TANNISHO:
PASSAGES DEPLORING DEVIATIONS OF FAITH
by Yuienbo
Translated from the Japanese by Shojun Bando in
collaboration with Harold Stewart
Foreword
When I reflect with deep humility upon the past and
the present, I cannot help but deplore the prevalence of various
deviations from the true faith transmitted by word of mouth from
our late Master. So I feel concerned about possible doubts that
may arise in the minds of future inheritors of the faith. Unless
guided by a karmically related teacher, how could anyone expect
to enter the gate of easy practice? Nobody should defile the
doctrine of the other-power by his own arbitrary
interpretations. Therefore I have recorded here the gist of what
the late Shinran Shonin told me, while it still reverberates in
my ears. This has been written solely to clear away in advance
any uncertainties that might arise among fellow devotees. So
much by way of foreword.
I
"At the very moment when we are moved to utter the
nenbutsu by a firm faith that our rebirth in the Pure Land is
attained solely by virtue of the unfathomable working of Amida's
Original Vow, we are enabled to share in its benefits that
embrace all and forsake none. We should realize that Amida's
Original Vow never discriminates between the old and the young,
the good and the evil, and that what matters most is the heart
of faith alone; for the vow was originally made for the purpose
of delivering sentient beings sorely defiled by their vices and
passions. Therefore once faith in the Original Vow is steadfast,
no other good is needed, for there is no good superior to the
nenbutsu. No evil should be feared, for there is no evil
powerful enough to obstruct Amida's Original Vow."
II
"Your earnest aim in coming all the way here to see
me, crossing more than ten provinces at the risk of your lives,
is solely to enquire of me the way to rebirth in the Land of
Supreme Bliss. Nevertheless, should you honor me by supposing
that I am withholding any esoteric way for rebirth in the Pure
Land or that I know of scriptural sources other than the
nenbutsu, you go seriously astray. Should you harbor such ideas,
then there are a number of authoritative scholars in Nara, the
Southern Capital, as well as on Mount Hiei, the Northern Peak,
whom you should visit and ask to your heart s content about the
essentials for rebirth in the Pure Land.
"For me, Shinran, there is no alternative but to
accept and trust in the teaching of my master Honen: that simply
by uttering the nenbutsu I shall be given deliverance by Amida.
Is the nenbutsu really the seed of rebirth in the Pure Land, or
is it a karmic cause of falling into the lowest hell? Of such
questions I know absolutely nothing. Even if I had been deceived
by my master, Honen Shonin, and were to fall into hellish
torment, I would have no regrets at all! The reason is that, had
I been one who was certain to attain buddhahood by striving at
some other spiritual discipline and yet fell into an infernal
state through uttering the nenbutsu, I might well be justified
in regretting that I had been deceived. But as I find myself
totally incapable of any kind of meritorious deed, the lowest
hell would in any event be my destined abode.
"If Amida's Original Vow is unfailing, then Śākyamuni's
teaching cannot be false. If Śākyamuni's teaching is true, then
Shandao's sacred commentaries cannot be unfounded. If Shandao's
commentaries are well founded, how can Honen Shonin's sayings be
in error? If Honen Shonin's sayings are trustworthy, how then
can what I, Shinran, am telling you be in vain? Summing up, such
are the humble convictions of my ignorant self. Beyond this, it
depends entirely on each of you as to whether you adopt and
trust in the nenbutsu or cast it aside."
III
"Even a virtuous person can attain rebirth in the
Pure Land, how much more easily a wicked person! But ordinary
people usually say: Even a wicked person can attain rebirth in
the Pure Land, how much more easily a virtuous person. At first
sight, this view may appear more reasonable, but it really is
quite contrary to the intention of the other-power of the
Original Vow. The reason is that since a person who does deeds
of merit by his own effort lacks total reliance on the
other-power, he is self-excluded from Amida's Original Vow. But
as soon as his attitude of self-effort is redirected and he
dedicates himself exclusively to the other-power, his rebirth in
the True Land of Reward is at once assured.
