AN INTRODUCTION TO SHAN-TAO'S
LITURGY FOR BIRTH
OJORAISAN Άη^
Presented
at the 11th European Shin Conference in 2000
Hisao Inagaki
| Translation of the text |
[1] Introduction
The Title of the Liturgy for Birth: The full title is "Hymns of worship and praise at six times
of the day urging all beings to aspire for
birth in the Western Land of Utmost Bliss,
the Land of Amida Buddha" (©κΨOΆθΆΌϋΙy’E’νΙ§Zη]σ),
which is abbreviated to "Hymns of praise and worship with aspiration
for birth" (θΆη]σ), "Liturgy for birth" (Άη]), "Liturgy at six times" (Zη]) and simply to "Liturgy" (η]). In the Catalog of Buddhists
Texts compiled in the K'ai-yuan era (J³ί³^),
this work is listed in the Collection of rites of worship and repentance
based on various sutras (WoηπV) (TT. 55, 572b ). It is noteworthy
that of all the works of Shan-tao, the Liturgy
was the only text which was allowed to be
contained in the Tripitaka by the imperial
order (ό ).
Popularity of the six-time ritual in China: It has been reported that from among the
Tun-huang manuscripts belonging to the Three-Stage
Teaching (OK³), documents of six-time
daily worship and repentance, similar to
the Liturgy, were discovered. Since the Three-Stage
Teaching flourished at the time of Shan-tao,
it is presumed that books of the ritual with
six-time division were widely accepted as
the norm of Buddhist practices. According
to Teruma Nishimoto (in his A Study of the San-chieh-chiao, 1998, p. 50), the ritual practice at six
times during the day was presumably started
by Tao-an Ήΐ (312-385) (Ibid., p. 456)
and became popular in the later generations
through Sui and T'ang dynasties; the T'ien-t'ai,
the Pure Land and the Three-stage Teaching
had their respective ritual program and different
object of worship. In the Three-Stage Society
founded by Hsin-hsing Ms (540-594), followers
were supposed to perform the six-time ritual
among other practices, with different numbers
of Buddhas' names recited each time: fifty-three
Buddhas' names at dawn and noon, thirty-five
Buddhas' names at dusk and the first watch
of the night, and twenty-five at midnight
and the last watch of the night (Ibid., p.
442). It is also reported that Hui-yuan (d)
of Mt. Lu (334-416), the founder of the Chinese
Pure Land tradition, performed six-time ritual
walkings round Amida's image; he is said
to have invented the way of measuring time
by the movement of twelve flowers floating
on the spring water.
In Japan, a Tun-huang manuscript of the Liturgy
was first brought to our attention by Keiki
Yabuki in 1929, followed by discoveries of
other manuscripts by Pelliot, Stein and Otani.
According to Gyobin Hirokawa (in his "Tonko
shutsudo Zendo Ojoraisan koshahon ni tsuite"
in Zendo daishi no shiso to sono eikyo, Daito
shuppan, Tokyo, 1977), there are ten fragments
of the Liturgy. The existence of such documents
testifies to the widespread popularity of
the Liturgy.
The Collection of rites of worship and repentance
based on various sutras (WoηπV), 2 fasc., compiled by Chih-sheng
qΈ of the T'ang dynasty, contains the whole
text of the Liturgy in the second fascicle
[TT. 47, 467a-474c]. The first fascicle is
a collection of miscellaneous liturgies,
including the Amida Spell. Chih-sheng was
apparently drawn to Pure Land Buddhism through
Shan-tao's Liturgy, and his main objective
of compiling this work was to popularize
the Liturgy. This also shows that the Liturgy
was widely performed until at least the K'ai-yuan
era J³ (713-741) when Chih-sheng compiled
the Catalog and the liturgies. From the 12th
month in 778 to the 2nd month in 779, big
services of performing the six-time ritual
were held at the Pure Land halls of the two
temples in Ch'ang-an, the then capital of
the country. In those days, Shan-tao's Pure
Land practice and liturgy enjoyed popularity
under imperial patronage. Before long, Fa-chao
@Ζ, who was reputed to be Shan-tao's incarnation,
came to Ch'ang-an and compiled the Nien-fo Liturgy in Five Movements (άο@]); this further contributed to
the popularization of the practice of chanting
liturgies with beautiful cadences. In his
work, Fa-chao quotes from the Liturgy.
Origin of the six-time ritual: We can trace the origin of the tradition
of the six-time ritual to India.The Medicine Master Sutra states in the words of a bodhisattva, "If
a sick man wants cure, you should, for his
sake, observe the eight precepts of abstinence,
offer food, drink and daily necessities to
monks, within the limit of your capacity,
worship and make offering to the World-Honored
One, the Tathagata Emerald Light of the Master
of Medicine, six times during the day and
night, chant this sutra forty-nine times..."
