My daily practice consists in nembutsu during the day, both vocally and mentally, and two Zazen session in the morning and the evening. Usually when practice I also recite some verses like taking refuge, making the bodhisattvas vows and reciting the Heart Sutra.
That sounds hardcore. I am not familiar with nembutsu but I do a bit of zazen.
I used to do a lot of zazen. I mean the whole thing, the anapanasati and the shikantaza. It made me a little too weird for polite society.
Thanks for sharing! Sounds great :)
@StrangeMed@lemmy.world Could you share more about Thich Thien Tam?
I really like his explanations because I’m drawn to both Zen and Pure Land Dharma. Since he was Vietnamese, he provided a nuanced analysis and explanation of the Dual Cultivation practice.
He argued that relying solely on Zen can be challenging for most people because it demands reaching a high level of non-attainment. Consequently, Buddha recitation emerges as an optimal practice because it embodies the perfect manifestation of Non-Duality of reality. Nembutsu serves as a lifeline to the Pure Land in both the physical and mental realms.
Furthermore, since achieving no rebirth on one’s own is difficult, Buddha recitation provides assurance of rebirth in the most auspicious place possible.
I’m less knowledgeable about Vietnamese than East Asian, but isn’t Zen and Pure Land only considered as separate in Japan, where sectarianism is common, ie not Vietnam? Wonder who is audience is then? His argument sounds similar to standard Chinese Buddhist thought, which I know influenced Vietnam forever but most important in the 1920s.
Thanks for sharing his argument! :) I briefly read that his focus was on esoteric Buddhism and the Pure Land. I’m sure he has an interesting pure land understanding!
I often wonder why Amitabha’s pure land is typically the only one discussed nowadays.
It is as you said, only Japan developed a more strict separation between schools, but it especially began in the Kamakura Period for historical reasons. Amitabha’s Pure Land is the more common practiced one simply because is requires almost nothing from the practitioner’s side, and you can easily escape samsara. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t difference in the degree of practice even in Pure Land.
P.S. I technically practice in a Soto Zen environment, but I end up mixing a lot of Zen/Chan and Pure Land by myself. But I want to ask my teachers what they think about it BTW more about Vietnamese dual cultivation : https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/pure-land-zen-dual-cultivation-in-13th-century-vietnam-and-today/
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