"It was solely to enable the wicked to attain
buddhahood that Amida took his vows, out of compassion for those
like us who, defiled to the core, have no hope of liberating
ourselves from the cycle of birth and death through any other
discipline. And so an evil person who dedicates himself to the
other-power is above all endowed with the right cause for
rebirth. Hence Shinran's saying: 'Even a virtuous person can
attain rebirth in the Pure Land, how much more easily a wicked
person!'"
IV
"There is a divergence between the compassion of
the path of sages and that of the path of the Pure Land. The
compassion of the path of sages commiserates with and cares for
sentient beings, and yet it is least likely to succeed in
liberating them as completely as could be wished. But the true
compassion of the Pure Land path consists in calling the
nenbutsu, thereby quickly attaining buddhahood, and then
benefiting all sentient beings with the heart of great
compassion and kindness as fully as possible. Because, as you
know, no matter how much sympathy and pity we may feel for
others in this life it is difficult to save them, as we would
wish; our compassion is not thoroughgoing. And so the calling of
the nenbutsu is the only all-embracing expression of the heart
of great compassion."
V
"I, Shinran, have never called the nenbutsu, not
even once, out of filial piety for my deceased parents. The
reason is that through karmic relations during numberless
rebirths, all sentient beings are or have been my parents or
kinsmen. So we should attain buddhahood in the next life and
then we shall be able to bring deliverance to all other beings.
"If the nenbutsu were a deed of merit that could be
done by our own efforts, we could deliver our parents by
transferring that merit to them. But this being impossible, only
if we abandon our self-efforts and straightaway attain
enlightenment in the Pure Land will the Buddha Amida's
superhuman powers and skillful means enable us to deliver first
of all those with whom we are closely related by karmic ties,
but who find themselves afflicted by suffering in any of the six
realms of existence and the four modes of birth."
VI
"It is unbelievable that any dispute should have
arisen among those who devote themselves to the exclusive
practice of the nenbutsu as to who are my disciples and who are
the disciples of others. I, Shinran, do not have a single
disciple of my own. The reason is that if I could induce others
to call the nenbutsu through my own influence, then they might
well be called my disciples. But it is utterly absurd to call
them my disciples when they repeat the nenbutsu through the
influence of Amida Buddha. When karmic conditions are favorable,
master and disciple must meet: when adverse, they must part.
Despite this, there are those who disconcert the faithful by
saying that if they desert their present master and repeat the
nenbutsu while following some other master, their rebirth in the
Pure Land can never be attained. At this, words fail me. Do they
mean that they wish to revoke the faith called forth by Amida
Buddha, as though it were their own? I reiterate that this view
must never be allowed to prevail. Once we are in harmony with
the spontaneous power of the Vow, we naturally come to realize
our indebtedness to Amida Buddha and feel gratitude toward our
teachers."
VII
"The nenbutsu is the one unobstructed path. This is
because the gods of heaven and earth bow down in reverence
before the devotee of the true faith, but he can never be
hindered by the realm of demons or by adherents to heterodox
views. No evil deed can bring upon him the retribution of karma,
nor can any good deed that he might do surpass the nenbutsu.
Hence I call this the one unobstructed path."
VIII
"For the devotee the calling of the nenbutsu is
neither religious observance nor moral worthiness. It is not a
religious observance because it is not done by his own design.
It is not a moral deed since it is none of his own doing. As it
springs wholly from the other-power and surpasses all
self-effort, I say that for the devotee the calling of the
nenbutsu is neither religious observance nor moral worthiness."
IX
“Even when I call the nenbutsu, I rarely feel like
dancing for joy, nor do I have any fervent longing to be reborn
in the Pure Land. Why is this so?” I asked.
“There was once a time when I, Shinran, also had
doubts on this question. Now, Yuienbō, I find you sharing the
same doubts. But when I reflect on this more deeply, I realize
that our rebirth in the Pure Land is all the more assured
because we cannot feel like dancing for joy as we would wish.
That is how you should think of this problem. It is defilement
by evil passions that oppresses our hearts and prevents us from
rejoicing. But since Amida Buddha, knowing this already, has
called us ‘common beings defiled by ignorance,’ I realize that
the compassionate vow of the other-power was made for the
benefit of just such defiled beings as ourselves, and so I feel
it all the more worthy of trust.
