Essay 29

I take refuge in the Tathagata of Unhindered Light filling the ten quarters—

Spend thirty years

To savor its taste.

In the process of acquiring knowledge of the Buddha-Dharma, we need to have a plan or intention to live up to thousands of years and adopt the following mentality to learn and practice the honorable Buddha-Dharma: ‘Must learn,’ ‘must learn the Buddha-Dharma for the sake of the Buddha-Dharma,’ ‘for the Buddha-Dharma’s sake, we must pass down the Buddha-Dharma to the next generation.’

In the face of the question of the ‘afterlife,’ we need to consider this life—which is beyond predictions even for tonight—as compared to a dewdrop. Behold, ‘impermanence’ appears right in front of us and ‘death’ is at our side, so we had better listen up at once! For the persons who hold such a view, the Buddha-Dharma will be theirs. Shinran Shōnin says, ‘This is the art of walking our own practice while at the same time teaching others’ (Zonkaku Shōnin, “Tract Extolling the Virtue of Shinran Shōnin” [Tandokumon]).

It’s really so, it’s really so: We all must imitate the Shōnin. This is termed ‘to realize shinjin oneself and to guide others to shinjin’ (Jishinkyôninshin).