Mission Impossible: Avoiding Self-Indulgence
For anyone who aspires to Buddhahood, the SHIN UGLY perspective of Shinran is unique - and sometimes hard to understand, even though it is simplicity itself.
Shinran teaches that ultimately there are only two dharma gates (paths to FULL awakening) for us human beings to consider:
The first dharma gate is “The Path of the Sages”. In this gate, people do SOMETHING to realize their aspiration - some practice, some activity, of some sort. Though the practices and activities be many and varied, they each and all have one goal: to effect an escape from the clutches of egotism in order to realize the aspiration to Buddhahood.
As the first dharma gate is “The Path of the Sages”, so the second dharma gate is “The Path of the Foolish”. People who take the second dharma gate also aspire to Buddhahood. Only they recognize their existential predicament - the heart of their foolishness: no matter what they do, and for how long, they remain STUCK to their own egotism just like Brer-Rabbit got stuck to that Tar Baby in the American folk tale.
Brer Rabbit and the Tar Baby
(Retold by Catharine Farrell from a story retold by Joel Chandler Harris)
One day Brer Fox thought of how Brer Rabbit had been cutting up his capers and bouncing around until he’d come to believe that he was the boss of the whole gang. Brer Fox thought of a way to lay some bait for that uppity Brer Rabbit.
He went to work and got some tar and mixed it with some turpentine. He fixed up a contraption that he called a Tar-Baby. When he finished making her, he put a straw hat on her head and sat the little thing in the middle of the road. Brer Fox, he lay off in the bushes to see what would happen.
Well, he didn’t have to wait long either, ’cause by and by Brer Rabbit came pacing down the road–lippity-clippity, clippity-lippity–just as sassy as a jaybird. Brer Fox, he lay low. Brer Rabbit came prancing along until he saw the Tar-Baby and then he sat back on his hind legs like he was astonished. The Tar-Baby just sat there, she did, and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“Good morning!” says Brer Rabbit, says he. “Nice weather we’re having this morning,” says he.
Tar-Baby didn’t say a word, and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“How are you feeling this morning?” says Brer Rabbit, says he.
Brer Fox, he winked his eye real slow and lay low and the Tar-Baby didn’t say a thing.
“What is the matter with you then? Are you deaf?” says Brer Rabbit, says he. “Cause if you are, I can holler louder,” says he.
The Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“You’re stuck-up, that’s what’s wrong with you. You think you’re too good to talk to me,” says Brer Rabbit, says he. “And I’m going to cure you, that’s what I’m going to do,” says he.
Brer Fox started to chuckle in his stomach, he did, but Tar-Baby didn’t say a word.
“I’m going to teach you how to talk to respectable folks if it’s my last act,” says Brer Rabbit, says he. “If you don’t take off that hat and say howdy, I’m going to bust you wide open,” says he.
Tar-Baby stayed still and Brer Fox, he lay low.
Brer Rabbit kept on asking her why she wouldn’t talk and the Tar-Baby kept on saying nothing until Brer Rabbit finally drew back his fist, he did, and blip–he hit the Tar-Baby on the jaw. But his fist stuck and he couldn’t pull it loose. The tar held him. But Tar-Baby, she stayed still, and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“If you don’t let me loose, I’m going to hit you again,” says Brer Rabbit, says he, and with that he drew back his other fist and blap–he hit the Tar-Baby with the other hand and that one stuck fast too.
Tar-Baby she stayed still, and Brer Fox, he lay low.
“Turn me loose, before I kick the natural stuffing out of you,” says Brer Rabbit, says he, but the Tar-Baby just sat there.
She just held on and then Brer Rabbit jumped her with both his feet. Brer Fox, he lay low. Then Brer Rabbit yelled out that if that Tar-Baby didn’t turn him loose, he was going to butt her crank-sided. Then he butted her and his head got stuck.
Brer Fox walked out from behind the bushes and strolled over to Brer Rabbit, looking as innocent as a mockingbird.
“Howdy, Brer Rabbit,” says Brer Fox, says he. “You look sort of stuck up this morning,” says he. And he rolled on the ground and laughed and laughed until he couldn’t laugh anymore…
Now this SOUNDS funny and cute - but in reality it is a HUGE problem for those of us who begin to enter into the Path of the Pure Land - and don’t quite understand just how deeply the self-problem defines - and infects - any and every one of our thoughts, words and deeds.