“Moreover, when we have no longing to be reborn
instantly in the Pure Land, if we fall even slightly ill, we
feel helpless with the fear of death. This is likewise because
of our evil passions. How strong indeed must they be when we
find it so hard to leave our native land of suffering, where we
have been wandering through birth and death for numberless
kalpas, and when we can feel no longing for Amida’s Pure Land,
where we have yet to be reborn! We are reborn into that land
when we have exhausted, even though reluctantly, our karmic
relations to this world of suffering and end our lives
helplessly. So Amida pities above all those who feel no urgent
longing to go to the Pure Land. Reflecting on this, we realize
all the more how trustworthy is Amida’s great compassionate vow
and how firmly our rebirth is assured. If, on the contrary, our
hearts were to rejoice with an eager aspiration for rebirth in
the Pure Land, we might believe that we had no evil passions at
all.”
X
“The meaning of the nenbutsu lies in its freedom
from contrivance, because it is imponderable, indescribable, and
inconceivable,” the Master said.
Separate Foreword
Now years ago, when the Master was still alive, those sharing
the one faith and aspiring to the Land of Reward to come, who
with a common aim underwent the hardships of travelling to Kyoto
the distant capital, all had the privilege of hearing the
teachings from him at the same time. And yet it is rumored of
late that among the numberless converts, both young and old, who
recite the nenbutsu under the guidance of those direct
disciples, there are not a few who expound doctrines contrary to
the Master s intention. The following are some of those
groundless doctrines.
XI
On meeting with illiterate callers of the nenbutsu, such persons
dismay them by asking: Do you utter the nenbutsu with faith in
the wonder of the Original Vow or with faith in the wonder of
the Name? but without clearly distinguishing between the two.
This distinction should be looked into carefully. Since through
the wonder of his Original Vow Amida realized the Name,
which is easy to hold in mind and to call, and promised that he
would receive those who did so, we utter the nenbutsu in the
faith that through the working of Amida's will we shall be
delivered from the cycle of birth and death by the wonder of
Amida's great compassionate vow.
Understanding it in this way, we shall be perfectly in accord
with his Original Vow and shall be reborn into the True Land of
Reward with no room for self-will at all. In this sense, if we
have faith in the wonder of the Vow, it embodies the wonder of
the Name, and so the wonder of the Vow and the wonder of the
Name are one and not two. Again, if some think that good deeds
are a help and bad deeds a hindrance to rebirth, then by this
distinction they are not trusting in the wonder of the Vow, but
are calling the nenbutsu by their own efforts. Such followers
lack real faith in the wonder of the Name. And yet, even though
wanting in faith, they may still be reborn in the borderland of
the Western Paradise (also called the realm of sloth and pride,
the castle of doubt, or the matrix palace) and will at last
attain rebirth in the Land of Reward by virtue of the vow of
ultimate deliverance. All this is accomplished by the wonder of
the Name, which is no different from the wonder of the Vow, for
they are one.
XII
Some hold the view that those who do not read or
study the sutras and commentaries will not be assured of
attaining rebirth in the Pure Land. This view is not worth
taking seriously. Various scriptures that make clear the truth
of the other-power stress that we are certain to attain
buddhahood only when we have faith in the Original Vow and
recall the Name. So for rebirth in the Pure Land what else do we
need to study?
To be sure, those who are uncertain of this truth
ought to study hard if they wish to grasp the purport of the
Original Vow. But how pitiful indeed if, after all their reading
and study of the sutras and commentaries, they still fail to
grasp the real meaning! Because the Name can easily be repeated
by those who are unlettered and ignorant of what the sutras and
commentaries mean, it is called the easy way; whereas the path
of sages, being founded upon learning, is called the difficult
way. There is, moreover, a passage in Shinran Shonin's letters
testifying to this problem:
"I am doubtful of the immediate
rebirth in the Pure Land of anyone who engages in scholarly
pursuits while mistakenly attached to thoughts of wealth and
fame."
At present, followers
of the exclusive practice of the Name and adherents to the path
of sages are engaged in disputes about doctrine, each holding
that his own is superior and that of his opponent inferior. Thus
adversaries of the teaching arise and calumny against the Dharma
is committed. Does not this amount to reviling one's own
teaching?
