The Importance of Study

I am currently deployed to Afghanistan so unfortunately I cannot post as often as I would like to this blog! However, during the down time here (and in the absence of many recreational activities we take for granted!), I am taking the opportunity to engage in some study of the Pure Land texts. Although we rightly say that faith, or tariki ("Other-Power") is foremost in our tradition, this does not necessarily imply that we shouldn't take advantage of studying the writings of not only Shinran Shonin, our founder, but also of the Seven Pure Land Masters the sutras themselves, and even writings by contemporary Pure Land scholars and priests. This is the reason for my earlier posts of some quotes and other books. In my job as chaplain, I often encounter Buddhists and it still surprises me of how little is known of their own traditions. However, this equally is true of many members in our Jodo Shinshu temples, who for one reason or another have never picked up a Pure Land text other than the service book for chanting. Although we are a tradition of ritual, like other Buddhist traditions, we should also remember that Shinran Shonin and Rennyo Shonin actively promoted the study of the Pure Land, through their letters and writings, and asked that their letters be read to others. It's not just for scholars! Ideally, we should all put on our "scholar cap," take a break from the TV or Internet, and pick up a Pure land text to read. Every time I read the writings of the Masters, I still find something new and inspiring, that can speak directly to me although they were written centuries ago. Don't think that the texts are "too intellectual" or too hard to read - take a chance and go to the source! This is how we can eliminate our own doubts about the efficacy of the Pure Land, and Jodo Shinshu teachings.

A Letter of Rennyo

"When I reflect quietly, I realize that one receives life in the human world due solely to the merit of observing the five precepts in one's past life. This is indeed a rare thing to happen. Life in the human world, however, is but momentary and ephemeral the life in the Pure Land is the eternal, blissful fruit.
Even if we boast of pomp and glory and revel in prosperity, we cannot enjoy such a state for long, because 'those who prosper will necessarily decline, and those who meet must definitely part' is the way of the world. Life lasts only fifty or a hundred years. In addition, since it is not certain whether death comes to the old first and then to the young, human life is hardly reliable.
For this reason, people of today should seek the entrusting heart of Other Power and aspire to be born in the Pure Land.
In order to attain the entrusting heart, you do not need wisdom or learning; it is not a question of whether you are rich and noble or poor and destitute, whether you are good or evil, male or female. The essential point is to give up various practices and take refuge in the right practice, that is, the nembutsu.
To take refuge in the right practice means simply to entrust yourselves to Amida Tathagata single-mindedly and unwaveringly.
Those beings who thus entrust themselves to Amida will all be embraced in his light and not be forsaken; when their lives come to an end, they will unfailingly be brought to the Pure Land. Your birth in the Pure Land is attainable only through the single thought of the settled mind. How easy it is to attain the settled mind which is free of calculations! This is why the two-character word, 'an-jin' also means 'easily attained mind.'
You will be born in the land of bliss only through having the entrusting heart - a single-minded and unwavering reliance on the Tathagata without any calculations.
How easy it is to realize the settled mind! How easy it is to go to the Pure Land!
Hence, it is stated in the Larger Sutra, 'To go is easy and yet no one is born there.' This passage means that it is easy to go to the Pure Land if you attain the settled mind and entrust yourselves unwaveringly to Amida, but those who atain the entrusting heart are rare. For this reason, the sutra states that the Pure Land is easy to go to but there is no one who is born there.
Calling the Name day and night, morning and evening, after you have reached this understanding, is simply to express your gratitude for the benevolence of the universal Vow of great compassion.
You should, by all means, keep in mind the Buddha Dharma and seek to know the essentials of the entrusting heart which is easy to gain, and never fail to attain birth in the fulfilled land, the matter of the greatest importance.
Humbly and respectfully."

Rennyo Shonin's most important body of written work is his letters to Nembutsu followers throughout Japan. Many of these were compiled in a collection known as the Gobunsho. These letters address many aspects of Jodo Shinshu doctrine; one of the most important is the letter known as "On White Ashes," concerning the transience of human life and which is recited today during funerals. Other letters are also used in Jodo Shinshu liturgy.

The purpose of these letters was to instruct Shinshu followers, and they are still used for that purpose today. This particular letter encapsulates the basic teachings of the Dharma, such as impermanence and the concepts of rebirth and karma. It is uniquely Jodo Shinshu in the emphasis of birth in the Pure Land (that it restricts no one) and how it stresses importance of the "entrusting heart," as shinjin is translated here. The mind that is transformed by shinjin is anjin, or "settled mind." Anjin is explained further in other letters. We are also cautioned to know that shinjin can be uncommon, perhaps this was to keep in mind that entrusting in the Vow of Amida Buddha is a truly transformative experience; also, that it can't be gifted by other teachers. For this reason, we should treat the idea of shinjin with care, being wary of people who speak carelessly about it, and especially cautious of those who claim shinjin (or, conversely, deny others' shinjin reality. Shinjin, as a personal transformative experience, is entirely left to the individual and his or her understanding and faith. Therefore, this can be a clue to reading the puzzling statement, "To go is easy, and yet no one is born there!"

