Deepening our Friendship
Eishi Kodama Missionary, Tokyo
After Gotane, I reviewed the Buddhist lecture with Ryu Enkun, a Chinese graduate student and four university students from Tokyo. Ryu and her foreign friends are de- lighted that they came to Japan where Prince Shoutoku referred to as a suitable place for Buddhism to be spread. They had heart-to-heart communication with other Buddhist friends by sharing their enthusiasm to devote their life to spreading true teaching of Buddhism, espe- cially the true meaning of a single word “birth” which appears in Amida Buddha’s Vow, Nyakufushoja to those who only understand Chi- nese, but not Japanese. Stu- dents from Tokyo and Wase- da Universities further extolled the virtue of Bud- dhism by seeing change in those Buddhist friends who started listening to Bud- dhism later than them. In the building F, Buddhist friends from all over the world gathered in a circle and sometimes saw friends from Taiwan and Brazil wearing Japanese bathrobes and wooden clogs who went back and forth to the big communal bathing area (The Hot Spa of Virtue).
To deepen our friendship and realize our mission as Shinran followers, after re- viewing the lecture, we went to see the carps swimming near the dam. All fellow followers felt a sense of warmth and were ready from the next day to repay their debt of gratitude. Everyone, even if they battle with depression, builds up energy to move towards the light with Amida Buddha’s power. I cannot help but to share the beauty of our Buddhist Village with more and more friends.
Source: The Buddhist Village Times #07 | 2011, Deepening our Friendship
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