Prologue 4

Jodo Shinshu does not grow out of faith in the Buddha, but it has its root in the enlightenment of the Tathagata, that is the Great Compassion and Vows of Namu Amida Butsu.

Bombu are born in the Pure Land simply not because they believe or have attained shinjin (faith). We simply congratulate ourselves for being able to hear the realization of birth in Namu Amida Butsu, which is ‘the beckoning command of the Primal-Vow’.  To be precise ‘The Other-Power’, is also called ‘The Primal-Vow Power of the Tathagata’.

Many people after listening to the Buddha Dharma may have such reactions as: ‘My mind has changed’; ‘my mind has changed to become more kind’ and so on. Some people just model themselves on the sages; some are based on their mere conceptions and memories; whereas others because they have explained to people about the merits of the Primal Vow, and that sort of thing. However, the object of salvation for people like us shall hold the attitude that:

‘For Buddha Dharma, no matter how much we have listened to it, we shall remain as infants, and as though we have not been listening to anything.’ 

Zuiken Sensei