But, Buddhism is not just knowledge, Buddhism is a frame of mind, an attitude. And the great contribution of Shinran to Buddhist understanding was that he taught the whole of Buddhist life was summed up in the single word, GRATITUDE!

 

The gratitude can arise from many things, and many understandings, but above all, it arises from our coming to understand ourselves. There is an ancient Sanskrit verse that says:

When I knew but very little, I grew mad like a rutting elephant and in my proud heart thought I was omniscient.

Bit by bit, from consort with the wise, when I had gained somewhat of knowledge, I knew myself a fool;

and the madness left like a fever.

 

When we come to understand ourselves, we know that we are totally and completely foolish... Shinran called himself Gutoku Shinran, the foolish Shinran... and, when we realize our own foolishness, we become instantly grateful for all the wonderful things that have happened to us in existence.

 

Everyday I ride in a automobile, the tires are rubber from Brazil or Indonesia, rubber which was gathered in the Jungles at the very risk, perhaps, of the gatherer’s life; He may even now be dead from a poisonous snake or an animal bite, yet I can go anywhere I want because he worked hard to help me. Truly, I should be thankful to his efforts. The food I eat, the clothes I wear, the job I have, are all dependent upon other people. To all these people, I owe my gratitude; to all these hundreds of people whom I have never met, and may never meet. I am thankful. But, most of all, I am thankful to the Buddha for having come to understand how I am inter-related with all and everything in the universe.

 

Shinran has handed down to us this teaching of the Buddha, and he has taught us that everything we do, should be our expression of gratitude to everything in the universe. Out of our gratitude, we

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