Name　名号 The Sanskrit original, nāmadheya, simply means the “name” of a Buddha or bodhisattva, but it has a special significance in Shin Buddhism; hence the capital letter. It might be said that “Amida Buddha” is a name, but Namo-amida-butsu is the Name. The difference between the two is that the Name icludes “Namo” as a necessary and essential component. “Namo” (namas in Sanskrit) originally means to take refuge. For Shinran, however, it is Amida’s calling one to the Pure Land. It means that one is called to entrust oneself completely to the Primal Vow of Amida that was brought to fulfillment for one’s own sake. “Namo”, therefore, is a crucial part of the enlightenment realized by Bodhisattva Dharmākara, and its inclusion in the Name reveals the nature of Amida’s compassion. Thus, when the Name is said, it is neither a petitionary prayer nor a magical formula, but the call of Amida and man’s hearing that call. In other words, when the Name, which is filled with Amida’s profound wish for human beings, works on one and becomes a reality in shinjin, it flows forth as Namo-amida-butsu. Here there is no room for any form of doubt, hesitation, or self-willed calculation.