In the Pure Land...

On the day Rev. Shindo passed away, I wanted to go to the hospital but could not because I had a meeting at the temple with Kintetsu about the traveling to Japan in October.

Later, that night I had this dream where I was in a town/city that I was exactly sure where it was but it was familiar. All I know I spent the whole time looking for Rev. Shindo. Could not find him down the hall or up the street.

Finally, I noticed I was the only one there - I had not seen a single person at all during my search. At this moment, I thought I better wake up, so I did. I never got to know what I was doing or why I was there because I broke the dream by waking up.

A week later, Bill Dearth, minister's assistant of Orange County Buddhist Church, came to speak at our temple. In his discussion of an essay on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism written by a Catholic priest, he mentioned that in our beliefs that Amida Buddha had shown us the way and we instantaneously join him on death, and that if we do somehow go to the Pure Land, we would not see anyone there because that is not what believe in.

hmmmmm...I must be dreamt about being in the Pure Land, of course, where else would I be to look for Rev. Shindo? But it was not filled with palaces of precious stones and metals of different colors. It was a place that was bright yet familiar, yet unidentifiable. If so, that would be appropriate for the Pure Land to be - nothing. Gee, if I had not have waken up, would I have just remained there forever? No wonder I rushed to wake myself up, I still have tasks to finish here on this shore.

Namu amida butsu.