(TT. 14, 407c)
The Sutra on Shariputra's Repentance (Ι€χίo) has this to say, "At
six times every day - morning, midday, dusk,
early night, midnight, and cockcrow - one
should bathe oneself, rinse one's mouth,
put on the clothes in the right manner, worship
the ten directions with joined hands and
repent one's evils done, saying, 'I have
committed transgressions and evils since
innumerable kalpas ago and also committed
offenses of sexual intercourse, anger and
stupidity in this life....'" (TT. 24,
1090a) Again, in the Bodhisattva-pitaka Sutra (μF o) (TT. 24, 1087a), mention is made
of "ritual walking and worshiping six
times a day"
Furthermore, it is stated in another Mahayana
Vinaya text, entitled the Mahayana Sutra on the Rite of Repentance
with Threefold Act (εζOγΪπχo), "Shariputra, if men
and women of good families wish to dwell
in the state of shravakas, pratyekabuddhas
or bodhisattvas, they should, at three times
during the day and the night, rise from the
seat, bare the right shoulder, place the
right knee on the ground, join the ten fingers
and make this remark: May all Buddhas, Bhagavats,
throughout the ten quarters always dwell
in the world, whether sitting or walking
about. May these Buddhas think on me, recognize
me, become my eye, my wisdom, my superior
and my supreme existence. I will repent and
confess my karmic hindrances before them
which I have produced while transmigrating
in birth-and-death since the beginningless
past and also in this and other lives...."
(TT. 24, 1091c)
These passages indicate that from the early
period the six-time ritual was held widely
among Mahayanists, not as a mere devotional
practice but as a way of extinguishing one's
karmic evils through repentance and confession
(ksama). The basic feature of repentance and confession
characterize various forms of the six-time
ritual.
Transmission of the Liturgy: Shan-tao's Liturgy was included in the Chinese
Tripitaka, which means that it was officially
recognized as an authentic Buddhist text.
According to the biography of Shao-k'ang
N (died in 805) in the Collection of Biographies
of Eminent Monks during the Sung Era, when
Shao-k'ang visited the White-Horse Temple
in Lo-yang, he saw the Liturgy emitting light.
From that time on, this work came to be known
as the "shining book" (ϊυ).
Concerning the transmission of this text
to Japan, Chien q~ of the Seizan school
describes in his Commentary on the Liturgy (Άη]ήγΪηβ) that the Monk Genbo Ί
(died 746) of the Hosso school went to T'ang
China with the Minister Kibi gυ and brought
back the whole Tripitaka in about 5,000 fascicles
in 734, in which was included the Liturgy.
In the Shosoin archives is found a record
dated 24th day of 7th month in the 14th year
of Tenpyo (742), stating "Liturgy for
Birth written on twenty-nine sheets of paper."
The first instance of the use of the Liturgy
in the service: It seems that Honen (1133-1212)
did not perform the six-time services based
on the Liturgy, but he quotes passages from
the Liturgy in his A Collection of Passages concerning the
Best-selected Primal Vow (Iπ{θO§W) from the doctrinal perspectives.
He also praises Shan-tao's ten distinguished
virtues in the Lamp of Words in Chinese (Ώκ^, SSZ. 4, 500-4), in which he alludes
to the mystic experience of Shao-k'ang mentioned
above.
The first instance of the use of the Liturgy
in a Buddhist service is recorded in the
oldest of Honen's biographies, An Illustrated Record of the Master's Biography
in this Country ({©ct`LG). In 1192 a seven-day
nembutsu memorial service was held for Ex-emperor
Goshirakawa at the Indoji ψ±, Yasaka;
the promoter Kenbutsu ©Ε of Yamato Province
invited Honen to attend the service. At that
time the Liturgy was chanted with Shin'amidabutsu
S’νΙ§ as the leader and joined by Kenbutsu,
Juren Z@ and Anraku ΐy.
We find in Kenko's D Leisurely Grass (kR) an interesting passage (section
227): "A monk called Anraku, Master
Honen's disciple, arranged the Six-time Liturgy
with various scriptures and chanted it. Later,
Zenkanbo PΟ[ of Uzumasa added notations
to it to use it as a chant. This is the beginning
of "single-thought Nembutsu" (κOΜO§).
This dates from the era of Ex-emperor Gosaga."
According to the same biography of Honen,
when the memorial service was held for the
Ex-emperor Goshirakawa, Juren and others
gathered to discuss the program. Noshin \M
who was in the group had a dream: Six birds
came flying from the west; they looked like
peacocks or parrots and their voice was beautiful,
producing the tones of 'pathos, grace, elegance
and resonance'; these birds sing the Six-time
Liturgy, rise and sit in worship, and walk
round the Buddha's image. Then Noshin made
the program of the Liturgy and Juren composed
the chant.