Supposing that followers of other schools
ridicule us by saying that the Name is meant for those of low
intelligence and that this teaching is shallow and inferior, we
should avoid any dispute and reply: As we are convinced that the
ignorant who are poorly gifted and illiterate like ourselves
will be delivered by faith, for us this is the supreme doctrine,
even though it may seem contemptible to those of higher ability.
Although other teachings may be superior, we cannot practice
them because they are beyond our powers. Since the original
intention of all the buddhas is to free everyone from birth and
death, we request those of other views not to interfere with us.
If we treat them without malice, who then will harm us?
Besides, Where there are disputes, all kinds of evil passions
are aroused. The wise person should stay as far away as possible
from controversy, as this passage in the Scripture of the
Accumulation of Jewels testifies.
The late Master said:
"As the Buddha foretold, some
would trust in this teaching, while others would revile it.
Since I already have faith in it, whereas others find fault
with it, I know that what the Buddha said is true. Because of
this, we should feel confident that our rebirth is all the
more certain. If, by chance, no one happened to speak ill of
the teaching, we might wonder why, when there are those with
faith, there are no fault-finders. I do not wish to say that
the doctrine must necessarily be reviled, but simply that the
Buddha, foreseeing that there would be scoffers as well as
faithful, warned his followers not to harbor doubts."
Nowadays some appear to
study only in preparation to engage in disputes and
controversies and to counter the calumny of others. But the more
one studies the more one should realize the true intention of
the Buddha and become aware of the infinitude of his
compassionate vow as well. Only he is worthy of the name of
scholar who explains to those in doubt that, as poorly gifted
people, they can attain rebirth, and that the Original Vow makes
no distinction between good and evil, pure and impure. Anyone
who asserts that study is necessary, intimidating even those in
whom the Name is called selflessly in accord with the Vow, is a
diabolical obstruction to the Dharma and an adversary of the
Buddha. Not only does such a person lack faith in the
other-power, but he is also sure to lead others into error. We
should be particularly cautious about acting against the
intentions of our late Master. At the same time such opponents
are to be pitied for not being in accord with Amida's Original
Vow.
XIII
It is said that those who are unafraid of evil
because of Amida's Original Vow presume too much on its
miraculous power, and so fail to attain rebirth. Those who speak
thus betray their doubt of the Original Vow and their ignorance
of good and evil deeds in past and present lives. The arising of
good thoughts is caused by past good, while evil thoughts arise
because of the working of past evil.
The late Master said:
"Even a defilement as minute as
a speck of dust on the tip of one hair of rabbit's fur or
sheep's wool could not come about without karmic causes in the
past."
On another occasion the Master asked me:
"Yuienbo, do you have complete
trust in whatever I say to you?"
"Yes, I have," I answered.
"If so, will you obey me in whatever I ask you to do?"
To this I respectfully gave my assent.
"For example, the Master continued, "Will you kill one
thousand people? If so, you will be assured of rebirth."
"With all due respect to your words," I replied, "I do not
feel capable at present of killing even one person."
" If so," Shinran asked,
"Why did you just now promise that you would not disobey me?"
and then continued: "From this you should learn that, if you
could do anything you wished, then should you be told to kill
a thousand people so as to attain rebirth, you could commit
murder. But since there is no karmic cause within you to
murder even one person, you simply cannot kill; it is not
because you have good intentions. Even though you had no
intention to kill others, it could come about that you might
murder a hundred or even a thousand people. This teaches us
that, because we falsely assume that we gain rebirth when our
intentions are good but do not when they are bad, we fail to
realize that we are delivered solely by the miraculous power
of the Original Vow."
There was once a man
who had become attached to a false idea. He taught that because
of the all-embracing vow to deliver evildoers, one should
deliberately commit evil deeds as a means of attaining rebirth.
When news of his various misdemeanors reached the ears of
Shinran Shonin, he admonished his followers in a letter with
these words:
"Just because you possess the
antidote, do not become addicted to the poison."
With this saying he meant to put an end to
such perverse attachments; he did not at all mean that evil
deeds could obstruct rebirth.
