The Light of Buddha

The book presents Buddhism as a complete path of doctrine and practice rooted in the teaching of Śākyamuni Buddha and transmitted through the wider Mahāyāna tradition of East Asia. Its main doctrinal exposition centers on karma as absolute causality, the continuity of birth and death through dependent conditions, the denial of a permanent ego, and the simultaneous affirmation of existence and non-existence as two aspects of reality. It explains that human life is governed by karmic action rather than by a creator or immortal soul, and that liberation requires insight into the impermanent, conditioned, and non-substantial nature of all things. The chapter on Buddha distinguishes the historical Śākyamuni from the deeper, indestructible and eternal meaning of Buddhahood, while the final chapter links doctrine to practice through moral conduct, meditation, wisdom, purification of mind, faith, and compassionate action. The work also gives a clear account of Japanese Buddhist sectarian life, especially the distinction between self-powered practice and Pure Land devotion, concluding that sincere faith in Amitābha and the repetition of his name offer an accessible path to salvation while remaining grounded in Buddhist ethical discipline.