo city, Saga prefecture.
30ｔｈ
The accepted wisdom is that above the darkness of clouds and mists there is light. Shinran Shonin, however, states in the Shoshinge:
The mind-light that embraces us always illumines and protects us. Though the darkness of ignorance is already broken through, The clouds and mists of tenacious greed and repulsive hatred Still continue to cover the sky of true and real faith. It is as if, though the sun-light is veiled by clouds and mists, Below the clouds and mists brightness reigns and there is no darkness.
What is meant here is that even below the clouds and mists of our blind passions there is light.”
Rev. S. Takahara’s talk at the Hoonko ceremony in November of 2007.