Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the March 2008 issue of the Buddhist Wheel

As you know, Siddhartha Gautama, who later became known as the founder of Buddhism, was born about 2,600 years ago in Lumbini Garden in a Himalayan foothills village in what today is Nepal. The son of King Suddhodana of the Shakya clan, he was born among the beautiful blooming flowers. After renouncing his royal life as Siddhartha, he spent years seeking the truth of life, finally achieving Enlightenment. Then, known as Shakyamuni Buddha, he spent 45 years sharing the Buddha Dharma, the true and real teaching of Amida’s Universal Vows. Shakyamuni Buddha spent his life showing each person how to achieve awareness through discovering and realizing the entrusting mind, the Universal Law, or the Vow of Amida Buddha. As Shinran Shonin in the Shoshinge said, “The Master Shakyamuni Buddha did appear in this world to teach the Vow of Amida Buddha for everyone to hear”.

One afternoon in mid-December of 2006, at Rev. Shigenori Makino`s residence on Pali Highway, I asked him, “Sensei, what are you going to do after retirement?” I had gone to receive the treasured books he had collected throughout his 42 years of ministry and had invited me to choose the books I wanted, now that he was retired.

He answered, “I am thinking that I am going to India.”

I immediately asked him, “Can I go to India with you?” It had been my life-long dream, going to India, birthplace of Shakyamuni Buddha.

On the morning of February 16, 2007, in my office at Jikoen Hongwanji, I was answering the phone and tending to last minute tasks before leaving for Honolulu International Airport. At around 10:00 a.m. I said to the office secretary, “Emi, I am now leaving for India.”

Emi smiled and said “Sensei, have a great trip to India!”

Until then, I had not thought much of how excited and awe-inspired I would be in realizing that I was actually going to India, the birthplace of our founder, Shakyamuni Buddha. At noon, like a child when the airplane took off, I could hardly stand the excitement I felt, realizing that my lifelong dream was beginning at that moment. After a long flight from Hawaii and Osaka, Japan, I finally reached Delhi International Airport.

Mr. Alora, our tour guide, welcomed us. He was a very active Sikh and spoke a little Japanese. We went to the hotel and checked in. Entering the room, I turned on the light but it did not work. I called the front desk and said, “Hello, my room number is 515. I have a problem. The lights are not working. I need someone to check them.” The clerk replied, “No problem, no problem.” A few minutes later a man came to the room and kept repeating, “No problem, no problem.”

The next morning, when I went the dining room for breakfast and tried to pour my coffee, the pot was empty, so I asked the waiters to get coffee for me. “No problem, no problem,” they replied. While I was having breakfast, I kept wondering why the Indians kept repeating, “No problem” whenever I requested or complained about something. This was on my mind throughout the morning.

After checking out of the hotel, we returned to the airport to proceed to Buddha Gaya, site of the Enlightenment. At the airport before boarding, I asked Mr. Alora, “Do you know why the staff at hotel always repeated “No problem” whenever I requested a favor?”

He smiled and said, “Rev. Nishiyama, the answer to your question is very easy.  We Indians are used to having no lights because we often have blackouts. And we drink tea or chai instead of coffee. We  have  no  problem  with  no lights, no hot shower, and no coffee, but you have a problem without them because you or other visitors always expect to have everything from us like you were in your own country, America or Japan.  So when the people on the staff only say “No problem,” it means the problem is not  their  problem, you are  the only one having the problem because you are expecting  to get everything anytime and anywhere. Rev. Nishiyama, you are now in India, not in your country.”

I then realized that I was the one who had the problem in selfishly expecting to have everything for my own comfort as though I were at home instead of in India. It was an interesting experience and a lesson in self-awareness.

On February 18, we reached Gaya town after long drive from Patna City. I checked in at the hotel and had dinner. Now I can tell you that the shower was not hot, and at dinner, the rice was cold.  But I did not call the front desk, and I did not bother the waiter with any selfish requests. I repeated in my mind, “No problem, no problem, everything is acceptable.”

I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit the six historical sites of Shakyamuni Buddha. Lumbini Garden, his birthplace; Buddha Gaya, site of Bodhi tree where he attained Enlightenment; Sarnath, site of his first sermon to his five followers; Rajigil, site of his permanent residence and where he preached the Lotus Sutra and Meditation Sutra of the Pure Land tradition; the Bamboo Grove Monastery where he stayed during the rainy season; and Kushinagara, site of the death place of Shakyamuni Buddha.  These sites held sacred by Buddhists the world over are found largely in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the state of Bihar in India.

My heart filled with joy and gratitude, imagining how Shakyamuni Buddha himself had undoubtedly traveled about there, teaching about Amida Buddha and the way of Nembutsu to be born into the land of Nirvana. Thank you, India, for giving me a great opportunity to learn many things.

Namo Amida Butsu.

Visit our downloads section to get the complete issue.