Essay 153

The taste of discarding shinjin
--- Pondering over death!

In the Dharma passage, “Delusion is the nature of ordinary beings. Apart from delusion, there is no mind in us,” “there is no mind in us" signifies that the mind is entirely delusion. 

We are notified of this thanks to the deep benevolence of the Buddha. To know “Oh, so that's how it is!” on hearing it is rather easy. To know is easy; however, to be notified of it is very difficult. “Knowing it” is a far cry from “being notified of it.” To know does not have any power. To be notified of it means to be notified by the Tathagata. 

When being notified of this, you will realize that “adorning” your mind is not at all needed. What use is it to adorn your mind, to design, to struggle, to believe that you have acquired shinjin? It does not help even a little. 

If you truly know “apart from delusion, there is no mind in us” you will realize that “what you think, remember, know, believe, and that you have acquired shinjin, are none of their business.” “These are none of their business but you just can’t help hearing (the Dharma)” because it is the pleasure and joy of Dharma savored by a Nembutsu person from hearing the unsurpassed virtue power of the Tathagata, apart from their great joy (of shinjin), as long as they are alive. To hear is (the working of) the immeasurable power and virtues of the Tathagata; not to hear is also (the working of) the immeasurable power and virtues of the Tathagata. To be always mindful of the immeasurable power and virtues of the Tathagata or not, is the point of difference between entrusting and non-entrusting.

Zuiken

Essay 159: Fail to distinguish what is important and not important

Concerning the Buddha-Dharma, most people fail to distinguish what is important (weighty) and not important (light). Why do I say this? Because you keep going around with your mind whether or not you have attained shinjin. This troubled mind is still the same old self spinning around, since you place the emphasis of "How? How?" on yourself without paying attention to the Buddha’s Primal Vow of "Should [you] not be born there," which is the virtue-power of Namo Amida Butsu, the Great Enlightenment of the twofold benefit.

Not paying attention is the proof of your contempt.

Not paying attention to what should be, attending to trifles, and neglecting the essentials －this means that you fail to distinguish what is important and not important.

Zuiken (An extract) 

The Tathagata of unhindered Light filling the ten quarters

“O World-Honored One, with the mind that is single, I take refuge in the Tathagata of unhindered Light filling the ten quarters” (Namo Amida Butsu).

“The Tathagata of unhindered light” is Namo Amida Butsu, “with the mind that is single, I take refuge” is also Namo Amida Butsu. Therefore, the Shonin says,

“It cannot be grasped by the mind or by words,

So take refuge in the Honoured-one beyond conceptual understanding.”

Zuiken (An extract)

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).

Essay 24

A special shout-out to madam Nam Yuen Thye (蓝运娣老师) for her dedication to the traditional Chinese painting specially tailored for this essay.

The cold skies—

Bush warblers are chirping

Over blossoming plum.*

    The traditional Chinese painting depicts the scene 

    as painted by the haiku of Zuiken.

If you wish to know the real taste of the Buddha-Dharma, first you must put aside your basic necessities (clothing, food, and dwelling), fame, money and the matter of the present life, the improvement of society, the economy, and so on. Whatever these are, just put them all aside and focus on your own life-and-death matter. If you are able to narrow the scope [of your focus], you will become sober. Then you will discover that although you are a bonbu, you can still take notice of the fact that in the world of bonbu nothing can help resolve the matter of life and death.

That’s to say, while living in the world of bonbu, we quit temporally as bonbu. To quit as bonbu means to become a living death. A living death means to not mingle with the wisdom and idea of bonbu, just concentrate on the words of the Buddha and our masters.

*Reverend Zuikaku explained that the plum blossoms bloom in cold weather and the bush warblers chirp when the plum blossoms bloom. This haiku is an analogy: the stored good or shukuzen has emerged (the cold skies), the bush warblers (me) are chirping (say the nembutsu), over the blossoming plum (Namo Amida Butsu). This implies that Namo Amida Butsu causes the saying of Namu Amida Butsu: “Bush warblers are chirping over blossoming plums.”

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.)

Essay 102

Upon hearing the origin of the Name—

The Primal Vow-power.

Upon hearing the origin of the Primal Vow—

The mind of Great Compassion, the never-forsaking mind of Oya-sama, the Buddha-wisdom of Great Compassion, Namo Amida Butsu, the calling sound.