"If we could trust in the Original Vow
only by observing the moral precepts and by obeying the many
rules of the Order," he said, "how could we ever deliver
ourselves from birth and death? Faithless as we are, it is only
when we encounter the Original Vow that we can wholly rely upon
it. Nonetheless, we can never commit evil unless it is
karmically caused."
Again the Master said:
"This holds true for those who
gain their livelihood by casting nets in the sea or fishing by
the river, those who hunt birds and beasts in the mountains
and fields, and those who trade or till the soil."
Shinran Shonin remarked that
"When karmic conditions are
opportune, we are capable of committing any evil! and yet at
present there are some who assume a pious air of seeking the
afterlife, as though only good people were entitled to call
the Name; and they post up notices in halls of worship
prohibiting admission to those who have transgressed. Are not
such people only pretending outwardly to be wise and zealous,
while inwardly remaining false and deceitful?
"Even those evil deeds committed because of overconfidence in
the Vow are caused by past karma. That being so, if we leave
all deeds, good and bad alike, to karma and place our sole
reliance on the Original Vow, we are really in conformity with
the other-power. Bear in mind that the Tract on Faith Alone
warns us: How can we consider ourselves too debased to be
reclaimed, when we cannot measure the magnitude of Amida's
power?"
Our faith in the other-power is confirmed
all the more because our hearts feel overconfident in their
reliance on the Original Vow. It might possibly be better for us
if we could have faith in the Original Vow after we have rid
ourselves of evil karma and defilements, because then we would
not need to have any overreliance on it. But if we were able to
rid ourselves of all defilements, we would already be buddhas,
for whom the Vow fulfilled by five kalpas of contemplation would
not be needed. Those who admonish others not to be overreliant
on the Original Vow nonetheless themselves appear to be filled
with defilements and impurities. Are they not also placing too
much reliance on the Vow? Just what kinds of evil are meant by
"having too much reliance on the Vow" and "not having too much
reliance on it"? After all, is not this a shallow argument?
XIV
There are some who insist that one should believe
that the heavy burden of evil karma accumulated during eight
thousand million kalpas is wiped out by a single calling of the
Name.
This assertion seems to refer to one who has
committed the ten evils or the five criminal acts, and has never
called the Name during his lifetime but who, when faced with
death, for the first time meets with a good teacher of the Way.
This teacher then instructs him that with one calling of the
Name the evils of eight thousand million kalpas will be wiped
out, and that with ten callings of the Name the grave karmic
burden of ten times eight thousand million kalpas will be
expunged, and so rebirth attained. This passage in the
Contemplation Sutra concerning one calling and ten callings was
perhaps referred to in order to make us realize the gravity of
the ten evils and the five criminal acts. It points out the
benefit of the extinction of evils, but it still falls short of
our faith. This is because at the instant when the single
thought of faith arises in the heart by Amida's light shining on
it, one is endowed with the diamond[like] faith, and the rightly
established state has already been reached. When one s lifetime
is over, all defilements and hindrances are transformed into the
realization that there is no birth and no death.
How can such debased evildoers as we are be
delivered from birth and death without his compassionate vow?
Bear this thought in mind and regard all the callings of the
nenbutsu throughout your life solely as an expression of your
indebtedness to Amida's great compassionate heart and of your
gratitude for his favor.
Those who are convinced that each calling of
the Name can erase the effects of their evil karma are really
trying to wipe them out so as to attain rebirth by their own
efforts. If this were true, since every thought that we have
during our lives binds us to birth and death, rebirth would only
be possible by calling the Name without cease up to the very
moment of death. But meanwhile, because the effects of past
karma have their own limit, we might die without right
mindfulness through meeting with an unexpected accident or
through being afflicted by the agony of disease, and in the
event the Name would be difficult to call. How then could we
wipe out the effects of evil committed during that interval? Do
such people insist that, unless the effects of evil karma be
effaced, our rebirth is unattainable?
