Conveying Buddhism with Confidence
When I held Unlocking Tannisho in my hand, I felt like it was a dream come true. There were parts in the Japanese version of the book that were difficult for me to understand, but reading the English translation, I felt like it was crystal clear. An example is in part II, chapter 11: “Then are funerals, memorial services, and gravesite visits meaningless? No. To those who have heard Buddhist truth they are occasions for thanksgiving and rejoicing in Amida’s salvation, and to those in ig- norance of the truth they are chances to form bonds with Amida, the Buddha of Infi- nite Life.” Amida Buddha here is expressed as “the Buddha of Infinite Life” only in the English version. When someone dies, we realize how fragile life is and at the same time, we wish we would never die. Reading Unlock- ing Tannisho, I realized that funerals and memorial ser- vices are chances to form bonds with Amida Buddha, as our attention shifts to the Buddha of Infinite Life.
Additionally, until now during the web conference on Unlocking Tannisho, not having the book in English in my hand, it was difficult for me to follow the lecture as my Japanese is still far from proficiency. So it was all the more difficult to convey the content of the lecture to someone else. But now, I listen to Buddhism with Un- locking as a textbook in my hand!!! I want to memorize the true words in it and share the content with others with confidence! The more I read Unlocking, the more I gain strength. I am all grateful to Takamori Sensei for bring- ing this book to us in English.
Bita Asakura
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #05 | 2011, Conveying Buddhism with Confidence
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