We often judge others in our daily lives.  For example, if you always help others, you are considered a good person.  If you steal something, you are considered a bad person.  If you cannot have good grades in the school, you are considered a not-smart person.  If you always grumble about others, you are considered a complaining person. 

When you catch lots of fishes, you will be happy for it.  However, from the stand point of fishes, it is terrible thing.  If you kill a cockroach, mosquito, etc., it is good thing for you.  However, it is terrible thing for them.  If it is not valuable things for you, you will throw away it.  Like this, we always judge others and things through our self-centered eyes.

There is a Japanese children story.  Long ago, there was a boy who lived on a farm.  He always did such silly things that people called him Silly Saburo.  He could never remember more than one thing at a time, and then would do that one thing, no matter how silly it might be.  His father and mother were very worried about him, but they hoped he would get smarter as he grew older, and they were always very patient with him.

One day, his father said, “Saburo, please go to the potato patch today and dig up the potatoes.  After you have dug them up, spread them out carefully and leave them to dry in the sun.”  Saburo replied, “I understand.”  Then he put his hoe over his shoulder and went out to the potato patch.             

Saburo was busy digging the potatoes, when all of a sudden his hoe hit something in the earth.  He dug deeper and found a big old pot.  When he looked inside the pot, he found it was filled with large gold coins.  Saburo recalled what his father told, “I must first dig things up and then leave them to dry in the sun.”  So, he very carefully spread the gold coins out.  Then he went home and said, “I found a pot of gold and spread the coins in the sun to dry.”  His parents were very surprised when they heard this.  They rushed to the potato patch, but someone had already taken all the gold.  His father said, “Next time, when you find something, you must wrap it up very carefully and bring it home.”  Saburo replied, “I understand.”

Next day, he found a dead cat in the field.  So, he wrapped it up very carefully and brought it home. His father said, “When you find something like this, you must throw it in the river.”

Next day, Saburo dug up a huge tree stump.  He thought very hard and remembered what his father had said about the dead cat.  So, he took the stump and threw it with a great splash in the river.  Just then a neighbor said, “You must not throw away valuable things like that.  It would have made good firewood.  You should have broken it up into small pieces and taken it home.”  Saburo replied, “I understand.”

On his way home, he saw a teacup which somebody had left beside the road.  He thought that it was a valuable thing.  He took his hoe and broke the teapot and teacup up into very small pieces.  Then he gathered up them and took them home.

Saburo said, “I am back.  Look, what I found and brought home.”  Then he showed his mother the broken pieces of teacup and teapot.  Mother said, “Oh, my!  That is the teacup and teapot that I took to your father with his lunch this afternoon.  And you have completely ruined them!”

Like this story, we always think and see others or things in our self-centered minds and hearts whether it is valuable or not, good or bad.  We decide one’s quality and ability through our self-centered views and calculations.  However, from Buddha’s enlightened eyes, all things and lives are equally valuable whether you are educated or uneducated, poor or rich, man or woman, young or old, valuable for you or not.  Amida Buddha does not make any distinction.  Amida Buddha does not have any judgment.    

“In truth, myself and others discuss only good and evil, leaving Amida’s benevolence out of consideration.  Among Master Shinran’s words were:

   I know nothing at all of good or evil.  For if I could know thoroughly, as Amida Tathagata knows, that an act was good, then I would know good.  If I could know thoroughly, as the Tathagata knows, that an act was evil, then I would know evil.  But with a foolish being full of blind passions, in this fleeting world – this burning house – all matters without exception are empty and false, totally without truth and sincerity.  Then nembutsu alone is true and real.”

                                          (Collected Works of Shinran, P. 679)

Let us reflect upon ourselves and live in the great compassionate minds of Amida Buddha in our daily lives.