In the Larger Sutra, it is said that the Primal Vow reveals the fulfilment of the twofold benefit of self and others to its utmost, for ‘birth (in the Pure Land) is realized in an instantaneous thought-moment of faith in Namo Amida Butsu upon hearing of it!’ We shall open the eye of the Larger Sutra and bow down to the explication of the Body of the Dharma-realm in the Contemplation Sutra, which unveils, ‘The person who sees the appearance of the Tathagata, directly perceives the mind of Great Compassion and is born there (in the Pure Land)!’ It is thought in the Larger Sutra that ‘the appearance of the Tathagata is Namo Amida Butsu!’ The Tathagata has perfect compassion and wisdom and His virtue is boundless. Look up endlessly to the unbounded virtue, and settle your mind (establish your anjin); this is Jodo Shinshu. As the Larger Sutra says, ‘having heard his Name, rejoice in faith.’

Essay 119

Birth through the Vow-Power,

NamoAmidaButsu—

How grateful

That the path exists!

My birth (to the Land of Bliss) has long been accomplished;

The Master of the path, Amida Tathagata,

Is calling to you.

How indebted!

For bonbu (foolish beings) to become Buddha is a tall order; because you are ignorant of this fact, you keep exerting self-power in one way or another. We have only to look up and entrust to the inconceivability of the Name and the Vow-Power. Saying that you know about it, remember it, and think on it—that design of the mind as well as its object are subject to change. Therefore, they are equally unreliable.

What is reliable is only the Primal Vow-power of the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom. And what diverts our attention to this again is ‘the Primal Vow-power of the great compassion.’ The Shoshinge is quoted as saying, ‘When a thought of mindfulness of Amida’s Primal Vow arises, at that instance we spontaneously enter the stage of non-retrogression.’ How indebted we are to the benevolence (of the Tatagatha)!

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.

Essay 28

Living by the Dharma,

Dying by the Dharma—

In the midst of our minds bent on relationships, fame, and gain,

The Dharma speaks.

Look at the earthly people! They thought, ‘Wow! This person practices the Buddha-Dharma so enthusiastically!’ But shortly after, the said person has neglected the Buddha-Dharma. A person stays aloof from the Buddha-Dharma because they are bogged down either with the basic necessities (e.g. clothes, food and dwelling), illnesses, disputes, or bereavement. This is because such a person, from the beginning, does not have the ‘diamond-like aspiration’.

The practitioner of Buddha-Dharma should hold this great conviction: ‘For the purpose of learning the Buddha-Dharma, all necessities will be granted. Nothing on earth can obstruct the practitioner of the Buddha-Dharma’ in practicing the Buddha-Dharma. In this case, whoever will succeed [in practicing the Buddha-dharma], will also be able to resolve the matter of birth-and-death. 

Unit 109

Coming back to the Primal Vow

After several tens of years—

Feeling settled after

Having met the compassionate Parent.

Without feeling content with this one Primal Vow-power, you will take any poisons and medicines that come along, helter-skelter. Good as well as evil religions, you ‘eat’ them higgledy-piggledy, as though they would do you good after ‘eating’ them. Whatever comes from the self-power field of bombu cannot avail themselves of birth in the true and real Fulfilled Land.

Shinjin is not to be acquired. We just look up to the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom as inconceivable; we accept it with reverence unceasingly, to the last. Once we entrust in the Buddha-wisdom, it immediately fills our body and mind. Once we entrust in and accept the Name (Namo Amida Butsu), the virtue of the Name naturally becomes ours; and we become the master of Namo Amida Butsu and are born there [in the Pure Land]. This inconceivability we term ‘Buddha-Dharma’.

Essay 155

Amida Tathāgata places His two palms together:

NamoAmidaButsu—the mind-power that does not allow you to fall,

Wherein the Tathāgata and the bonbu uncalculatedly become one.

This is the Original Vow-power of the Tathāgata,

The radiance of compassion and wisdom of the Tathāgata of the Unhindered Light,

The inconceivability of the Great Perfect Enlightenment—the fulfillment of the two-fold benefit of self and others—that is spread and heard throughout the ten quarters!

Born in the Pure Land through the Vow-power—

How rare and estimable this is!

‘Amida Tathāgata places his palms together; NamuAmidaButsu is the mind-power that does not allow you to fall.’ How admirable this reality is! We are truly speechless when we ponder the fact that we are revered by the Tathāgata; the only feelings contained are ‘shameful’ and ‘grateful’. We have been troubled with the matter on how to be born in the Pure Land to this day, and how we are to acquire the Other-power Faith (shinjin). The Tathāgata requests, ‘Just come as you are, please! I am waiting for you!’ Doubtful mind, self-power mind, and so on have all disappeared without a trace. What is left behind is the mind full of repentance: ‘How compassionate the Tathāgata is! Up to this day, this point, I am still heading in the wrong direction. I am so sorry for the Tathāgata!’

