On 'Homage to the Buddha of Infinite Light'

na mu a mi da butsu — Homage to the Buddha of Infinite Light.

On the origin

The nembutsu of Pure Land Buddhism. Amida Buddha and the vow are set out in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life (Sukhāvatīvyūha); the recitation of “Namu Amida Butsu” and its merit appear in the Contemplation Sutra (Amitāyurdhyāna), among the lower grades.

On the reading

Namu is taking refuge; Amida is light and life without measure. To speak it is to set down one’s own contriving and lean into what is already at work. Not a thing to grasp or earn — only a turning toward.

On the garment

The seal for this phrase was hand-carved in Tokyo by the artist Satake Hōsen. The front carries this phrase’s seal; the back and inside label carry the Hōsen seal (寳千), printed in vermilion.

The garment is Bella + Canvas 3001 (short sleeve) or Gildan 2400 (long sleeve). A vessel for the word, not the subject itself.

― hosen, tokyo