This transformation is suggested in the third metaphor of transformed rubble, based on scripture that reads: “We who are like bits of rubble are transformed into gold.” All-embracing and nonexclusive, this path accepts everyone, even the lowliest who are considered nothing more than “bits of rubble” in the eyes of society. But this world is not a given it is to be realized through undergoing a radical transformation. This is the realm of the Pure Land, the world of enlightenment. The multiple colors of the lotus blossoms, each radiating its distinctive luster, creates the glory of the enlightened realm. In the Pure Land tradition it represents the uniqueness of each person, or each reality-as-is, distinct from all others each with its own uniqueness. The lotus has been an important religious symbol in the Asian world for more than five thousand years with different signilications. The lotus flower, the second metaphor, reveals the distinctive meaning of suchness or thatness. Though Shin Buddhism improvised a radically new form of practice, its goal is one and the same with that of Mahayana Buddhism The goal is to awaken to the true self as a manifestation of dharma or “reality-as-is.” What this means may be illustrated by some popular metaphors in the Pure Land tradition. The Color Gold – excerpt for River of Fire River of Water by Taitetsu Unno
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