Pure Land Quote of the Week

"The Shonin said, 'When a single thought of Faith is awakened in us, our birth in the Pure Land is definitely settled. It is left up to Amida Tathagata whether or not he saves us after destroying our karmic evil. It is useless for us to discuss matters concerning our karmic evil. What concerns us is that Amida saves those who entrust themselves to him."

The Shonin in this quote is Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499), the second most influential person in Jodo Shinshu history aside from Shinran Shonin, who was his direct ancestor. He is often referred to as the "Second Founder" because of his great organizational and preaching abilities, which made the True Pure Land School a distinct religious and also a social and political power in medieval Japan. His 500th memorial service held in 1998 in Kyoto, Japan, was attended by thousands of Shin Buddhists from all over the world.

In this quote, we are reminded of the importance of shinjin, or entrusting to Amida Buddha, as primary among all Dharma matters. Although the ancient idea of karma is important in Buddhist doctrine, we should not excessively worry about it. Our karmic debt is like credit card debt - although we may "try" to make merit and acquire good karma, we could never truly be certain whether we have alleviated our karma, and of course we go on making more! It is easy to fall into depression and disillusion when considering this. Therefore, it is more reasonable to rely on Amida's Vow.

This quote comes from a collection of Rennyo Shonin's words, recorded by later Shinshu members, the Goichidaiki-kikigaki . There are two translations available in English: the most recent one (2008) is by Zuio Hisao Inagaki-sensei published by Dharma Lion Publications, and an earlier translation by Kosho Yamamoto, published by The Karinbunko Press in 1968 (out-of-print).

Pure Land Quote of the Week

"It is saddening that so many people, both young and old, men and women, have died this year and last. But the Tathagata [Amida Buddha] taught the truth of life's transience for us fully, so you must not be distressed by it.
I, for my own part, attach no significance, good or bad, of a person in his final moments. People in whom shinjin is determined do not doubt, and so abide among the truly settled. For this reason their end also - even for those ignorant and foolish - is a happy one.
You have been explaining to people that one attains birth through the Tathagata's working; it is in no way otherwise. What I have been saying to all of you from many years past has not changed. Simply achieve your birth, firmly avoiding all scholarly debate. I recall hearing the late Master Honen say, 'The person of the Jodo tradition attains birth in the Buddha Land by becoming his foolish self.' Moreover, I remember him smile and say, as he watched humble people of no intellectual pretensions coming to visit him, 'Without doubt their birth is settled.' And I head him say after a visit by a man brilliant in letters and debating, 'I really wonder about his birth.' To this day these things come too mind.
Each of you should attain your birth without being misled by people and without faltering in shinjin. However, the practice in whom shinjin has not become settled will continue to drift, even without being misled by anyone, for he does not abide among the truly settled.
Please relay what I have written here to the others. Respectfully."

This is an excerpt from a letter to Joshin-bo, one of the followers of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Jodo Shinshu. It can be read in English in the Mattosho, or "Letters of Shinran." This letter was written in 1260.

Reading these letters, particularly the excerpt above, I am struck by how timely Shinran's message is. We still have wars and natural disasters, and no lack of personal tragedy in our own lives. Shinran encourages us to be settled in shinjin, no matter what happens. He cautions us not to be misled by others, even if they have good intentions. Each one of us, regardless of how much we've studied, read Dharma books, or listened to charismatic teachers, is equal in Amida Buddha's consideration. No amount of meditations or meritorious activities are required: we do only need to humbly accept Amida's Power. I think perhaps this is the most difficult for us, living in the 21st-century, the concept of simply accepting.

Pure Land Quote of the Week

"The Buddha said: 'If a man or a woman single-heartedly and exclusively recites Amida's Name for one to seven days, when his or her life is about to end, Amida Buddha will come in person to welcome him or her, thus enabling the aspirant to be born in the Western Land of Utmost Bliss.' Sakyamuni Buddha continued: 'As I see this benefit, I have spoken these words."

This a quote from The Sutra on Amitayus Buddha, one of the three Pure Land sutras which are the principle sutras of the Jodo Shin School. It is also quoted in one of the writings of the Seven Masters, Shan-tao's Kannenbomon ("The Method of Contemplation on Amida"). Pure Land Buddhists, whether of the Shinshu or another school, whether in Japan or China, take these words to heart and practice chanting Amida's Name to be born in the Pure Land.

