“Those who say the Name while they doubt
The vow beyond conceptual understanding
Attain birth and abide for five-hundred years
Vainly in a palace; so it is taught “

- Jōdo Wasan #2

Holding a baby, my baby, for the first time might be a comparable example of Shinjin. Looking at that tiny, red, shriveled screaming potato, there was nothing else just us together. And I was filled with a pure wonder at the world. I was filled with deep gratitude.

I always struggle to understand “Shinjin”. What really is a “true, entrusting heart”? How do we know if we have attained Shinjin? At the end of the day, I don’t think we can explain it. It’s something we feel. It’s just experience. And with that pure experience, we become grateful for everything.

As a breastfeeding mom, I was dreading my baby’s first tooth. I was worried about the pain and screaming for both of us. The small amount of actual pain was nothing compared to the weeks of anxiety I had building up to that tooth. This is a good reminder of the second noble truth.

“Persons who truly attain shinjin
As they utter Amida’s Name,
Being mindful of the Buddha always
Wish to respond to the great benevolent “

-Jōdo Wasan #1

My Dharma practice has fallen off since the birth of my first child. In an attempt to do a more attainable Dharma study around baby, work, and general life stress, I’ll be contemplating here on translations of Shinran’s Jōdo Wasans, 118 short poems that I can fit in around life.