From Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin (2005) (Jodu Shu Press)
No matter who it is, no one stays here forever in this fleshy body. The only difference is that either I myself or someone else must be left behind while the other goes ahead.
Then if we think of the period of time that will separate us, that too is uncertain. And even though they may call it long, at the longest it is only like a short dream or vision. So no matter how many times I think it over, the more I am convinced that the thing to do is to think only of our meeting in the land of Amida Buddha. There, as we sit upon our Lotus flowers and the cares of this world all clear away, we will talk together about the scenes and events of our past lives. We then will discuss together how we can help each other in promoting the emancipation of people down through the long future.
Honen (1133-1212) was a religious reformer who propagated the first independent school of Japanese Buddhism, known as Jodo-shu. After encountering the teachings of the Chinese Pure Land master Shandao, he experienced a radical conversion and taught that salvation was possible and fastest through recitation of Amitabha’s name, the nembutsu.