Juren and Anraku were no doubt the chant
leaders of the Liturgy. Their chant was so
beautiful that it attracted many people.
When they and other disciples of Honen performed
the 'special-time nembutsu' and the Six-time
Liturgy at Shishigatani, Kyoto, many attendants
were deeply impressed and aroused the Bodhi-mind
in their minds. Among them were the two court-ladies
attending the Ex-emperor Gotoba, named Matsumushi
and Suzumushi; on listening to the chant,
they became nuns. It is a sad story that
this led to the execution of Juren and Anraku
by the order of the Ex-emperor in 1207. Before
they were executed, they chanted the midday
service of the Liturgy; when they came to
the hymn which begins with, "Amida's
physical glory is like the Gold Mountain,"
a purple cloud appeared in the western sky.
After the end of the chant followed by the
ten-time's nembutsu, they were beheaded.
Popularity of the Liturgy in the Jodo school: According to Honen's biography in 48 fascicles,
Shoko Ήυ (or Bencho ·)(1162-1238), one
of Honen's chief disciples and the founder
of the Chinzei school, used to chant the Amida Sutra six times a day, perform the Liturgy precisely
at the appointed times, and also daily recite
the nembutsu sixty thousand times. After
the service at the first watch of the night,
he dosed for a short time but woke up to
continue the nembutsu in a loud voice.
Another great disciple of Honen, Ryukan ²°
(1148-1227), died holding one end of the
five-colored strings which were tied to the
statues of the Amida trio; at the last moment,
he sat up, put his palms together and chanted
a hymn from the Liturgy for the midday service.
As seen in the instance of Juren and Anraku
chanting the Liturgy, the audience consisted
of both monks and laypeople. They were excited
by the beautiful chant, and many awakened
aspiration for Bodhi. This no doubt created
a favorable atmosphere for the popularization
of the Liturgy among the public.
It is not clear, however, whether Honen himself
regularly chanted the Liturgy. There is no
record which shows that he did. When the
thirteenth memorial year of Ex-emperor
Goshirakawa was held, Honen laid down the
rite for copying the three Pure Land sutras
for seven days - in much the same way as
copying the Lotus Sutra which was commonly
practiced in those days. Honen especially
composed the Rite for Copying the Three Pure Land Sutras ςyOo@@oζ (SSZ.IV, pp. 384-7),
in which he recommends worshiping and praising
Amida as well as reciting the nembutsu three
hundred times. Although he recommends the
six-time rite, there is no mention of Shan-tao's
Liturgy.
Shinran' use of the Liturgy: Shinran quoted various passages and hymns
from the Liturgy in his Kyogyoshinsho and elsewhere for clarification of the Shin
teaching, but there is no record of his chant
of the Liturgy. However, according to Kakunyo's o@ Gleanings from the Biographical Notes of
the Old Sage (EβΓΏ`) (SSZ. III, 765), after Shinran
returned to Kyoto from the Kanto area, he
chose a suitable place for living, where
he held a memorial service for Honen. He
felt sorry for not holding a chuin (an intermediate state between death and
a new life) service for the master after
the latter's death and so made it a rule
to hold a service for four days around every
monthly memorial day of the master to repay
his indebtedness to Honen. On this occasion
he invited a chant master and attendant monks
to perform the nembutsu ritual based on the Liturgy.
It seems that the use of the Liturgy for memorial services was well established.
It may be remembered that the Liturgy was
used for the memorial service for the Ex-emperor
Goshirakawa in 1192. The service of the same
pattern was held at the 13th year memorial
for him in 1204. So it was natural that Shinran
should have followed this custom.
Publications of the Liturgy: When the Liturgy was chanted by Juren and Anraku at Shishigatani,
there were apparently no fixed cadences to
go with it. The way it was chanted appeared
peculiar, though enchanting. It was clearly
distinguishable from the traditional Tendai
chant, and so it was criticized by specialists.
Later notations were added. The woodblock-print
texts of the Liturgy from the 14th to the
15th century testify to the gradual arrangement
of the Liturgy as a standard chant, though
it is impossible to tell exactly how it was
chanted. In 1681, the first woodblock-print
text of the Liturgy with notations, entitled
the Chant for the Lotus Gate-way (@εΫζu), was published by the Fukakusa
subschool of the Seizan school. In the same
year the Honen-in published a similar text
with simpler notations, entitled, the Chant for Pure Land Practice (ςΖΫζu). Twenty-one years later, the
Yuzunembutsu school founded by Ryonin ΗE
(1072-1132) published their own chant book
which contained only the section for the
first watch of the night with simple notations.