Even though, because of unforeseen events, we may do wrong
and die without calling the Name, if we place our trust in the
vow that embraces all and forsakes none, we shall immediately
gain rebirth. Moreover, even if we are able to call the Name
during our last moments, we shall still only be expressing our
gratitude to Amida, placing our reliance all the more on him as
the moment of our enlightenment draws nearer. The desire to wipe
out the effects of past offenses is still self-power, and this
is the intention of one who prays to maintain equanimity during
his last moments. This shows that he lacks the faith of the
other-power.
XV
There are those who claim that we have already
gained enlightenment, even while our bodies are still defiled by
the passions. This view is quite unacceptable to us. To attain
buddhahood while still in this body is the essence of the secret
teachings of Shingon and is the result of the three esoteric
practices. The purification of the six senses is taught by the
One Vehicle of the Lotus Sutra, and this is attained by
practicing the four peaceful observances. But these are all
stages along the difficult path, which can be followed only by
those specially endowed and belong to the enlightenment
attainable only by meditational methods. The basic principle of
the other-power teachings of the Pure Land school is to gain
enlightenment in the next life, since it follows the path of the
assurance of faith. Besides, it is the easy way that can be
followed by those of poor ability and is a teaching that does
not discriminate between good and evil adherents.
Because, moreover, it is almost impossible to
eliminate defilements and hindrances during this lifetime, even
the holy monks who practice Shingon and Tendai methods still
look forward to reaching enlightenment in the next life. How
much truer is this of those of us who lack in discipline and
wisdom! Yet even we can cross over the painful ocean of birth
and death on board the ship of Amida's Vow. As soon as we have
reached the shore of the Pure Land, the dark clouds of the
defilements will instantly be cleared away and the enlightening
moon of buddhahood will at once appear. We can only claimonly
claim to be enlightened when we are at one with the light that
shines unobstructed in the ten directions to benefit all
sentient beings.
Do those who claim that they have already attained
enlightenment while in their earthly bodies freely expound the
Dharma to benefit all beings by manifesting in various bodily
transformations possessing the thirty-two major and eighty minor
marks of physical perfection, as Śākyamuni did? For these form
the paradigm of enlightenment attained in this life.
A hymn in Japanese says:
In that instant when faith as
hard as diamond is established, the light
of Amida’s heart enfolds us in its protection and we are
forever separated
from birth and death.
The meaning of this hymn
is that, because at the moment when faith is established we are
embraced once and for all and never after forsaken, we shall
never again wander through the six realms of existence. This is
why we are said to be “separated forever from birth and death.”
Why should this be misunderstood as “attaining enlightenment”?
How regrettable! Shinran Shōnin said: “I learned from my master
that in the Pure Land teaching one has faith in the Original Vow
during this life and that one attains enlightenment in the Pure
Land.”
XVI
Some insist that the devotee of the nenbutsu
should repent whenever he chances to lose his temper, to do
wrong, or to quarrel with his fellows. This view savors of
eliminating evil and practicing good.
For the devotee of singleminded and exclusive
practice of the nenbutsu this change of heart happens only once,
when he who has hitherto been ignorant of the true teachings of
the other-power of the Original Vow now realizes through Amida’s
wisdom that he will not attain rebirth in the Pure Land with his
habitual moral outlook, and so abandons his former views and
henceforth relies solely upon the Original Vow. This is the true
meaning of conversion.
If it were necessary to repent all errors, morning
and evening, in order to gain rebirth, the vow that embraces all
and forsakes none would have been made in vain, since before a
person could repent and dwell in tender forbearance, his life
might first end between one breath and the next.
Such people give lip service to the power of the
Vow, but in their hearts they still secretly harbor the thought
that, although the Vow is said to have been meant for all
people, in truth it will only be good people who are saved. It
is to be deplored that, by so thinking, those who doubt the
effectiveness of the Vow and are wanting in trust in the
other-power will be born in the borderland of the Western
Paradise.
Once faith has been firmly established, rebirth is
gained by the favor of Amida, and therefore not through one's
own efforts. The more we rely on the power of the Vow as we
realize our evil karma, the more will tender forbearance
spontaneously arise in us.
In all that concerns rebirth we should always
gratefully bear in mind, without any pretension to wisdom, our
deep indebtedness to Amida's favor. The natural outcome is that
the nenbutsu is called. Lack of artfulness on our part is called
naturalness, which in truth is the working of the other-power.
