Essay 104

Revised on 24 September, 2016.

‘The silhouette of the pine

Is clearly shown by the moonlight’;

The moment I am certain of falling,

Is the moment when the calling sound of

‘You rely on and are saved by the Primal Vow-power’ is heard.

It is of no avail if you do not become fully aware of ‘the corpses of the five grave offences and slander of the Dharma’ (ki, the object to be saved). This full awareness is that without being fully aware of the ‘Dharma (that saves),’ you cannot be fully aware of ‘the object (to be saved).’ The full awareness of ‘relying on the Primal Vow-power for birth (in the Pure Land)’ is the full awareness of ‘the corpses of the five grave offences and slander of the Dharma.’ The full awareness of ‘the corpses of the five grave offences and slander of the Dharma’ is the full awareness of ‘the salvation of the Primal Vow-power.’ This is termed ‘the twofold deep faith (二种深信),’ also called ‘oneness of the two aspects [of deep faith] (二種一具).’* 

However, what is inconceivable here is, ‘the Dharma (that saves) contains the object (to be saved) and the object (to be saved) contains the Dharma (that saves).’ When you become fully aware that ‘I am a sinner deeply burdened with karmic evil and do not have the dimmest hope to be saved,’ the voice of Amida Buddha crying, ‘No worries, I am here!’ will be heard instantly. Also, when you hear the Tathagata’s Call of ‘Namo Amida Butsu, thank you!’ (faith of the Dharma that saves), you will think right away of ‘like this sinner that is me’ (faith of the object to be saved). 

When you gradually mature and come to accept the teaching of the ‘twofold deep faith’—‘the faith of the object (to be saved)’ and ‘the faith of the Dharma (that saves)’—then you will realize that this is actually the working of the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom, that of the Primal Vow.

*二種深信 (nishu jinshin) is the deep realization of the Dharma (honojinshin, 法の深信) and individual nature (kinojinshin, 機の深信). 二種一具 means that abandoning self-calculation and entrusting wholly to the Dharma are primarily oneness, and not two separate things. Therefore, there is no time sequence such as deep realization of the Dharma arising first and individual realization following after, or its reverse, or simultaneously. The two aspects of “deep faith” contained within 二種深信 should not be discussed separately; therefore, it is called 二種一具. The two are originally one. (Special thanks to Rev. Michihiro Honda Tanaka for providing this explanation.)