Essay 116

The Vow-power

Condenses into the calling sound of the six syllable Name;

I am called back home

To the homeland of the Father of Compassion.

‘The primal Vow-power’ is the truth of the Dharma realms, the power and working of Suchness. The great wisdom and great compassion lie in all the sutras; all the sutras condense into the two-syllable ‘command (敕命) ¹’of the inconceivable primal Vow-power.

Speaking of the command of the great compassion of ‘Come right as you are,’ it embodies shinjin (faith) and nembutsu.  It’s not we who hold up shinjin to entrust in the command.

We simply look up to and be faithful to the command in a grateful way; is there anything easier than this? This is the easiest and most straightforward (clear-cut) shinjin; nonetheless, nothing is as difficult as this.² This is entirely unlike the superstitions of praying for recovery from illnesses or praying for happiness in this life.

As this shinjin is difficult to gain your trust, you must give up your life to hear the command; that shinjin is the state of hearing of it.

Note:

1. ‘Thus, kimyo is the command of the Primal Vow calling to and summoning us.’ (Kyōgyōshinshō, CWS, p. 38)

2. The human mind is complicated; they make shinjin that is ‘easiest and most straightforward’ become something very difficult.