In spite of this I have heard of those who knowingly say that
there is some other kind of naturalness. How regrettable this
is!
XVII
There are others who claim that he who gains
rebirth in the borderland of the Western Paradise will
ultimately fall into hell. In what scriptural source is this
view to be found? It is deplorable that such an assertion should
have been made by those with pretensions to scholarship. How do
they dare to interpret the sacred scriptures and commentaries?
I heard from my master that devotees who lack
faith will be reborn in the borderland of the Western Paradise
because of their doubt in the Original Vow, but that when the
karma of their doubt is exhausted, they will attain
enlightenment in the True Land of Reward. Since devotees of the
true faith are few in number, most followers are recommended to
seek rebirth in the transformed Pure Land. And so to assert that
all their aspirations will ultimately prove to be in vain would
amount to accusing the Buddha of having led them astray!
XVIII
Again there are still others who say that,
depending on the amount offered to the Buddhist order, one will
become a greater or smaller buddha. How utterly nonsensical this
is! Such a view is ludicrous. First, one ought not to try to
delimit the size of the Buddha, for when the stature of the
supreme teacher of the Pure Land is described in the scriptures,
this is an expedient form referring to his spiritual body.
Since Amida embodies the realization of
ultimate truth, surpassing all forms, long or short, square or
round, and also all colors, blue, yellow, red, white, and black,
how then can his stature be determined as large or small?
When it is said in the scriptures that by
calling the nenbutsu one will receive a vision of an
apparitional buddha, this seems to have given rise to the
popular belief that by calling the Name in a loud voice, the
devotee will see a large buddha, and in a soft voice, a small
one. The misinterpretation mentioned at the beginning must have
derived from some such popular belief. Offerings to the
order should be regarded as the practice of the perfection of
generosity. But if faith is lacking, no matter what precious
offering one may make to the Buddha or to one's master, it will
prove to no avail. Yet although one does not offer even a single
sheet of paper or the smallest amount of money but in his heart
is devoted to the other-power with deep faith, his attitude will
be in accord with the true intention of the Original Vow.
In all these deviations from the true faith
by those who would intimidate their fellows under the pretense
of upholding the Dharma, are they not themselves motivated by
worldly greed?
Afterword
Such misinterpretations as these have definitely
arisen through deviations of faith. There is a story told by our
late Master Shinran that while Honen was alive he had many
disciples among whom few were of the same faith. A dispute once
arose between Shinran (then called Zenshin) and his fellow
disciples because he had stated that his faith and that of Honen
were the same. Such disciples as Seikanbo and Nenbutsubo opposed
him in forceful words, saying: "How can your faith, Zenshin,
possibly be the same as that of our master Honen?"
Shinran's reply was:
"It would be absurd if I were to
claim that I was Honen s equal in wisdom and learning, for his
are vast; but regarding our faith in rebirth, there is no
difference at all, for his faith and mine are one and the
same."
As they were still in
doubt, there was nothing left but to submit the question to
Master Honen for his decision. When the matter was explained to
him, Honen said:
"My faith was conferred by the
Buddha and so was Zenshin's; therefore they are one. Those who
hold a separate faith are the least likely to be reborn in the
same Pure Land as I, Genku."
From this I deduce that
even now among followers who seem singleheartedly and
exclusively devoted to the nenbutsu, there are some whose faith
is not at one with Shinran's.
All I have said is only needless repetition,
but still I have written it down so that, whenever I hear the
doubts of my fellow devotees, I shall be able to convey to them
as long as I continue to live, like a dewdrop on a withered
leaf, what I learned from my master; and also because I fear
that after my death further confusions may arise. Should
followers who put forth such false views attempt to mislead you,
you ought to read carefully those scriptures favored and
followed by the late Master which were in accord with his
deepest convictions.
From our viewpoint, in all the scriptures the
true and actual teachings are intermingled with the provisional
and expedient. The Master's real intention was that you should
discard the provisional and keep to the actual, put aside the
expedient and abide by the true. You should take great care not
to misunderstand the scriptures. As a standard of the true
faith, I have chosen certain important passages, which I have
appended to this book. The Master used to say:
"When I reflect deeply on the
Vow that Amida fulfilled after five kalpas of contemplation, I
find that it was for me, Shinran, alone! How compassionate,
therefore, is the Original Vow of Amida, who was moved to free
me from so many karmic defilements!"
