Love
Reverend Koho Takata
When I was a child, my parents bought me some rabbits. One day, baby rabbits were born by parents. Almost every day I and my older twin brother were playing with baby rabbits in the garden. As rabbits were babies, they were very small, cute, and cheerful, and we could handle their movements. However, as they grew bigger, we could not handle them. So, my father made a big house for them.
Every morning, my father opened the gate of their house. So, they were playing in the garden until evening. When evening came, we gathered them to bring into their house. It was our job. However, it was very hard for us because they were very fast. So, my feelings of love to them gradually faded away. One day, I caught one of them by holding the ear. Then, I threw away the rabbit. The rabbit could not move. As the result, the rabbit passed away. I recalled I was sternly scolded by my father. Recalling my child time, I fell this is similar to the kind of love we human have.
Generally speaking, a mother’s love is the strongest. However, there are many mothers who do crueler things to their own children just as that I did to the rabbit. Some mothers kill or abandon their own children. They are unbelievable things for me.
I am watching a Japanese program, "Suzuran" on TV. I guess some of you are also watching this program. One day, a mother abandons her baby, "Moe-chan", in the waiting room at the railroad station. The stationmaster finds out the baby left by her mother. Instead of her mother, he takes care of the baby as though she is one of his own children. Like this story, some mothers easily abandon or kill their children.
"Concerning compassion, there is a difference between the Path of Sages and the Pure Land Path. Compassion in the Path of Sages is to pity, commiserate with, and care for beings. It is extremely difficult, however, to accomplish the saving of others just as one wishes."
(The Collected Works of Shinran, page 663)
Now, let’s change the words of "the compassion of the Path of Sages" to "love of human being." Then, you may understand more easily that our love cannot be perfect. When we see something cute, we pick it up or we hold it in our arms. However, once we lose our interests in, the love changes to hate or anger. When our love changes to hate or anger, we abandon or kill even our own children and the like.
We all have received a life so that we are living it now. All beings are shining with the color of pure gold by receiving full of Amida Buddha’s Compassionate Light. There is no distinction from Buddha’s eyes. All lives are equally precious. Let us rededicate ourselves to live our lives to its fullest in the Light of Wisdom and Compassion.
Namo-Amidabutsu