The Easy Path to Buddhahood: Part 3 - Rely Completely on Amida Buddha

In his letter “The Ease Of Rebirth, But The Scarcity Of Those Reborn”, Rennyo explains, in plainest language, Part 3 of the Easy Path to Buddhahood.

It is nothing else than Amida Buddha’s call to each and all of us.

Amida’s call is a call to rely 100% on his Vow to save all beings - and his work in creating a Pure Land where that vow will be fulfilled in your life - because it is there that you can be reborn after this life - and become a Buddha at last.

To recap parts 1 and 2, very briefly, and provide relevant links:

Part 1 of the Easy Path is an invitation to listen deeply in order to awaken your own aspiration to Buddhahood.

Part 2 of The Easy Path is an invitation to listen deeply yet again in order to recognize your limitations - to acknowledge your inability to attain your goal of Buddhahood - full and final liberation - by your own best efforts of ANY kind.

I invite you to join me in listening deeply to Rennyo the Restorer - aTrue Teacher of the true teaching, practice and realization of the path of the Pure Land to guaranteed Buddhahood - at last:

Rennyo: All sentient beings of this Closing Third Era (the Age of Dharma Decline) must attain Faith in the Other-Power and desire rebirth in the Pure Land.

Paul’s notes: Rennyo asserts boldly that there is simply no other viable way to end suffering in this age of Dharma Decline. All must become people of faith in in the Other-Power of Amida Buddha. All must yearn for rebirth in Amida’s Pure Land at the end of this life.

Rennyo: To attain this Faith, no special needs exist for intellect or genius, wealth or poverty, or virtuous “do-gooders,” male or female.

Paul’s notes: Here’s one way to discern if the teaching you’re hearing is authentic Shin Ugly teaching - the plain teaching for plain people that Shinran and Honen and Rennyo offered the entire world.

I call this quality control check the village idiot test. It’s based on the ideas Rennyo talks about right here:

  • If it’s too intellectual, clearly the average village idiot won’t understand it. For Shin Ugly teaching, Rennyo says, you just don’t need to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.
  • If it requires massive amounts of time and energy, because you’re either independently wealthy, or you’ve left normal life to take some vow of poverty in a monastery, the average village idiot can’t do it. Shin Ugly is made for the average village idiot who is too busy - who has to do mundane work every day just to put bread on the table for him or herself, and the family.
  • If it requires yet one more obsessive self-improvement program - to deal on your own with your blind passion - to become, as Rennyo says, a “virtuous do-gooder” - the average village idiot will fail miserably. Shin Buddhism is designed for average village idiots who can’t succeed at these metaphysical makeovers - who can’t change deep down inside - who can’t get rid of their blind passion - no matter WHAT.

The bottom line: Whatever the teacher and the teaching are about, if the average village idiot can’t understand it, nor apply it, in the course of a mundane and often harried life, it’s may not be the authentic Shin Ugly teaching. (Shinran had a LOT to say about that simplicity, which I’ll review in another blog post).

The simplicity of the teaching was CRITICAL to the vocation that Honen, Shinran and Rennyo had to teach and preaching this final teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha. Why? Because many who listened to them were people who had not been considered worthy of the dharma on the various Paths of the Sages - many were plain people - rough, unkempt, uncouth people - outcasts - illiterate - people who didn’t clean up real well - people at the bottom of the barrel of a very stratified society.

These plain people knew how plain they really were. They simply couldn’t pretend to put on intellectual, moral or spiritual airs. When told by good teachers of Shin Ugly like Rennyo that they were not capable of transcending their blind passions in the Age of Dharma Decline - they neither gave their teachers an argument - nor took it as a blow to their self-esteem. They simply acknowledged this truth - as the truth of their lives.

Shin Ugly teaching - the dharma of Shakyamuni Buddha about Amida - was designed for just such people, in just such an age. Because they accepted Shakyamuni’s and Shinran’s diagnosis about the depth of their need, and their own hopelessness at a self-generated cure, it was easy for them to hear the Buddha’s prescription as well.

Rennyo: The prime objective is only to abandon all other practices and to place reliance on the True Way. Placing reliance on the True Way means the simple placement of reliance on Amida Tathágata with a singleness of heart.

Paul’s notes: That’s it - in a nutshell. Abandon all other practices to achieve Buddhahood, enlightenment, complete freedom - however you name it. Instead, place full and complete reliance on Amida Buddha - entirely.

That’s it.

Let go of any and all practices to enlighten you - to make you more Buddha-like than you are today. Give them up. Instead, depend on and rely on the OTHER POWER of Amida Buddha COMPLETELY - not 50%, or 75%, or 90% or 99% - but 100%.

Entrust yourself to Amida - let Amida Buddha do everything needed to hold you - embrace you and never abandon you in this life - and then bring you to the Pure Land at the end of this life for rebirth into Buddhahood at last.

