How Is Entrance Into The Single Gate of Easy Practice Possible?
Clara: it is important to teach Shin from an interreligious perspective, or people, even Buddhists, will easily skip this Dharma gate.
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I accept that this is your belief, Clara. I decided to start this blog because I have a different belief…one more in line with the belief of Yu-ien, author of The Tannisho - Lamenting Divergences, who writes:
For how is entrance into the single gate of easy practice possible unless we happily come to rely on a true teacher whom conditions bring us to encounter?
Let there be not the slightest distortion of the teaching of Other Power with words of an understanding based on personal views.
Yu-ien’s belief - and mine - is that the critical need is to present Shinran’s teaching in a way that is faithful to his original presentation.
Why? Because Shinran believed, as did Yu-ien, as do I, that this is the ONLY chance for plain people who are not capable of mastering the Path of the Sages to end their endless transmigration in the six realms of birth, suffering and death, and become Buddhas at last.
So, the purpose of the Shin Ugly blog is primarily proclamation and explanation - in other words TEACHING - for those ready and willing to learn.
The dialogue I am willing to enter into, and sustain, is dialogue with people whose karma leads them to serious and sincere inquiry - because:
- Their aspiration to Buddhahood has awakened - or CAN be awakened - by heart centered dialogue
- They are asking honestly - or are OPEN to asking honestly - whether or not they can attain the goal of Buddhahood they yearn for
- They are looking already - or are WILLING to look - for a PRACTICAL answer to the fundamental problem of suffering through endless lifetimes of birth as a non-buddha.
When those initial karmic conditions are at least PARTLY fulfilled, true dialogue with deep listening is possible. In that context, I’m happy to make my best efforts at a “compare and contrast” exercise - with other dharma gates within Buddhism - or with other religions.
I recognize that it’s useful - and sometimes critical - to be able to explore Shinran’s teaching and other teachings together - whether those other teachings are Buddhist or not. It was certainly so for me. I had ALL kinds of questions.
On the other hand, mere dialogue for dialogue’s sake, whether intra-religious or inter-religious, is another matter.
Frankly, I don’t believe such dialogue for dialogue’s sake has any value in bringing plain people like us to the end of suffering.
Why is that? Because unless and until we end our own suffering once and for all, we remain essentially impotent to help anyone else end their suffering once and for all. A Buddha can lead another sentient being to True Buddhahood…a non-Buddha simply cannot.
Amida, greatest of ALL the Buddhas, as explained by Shakyamuni in the Larger Pure Land Sutra, is capable of leading countless beings to True Buddhahood. Why? Because of his work in creating the Pure Land over 5 immense ages, and his Vow to save all beings who entrust themselves to him, regardless of whether they are “good” or “evil”, male or female, learned or illiterate.
That’s Shinran’s dialogue, in fact, and not just mine - originally an intra-religious dialogue and now an inter-religious dialogue, too.
We’re pouring the same tea here, at the Shin Ugly Blog - one day at a time - one moment at a time - for any who wish to listen deeply to Shinran as a legitimate teacher of a legitmate way to end suffering at last - to become, finally, True Buddhas.
That - nothing more, and nothing less - is exactly what SHIN UGLY is about.
Of course, such deep listening is difficult. Egotism, disguised as Buddhism or whatever else, gets in the way here, as it does everywhere.
We both know that already - so I say: let’s start an honest discussion right there - with the frank identification of the reason(s) that The Easy Path to Buddhahood is so difficult for most people, most of the time.
Best as ever -
Paul R