Again, the Original Vow-power—the Original Vow-power of NamuAmidaButsu—is something we are familiar with. Nevertheless, we start out from our side and use our own power, thinking of acquiring ‘Faith’. Hence we do not feel its praiseworthiness. But once we eventually come to know the fact that ‘the Tathāgata is beseeching me, that’s the Original Vow-power, that’s NamoAmidaButsu’—only then are we able to entrust to the Original Vow-power of NamoAmidaButsu that’s working animatedly! Ah, so repentant! I am speechless; I surrender.

Prince Shôtoku 聖德太子at Age Two

Essay 83

“I take refuge in the Tathagata of Unhindered Light Filling the Ten Quarters,”

Extending from heaven to the bottom of hell—

This is the territory of Amida Buddha.

The realms of the ten directions are the home of the Dharma-king.

The Tathagata of unhindered light filling the ten quarters
尽十方无碍光如来

“The Dharma-realm is the home of the Dharma-king (Amida Tathagata).”

Even if we fall into hell, that’s still the territory of the Tathagata. The pure lands of the ten quarters are also floating within the Infinite Light. All buddhas are also the manifestation of Amida Tathagata. Looking through the hole of a bamboo tube that is used to blow the fire, how on earth can you understand the Buddha-Dharma that is vast and boundless? The “capacity” of the Shinshu followers is small and their outlook narrow. They do not comprehend the wisdom of Buddha, but only think of “accepting shinjin reverently” or “acquiring shinjin,” while forgetting “I take refuge in the Tathagata of unhindered light filling the ten quarters.” Never mind “shinjin”! Just look up reverently to “the Tathagata of unhindered light.”

The great matter of yam worms becoming buddhas, turning into Buddha rapidly is such a great matter. How can our small brains be capable of comprehending it?

“Regarding the great matter about birth, it is beyond the calculation of bonbu. Simply entrust yourself unwaveringly and single-mindedly to Amida Tathagata.” (Tract on Steadily Holding to the Faith [Shujisho])

Essay 17

Turned into a perfectly dead man—

An absolute fool of the lowest capacity—

I am born into the Land of Utmost Bliss.

Birth in the Land of Utmost Bliss occurs by becoming a “totally illiterate (ichimon-fuchi)” person and being born there.

Honen Shōnin

It’s difficult to become a person who is “born in the Land of Utmost Bliss but remains ignorant” and “totally illiterate,” isn’t it?  You don’t want to be a “totally illiterate” person when it is obvious that you are one. That’s out of the question!

The Buddha-Dharma that you know, understand, remember and comprehend – none of these constitute shinjin. Shinjin is the true and real command (of the Tathagata), which penetrates the innermost being.

“Totally illiterate” refers to trusting and following the words of the Buddha; it also means having abandoned self-power.

Honen Shōnin was the foremost great scholar of the country of Japan; however, in front of the command (of the Tathagata) he became “totally illiterate.” “Totally illiterate” is the state in which your thoughts and calculations are completely exhausted.

Some say that “it’s best to know nothing as disciples.” However, “totally illiterate” and “layabout” are not the same.

Essay 154

The Buddha-Dharma is

After having listened to it

And known about it

Discard it

Look up to it

Remain foolish

Just as you are

For birth in the Pure Land you don’t need to put on a make-up and get prepared. It is no good to put on a countenance of shinjin as though you have owned it and no need to show your diligence in repaying the kindness of Buddha whenever you think on the Buddha’s compassion so that you will not forget about it. Why? These are the self-power “calculations” of bombu, and delusion. What use of you to embrace your delusion so cautiously? When you are able to think this way, meanwhile you are able to know that Jodo Shinshu is a religion that embraces bombu, and about the inconceivability of the Primal Vow-power, only you will begin to savour the taste of twofold deep conviction! The “deep-faith of the object” refers to the Buddha-wisdom, also Primal Vow-power, which enables you to know yourself as a foolish being of karmic evil caught in birth-and-death. It is the faith-mind that knows the incapability and powerlessness of the foolish beings in light of the inconceivable Primal Vow-power, shone through the Buddha-wisdom. To look up and entrust to the Vow-power that “save even such a very foolish self of me” is the “deep-faith of the Dharma”. Apart from the “deep-faith of object” there isn’t the “deep-faith of the Dharma”. And, apart from the “deep-faith of the Dharma” there isn’t the “deep-faith of the object”. Either the object or Dharma, is the all-pervading light of Buddha-wisdom of Namu Amida Butsu. This one Namu Amida Butsu is the object in its entirety also the Dharma in its entirety; this is “the oneness of object and Dharma (kiho-ittai)”

Essay 114

Hear the Name

One thought of joy

That’s the fragrance of the flower of enlightenment of Amida Tathagata!

