One may ask what is the fathomless power of Amida's Vow and is it genuine? To this question I would answer with several other questions. How many countless souls have sought refuge and found solace in the Nembutsu throughout the ages? How many enlightened Dharma Masters have put aside the practices of self power and sought it's boundless grace? How many of the masters of the meditation schools have turned to the Nembutsu in their end?
Self power is only as strong as our greatest weakness and feeble will.
The Nembutsu allows us to burn away our egos in the light of infinite compassion and wisdom.
It is the gift of selflessness and fathomless solace and peace that knows no class, race, caste, color or distinction. It is Amida Buddha's gift to all sentient beings and it benefits all beings who hear or recite it.
The Nembutsu is the great medicine that heals the heart, mind and spirit through the power of boundless grace and unmitigated mercy. The proof of the Nembutsu's power lays in the lives of the practitioners themselves. The Nembutsu dissolves the darkness of the heart and brings even wicked persons to piety. It's proof also lays in the fact that countless people have taken up Nembutsu practice and have gotten the results in proportion with their practice and many people have even received mercy far greater in proportion then they probably deserved materially speaking.
The Nembutsu has the power to turn dacoits and rogues into Dharma Kings and Princes and it can turn the hard hearted into compassionate and pious beings. The great and boundless vow of Amida Buddha embraces both saint and sinner with equanimity and all encompassing mercy.
All we can do is approach it in gratitude with hands folded in gassho. It is a gift that cannot be repaid and a ransom to free us from the clutches of despair. It was given to us because of a single sincere moment in which we embraced it, either consciously or unconsciously.
We can never repay Amida's kindness and mercy but we can share it with others.
Namu Amida Butsu
