We would like to announce the release of May 2015 DHARMA BREEZE edition
In this essay I want to distinguish two beginnings (or births) on the Buddhist path, and show that not just one but both must be experienced. All Buddhists experience an initial entrance into the Buddhist path. Although many Buddhists think that their initial entrance is good enough, I do not think so. If we desire to attain true liberation from the ego-self, the goal in Buddhism, we must experience two beginnings on the Buddhist path. When we examine the lives of Buddhists such as Honen and Shinran, we learn that they experienced two such beginnings.
I will first explain Shinran’s experience of two beginnings (or births) on the Buddhist path by discussing a schema of practice that is found in a Buddhist treatise. Then, on the basis of my discussion of Shinran’s two beginnings, I will discuss the issue of self-power (jiriki) and the Power Beyond the Self (Tariki). This is one of the most popular issues among Shin Buddhists. Since I believe that many Shin Buddhists misunderstand the meanings of the two powers, I will attempt to show how they should be correctly understood… (Dr. Nobuo Haneda)
To read more, please download the entire article (in PDF): The Importance of Having Two Beginnings on the Buddhist Path (May-2015)