In the Jodoshin school, the Liturgy was used side by side with the Hymns of the Pure Land Ritual (@]) during the period of the fifth
monshu Shakunyo γ^@ (in office, 1389-1393).
The first chant book of the Liturgy for this school was published in 1774, but
it was nearly the same in content as the Chant for the Lotus Gate-way. New versions of the chant book of the Liturgy
appeared in various Pure Land schools in
the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Liturgy used to be chanted in the Han and Wu sounds,
and generally speaking, the same notations
were used in all the Pure Land schools until
the middle of the Edo period (18th century).
[2] Outline of the Liturgy
This work is divided into four parts: preface,
introduction, main body, and epilogue.
Preface At the beginning a short statement introduces
this work:
Verses of liturgy to be recited at six times
of a day, compiled for the purpose of urging
all people to aspire for birth in the land
of Amida Buddha, the realm of the Utmost
Bliss in the West.
This is followed by a brief description of
the six-time rituals:
First, respectfully based on the Larger Sutra which states that Shakyamuni and Buddhas
of the ten quarters glorify Amida's twelve
lights and recommend recitation of his Name,
worshiping of this Buddha and mindfulness
of him as the sure way of attaining birth
in his land, I worship Amida nineteen times
at sunset.
Second, respectfully collecting important
passages from the Larger Sutra, I compose liturgical verses and worship
twenty-four times at the first watch of the
night.
Third, respectfully based on Bodhisattva
Nagarjuna's liturgical verses of aspiration
for birth, I worship sixteen times at the
second watch of the night.
Fourth, respectfully based on Bodhisattva
Vasubandhu's liturgical verses of aspiration
for birth, I worship twenty times at the
third watch of the night.
Fifth, respectfully based on Master Yen-ts'ung's
liturgical verses of aspiration for birth,
I worship twenty-one times in the early morning.
Sixth, using the liturgical verses of aspiration
for birth composed by Monk Shan-tao based
respectfully on the sixteen contemplations,
I worship twenty times at noon.
Introduction The introduction consists of five parts:
1) establishing faith (ΐS), 2) performing
practices (Ns), 3) abiding by the prescribed
modes of action (μΖ), 4) single-practice
samadhi (ekavyuha-samadhi) (κsO), and 5) advantages of the continuous
practice of the nembutsu (OO±). The
practice centering on the nembutsu will not
be effective unless one has the mind of repentance
and confession (ksama; zange or sange πχ); so the rite of repentance is briefly
presented.
1) Establishing faith (ΐS): The aspirants should possess the
three minds as mentioned in the Contemplation Sutra, namely, sincere mind, deep mind, and mind
of aspiration and merit-transference. These
three minds are the prerequisite for attaining
birth in the Pure Land.
2) Performing practices (Ns): This is to perform the Five Mindful
Practices (άOε) recommended by Vasubandhu
in his Discourse on the Pure Land. Shan-tao here presents his own version
of the five practices, which are as follows:
1. to worship Amida; 2. to extol Amida's
physical glory, that of all the sages, the
jeweled adornments and light of his land,
and so forth; 3. to be mindful of and contemplate
the physical glory and light of Amida and
the sages and the glorious adornments of
the land; 4. to aspire for birth in the Pure
Land by performing various meritorious practices
with sincerity of mind; 5. to transfer the
merits of one's good acts and the merits
that accrue from rejoicing in others' good
acts towards the Pure Land and to enter the
realm of birth-and-death to save beings untiringly.
3) Abiding by the prescribed modes of act (μΖ): In what way and how long one should
perform the Five Mindful Practices is explained
next. Concerning this, Shan-tao presents
the four modes of acts in accordance with
the Mahayanasamgraha (Compendium of the Mahayana). They are: 1. reverential practice (±hC)
- worshiping Amida and all the holy sages;
2. exclusive practice (³ιPC) - exclusively
reciting Amida's Name, being mindful of,
worshiping and praising Amida and all the
holy sages; 3. uninterrupted practice (³ΤC)
- continuous practice of worshiping Amida,
reciting his Name, and so forth; 4. sustained
practice (·C) - performing the above
practices for as long as one lives.
4) Single-practice samadhi (ekavyuha-samadhi) (κsO): Exclusive recitation of the Name
is encouraged based on the Prajnaparamita Sutra Expounded by Manjushri (ΆκΚα), which states, "I wish to
expound the Single-practice Samadhi. I only
encourage you to dwell alone in a quiet place,
concentrate on one Buddha without visualizing
his countenance, and exclusively recite his
name. Then, while in the recitative practice,
you will be able to see Amida and all other
Buddhas."