The words of those who savour the command of the Tathagata with care—who have been ironed out by NamoAmidaButsu—are inconceivable. Through their words, the unhindered light touches our heartstrings.

When conditions have not ripened, regardless of being wise or knowledgeable, they can never savour the command of the Tathagata.

Without hearing the Buddha-Dharma, such conditions will never arrive. The Dharma that you listen to today becomes the condition, and the condition becomes the stored good (宿善). The stored good is the illuminating and nurturing light of Amida Tathagata.

Zuiken Sama

Essay 44

We just trust in

the Primal Vow for its inconceivability

of “saving this worthless fellow”.

We are tied up by our own “calculation” and fooled by our own mind. So called kinojinshin, which is the deep faith on the part of “those who are to be saved” signifies that, 

“No matter how bombu calculate, it is of no use. Without the power of the Buddha, bombu are incapable of becoming Buddha. Hence, do not rely on bombu’s idea of searching out your mind.”

This in itself constitutes honojinshin, the deep faith on the “side that does the saving.” Honojinshin refers to the design of the Tathagata, which is to trust deeply that we are relying on the Primal Vow-power for birth.

Zuiken Sama

Essay 152

Foolish am I

This foolish self who is not even aware of his own foolishness

Extinguishing wisdom and foolishness

The Great Peace

“Delusion is the nature of ordinary beings. Apart from delusion, there is no mind in us.” These are the Dharma-words of Master Genshin. These Dharma-words are very honourable words. If you can savour this sentence, your state of mind will turn as clear as a cloudless sky. To savour the real taste of Buddha-Dharma, it would be excellent if you could keep this sentence in your thoughts and chew on it. “Apart from delusion, there is no mind in us.” Well, even the people who listen to Buddha-Dharma for 30 to 40 years and more may not be able to savour its taste! If you realize this, you will come to know that the mind hoping to acquire shinjin (Faith) is still delusionary; the mind thinking that it has acquired shinjin is still delusionary! Delusion is “calculation,” based on this sentence you will realize that the “calculation” of bombu is deeply-rooted!

This man (me) who has been constantly “calculating” since eons past, is the master that possesses the delusionary mind only; this kind of person is saved just as he is. If this is not due to the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom, then to what else? Trust in the inconceivable Buddha-wisdom is the shinjin that is inconceivable; it is likened to the lotus blooming in the mud, to the fully flowering lotus in the fire. This is the inconceivability of the Vow-Power.

Zuiken Sama

Essay 9

Whenever I see it

I have none at all

Mind-power     Vow-power

Namo Amida Butsu

From the perspective of Buddha-Dharma, “remaining foolish” does not mean to be unknowledgeable. That is the “foolishness” of an illiterate person. When Buddha is compared to foolish beings (bombu), when you realize the “honorability of the Buddha,” you naturally will go for refuge to the Buddha. This we term “remaining foolish.”

People who do not know the “honorability of the Buddha” are not fit to be called “foolish” at all—they are simply scoundrels. Gathering the wise and learned from all over the world and comparing their wisdom to that of the Exalted One (Shakyamuni), you will realize the difference, just like between elephants and ants. Try to study the Western philosophies or theology, just one page and see, the truth will come to light. You have never studied them; therefore, you do not realize how great the Buddha is.

Humans are “ignorant” and do not pay respect to the Buddha. Because they do not pay respect to the Buddha, they have no faith (shinjin). Scoundrels do not know the mightiness of Buddha, so they do not know to respect the Buddha. This is really troublesome.

Zuiken Sama

Essay 16

Just Buddha and me –

Father and son,

Mutually dependent for life.

The “true and real mind” of the Tathagata is genuine yet weighty, weighty yet genuine. The “sense-perceptions” and “discriminations” of foolish beings (bombu) are false yet light, light yet false. You must not go without distinguishing between light and heavy.

When you think, design and calculate in that little mind of yours, neither Amida Buddha nor the Name of the Primal Vow will “be at home”! If they are “not at home,” your birth in the Pure Land will fail.

When your eyes are on the Buddha, Buddha-Power, and Buddha-Vow, forgetting not even for a second, this is called accepting the trusting heart (shinjin) reverently. “I have put down this body heavily bound by evil karma” is the feeling implied.

On my part, in any case it is just the home of muddy bombu. So there is no need to worry even if I am “not at home.”  The home of the Tathagata is the home of the Original Teacher, the Dharma-king; when the home of the Dharma-king is established, there is peace—there is great peace.

Zuiken Sama