New "BASIC BUDDHISM" Class

WHEN: Feb. 22, 2012 at 7:30 PM
WHERE: 6996 Ontario Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

Members and non-members are welcome
We ask for a $5.00/person donation

If you have any questions, please call us or send us an email
Thank you!

TEACHING:
Having awakened to the compassion of Amida Buddha and rejoicing in the assurance of Buddhahood, we shall endeavor to live a life of gratitude and compassionate activity.

EIGHTFOLD PATH:

• Right Views - right understanding of the Buddha's Dharma
• Right Aspiration - high and noble aims
• Right Speech - speaking of kind words
• Right Conduct - right behavior
• Right Livelihood - honest, professional life
• Right Effort - perseverance in goodness
• Right Mindfulness - right use of the intellect
• Right Meditation - meditation on the Buddha and the Dharma

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism
by Rev. Henry Toryo Adams
Nenju (Juzu)

It is common for Buddhists of many different traditions to carry a string of Buddhist mindfulness beads called nenju or juzu for Buddhist religious services, or throughout the day. The custom of carrying strings of beads goes back to ancient India, so these beads are carried by Buddhists throughout the world. Traditionally, nenju had a set number of beads, and even today the formal type used by ministers for special services are made of 108 beads. There are several possible interpretations of the number 108, but it generally represents the human tendency toward base passions and the potential for personal transformation and the realization of virtue.
In many traditions these beads are used for counting recitations of sacred phrases, which is where the name juzu 数珠, or “counting beads” comes from. Shinran, the founder of our Pure Land Buddhist tradition, taught that the spirit of mindfulness and gratitude in which the words “Namo Amida Butsu” are recited is more important than the number of recitations, which is why Jodo Shinshu Buddhists tend to call these beads nenju 念珠 or “mindfulness beads.”
Nenju don't have magical power and they won't bring you good luck. Carrying nenju and reciting the words “Namo Amida Butsu” at services and in your daily life is a way to feel the support of the Buddha's wisdom guiding you from moment to moment. In commenting on the importance of carrying a nenju, the venerable fifteenth century Pure Land Buddhist teacher Rennyo writes, “ . . . we notice that those who have attained the true entrusting heart never fail to express it in their voice and manifest it in their man-ner.” (Letters of Rennyo, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, p. 35) The true entrusting heart joyfully receives the guidance of the Buddha's teachings that illuminate the path to awakening.