Shan-tao also explains why one should concentrate
on Amida only, saying that although all Buddhas
have the same enlightenment and the same
wisdom and compassion, they have different
vows; only Amida's vows enable us to attain
birth in his land through the nembutsu and
faith.
5) Advantages of the continuous practice of
the nembutsu (OO±): It is stated, "Those who
are mindful of Amida continuously until the
end of their lives as explained above will
be born in the Pure Land, ten out of ten
and a hundred out of a hundred. The reason
is that they are free of miscellaneous influences
from outside, they have attained the right
mindfulness, they are in accord with the
Buddha's Primal Vow, they do not disagree
with the Buddha's teachings, and they accord
with the Buddha's words."
Repentance is prerequisite for effective
performance of the Pure Land practice. Shan-tao
presents three kinds of repentance: principal,
brief, and extensive, which are explained
in detail in the main body but may be presented
here.
= 1. Principal repentance =
I take refuge in and repent before Buddhas
of the ten quarters;
May all the roots of my karmic evil be destroyed.
I will transfer the good which I have cultivated
since a long time ago
Towards others so that it may become the
cause of birth in the
Land of Peace and Bliss for them and for
myself.
I always wish that at the time of death,
everyone will see
All the wonderful objects and manifestations.
I wish to see Amida, the Lord of Great Compassion,
Avalokiteshvara, Mahasthamaprapta and Honored
Ones of the ten quarters.
I pray and wish that their divine light embraces
me and they extend their hands towards me;
May I ride the Buddha's Primal Vow and be
born in his land.
= 2. Short repentance =
Ever since my existence came to be in the
beginningless past,
I have continuously done ten evil acts to
other beings;
To my parents I have neglected duties and
I have abused the Three Treasures;
I have committed the five gravest offenses
and other evil acts.
As the results of various karmic evils such
as those,
Delusory thoughts and perverse views have
arisen and produced bondages,
Which will cause me to suffer immeasurable
pain of birth-and-death.
I bow to the Buddha in worship and repent.
I beseech you to remove those evils.
= 3. Extensive repentance =
I have above explained the first two levels
of repentance and aspiration. If you wish
to follow the most essential mode of repentance,
take the first one. If you wish to follow
the abridged mode of repentance, take the
second one. If you wish to follow the most
extensive mode of repentance, take the last
one. I will recommend the extensive mode
of repentance to those who sincerely aspire
for birth. Confess and repent your karmic
evils to the four groups of Buddhists, or
to Buddhas of the ten quarters, or before
the holy relics, images of the sages or assemblies
of monks, or to a specific person, or to
yourselves, or to the Three Treasures throughout
the space in the ten quarters and to the
entire sentient beings.
There are three grades of repentance: high,
middle and low. The high grade of repentance
is to shed blood from the hair pores of one's
body and also shed blood from one's eyes.
The middle grade of repentance is to shed
hot sweat from the hair pores of one's whole
body and also shed blood from one's eyes.
The low grade of repentance is to feel feverish
all over the body and also shed tears from
one's eyes
These three grades of repentance are different
from each other, but they can all be carried
out by those who have long cultivated the
roots of good in the stage leading to emancipation.
If people in this life, revere the Dharma,
pay respect to preachers, practice without
regard for their lives, and repent even small
transgressions, then their repentance will
penetrate to their bones and marrows. If
repentance is performed in this way, their
heavy hindrances, whether accumulated for
a long time or short time, will instantly
perish. Unless done in this way, any assiduous
practice that one may perform throughout
the twelve periods of the day and night will
not yield any benefit. Those who do not repent
in the proper way should know this. Even
though one is unable to shed tears and blood,
one will get the same result as described
above if one thoroughly attains the True
Faith.
Shan-tao explains, "Any of the three
can be performed as one pleases. Otherwise,
one will not be continuously mindful of repaying
the Buddha's benevolence, one will give rise
to haughty thoughts which cause one's acts
to be tainted with desires for reputation
and profit, one will be covered with self-attachment
which alienates one from fellow-practitioners
and good teachers, and one will be drawn
to miscellaneous influences, hindering oneself
and others from performing the right practice
for birth in the Pure Land."
Main body The main body explains the rituals to be
performed at six times of the day:
1) At sunset one worships nineteen times glorifying Amida
based on the Amida Sutra and the Contemplation
Sutra and also extolling the twelve names
of Amida's Light, etc., based on the Larger
Sutra; a short rite of repentance beseeching
Buddhas of the ten quarters to annul one's
karmic evils is also included. At the end
of this section, Six Hymns on Impermanence (³νσ) for the six services at six times
of the day are placed, which are especially
impressive.
Hymns on Impermanence:
= For the sunset service =
Alas, people are busily engaged in secular
matters,
Taking no notice of their lives wearing away
by day and by night,
Like a lamp in the wind - how long can it
last?