Rennyo: Sentient beings who place reliance in this manner are enveloped without fail in Amida’s Infinite Light and are never to be discarded.

Paul’s notes: This is an amazing piece of teaching. When you sit with it, listening deeply, the implications are STUNNING - WONDERFUL - beyond what words can say.

See Professor Eiken Kobai’s piece Embraced, Never to Be Forsaken for more on this basic idea, out of Shinran’s mouth - and now out of the mouth of his true student, Rennyo.

Rennyo: Ah Faith! Simple in receiving and imposing no stringent requirements is that singular Faith which assures rebirth in the Pure Land at the very instant of its arousal.

Thus, the two characters “An” and “Jin” (Anjin) may be read “peaceful-heart” (e.g., Faith).

Paul’s notes: In the very instant that we place 100%, full, entire and complete reliance on Amida Buddha and His Vow, our rebirth in the Pure Land is assured.

It’s a “done deal”, as we say here in New Jersey.

It is that assurance which makes our hearts peaceful (ANJIN) about what will happen at the end of this life - even as we go through inevitable times of trouble as a non-Buddha before then.

Rennyo: All should realize rebirth in the Land of Bliss without even the slightest difficulty through that Faith which places complete reliance on Tathágata with a singleness of heart.

Paul’s notes: This sounds scandalous - and often beyond belief - for others to hear - Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike. Why? Because it talks about realizing rebirth in the Pure Land with NO DIFFICULTY whatsoever.

That violates ALL our ideas about “walking a spiritual path”. It violates our human expectation to be faced with MAJOR difficulty if we are to experience true transformation into Buddhaood.

More than that - it is offensive - often on an unconscious level - to the our common human egotism that takes a secret pride about MY perserverance in MY spiritual practice(s).

The very weight of these practices - the grunting and the groaning - the requirement to get up early or stay up late - the call to study or to pray or to fast - to sir or to bow or to stand - to perform this ritual or that pilgrimage - to do one thing or another to promote a state of mindfulness, clarity, calmness and serenity - or to follow a large list of do’s and don’ts that show my obedience to teachers or to Buddhas or to Dieties - all this self-power work creates a secret self-centered PRIDE in the hearts of foolish beings in this age of Dharma Decline.

We don’t WANT to be that way. But we can’t help it. That’s just the way we are in this age of Dharma Decline. Like King Midas, who turned everything he touched to gold, everything we touch - even in our spiritual practices turns to egotism because we are ruled by our common blind passion.

This Shin Ugly truth pulls the rug out from under ALL of it. It makes it easy - if we are willing to listen deeply - to simply GIVE UP once and for all.

Once we do, there is, at last, NO DIFFICULTY any more. Why? Because ALL the work is now the work of Amida Buddha on our behalf. We come to recognize that even our impuste listen deeply - and to entrust ourselves - is given to us by Amida Buddha.

Rennyo: Oh, the ease of receiving Faith! Oh, the ease of reaching the Pure Land!

Paul’s notes: Here’s a man from medieval Japan, whose letter is being read, in translation, by a man from 21st Century New Jersey.

Is there any culture gap here?

NO.

Do I need a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies to understand and feel his joy?

NO.

Do I need a Japanese-English dictionary to get his meaning?

NO.

Listening to my dharma friend Rennyo, I hear the sound of unmitigated joy, as clear as a bell - just as if he was sitting right next to me as I type.

Why is he so joyful?

Because he knows that he’s found the answer, at last, to the primal problem of suffering.

He’s found a way, at last, to stop taking rebirth as an ignorant person - stumbling through one life after another in more or less darkness.

He knows that finally his aspiration will be fulfilled.

Finally, at the end of this life he will take his rebirth in a Pure Land of Bliss - where he will attain Buddhahood at last.

This is NOT hard stuff - it’s SIMPLE stuff - stuff you can teach a peasant, an illiterate, a blue collar John and Jane Doe.

All I needed to do is take my fingers out of my ears and LISTEN - and I could begin to hear it plain enough. That’s all you need to do, too. Don’t let ANYONE tell you otherwise. This is village idiot dharma, just like blunt Rennyo said plainly enough. If you’re hearing it, and not getting it - write me privately or publicly on this blog with your sincere questions - and I’ll make sure you do.

It’s simple business because that’s how Amida, in his infinite wisdom, put it together. He knew his audience - his “target market”, in modern language.

Amida Buddha knew that SIMPLE and EASY is all we can really handle, if we’re willing to be truthful about it.

That’s why Amida’s Easy Path to Buddhahood requires NOTHING of us except willingness to listen deeply, and keep listening - being honest with ourselves about both our aspirations for Buddhahood and our profound limitations - and relying entirely on Amida Buddha to solve that primal problem: for the whole business of our salvation - our enlightenment - out rebirth as Buddhas, at last.

