Bodhi Tree Diary: Story - Grace for Liberation

This is a narrative I wrote for one of my assignment tasks at UQ. The objective was to write approximately 2000 words about a fictitious personage who is dying (or terminally ill) and trying to explain and embrace his or her religious tradition. In this case I chose Pure Land Buddhism. As far as my friend was concerned, it was a fantastic story. I hope it is engaging, and if I've done my job correctly, touching as well.


*Note: Only the nembutsu and specific Japanese references to Amitabha (such as Oyasama) are written in Japanese pronounciation. All other Buddhist terminology is written in its original Sanskrit enunciation.


The shaking young woman took a deep breath, her heart beating weakly in her ears as she watched a man across the small room, her vision blurred. It would not be long before her body succumbed.
He had been preparing tea when he heard her stir, rasping desperately for air. He bit his lip as he looked over his shoulder at her. It was painful to watch.
She moved again, her breathing quickening uncontrollably. “Hiko-senpai?”
He paused before saying aloud, “Yes, Uyo-chan?”
Her voice was quiet. “Are you there, Hiko?”
“Yes.”
“Come and sit with me.”
Hiko complied, placing the cup of tea on the table and sitting on her bed beside her. She struggled to rise into a sitting position, but he eased her back down, gentle hands pressing lightly onto her quivering shoulders and stroking back her long dark hair. “You should be lying down, Uyo. Your body is fragile, but I’m here. I won’t be leaving you.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes as she eyed the tea, her eyes blinking slowly.
Then, he broke the gentle tranquility. “Is there something you want to say?”
She glanced at him, then nodded. “Hiko-senpai? I have believed all my life. But I haven’t done more bad than good… have I?”
Hiko stared at her, before shaking his head more vigorously than he would have liked. “You have never committed great evil. You have never slandered or obstructed our faith. You will never be reborn in a Hell. I am absolutely certain Amitabha will take you straight to the Pure Land.”
She nodded, holding his hand. “You would always tell me of the saving grace of Amitabha. You had me grow up with the love and compassion of the Buddha of Infinite Light, with the promise that chanting the nembutsu before death would grant me a Pure Land rebirth and a chance at Liberation. Hearing his homage ten times is all Lord Amitabha wants before coming to anyone but the most heinous sinner’s side, and they may rejoice when He leads them to Sukhavati, the Western Paradise.”
He nodded. “It is real, don’t you know?” he did his best to smile. “It’s all real. The promises. The happiness you will find when you meet Him.”
She felt urgency overwhelm her being. There was no guilt that stemmed the tide of this urgency; the moment she understood Amitabha’s loving offer of rebirth in the Western Paradise she knew she needed His support. “Then I must call Him to my side before it’s too late,” she rasped, clutching Hiko’s hand. “I must… recite His homage ten times, or He will never hear me.”
“No,” said Hiko firmly. “I will call to Him on your behalf. He will hear you, most certainly. He will come and bring you to His Pure Land.”
She nodded. “I never doubted once that He existed. When I… when I …” she lowered her head. “It was no one’s fault but my own. Perhaps I had committed a grave crime in a previous life.”
Hiko shook his head. “Why don’t you tell me about Him? What He will do?”
“Our Parent,” whispered Uyo. “Oyasama. He will come, won’t He? He’s our loving Parent. He will take me to the Pure Land. I can practice the faith without any hindrance.” Her eyes began to wander. “I can almost see it already. I can meditate on it. Infinite life in infinite light…”
“Tell me more,” he urged. “Don’t stop.”
“I have meditated on His grace several times, and I could almost see it once again. I saw…” she swallowed. “The setting sun, its gentle radiance. And there He was, towards the west, tipping below the beautiful horizon. Amitabha was like a just and forgiving king, bright but not blinding, shining but not harsh. I saw water…”
“And lapis lazuli?”
“Yes. It was almost like a divine vision, even though I knew I was only meditating.”
“What else did you see?”
“The lotus leaves of the Western Paradise. The flowers and the jewel-trees; even they were joyously proclaiming the compassion and love of Amitabha to all who resided in the Pure Land. I was walking beside the trees; I was stroking them in wonder, and they awakened a meditative calm in me, and I saw in my mind countless other universes, where everything was just as I wanted it to be. Free from defilement, I saw the compassionate Avalokiteshvara, who was offering three wish-granting jewels… and the wise Mahasthamaprapta, whose power pervaded the entire land… these two great beings flanked a giant lotus flower of eighty-four thousand petals… all glimmering in luminosity, reflecting the entire cosmos in themselves.
“And finally…” she smiled, blinking away tears, “I saw Amitabha. His gentle face, eyes slightly open… smiling with infinite compassion. Loving-kindness too profound and powerful to understand completely. Ineffable love, divine and holy mercy that showed all, even unbelievers, a path to the Pure Land.”
“You did well,” murmured Hiko, stroking back her long hair. “So, tell me about Dharmakara. How he and Amitabha are one and the same.”
She looked at him, her eyes clouding. “The monk?”
“Yes.”
“Many eons ago, the compassionate Dharmakara vowed… to become a Buddha of a Pure Land, where devotees could devote their meritorious life into practicing the Dharma. He wanted…” she swallowed. “He wanted a universe where those who had died, and accumulated meritorious karma, to be able to work without hindrance towards the great Liberation. His new universe would combine all the merits of other Pure Lands together… and his Buddha-Field would exceed them all. He succeeded. He really succeeded…”
“And now you are on your way to this universe, dear Uyo-chan.”