In the six realms of the vast Samsara there
is no fixed abode.
Until we are emancipated from the sea of
suffering,
How can we rest peacefully? Why should we
not be terrified?
Let each one of us hear the Dharma while
young and strong;
Let us strive and diligently seek the path
to Eternity.
= For the service at the first watch of the
night =
(based on the Sutra on Bodhisattvas' Abode in the Womb)
Deep and bottomless are our blind passions;
Boundless is the sea of birth-and-death.
Until we get on board the ship to cross the
sea of suffering,
How can we enjoy sleep?
Let us make courageous efforts
And keep our thoughts absorbed in meditation.
= For the midnight service =
(based on the Meditation-Samadhi Sutra)
You should not lay your foul-smelling bodies
in bed.
An aggregate of impurities - this is temporarily
called 'person.'
When you are attacked by a serious illness,
it is like an arrow penetrating the body;
All sorts of pain will assemble to torment
you. How can you sleep peacefully now?
= For the service at the last watch of the
night =
(based on the Garland Sutra)
Time has passed in the swiftness of light;
It is already early fifth watch.
Impermanence rushes upon me every moment;
King of Death follows me in every step.
Let me urge you, practitioners of the Way,
To strive diligently to attain Nirvana.
= For the early morning service =
(based on the Mahasamghika-vinaya)
If you are seeking the pleasure of Tranquility,
You should learn to live the frugal life
of a mendicant.
Clothes and food are just for sustaining
your bodies;
Let them be as they are given, whether good
or not.
= For the midday service =
Man's life, if wasted in idleness,
Is like a plant without roots
Or like a cut flower placed in the sun;
How long can it remain fresh?
Man's life is like this.
Impermanence will seize you any moment.
I urge you, all the practitioners of the
Way,
To practice diligently to attain Truth.
2) At the first watch of the night one worships twenty-four times praising
Amida's virtue based on various passages
from the Larger Sutra; this section ends with an expression of
devotion and repentance.
Shinran quotes the following hymns in the Kyogyoshinsho:
The ocean of Amida's Wisdom and Vow
Is deep, broad and without bound;
Those who hear the Name and aspire to be
born
All, without exception, reach that land.
(in the chapter on True Practice)
Those who have been able to hear
The Name of Amida Buddha
And rejoice even with one thought of mindfulness
Will all attain birth in that land.
(in the chapter on True Faith)
Even if the whole world is on fire,
Be sure to pass through it to hear the Buddha's
Name;
Those who, having heard the Name, rejoice
and praise him
Will all attain birth in that land.
(in the chapter on True Practice)
When the Three Treasures perish ten thousand
years from now,
This sutra will remain for a hundred years
more;
Those who hear it during this period and
awaken even one thought of mindfulness
Will all attain birth in that land.
(in the chapter on True Practice)
It is extremely difficult to encounter an
age in which a Buddha
appears in the world;
It is also difficult for the people to realize
the wisdom of faith;
To be able to hear the rare Dharma
Is among the most difficult.
(in the chapters on True Faith and Transformed
Buddhas and Lands)
To accept it in faith and teach others to
believe in it
Is the difficulty among all the difficulties;
To spread the Great Compassion everywhere
and guide others
Is truly to repay the Buddha's benevolence.
(in the chapters on True Faith and Transformed
Buddhas and Lands)
3) At the midnight one worships sixteen times praising Amida's
virtue based on Nagarjuna's Twelve Adorations; after an expression of devotion and repentance,
Shan-tao further expresses in verse his repentance,
solicits Buddhas to expound the Dharma, and
vows to rejoice in others' good acts, transfer
his merits to the Pure Land and save other
suffering beings. Hymns on the four sincere
acts of merit may be quoted here:
[Sincere repentance]
Ever since my existence came to be in the
beginningless past,
I have continuously done ten evil acts to
other beings;
To my parents I have neglected duties and
I have abused the Three Treasures;
I have committed the five gravest offenses
and other evil acts.
As the results of various karmic evils such
as those,
Delusory thoughts and perverse views have
arisen and produced bondages,
Which will cause me to suffer immeasurable
pain of birth-and-death.
I bow to the Buddha in worship and repent.
I beseech you to remove those evils.
[Sincere request]
The Buddhas, the peerless Honored Ones of
Great Compassion,
Constantly illumine the three worlds with
the Wisdom of Voidness.
Blind and ignorant, sentient beings are unaware
of this,
Sinking eternally in the great ocean of birth-and-death.
In order to free sentient beings from various
sufferings,
I beseech the Buddhas to turn the Wheel of
Dharma always.
After having requested thus, I take refuge
in Amida Buddha with sincerity of heart.
