Alan Watts talk re Amitabha
“The Diamond Way”
talk
[KPFK said it was obtained from alanwatts.org ]
Note: [comments for clarification and elucidation are in Italics here] to Watts’s words were transcribed from a short
recording - played on KPFK radio,on July 23,
2017.
This may not be the entire talk made, recorded but as quickly transcribed from on-air soundings, for sharing with the rest of any KPFK audiences.
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“The Japanese version… of Pure Land Buddhism, a pure sect,
within the Amitabha BUDDHA [it is
also a venerated statue in Japan]
came from India Buddhism, and is part of Mahayana Buddhism.... re “ jōdo”
....says we are now
in KALI YUGA
[this was when Watts spoke in ‘70’s]…
when everything is fouled up .. breaking down… been happening
since 3000 yrs ago in 3,023 BCE [before
the christian-claimed era ] and
continues for 5,000 yrs or
so individually...
[this is not a straight line but curved
with cycles, within that movement ... as their wisdom takes the longer view ]....
[ or
even collectively at a point of finite time] , we are not guilty or afraid
but not really “pure”, [or responsible or
‘in charge’ as we assume or we would like to be…that ego-selfish-image point of
view does not fit into this longer perspective…]
...we cannot liberate ourselves from the chains of Karma, which
is our conditioning …the bondage to the past
[of all we are taught, trained from past and elders]...
We cannot rely on our own power to get out
…but only rely on something else ..not “you” but something different…called
“kariki” ... which is an other form, not
‘you’ ...
[as you assume ‘you are’ here ]...
....to get away from karma is not done by ‘you’ personally, and
it’s not even by repeating the usual mantra, the phrase honoring the Buddha, that
gets us out of our Karma…
as Buddha ‘just sits there’ peacefully...
[w/o volition or wanting/doing any thing to
change]....
[…. the assumed
‘knowing’ that there is nothing we temporal beings can, must, or even try to
do, which will change what IS, as-is…thus repeating what Meditation practices
do: observe, notice, not use ego, volition, will to change or ‘do something
!’ ...
[…but just sit in silence to become Aware of what happens, as it does, on
‘it’s own’, as body breathes, organs secret and absorb, cells grow, increase,
die off, and as life is in constant movement & motion w/o our ‘doing it’ or
‘causing it’ or ‘creating anything’ with our puny bodies & clever minds’…]
[... thus in ‘our’
mind-set following the Western ways, vs. the different and more ancient Asian/
Eastern ways– as India, Japan, China, etc. are East to USA : where definers-deciders reside…
and assume the throne position is theirs on this continent, and maybe a bit of
inclusion is given to Europe only, too – ...
[....that Western thinking & assumptions and ‘truths’ rule
as conforming to that social conditioning and socially-set value, morals,
religions exemplified as “the Only Right, True One =1” rejects the ‘accept what
is and not want to control, change, improve, or profit/take/get-more/steal it…whatever
that assumed desire seems to lead. ]
[also honored by Chinese, Tibetans, Koreans, Vietnamese & many other
regions, including Afghanistan, Mongolia…etc. etc. …were given different names in their own languages…]
In the Mahāyāna school
of Buddhism. Amitabha is the
principal Buddha in the Pure Land
sect…. "Amitabha" is translatable as "Infinite Light”.... an openness
and acceptance of all kinds…..
"...and after death you will be Re-born w/o karma, it’s a cinch
w/o any difficulty in the PURE LAND, born inside a LOTUS…
...big Buddha statue peacefully
just sitting, and just say mantra to AMIHTA and become like him, just
say “Ano Amihtabutz”- as in the religion of most Japanese Buddhists – where no other efforts, sacrifices, bowing down is needed...
....you cannot do it by own effort...thinking you can do it, you
are a phoney, you must go completely to DISOWN own power / capability to
be virtuous, unselfish.....
....this develops a
wonder-fine-man = ‘neo konin” not ltd to
males, women included is the story a neo konin falls asleep in temple, priest comes in to
say “what are you doing here?” and he said, “oh, you must not be part of
family.”
....another story – good calligrapher…was alone in room where
paper and ink sitting there, so he couldn’t resist doing his calligraphy on
that paper, he realized he had ‘spoiled’ expensive paper, but host walked in
and he apologized….he apologized he couldn’t resist…but host realized he had
now valuable calligraphy on that paper...
...stories shows the spirit of the NEO KONIN…[see for better spelling]
....all the great things of life are NOT YOUR own doing
the Tari… people think all comes from the ‘other”…
when you penetrate deeply into Pure
Life School,
they believe Amihataba sits on h is golden lotus, there is a paradise....
people sit…
.....but sophisticated people don’t believe that ..that AMIHTABA
is IN you when you say “I Have a body” you think your body happens to
“you”, given to you by your parents – as a passive recipeient – ... but who is recipient of these gifts?...
instead of ”I am a body” –that YOU don’t exist separately from all that you call
“other” that is YOU too...but you can only realize it by experiences…when going to
extremes …
.... LETTING GO OF Every –thing = i.e. zen monk spare existence to explore
liberation in extreme …but gets to same point as other extreme – NO EFFORT
WHATSOEVER, as it
‘comes of itself’ … but even saying mantra is ‘doing
something’ … but we must NOT do any work to ‘get there’ at all…both are extremes...
...to do nothing is as difficult as to do everything”
[recording on air ended there ] ###
P.S. Other recordings, books, and maybe even other Buddhist articles are available on line or at local libraries, to read, hear and research more, to help USA-Western cultured minds open to "other" than their religious views. That openness then allows doubt, questions, other mind-sets and beliefs to be creatively evaluated, mulled over, checked-in, and the whole of how we live our lives to be re-adjusted and a more positive view affirmed...maybe. (c)2017 mj
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