“Oh… Amitabha… He is Dharmakara. The ultimate ideal of compassion. And I will be able to meet Him soon…”
“He enters through your heart, dispelling all the delusions of this decadent world. Whatever you request of Him and His Pure Land, it is possible.”
“Should I wish it, I can have eternal life,” whispered Uyo. “Amitabha vows that whoever wants eternal life can have it in His Pure Land. Or, should I want to be a wisdom being, I can be reborn as many times as I want into this samsaric universe to help sentient beings.”
“And which boon do you want to enjoy from His grace?” asked Hiko, biting his lip and suppressing the urge to hold her to him and never let go.
“I want to be a bodhisattva, a wisdom being… like Avalokiteshvara. I want my own heart to be filled with endless love, pity and compassion for the suffering sentient beings of the world because I know, like so many others, what it is like to suffer. I will alleviate the suffering of others, so they may be happy. And then, I will cease completely the suffering of others, so they may be liberated. And…” she looked longingly at him. “I want to see you again, Hiko-senpai. One lifetime like this is not enough to repay your kindness. I want to be reborn many more times, so I can repay my debt to you.”
“But you are wrong. I will see you again. There… there is no debt to repay. There is no debt…” Hiko grunted back a sob. “I will see you again very soon,” he continued, determined to have her hear his words of comfort. “We will encounter one another, for many more lifetimes. So,” he tried to smile, but his voice was weak. “Treat all living beings with respect, love and sincerity. For it might be me.”
She looked at him, her eyes softening, and struggled to sit up again. Momentary, subdued silence hung in the air as Hiko finally relented and reluctantly helped her against the wall, propping up a pillow behind her back.
“I thought… I would be able to recall so much more of what you taught me,” she mumbled, her hand trembling. Instinctively Hiko reached out and held hers in his. “But… but… ” She began to wonder aloud. “Who will I see there? How am I supposed to know which of my friends have the privilege of seeing Amitabha?”
“It’s alright, Uyo. Listen to me. Don’t be afraid. Amitabha is not a Judge. He is not a punisher. There is no hate, or anger, or resentment for Him. Only love.”
She smiled, her lips shaking. “I was the one who wanted you to teach me all this. And now I can’t say anymore… forgive me, Hiko.”
Hiko smiled. “Other-power,” he whispered.
Her eyes widened momentarily, and for the first time since that day, she beamed. “Ah, yes. How could I forget? I… I must have faith. Must have faith…”
“Do you remember when you were just a small child, and you could not accomplish something you wanted to do? What did you do then?”
“I… I asked my father if he could help me.”
“So…” he urged gently.
“So Oyasama will most certainly help me. When we die, we must give up our self-power, no matter how much it helped us in life. We now must rely on Amitabha’s other-power, so we can give ourselves completely to His transcendent love.” She gazed at him, eyes shining. “Am I right? Hiko…”
“Once your Buddha-nature shines, Amitabha will hear you. You will be assured of rebirth in the Pure Land.”
Uyo closed her eyes momentarily as she breathed out a quick prayer. “Oyasama…Let me cross into your vessel of Grand Compassion, away from the turbulent sea of suffering. Be the raft to my Liberation, the shelter to samsara, be the shore of love and radiance on which I sail to.”
Hiko remained silent, pressing his forehead to hers. She wrapped her small hands around his, kissing it. “Hiko. Do not be sad for me. I am not afraid anymore,” she whispered firmly. “You were right all along. You, and the grace of Amitabha, have given me this strength. So when I leave, mourn not. Be free of suffering. We will meet again, I and I will be the first to call out to you.”
Hiko stared at her. She really had… “You have great strength, Uyo,” he said, his smile quivering. “There is no greater gift, than to die in peace, full of love and gratitude, and without hatred. This is how you will see Amitabha, and all the other Buddhas. This is what it means to be a Buddhist. You have realized this long ago, and for that, I can let you go with no regret.”
She nodded, her trembling easing slightly. “Amitabha, the unconditioned embodiment of the law of love,” she said, smiling and holding Hiko close. “Oh, Hiko-senpai. No more pain. No more of this… agony.”
“No more,” he agreed in a whisper, his mouth dry.
I feel the grace of Amitabha working deep within me; my Buddha-nature is shining… she thought. I must bid farewell before I… “Hiko,” she murmured, as he kissed her forehead, and her voice was quiet and steady. “My voice will be strong enough to chant His homage. He will hear me. Please, chant with me so I may hear your voice one last time. You have given me so much.” She smiled. To depart this universe with no resentment, from this man whom I love so much, and into the arms of the Lord of Infinite Light… what more can I ask for? “Goodbye, my dearest Hiko. And thank you.”
He held her tighter. “I will help send you on your way to His realm. Go in peace, child. I love you.”
Several more moments passed as Uyo breathed deeply in Hiko’s warm arms, quietly exultant. And at a silent accord, they began to chant.
“Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu. Nama Amida Butsu…”
Three more times.
Two more times.
One more…
“Nama Amida Butsu.” Uyo fell silent, her eyes closing, and her weak grip loosened slightly on Hiko’s warm shirt. Her smile was radiant, and no longer was her face damp with grief. Hiko placed his cheek close to hers, and she sighed in rapture. “Goodbye, Uyo,” he murmured. “Goodbye.”
They remained in that position, wrapped in the gentle comfort of each other’s arms, trusting in the enlightened grace of Amitabha, until Uyo’s soft breathing ceased. Her head slumped, and her grip on Hiko’s hand relaxed completely.
A single tear left Hiko’s closed eye and trickled slowly down his face.





The end