[Sincere rejoicing]
Jealousy, haughtiness, and indolence which
I have had
since many kalpas ago arise from stupidity;
With the fire of anger and malevolence I
have always
Burnt the good roots of wisdom and compassion.
As I contemplate today, I have realized this
for the first time;
Then I have awakened the mind of making great
efforts and
rejoicing (in others' good acts).
After having thus rejoiced, I take refuge
in Amida Buddha with sincerity of heart.
[Sincere merit-transference]
Wandering about in the three worlds,
I have been conceived in the womb-jail through
blind love;
Having been born, I am destined to old age
and death.
Thus I have been sinking in the ocean of
suffering.
Now I perform these meritorious acts;
I turn their merit over to the Land of Peace
and Bliss to attain birth there.
After having thus transferred the merit,
I take refuge in Amida Buddha with sincerity
of heart.
[Sincere vow]
I wish to abandon the body enclosed in the
womb
And attain birth in the Land of Peace and
Bliss,
Where I will quickly behold Amida Buddha's
Body of boundless merits and virtues
And see many Tathagatas
And holy sages as well.
Having acquired the six supernatural powers,
I will continue to save suffering sentient
beings
Until all their worlds throughout the universe
are exhausted.
Such will be my vow.
After having thus made the vow, I take refuge
in Amida Buddha with sincerity of heart.
4) At the last watch of the night one worships twenty-one times praising Amida's
virtue based on Vasubandhu's Hymns of the
Pure Land and ending in an expression of
devotion and repentance.
5) At the early morning one worships twenty-one times praising Amida's
virtue based on the hymns by Yen-ts'ung (F
Genso) (557-610) of the Sui dynasty. His
hymns extoll glorious aspects of the Pure
Land.
6) At midday twenty acts of worship are offered while
praising Amida and repenting Shan-tao's own
evil karma based on his hymns on the sixteen
contemplations of the Contemplation Sutra.
Shinran quotes one of the hymns in the Kyogyoshinsho (chapter on True Faith):
The color of Amida's body is like the golden
mountain;
The light rays of his physical characteristics
and marks illumine the ten quarters;
Only those who recite the Nembutsu are enfolded
in the Light;
Realize that the Primal Vow has the strongest
power.
The Tathagatas of the ten quarters extend
their tongues and give witness:
Through exclusive recitation of the Name,
you reach the land in the West;
Mounting the lotus-dais, you will hear the
excellent Dharma;
You will see the vows and practices of the
ten bodhisattva stages manifest themselves
spontaneously.
Since Shan-tao actually visualized the Pure
Land, we can see that the following hymn
is based on his mystic experience:
As I sit cross-legged in the correct manner
and enter the samadhi,
The contemplating thought reaches the Land
in the West following the direction of mindfulness.
I find that Amida's Land of Utmost Bliss
Is adorned with the seven treasures from
the ground to the sky.
The measurement of Amida's body being limitless,
Shakyamuni further urges sentient beings
to contemplate smaller bodies.
Bodies sixteen feet or eight feet high appear
in accord with the needs of the beings;
Transformed Buddhas in the halo resemble
the true Buddha-body.
Having praised the supreme perfections of
the Pure Land, Shan-tao compassionately urges
us to seek birth there, as the following
hymn shows:
Amida Buddha's Land has been well fulfilled;
The Western Land of Utmost Bliss is beyond
our concept.
Listening to Prajna avidly, you forget drinking
water;
Enjoying mindfulness of Non-arising, you
remove the thought of eating.
All the glorious adornments preach the Dharma,
Which you receive without thought and naturally
understand.
You freely enter the pond of flowers of the
seven factors for enlightenment;
As you concentrate, you realize the eight
emancipations in a branch of a tree.
Innumerable bodhisattvas become your fellow-students,
And the Tathagatas appearing from the ocean
of Suchness are all your teachers.
Amida sprinkles the water of mind-essence
over your head,
And Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta
give you the dress and help you wear it.
Instantly soaring up in the sky, you enjoy
hovering in the universe;
In a short while, you receive predictions
from the Buddhas who endow you the name 'No-action.'
You will thus enjoy leisurely pastime in
the Realm of Limitlessness.
If I do not go there now, what time shall
I expect to come?
Epilogue
The epilogue explains the benefit of
the nembutsu one gains in this life and hereafter
and urges practitioners to perform the ritual
presented above. The following passages are
the essential part and Shinran quotes them
in the Kyogyoshinsho (chapter on True Practice):
Question: What merit and benefit do we acquire
in the present life by calling the Name of
Amida Buddha and worshiping and contemplating
him?