Reflecting again on the
Master s words, I find them little different from Shandao's
golden saying:
"We should realize that in truth
we are ordinary unenlightened beings involved in birth and
death, who from the remotest past up to the present time have
been forever floundering in samsara, and that we have no way
of freeing ourselves."
And so, by giving
himself as an example, the Master's words were meant to awaken
us to our twofold ignorance: we are deluded as to the depth of
our transgressions and unaware of the breadth of Amida's
beneficence. For others as well as myself speak only of good and
evil without heeding the beneficence of Amida. As Shinran said:
"I am completely ignorant of
good and evil. If I could know what good was as totally as
Amida does, then I could claim to know good; and if I knew
evil as totally as Amida does, then I could claim to know
evil. But I must confess that we are all ordinary beings beset
by defiling passions and that everything in our world is as
transient as a burning house. All things are illusory and
delusive and have no truth in them. The nenbutsu alone is
true."
Indeed, I myself as
well as others speak only of idle things, of which the most
regrettable is that when we discuss among ourselves or explain
to others the meaning of faith, some impute to the Master words
that he did not utter, merely to silence their opponents and put
an end to the discussion. This is most deplorable, and we should
be careful to discriminate in this regard.
All these are not my own words and yet they
may sound strange, because I am not well versed in the
scriptures and commentaries nor have I grasped the depths of the
doctrine. But I have remembered and set down here only a
hundredth part of what the late Master Shinran taught. What a
pity if one fortunate enough to call the Name should not be
reborn directly into the Land of Reward but should stop short at
its borders!
So that there may be no divergences of faith
among followers of our school, I have taken up my brush in tears
and have written this down. It should be called the Tannishō
or Passages Deploring Deviations of Faith, and ought not
to be indiscriminately made public.
Appendix
During the reign of retired Emperor Gotoba
(1180–1239), Honen Shonin (1133–1212) spread the nenbutsu
teaching of the other-power based on Amida's Original Vow.
Thereupon the monks of Kofukuji in Nara petitioned the Imperial
Household, indicting Honen on charges that some of his disciples
committed a misdemeanor.
The following were the accused, who were found
guilty on the groundless evidence of hearsay: Honen and seven of
his disciples were exiled, and four of his disciples suffered
capital punishment. Honen Shonin was sentenced to exile in the
county of Hata in Tosa province (present-day Kochi prefecture)
and as a criminal was given the name of Fujii Motohiko, male,
aged seventy-six and so on. Shinran [Shonin] was sentenced to
exile in Echigo province (present-day Niigata prefecture) under
the criminal s name of Fujii Yoshizane, aged thirty-five. Joenbo
was exiled to Bingo province (present-day Hiroshima prefecture);
Chosai Zenkobo to Hoki province (present-day Tottori
prefecture); Kokabubo to Izu peninsula (present-day Shizuoka
prefecture); and Gyoku Hohonbo to Sado Island (part of
present-day Niigata prefecture).
Although Kosai Jogakubo and Zennebo [Shoku]
were also sentenced to banishment elsewhere, the ex-Daisojo,
Jien (1155–1225) of Mudoji [on Mount Hiei] offered to keep them
under his custody.
Thus eight persons in all were sentenced to
exile. The four who suffered capital punishment were Saii
Zenshakubo, Shoganbo, Jurenbo, and Anrakubo. These sentences
were passed by the Hoin (a high monastic title) Soncho, who held
the second court rank. Now that Shinran had been defrocked and
given a secular name, he was neither a monk nor a layman. He
therefore adopted the character Toku ( bald-headed ) for his
family name, and this was subsequently given official approval.
The judicial document is said to be kept even now in the
registration office. After his exile, Shinran always signed his
name: Shinran the Bald-headed.
Postscript
This sacred scripture is one of the most
valuable texts of our school. Those insufficiently matured in
faith should not be allowed indiscriminately to read it.
(signed) Shaku Rennyo
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