In other words, we just don’t realize - until Amida’s Light shines into the darkness, of what an infernally sticky tar baby we’re fighting against - as long as we continue to fight at all.
That’s the SHIN UGLY truth…and it can be a very difficult truth to SEE - and more difficult to ACCEPT.
Below is a good example of such, from a Pure Land Buddhist who’s still not quite seeing it. Though he speaks of Amida Buddha, his ruminating shows how he’s still trying to accomplish what I call “Mission Impossible” - the hopeless quest to escape the constant shadow of self-preoccupation by introspection, practice, etc.
The SHIN UGLY truth is - NO CAN DO. We just can’t get there from here: Not him, not me, and not you either, in this age of Dharma Decline.
And it does no good whatsoever to clutch at Buddha’s emptiness teaching and say, “there’s no THERE there”. That works if you’re a Buddha, or in the full presence of a fully powered up Buddhafield.
But - for someone stuck in tar baby life of cravings and aversions - as we each and all truly are - that’s just one more voiced denial of what is - in this age of Dharma Decline.
Buddhist: The artist’s Muse is a kind of other-power, but there is also a danger of slipping into self-indulgence.
Selfless duty may seem more Buddhist but the products of it are often rather flat.
Perhaps this has implications also for other kinds of practice.
When is our nembutsu chanting inspired and when is it dutiful?
Does Amida mind?
Do we?
Here’s my SHIN UGLY response, posted there as a dialogue, as well as here:
Buddhist: The artist’s Muse is a kind of other-power, but there is also a danger of slipping into self-indulgence.
===
I’d say it’s impossible NOT to slip into self-indulgence…of one form or another, artist or not, no matter what we do.
This is Shinran’s essential realization about our common existential predicament.
It’s my realization too.
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Buddhist: Selfless duty may seem more Buddhist but the products of it are often rather flat.
===
The idea that we are capable of “selfless” duty, “selfless” love, or “selfless” ANYTHING - flat or not - is one of our deepest and most persistent delusions in this age of Dharma Decline aka MAPPO.
As a delusional idea it is subtly - even wonderfully - fragrant with the peculiar scent of secret self-righteousness.
The sooner we come to grips with our inevitable descent into selfishness - into egocentricity - no matter what we’re doing, the less we will be plagued with such self-involved questions when we do our little bit to serve, comfort or speak out for others in this samsaric world.
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Buddhist: Perhaps this has implications also for other kinds of practice. When is our nembutsu chanting inspired and when is it dutiful?
===For me as a person of SHINJIN (True Entrusting), Nembutsu is not chanting.
Nembutsu is just THANK YOU AMIDA BUDDA for taking on the burden of my own enlightenment entirely.
It is neither inspired, nor dutiful - any more than the color RED tastes sweet or sour.
Whether I FEEL inspired, or dutiful, or elated or depressed, it doesn’t make one bit of difference to Amida Buddha - as Shinran himself said.
Our salvation is not a matter of our state - but of Amida’s Primal Vow - and our simple faith in His words and deeds.
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Buddhist: Does Amida mind? Do we?===
As Shinran teaches, once we have even ONE thought-moment of true entrusting, we are simply grasped, never to be abandoned, by Amida Buddha.
Within the bounds of that all embracing compassion, the question “Does Amida mind” is meaningless - like asking if the ocean minds the few drops of rain that fall into its endless depths.
As for the other question, “Do WE mind?” - that’s simple to answer:
Yes we do, and no we don’t. Our monkey minds were fickle before - and remain so now.
And it doesn’t matter either way. So we might as well just get used to it.
No need, really and truly, for more self-preoccupation, more self-indulgence, more fussing and fretting over some facet or other of our own journey.
Why? Because, as Shinran teaches, if we have had a single thought-moment of true entrusting - it is all DONE, from the perspective of the Dharma, as taught by Shakyamuni in the Larger Pure Land Sutra.
This is the great compassionate way offered to fools who lack the capacity for the Path of the Sages - fools like me (and perhaps like you) who have trouble with self-obsession in a zillion ways.
What else can we say, recognizing our impossibly snared up thinking - and our endless self-preoccupation, garbed in a thousand disguises?
What else can we say, once we truly see Amida’s endless grace in making his Vows and then fulfilling them?
What else can we say, but NAMU-AMIDA-BUTSU - THANK YOU, Amida Buddha - I take refuge in You.
Paul R