The Power of Listening and Entrusting 
 
“ Hard is stone, soft is water; water will wear away stone. If one has plumbed the mind, the Enlightenment of Bodhi is certain.” If true entrusting is at a distance, intensive listening to the Buddha Dharma ends in entrusting due to the Buddha’s compassionate activity.  All we need do is expend our efforts in listening to the Buddha’s teaching.” 
 
Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499)  
 
     I would like to reflect on aa passage from Rennyo Shonin, 8 th abbot of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, and whose wisdom continues to resonate with us across centuries. “Hard is stone, soft is water; water will wear away stone. If one has plumbed the mind, the Enlightenment of Bodhi is certain.” These words convey the quiet but persistent power of softness and       patience. Hardness and rigidity are like stone, unyielding and resistant to change. But water, which is soft and adaptable, can wear away even the  hardest stone with persistence. In the same way, our minds, though often rigid and fixed in their views, can be transformed through the softening influence of Buddha’s wisdom and compassion. The Enlightenment of Bodhi— the realization of awakening—is not achieved through brute force, but through consistent, gentle effort. This effort requires patience, like water flowing over a stone, gradually but surely bringing transformation. 
 
     Rennyo Shonin offers a key insight for those of us on the path to awakening: “If true       entrusting is at a distance, intensive listening to the Buddha Dharma ends in entrusting due to the Buddha’s compassionate activity.” What does it mean to “entrust (Shinjin in Japanese)”? To entrust is to surrender our will, our efforts, our understanding, to something greater than ourselves. In the context of the Buddha’s teachings, it means placing our faith in the Buddha’s wisdom, compassion, and guidance, knowing that through that faith, we will find the path to liberation. 
 
     Rennyo Shonin emphasized the importance of listening. The path to true entrusting is not one of mere intellectual understanding or self-willed effort; it is the humble act of listening to the Buddha’s teachings. But what is meant by listening in the deepest sense? Listening here is not just hearing words; it is deeply attending to the teachings, allowing them to penetrate our hearts and minds. It is about opening ourselves to the teachings with the same softness that water has toward stone. When we truly listen, we allow the teachings to wear away the     hardness of our delusions, our attachments, and our fixed views. 
 
     However, there is something even more powerful in Rennyo Shonin ’s words: “due to the Buddha’s compassionate activity”. This reminds us that it is not solely through our own efforts that we come to entrust ourselves fully to the Dharma. We are held and supported by the  Buddha’s compassion, which works through the teachings, through our practice, and through our community. Even when our efforts feel distant or weak, the Buddha’s compassion is there, guiding us, calling us back to the truth. 
 
     All we need to do is listen—listen deeply, with patience, humility, and openness. The    Buddha’s compassionate activity will do the rest. The water will wear away the stone. The teaching will penetrate our hearts. And in time, the true entrusting, the complete faith in the Buddha’s path, will naturally arise. In our daily lives, we often rush, distracted by the noise of the world. Yet, in the stillness of listening, we find the power of transformation. We do not need to force ourselves into enlightenment. Like water flowing over stone, the truth will slowly soften us, revealing the wisdom and compassion that are our true nature.  
 
     Let us remember that the path to Enlightenment is not a journey of force or struggle. It is a journey of trust, of listening, and of allowing ourselves to be softened by the Buddha’s        compassionate teachings. May we all  continue to listen deeply, entrusting ourselves to the Buddha’s guidance, knowing that through this, the transformation of our minds will be      certain. 
Namo Amida Butsu, Tatsuya Aoki