Here is the written version of the message delivered by Bishop Eric Matsumoto at Hawaii Betsuin’s New Year’s Day Service on January 1, 2015.

Namo Amida Butsu and Happy New Year!

As we begin the New Year, on behalf of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, please let me express my most sincere best wishes to you for a New Year filled with joy and peace! At the start of the New Year perhaps many of you made a New Year’s resolution. Today, I would like to focus on a particular resolution, if you will, a Vow or Promise made by Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Infinite Light. As we know the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Infinite Light made 48 Vows, symbolically represented by the 48 rays of light emanating from the Buddha’s head, and the 33rd of these Vows reads:

When I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings throughout the countless and inconceivable Buddha-worlds in the ten quarters, having received my light and having been touched by it, will become soft and gentle in body and mind, surpassing humans and devas in those qualities. Should it not be so, may I not attain the perfect enlightenment.

(From The Three Pure Land Sutras, Shin Buddhism Translation Series.)

This Vow by the Buddha is saying that all those who receive the Buddha’s Light will become gentle in both mind and body. It speaks of a change in a person who entrusts in Amida Buddha. Hence Shinran Shonin, our Founding Spiritual Leader, was able to say:

There was a time for each of you when you knew nothing of Amida’s Vow and did not say the Name of…(the) Buddha, but now…you have begun to hear the Vow. Formerly you…had a liking only for the three poisons…but…since you have begun to hear the Buddha’s Vow you have gradually awakened from…ignorance, gradually rejected the three poisons, and come to prefer at all times the medicine of Amida Buddha.” “In people who have long heard the Buddha’s Name and the nembutsu, surely there are signs of rejecting the evil of this world and signs of their desire to cast off evil in themselves.” “That people seek to stop doing wrong as the heart moves them, although earlier they gave thought to such things and committed them as their minds dictated, is surely a sign of having rejected this world.

(From The Collected Works of Shinran.)

And our 8th Spiritual Leader, Rennyo Shonin said,

If you have acquired Faith, you will abstain from speaking harsh words to your fellow-believers and be tender-minded. Hence, the Vow that those touched by Amida’s Light will have tenderness in body and mind (the Thirty-third Vow). Without Faith, one will become self-assertive and speak rough words; hence, disputes are bound to arise. What a pity! You should be well aware of this.

(From Thus I have heard from Rennyo Shonin by Hisao Inagaki.)

As we reflect on the past year (2014), it is truly sad that there was so much hatred, anger and violence that erupted in 2014 both at home in our country and abroad. My intent in mentioning a few incidents is not to point a finger, blame or take sides, but just to jog our memory. Some incidents that come to mind are the Ukraine Crisis, the ISIS Conflicts and Ferguson Shooting and related incidents. By mentioning these few, I hope that we can see how the Three Poisons of anger, greed and ignorance profoundly affected our lives bringing suffering and pain to many both near and far. The wish here is that we become more aware of our tendency to resort to violent action, react to situations thus bring pain and suffering upon ourselves, and encourage us to positively respond to situations with insight and compassion. Difficult as it is to do this, we are encouraged to be more understanding and kind by the Enlightened Ones.

Amida Buddha, the Buddha Immeasurable Life and Infinite Light, by virtue of Unsurpassed Wisdom realizes though that for a bonbu/foolish being, such as myself how terribly difficult it is not to be affected by the Three Poisons. Thus, Amida Buddha does not judge and condemn, but reaches out with Great Compassion to illumine, nurture and guide us as we continue our struggle to be better. The unique quality of Amida Buddha is that the Buddha does not accept us after we become good or better, but Amida Buddha unconditionally embraces us with all our faults continually encouraging us to be more responsive rather than reactive in our thoughts, words and actions. Amida Buddha’s Love or Compassion is truly unconditional! When we become aware/cognizant of this Love or Compassion embracing us, we become so grateful that we are moved to aspire to be better persons (out of deepest gratitude and appreciation). This is the power of gratitude that we speak of in Jodo Shinshu or Shin Buddhism. It touches us. It moves us. Thus, Shinran Shonin furthered, in one of his other letters, shared “One must seek to cast off the evil of this world and to cease doing wretched deeds; this is what it means to reject the evil of this world and to live the nembutsu.” (From The Collected Works of Shinran.)

Of course, as an ordinary foolish being, it is impossible to be completely free of the Three Poisons, but we are being nurtured and encouraged by the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Infinite Light to be better. According to the late Rev. Jitsuen Kakehashi, a revered great scholar priest of Jodo Shinshu, a person who has become awakened to Amida Buddha’s profound Wisdom and Compassion:

…begin(s) to live a new life, refraining from committing selfish deeds and trying to respond to the Tathagata’s great compassion.” “Shinran points out that there must be necessarily be a big difference in the condition of person’s mind between before he heard the teaching of the Primal Vow and after he became a nembutsu practicer guided by the Primal Vow, and that there must certainly be a difference in behavior before and after the person became a nembutsu practicer.

In our daily life, we are liable to be dictated to by self-centered thoughts, but in the mind of nembutsu practicers who are saddened and pained by this reality, there is a recurring transformation in which, with the heart and mind of the Tathagata’s great wisdom and compassion, we come to look back at our own thoughts and behaviors. When we look at the world with an ordinary human mind, it is distinctly divided into things we love and thins we hate, but with the mind of the Tathagata, we are made to know that everyone is equally the Tathagata’s indispensably important child. From that standpoint, we realize that we are all brothers and sisters and fellow human beings. Then slowly but steadily, we come to reflect on our self-centered thoughts, reject our blind passions and make efforts to see things and live our lives in a way that can be approved by the Tathagata.

(From Hearing the Buddha’s Call by Jitsuen Kakehashi.)

The Great Aspiration of Amida Buddha is the peace and happiness of all existence. May we embrace the Buddha’s aspiration as our own aspiration. Let us recall that in all matters, the Buddhist emphasis would be one of collaboration without force or violence. This is the Wisdom of the Buddhas. The Compassion of the Buddhas shows that peace and happiness must be for all people, all life, all existence. The life of a Shin Buddhist is a life of responding in gratitude to the Great Wisdom and Compassion of Amida Buddha by trying to live the best life we can guided by the Teachings or Dharma not only for our sake, but also others including those who are different from us. This is the peace and happiness that Buddhism speaks of. It is Compassion for, literally, all which has the Wisdom of Enlightenment guiding it. I would like to encourage you to continue coming to the temple to hear more about the Great Aspiration and Promises of Amida Buddha and I would encourage you to encourage your family and friends too.

I close today by expressing my gratitude to Hawaii Betsuin for this opportunity to share my thoughts on this New Year’s Day and also for your help and assistance. I am indebted to you for your most kind cooperation and willingness to help Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii and especially Headquarters. Thank you very much.

In this New Year, may we all, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, be guided by the Buddha’s Great Wisdom and Compassion so there is less discrimination and suffering and more peace and happiness in the world. Once again, wishing you a very Happy New Year and Namo Amida Butsu!