"The Western Quarter"

The title of this blog "The Western Quarter" comes from the Inagaki English Translation of Ojoraisan, in English "Liturgy for Birth" composed by the Chinese monk Shan-tao, who lived in the 7th-century. Shan-tao is one of the "Seven Masters" of the Jodo Shinshu. These "Seven Masters" form something like a "lineage" which stretches back to Sakyamuni Buddha, and ultimately, to Amida Buddha. This is typical of Buddhist schools: a series of teachers provides a historical connection (but not necessarily a direct link, in some cases) back to the original teacher (Sakyamuni); some famous teachers of the past, such as Nagarjuna, are important in the lineage of many diverse Buddhist schools, while other teachers are important to only a few specific ones. It depends on the school. The Ojoraisan is typically chanted like a sutra, and is not regularly conducted in Shin temples outside of Japan. Prior to the time of Rennyo Shonin (15th-century CE), it was regularly conducted in Japan (also in other Pure Land traditions), but was eventually replaced by other liturgies (possibly because of its length - it may have been performed round-the-clock).

However, Ojoraisan is a very beautiful liturgy; the essence is Shan-tao's aspiration, and aspiration for others, to be born in the "Western Quarter" or the Pure Land of Amida Buddha. Amida Buddha is the Buddha of the Western Quarter, in Sanskrit sukhavati, Japanese, ojodo, or Chinese, jingtu.

What is the Pure Land? This is the realm where Buddhahood may be realized, and attained by all sentient beings. This is a major tradition within Mahayana Buddhism (also if we include the Tibetan traditions), which elaborates on the realms of the Buddhas. Pure Land is possibly the most accessible of all Buddhist traditions, as it emphasizes faith in, and devotion to Amida Buddha (and the possibility of Buddhahood), but this doesn't mean it cannot be profound. There are many Mahayana sutras whose topic is solely on the Pure Land, commentaries which discuss it, and just as many rituals and practices which accompany these beliefs. It is probably beyond the scope of a blog(!) to discuss all the complexities of Pure Land Buddhism, so future posts will focus on how Jodo Shinshu interprets Pure Land teachings. Jodo Shinshu recognizes certain Pure Land sutras as particularly authoritative for its tradition, and the writings of the "Seven Masters" as of special importance. Together with the writings of Shinran Shonin, they provide the basis for the Jodo Shinshu teachings.

If you are interested in Pure Land teachings, go directly to the sources! However, there are not many books that focus on Pure Land Buddhism at your usual Borders or Barnes & Noble, unless it is a general overview-type book. In fact, there are some books that tend to neglect or even dismiss outright the Pure Land tradition because it seems too "faith-based"! Unfortunately, not many of the Pure Land sutras or writings of the Seven Masters are too readily available in English translation; you may have to try some online searching. Try Amida Net linked at the right of this blog, or the BCA Bookstore, where the Inagaki translation of Ojoraisan is available.

Namo Amida Butsu

Welcome!

Hello all!

This is a new blog which will be devoted to the propagation of the teachings of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (also known as "Shin Buddhism"), a 750-year-old Japanese Buddhist school. Jodo Shinshu, which means "The True Pure Land School," has its origins in medieval Japan, and in the East Asian Mahayana tradition, more specifically, the Pure Land tradition. While all Buddhist traditions ultimately go back to the historical Sakyamuni Buddha (or "Gotama Buddha"), the Jodo Shinshu tradition itself was founded by Shinran Shonin and kept alive by his disciples and family, up to today. While the majority of Jodo Shinshu temples are in Japan, there are also temples, and many devoted sanghas, in countries around the world, including the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa.

This blog will aim to present Jodo Shinshu faithfully, and in a manner that is neither overly academic nor "dumbed down." If you are new to Buddhism, I hope this blog can answer some of your questions about this particular Buddhist tradition. If you are a long-time Shinshu follower, I also hope this blog will refresh your understanding, and that you may still learn new things! We are all newcomers to Dharma.

Since this blog will focus on Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, you may not find questions answered about other Buddhist traditions - I am ordained only in the Shinshu tradition. Although I have studied other forms of Buddhism, and visited other Buddhist temples, I am certainly not an expert on any of them. I cannot give you any advice on "which Buddhism is better" type of questions, only perhaps a personal and frank explanation of why Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is the path I "practice."

If you are familiar with my other blog, Buddhist Military Sangha, that is open to discussions of all forms of Buddhism, not only Jodo Shinshu (please visit)! Like that blog too, I will not engage in political debate here, or engage in ad hominem attacks on other teachers, or other religions. I will, however, speak out against mischaracterizations about Jodo Shinshu, in order to remove confusion or incorrect descriptions. That is also part of propagation!

I may not be posting too often, since I am going to be very busy soon with deployment, but I hope to get this blog on a good start in this Year of the Tiger. Check back soon!

Namo Amida Butsu