= Pada Index =
Translated by Zuio H. Inagaki
Ref. Horai Magazine since January 2003
1 The Vow-Power being great, I go to the Land of Bliss
Leaving behind, in this Saha world, even the word 'shinjin.'
2 Though my lodging has already been arranged,
I am freezing in the snow as dusk gathers around me.
3 Birth-and-death is a matter of great importance;
And Impermanence is quickly approaching.
Are you prepared?
4 Namo Amida Butsu is my Parent's voice,
"Come straight to me!"
It is my Parent's voice, "Don't worry!"
It is my Parent's voice, "I am protecting you!"
5 Namo Amida Butsu is the Tathagata's life;
It has found its way to me and become my life.
Mother and child share the same life;
They breathe the same breath - Namo Amida Butsu.
6 Morning and evening, the living Buddha, Namo Amida Butsu,
comes in from my ears and goes out from my mouth.
7 This world is a dream indeed;
Let us return to the home of Light.
8 No clouds hang in the sky of my mind any longer;
I go to the Land of Bliss
as Amida mindfully watches over me.
9 By day and by night, at all times,
Amida's call of unfailing salvation
touches the chord of my heart.
10 How I have been taken into the Tathagata's Womb
Is shown by Namo Amida Butsu.
11 Do not use your self-power in attaining shinjin;
do not calculate!
Just accept the fact that Amida's salvation is totally reliable;
Amida's salvation is "here and now."
12 Bombu is good for nothing, outside the range of salvation;
Only Amida's Parental love is to be depended on.
13 The problem of birth in the Pure Land is to be resolved
through a dialogue between Amida and meself.
14 Don't listen to what a knowledgeable bombu says;
Don't envy a person who seems devout.
15 It is through the inconceivable Vow that I, who cannot be
saved by any means, is saved.
This is what “no meaning is the true meaning” (Tannisho) implies.
16 Nothing can be done to settle my mind;
Then the call of Great Compassion is heard,
“I will save you without fail.”
My mind is resigned with the thought,
“I know nothing about good or evil.” (Tannisho)
17 Without being hindered by my evil karma,
I go to be born in the Pure Land
by entrusting myself to the Path of the Vow-Power.
This is the wonder of all wonders.
18 To study the Buddha Dharma is
to hear the Tathagata's Compassion;
It is to hear the Vow-Power originating from
the Buddha's inconceivable Wisdom.
19 The Tathagata's live voice
assuring me, "Don't worry,"
Is Namo Amida Butsu.
20 The person who appears before me
after having accomplished everything for me -
shinjin and birth in the Pure Land -
and having destroyed all my karmic evil,
is my Parent, Namo Amida Butsu.
21 "Namo Amida Butsu! I will not let you fall into hell."
How gracious of Amida to have made this Vow!
22 My vain search for shinjin having ended,
I rejoice at the Compassion
that seeks to save me by all means.
23 "Do you want peace of mind?"
"If so, let peace of mind save you."
"Mind you, peace of mind does not take you to the Pure Land."
By the Vow-Power you attain birth there;
The Vow-Power was working in the beginning;
It will keep working until the end.
Through the Vow-Power your birth is realized.
24 Night is dark, and the road is not seen.
At that moment, Amida offers his hand to guide me.
How great the Vow-Power is!
25 "Dharmakara brought forth the unsurpassed and
most excellent Vow" (Shoshinge);
How wonderful it is that he made the Vow
urging us, "Come straight to me!"
26 Your thoughts and ideas cannot save you.
Only by the power of the Primal Vow you are saved.
Your thoughts and ideas do not constitute shinjin.
This should be understood correctly.
27 Encountering the Buddha Dharma is
what human birth is for.
It is no ordinary thing to meet a good Dharma teacher.
28 The power of the Primal Vow works beyond good and evil.
Because of the Vow-Power,
our birth in the Pure Land is easy.
29 The course of the boat is left to the sail,
the movement of the sail is left to the wind;
As for me, I leave everything to Amida.
30 The direct path to the Land of Bliss
is Namo Amida Butsu.
31 The way a man of shinjin walks on the Great Path -
without anxiety or without feigned peace of mind.
32 To receive the teaching of a good master,
to accept it as it is without contrivance -
this is the way to the Land of Bliss.
33 How adorable! In place of the World-Honored One,
our Founder Shinran Shonin has appeared in the world.
Look up to him as the Buddha and entrust yourself in him.
34 Those who attain birth in the Pure Land
are born transformed from the Flower of Enlightenment;
Apart from riding on the Great Karma-Power of the Vow,
there is no path to the Pure Land.
To ride on the Vow-Power is
to be overpowered by the Tathagata.
35 A white cloud
travels across the sky
taking the pathless path.
36 If you utter words from your deluded mind,
all you say is false.
37 Let the Buddha-Dharma talk!
Keep your mouth shut!
38 The Buddha-Dharma is profound when it appears shallow;
It is nothing special but it provides everything.
39 Without reverence and worship,
you will not understand the Dharma.
40 Look up with a mind of no attachment;
Stars sparkle in the sky.
41 The Buddha's life is Namo Amida Butsu;
My life is the Nembutsu.
42 Children are like monkeys;
Let them imitate good Buddhists,
If you really love them.
43 Do not scold children;
instead, show them what to do.
44 Do not speak ill of others; do not be proud.
Humbling yourself, hold to the Nembutsu.
45 Be careful about enjoyable things;
If addicted to them, you will have cause for regrets.
46 For man's floating mind,
there is no place to lodge, no port to stay.
47 A duckweed enjoys freedom,
as it drifts on the water .
48 The Buddha-Dharma cries,
"Namo Amida Butsu saves you!"
49 The Death Barrier, what does it mean to you?
50 "This is good," "This is bad" -
Such calculation is self-power faith.
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