Of course, the HARD part of the Easy path is being willing. How many of us are truly willing to allow that much much light to shine into the corners of our hearts?

Rennyo: On this subject, the Larger Sutra teaches that: “The ease of rebirth but the scarcity of those reborn exists.”

The meaning of this passage is that although it is a simple matter to be reborn in the Pure Land through complete reliance on Amida, exceedingly few receive Faith, and there are very, very few who are reborn in the Pure Land in this easy manner.

Paul’s notes: Rennyo’s observation is just as true today as it was when he wrote it in 1474.

I have sometimes asked WHY. I’ve seen several reasons - I’m sure there are others.

One reason is that secret pride we humans take from having a religious or spiritual practice we can call OURS. Our inherent egotism - the basal LUST that is called A River of Water in Shan-tao’s teaching - is a powerful and persistent push-pull that drives us in ALL areas of our lives - including our spiritual lives - below the level of our own awareness.

Another reason is the common sense of distrust that characterizes most human beings living in this Age of Dharma Decline.

A Buddhist friend of mine, speaking with blunt honesty, wrote me this not too long ago, which illustrates this karmic challenge of distrust exactly:

Buddhist friend: I find the whole thing too good to be true, which makes me skeptical. You would think all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha would grab onto this teaching like a Tootsie pop and bite down to the chocolate (center).

I can’t argue with such skepticism. Then again, I don’t have to.

It’s not my vocation to convince my friend - or anyone else - that the teaching is true, rather than too good to be true. My vocation is only to explain what Shakyamuni and Shinran teach - The True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way.

Only Amida Buddha can do the secret work in the hearts and minds of men and women. Only Amida Buddha can dissolve the hard shell of skepticism and distrust that most of us carry around for all of our lives - and onto endless round of rebirths as a non-Buddha bound by karma to suffer, die and be birthed yet again into ignorant life after ignorant life after ignorant life .

Rennyo: After understanding the above, the Sacred Name (Namu-Amida-Butsu) that is pronounced from morning until night ought to be only for the purpose of expressing gratitude for the Great Compassion and the Universal Vow.

Reaffirming the Dharma over and over again in your hearts and by understanding well the meaning of the ease of receiving Faith, you should gain the certainty of rebirth that is to occur in the Land of Compensation without fail in that most important life to come.

Paul’s notes: Like his teacher Shinran, Rennyo is very explicit in talking about the only reason we say the sacred name, also called the Nembutsu - “Namu-Amida-Butsu” in Japanese, or “I take refuge in Amida Buddha” in English.

The only reason we say it is because we are expressing our gratitude for Amida Buddha’s great compassion in making his Universal vow - His vow to save all beings - and his creation of his Pure Land in fulfillment of that vow.

  • We don’t say it to gain karmic brownie points. As people of SHINJIN - of true entrusting - we’re off the karmic brownie point system forever.
  • We don’t say it to “center ourselves”. It’s not a form of chanting for meditative and therapeutic benefit.
  • We don’t say it as a magical mantra.

All those ideas are just our egocentricity - our self-power efforts - that just throws us back into the realm of depending on ourselves, YET AGAIN.

Because we’ve all got such spiritual attention deficit disorder in this Age of Dharma Decline, depending on ourselves like that is a hopeless endeavor.

In fact, our hopelessness concering ALL our self-powered efforts is what got us listening to Shakyamuni and Shinran in the first place.

So…what do we do?

We simply say Nembutsu, Namu-Amida-Butsu (I take refuge in Amida Buddha) gratefully. As we do, we’re re-connecting with the true teaching. We’re simply recalling the CONTENT of the teaching in our hearts - that Amida’s Vow, Amida’s Power is our salvation, from beginning to end .

It’s that simple: Simple remembrance of the teaching, with simple gratitude.

Simple answers for simple people.

It’s that simple. And it’s that easy. The Easy Path to Buddhahood, at last.

Here’s the bottom line - the Shin Ugly truth - in my life:

Because I just can’t complete my journey to Buddhahood in my own power - no matter what I do - I just say Namu-Amida-Butsu.

Namu-Amida-Butsu. I take refuge - completely and entirely - in Amida Buddha.

Namu-Amida-Butsu. I am grateful beyond words for having this door to Buddhahood shown to me - by true teachers.

Namu-Amida-Butsu. That’s all there is - for a simple person like me - a person who aspires for Buddhahood, but remains unable to free myself from my own bling passion, my own cravings and aversions, my own ineradicable egotism, in an age of Dharma Decline.

Namu-Amida-Butsu. That’s all I need to complete my journey at last.

In Namu-Amida-Butsu it all unfolds itself - according to the Vow, the Work and the Power of Amida - greatest of ALL the Buddhas.

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