Nembutsu

A brief explanation of the nembutsu which is the primary practice of the Amida Pureland School.

Nembutsu means keeping Buddha in mind. Nen (or nem-) translates the Sanskrit term smriti which means to remember or keep in mind. Smriti is often translated as mindfulness. The equivalent term in Pali is sati. Butsu is the Japanese word for Buddha. Nembutsu thus means keeping Buddha in mind. The nembutsu practitioner tries to keep Buddha in mind in all that he or she does. This is a bit like being in love with Buddha. When we are in love with somebody that person is always in our mind. Even if we are talking to somebody else, our beloved is somewhere in our consciousness. In Amida Buddhism, therefore, the Buddha is our beloved. We generally say Nyorai when we are thinking of the Buddha in this intimate, devoted way. The word Nyorai translates Tathagata which means "the one that IS that has come" - the ultimate (Tathata) has come (agata) for us. Nembutsu is expressed as a call, but it is really a sense of response to having been called. The nembutsu practitioner feels that "Nyorai called me."

Nembutsu is expressed as a calling out of the Buddha's name, usually in the form "Namo Amida Bu", though there are many other forms also. The Buddha has many epithets and any can act as nembutsu. Once one has the sense that "Nyorai calls me specifically", then all spiritual practices - bowing, reciting scriptures, making offerings, work together in the sangha - all of life, in fact - become forms of nembutsu, forms of response to Nyorai. In the Amida-shu we tend to use the Japanese term nembutsu to refer specifically to the practice of verbally calling the Buddha's name and to use its Chinese equivalent, nien fo, to refer to all forms of Buddhist pracice when they are practised in the spirit of response to Nyorai. We can say, therefore, that we practise nien fo and that nembutsu is the core of that practice.

Nembutsu is an expression of the core of Buddhist faith or refuge. All over the far east Buddhists greet each other with nembutsu - Namu Amidabutsu or Namandabu in Japan, Namo Omito Fo in China, Namo Adida Phat in Vietnam. Western people often fail to ralise to what extent Buddhism is religious and devotional, a pouring out of the spiritual longing in the human heart, an exprssion of awe at the majesty of the infinitely wonderful universe, and an opening of oneself to eternal life, unconditional love, limitless compassion and all infinite benevolence. Nembutsu is an expression of the eternal entering the everyday, moment by moment. Whatever we do, whatever miscellaneaous adventitious circumstance arises, "Namo Amida Bu!"