Social Engagement in the Service of the Pure Land

An explanation of the function of social engagement in Amida Pureland practice.

Amida Pureland Buddhism is a practice for those who have been touched by the compassionate spirit. Compassion, however, is not something that is practised just, or even best, in the confines of a hermitage. It has implication for how one organises one's life amidst other people. Spirituality has practicalconsequence. Also, in Pureland, the emphasis is not so much upon attainment of advanced spiritual states as upon realisation of the condition that one is actually in, beset by karmic obstacles, a "foolish beings of wayward passion", bombu. This emphasis upon facing reality and feeling contrition, in the context of a sense of grace and being called, gives rise to a strong sense of fellow-feeling. The form that compassion (karuna) takes in Pureland is this pervasive and often quite specific fellow-feeling in which one recognises the passions, failings, difficulties, hopes, longings, hunger and thirst of the other more acutely as a result of the examination one has made of one's own condition through nei quan and the practice of nembutsu. The sense of commonality is further reinforced by the framework of a spirituality that places us in conscious relation to Nyorai, to the all-accepting Tathagata Buddha. We may or may not be moved by the suffering of our neighbour, but we have faith that Nyorai is moved by it. We may have a sense of some people being higher and lower, more or less worthy and so on, but we have faith that in the eyes of Nyorai we are all viewed with the same all-encompassing love. Thus we relativise our own weakness, avoid pretension, and remain in an attitude of awe and gratitude a expressed by the nembutsu.

The Pureland approach to engaged Buddhist activities and works of social construction is thus characterised by

• appreciation of the bitter-sweet pathos of life in a beautiful world where afflictions nonetheless abound
  
• fellow-feeling for those suffering from the effects of karmic obstacles
  
• profound spiritual equality and sense of common humanity
  
• the idealism that springs from repeated reflection upon perfect love
  
• modesty of expectation and self-presentation
  
• faith in a greater purpose deriving from a sense of Nyorai's intention and vows.

All this imparts a distinctive flavour to Pureland socially engaged activity. We work for the most part on a friendship rather than a service delivery model. We see what we are doing as community building and helping people to help other people. We are not expecting purit or perfection. We are willing to be touched and moved by the suffering we encounter. Feelings are important, but religious feeling is most important among them. Feeling called and held by Nyorai gives us courage and willingness.

Socially engaged activities tend to fall into three categories indicated by the slogans

• Resist oppression
  
• Assist the aflicted
  
• Demonstrate an alternative

Thus one might campaign to prevent the destruction of the rain forests or one might assist the indigenous people whose way of life is destroyed by such clearance or one might establish a community that lives in such a way that it practises afforestation and generates no demand for the products that are obtained by forest clearance. These three aspects can be distinguished in relation to many social problems. Resisting harm-doing is a first line of action. When it is done from a Buddhist perspective it will be informed by a sense of fellow-feeling for all the different parties involved, not excluding the oppressor. To have sympathy fo the oppressor does not immobilise one from action, but it may shape the form of action, perhaps allowing the possibility of honorable retreat or reconciliation. There is no place for punishment in Buddhism, only for action conducive to a better future. The Pureland perspective on assisting the afflicted will lead to an approach that avoids condescension, sees the interaction as providing benefits in both directions, builds mutuality and friendship and empowers rather than merely assisting. Demonstrating an alternative involves an extension of the idea of sangha community and approaching a situation as a learning opportunity.

The bombu paradigm enables us to see ourselves as always needing to go on learning and as prone to make mistakes. Consistent with this attitude, we create opportunities for sharing experience. Thus engaged work becomes a learning cycle in which action yields experience upon which one reflects; these reflections are shared and mutual learning, appreciation and co-operation grows; this increased understanding and cohesion then lays the foundation for further action. All engaged activity is thus not merely a way of fulfilling the three slogans set out above. It is also part of a process of spiritual training in which inward reflection, learning, contrition and appreciation play important roles.

Engaged work is thus a form of training and spiritual development that functions both at a personal and a group level enabling us to investigate the full meaning of compassion, wisdom and faith through the medium of real testing situations that have important consequences. Using this approach the whole Dharma community becomes an instrument of engaged work and social construction and the work in society in turn becomes a powerful influence upon the evolution of the spiritual community. As individuals pursue their vocation through the medium of such an engaged community they learn many skills, great flexibility, and discover their own nature as bombu as well as the nature of society. They develop a sense of fellow feeling that changes their lives. Through all of this our awareness of standing in the light of Nyorai, side by side with all sentient beings, gives us all the stength we need and proects us.

All this can be understood as an application of the Three Minds. The Sincere Mind is the basis for wanting to extend our fellow-feeling into palpable action. The Profound Mind is what appreciates the bombu nature of ourselves, of the other parties caught up in each social drama, and of the human institutions involved. This awareness protects us from the corrosive effect of indignation and self-righteousness. The Merit Transferring Mind enables us to act gratuitously, in a spirit of openness and gratitude, free from any personal gaining idea. We simply hope that what we do will benefit beings and we can be altruistic because we believe that our own needs will not be met by the application of our own personal credit, but by the grace of Nyorai whose merit is infinitely greater than any that we can accumulate. We do not therefore need to accumulate or claim credit for ourselves.

This article has attempted to briefly highlight the particular features of socially engaged Buddhism when performed from an other-power perspective. This article may usefully be read in conjunction with other articles on the principle of the Pureland Way. Namo Amida Bu.

Comments

[Maikwe Ludwig]

Hi, everyone... I'm wanting to connect in with folks who are involved in spiritual activism of all sorts. I've just published a book about eco-activism along these lines, and am new to networking in this scene. Thanks! Ma'ikwe