Hi Dharma-friends! Today you can hear 6 more verses of "Gutoku's Hymns of Lament and Self-Reflection," part of the Shōzōmatsu Wasan.  Shinran wrote these verses toward the end of his life, when he was around 85 years old.  They are profound expressions of his own self-reflection.  He also calls out the various deficiencies, as he sees them, of this own age.  Particularly, he laments a superficial adoption of the Buddhist Teaching by both monks and laity.  Significantly, he recognizes these same deficiencies in himself.  The commentary on this section in The Collected Works of Shinran (CWS) explains: "Shinran expresses his own awareness of himself as a person sharing the deepest weaknesses of his age."  Shinran encourages all to rely exclusively on Amida's directing of virtue - the only sure way to cut through our seemingly intractable self-delusion. Next time we will conclude this section.  Until then, please be well.  You can find more good Dharma content on the American Buddhist Study Center's website ambuddhist.org Palms together, Garyself-reflection