Answer: One utterance of the Name of Amida
Buddha can remove the heavy evil karma that
will cause one to transmigrate in samsara
for eight billion kalpas. Worshiping and
focusing our thoughts upon Amida - along
with other acts - have the same effect. The
Sutra on the Ten Ways of Attaining Birth
states:
"If there are sentient beings who focus
their thoughts upon Amida Buddha and aspire
for birth in his land, the Buddha immediately
sends twenty-five bodhisattvas to protect
them, keeping evil spirits and evil gods
away from them at all times and in all places,
day and night, whether they are walking,
standing, sitting or lying down.
It is further stated in the Contemplation Sutra:
Question: What merit and benefit do we acquire
in the present life by calling the Name of
Amida Buddha and worshiping and contemplating
him?
Answer: One utterance of the Name of Amida
Buddha can remove the heavy evil karma that
will cause one to transmigrate in samsara
for eight billion kalpas. Worshiping and
focusing our thoughts upon Amida - along
with other acts - have the same effect. The
Sutra on the Ten Ways of Attaining Birth
states:
"If there are sentient beings who focus
their thoughts upon Amida Buddha and aspire
for birth in his land, the Buddha immediately
sends twenty-five bodhisattvas to protect
them, keeping evil spirits and evil gods
away from them at all times and in all places,
day and night, whether they are walking,
standing, sitting or lying down.
It is further stated in the Contemplation Sutra:
If practicers call the Name of Amida Buddha
and worship and focus their thoughts upon
him, aspiring to be born in his land, the
Buddha immediately sends innumerable transformed
Buddhas and transformed bodies of Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva
to the practicers to protect them. Together
with the twenty-five bodhisattvas mentioned
before, these transformed bodies surround
them a hundredfold and a thousandfold and
stay with them at all times and in all places,
day and night, whether they are walking,
standing, sitting or lying down.
Since there are such excellent benefits,
you should accept this in faith. May all
practicers receive Amida's sincere heart
and seek to attain birth in the Pure Land.
It is further stated in the Larger Sutra:
If, when I become a Buddha, all sentient
beings in the ten quarters who call my Name
even ten times fail to be born in my land,
may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.
This Buddha, having attained Buddhahood,
now dwells in the Pure Land. You should know
that his weighty vows are not in vain. Sentient
beings who call his Name will unfailingly
attain birth. It is stated in the Amida Sutra:
If sentient beings hear of Amida Buddha,
they should hold fast to his Name, calling
it with concentrated and undistracted mind
for one day, two days, up to seven days.
When their lives are about to end, Amida
Buddha will appear before them with a host
of sages. When they die, their minds will
not fall into confusion and so they will
be born in his Land. The Buddha Shakyamuni
said to Shariputra, "Since I perceive
these benefits, I declare: Those sentient
beings who hear this teaching should awaken
aspiration and desire to be born in that
land."
The sutra next states:
The Buddhas in the eastern quarter, as numerous
as the sands of the River Ganges, as well
as those as numerous as the sands of the
River Ganges in each of other quarters -
south, west, north, nadir and zenith - each
in their own lands, extending their tongues
and covering with them the universe of a
thousand million worlds, pronounce these
words of truth: Sentient beings should accept
this sutra which is protected by all Buddhas.
Why is this sutra called 'protected [by all
Buddhas]'? If there are sentient beings who
call the Name of Amida Buddha for seven days,
or one day, or even down to ten times or
once or think of him once, they can unfailingly
attain birth. Because [all Buddhas] testify
to this, this is called 'The sutra which
is protected [by all Buddhas].'
Since we have this supreme Vow, we should
trust it. Why do all the Buddhas' children
not make a firm resolution and strive to
go to the Pure Land?
END
Bibliography
Text:
Jodoshinshu seiten, chushakuban & shichisohen.
Shinshu shogyo Zensho, I,II,III, IV (abbreviated to SSZ.).
Taisho shinshu daizokyo (Taisho Tripitaka).
Japanese commentary
Seiten iyaku: Shichiso shogyo (chu), Jodoshinshu
Hongwanjiha
shuppanbu, 2nd edition, 1983.
Books consulted
Chugoku jodo kyorishi, Shinko Mochizuki, Hozokan, 2nd ed., 1964.
Jodokyo shisoron, Eijun Hattori, Sankibo busshorin, 1974.
Sangaigyo no kenkyu, Teruma Nishmoto, Shunjusha, 1998.
The Way to Nirvana, Ryosetsu Fujiwara, Kyoiku Shincho Sha,
1974.
To chuki no jodokyo, Zenryu Tsukamoto, Hozokan, 1975.
Zendo daishi kenkyu, ed. Kyoshun Todo, Sankibo busshorin, 1980.
Zendo daishi no shiso to sono eikyo, ed. Keishin Tomatsu, Daito shuppansha,
1977.
Return to Nembutsu-Index; Index.