tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284690686321744854.post704110383324747396..comments2023-04-25T11:39:41.508-07:00Comments on Buddhist Military Sangha: Chaps' Dharma Talk: "Advance Towards the Pure Land, Retreat Into Hell!" - The Ikko IkkiJeanette Yuinen Shinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17712459960189461740noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284690686321744854.post-63766948090272781662008-02-27T15:53:00.000-08:002008-02-27T15:53:00.000-08:00Hi Gerald!Nice to hear from you! Which temple do y...Hi Gerald!<BR/><BR/>Nice to hear from you! Which temple do you attend?<BR/><BR/>I prefer the Ondokusan melody which is the more upbeat, and it brings out the lyrics better, I think. It seems to be one the most used in temples. We always sing it in Japanese, I don't know if anyone ever uses the English translation.<BR/><BR/>I like Ondokusan because it's one of the best expressions of Jodo Shinshu; sometimes we get a bad rap as "the Buddhists who don't do anything" (?!) because we are not required to do practices like meditation. But in fact we DO do a lot! It is really not at all that easy as people think, to sincerely take refuge and express gratitude. Jodo Shinshu is not about slamming other Buddhist practices, but it is liberation in the real Buddhist sense of the word. People will only go to a Buddhist temple, and keep on going, if they have real joy in the Three Treasures, as you said, and generations of Shin Buddhists have felt that. So Ondokusan helps remind us of our responsibility to keep that tradition alive.Jeanette Yuinen Shinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17712459960189461740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5284690686321744854.post-7409474083785996212008-02-25T07:40:00.000-08:002008-02-25T07:40:00.000-08:00Ah, the Ondukusan. I attend a Jodo Shinshu here i...Ah, the Ondukusan. I attend a Jodo Shinshu here in the US, and we sing this hymn often. There are two melodies to it, by the way: one is slower more sad, the other kind of upbeat but bittersweet.<BR/><BR/>My take on the Ondokusan has been not so much a determination to defend Buddhism at all costs, but rather a kind of joy that one experiences their whole life (until their bones are dust) in being carried along by Amida Buddha and the Vow.<BR/><BR/>Also, my own take on Jodo Shinshu is not so much an exclusive one, but more of a straightforward one. I've dabbled in other Buddhisms in the past, and things can get overwhelming. Whereas in Jodo Shinshu, the only thing we do is take refuge in Amida Buddha. Anything else we do is just out of joy and gratitude. :)<BR/><BR/>It's nice because other Buddhist practices become an expression of joy rather than requirements, or reasons to worry. Meditate as much or as little as you like, because you don't feel pressure for not doing it enough.<BR/><BR/>Anyways, a few folks have been recommending I check out this site (though I am not in the military), so I wanted to drop in and say hi. I think it's great that there's a military Buddhist blog, so please keep up the good work. :D<BR/><BR/>--Gerald FordDoughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01150776813254693234noreply@blogger.com