Shin Ugly Blog

It is the position of many modern Shin Buddhists to deny the personhood of Amida Buddha.

I’ve said before, and say again, this is truly a lamentable divergence from the True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way that Shinran has provided us all.

We know from his writing that such divergences gave Shinran fits - because it made it impossible for the hearers of such distorted dharma to come to the same settled Shinjin (true entrusting) that would guarantee their birth in the Pure Land at the end of this life.

That’s exactly why I’m pointing out these differences for what they are - and challenging modern and post-modern Shin Buddhist clerics and teachers with the Shinran Manifesto: RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER.

For example, here’s an excerpt from a tract written by a modern Shin Buddhist teacher that is now appearing on the websites of several Shin Buddhist temples: (more…)

My goal of completing one straightforward exposition before beginning another sometimes gets diverted by people’s sincere questions and comments.

Right now, for example, I’m having a dialogue with a dharma friend named Ray, to answer his question about why I think Shin Semiotics - the idea that Amida Buddha is simply Mythos and Symbol rather than a real Buddha like Shakyamuni - is a major and lamentable diversion from Shinran’s True Teaching.

That dialogue is getting a bit diverted because he asked me a question about a book called Coffinman - the bio and Shin Buddhist ruminations of a Japanese mortician.

His question - as you will see below, provide me a chance to unpack an examination I was preparing to begin later, but will enter into now, in order to respond to him.

In it I discuss why simply talking about the mystical right brained experience of light and life - Shin Mysticism - is not, by itself, an adequate expression of Shinran’s True Teaching.

This is all part of the clarion call of The SHINRAN Manifesto, which encourages Shin Buddhists, whether Japanese, American, or otherwise, whether clerics, scholars or laypeople, to RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER. (more…)

This is the second of four posts that I am writing to answer a question posed by a dharma friend named Ray.

Ray asks why I think the view of modern Shin Buddhist scholars - that Amida Buddha is symbol and mythos rather than a real person - is such a lamentable diversion, and so harmful to the propagation of Shinran’s teaching.

These four posts are my answer to his question. This post, in particular is about my PERSONAL encounter with Shin Semiotics, and its inadequacy in dealing with the suffering in my own life experience. Subsequent posts will be less personal, and more oriented to intellectually understanding of how and why “Shin Semiotics” - including the idea that Amida Buddha is a fictive mythos and symbol - is emphatically NOT the dharma of Shinran’s True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way.

In a broader context, these posts concerning “Shin Semiotics” offer a basis for an honest discussion around what I call “The Shinran Manifesto”: the call to RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER . (more…)

Here’s the introduction Professor Kobai invited me to write to the next edition of his wonderful book, UNDERSTANDING JODO SHINSHU.

It’s not about Professor Kobai, ultimately. And it’s certainly not about me. It’s about the clarion call to the Shin Buddhist community, that I have called “The SHINRAN Manifesto”:

Return to the TRUE Teaching of Shinran, Our TRUE Teacher.

Here it is: (more…)

This is the first of four posts that I am writing to answer a question posed by a dharma friend named Ray on the Yahoo! egroup SHINLIST.

Ray asks why I think the view of modern Shin Buddhist scholars - that Amida Buddha is symbol and mythos rather than a real person - is such a lamentable diversion, and so harmful to the propagation of Shinran’s teaching.

This introductory letter, and the three that will follow it, are my answer to his question.

In a broader context, these posts offer a basis for an honest discussion around what I call “The Shinran Manifesto”: the call to RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER . (more…)

Ray: hi paul,

well, there are certainly a lot of ruffled feathers at the shinlist (a Yahoo! egroup). i am surprised and disappointed at the personal and abusive remarks aimed at you.

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Hi Ray,

I’m neither surprised, nor disappointed. I expected it.

When I began this work, I anticipated this exact reaction from any number of people.

I’m hardly made of stone, but I have a very strong sense of vocation about what I am doing here. A bit of verbal abuse will not deter me from doing it. (more…)

RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER.

I call this “The SHINRAN Manifesto” - but in fact it is no more, and no less, than the summation of the life and work of the second major teacher of Shin Buddhism (after Shinran himself) - Rennyo the Restorer.

In fact, he is called “The Venerable Shonin who revived the Teachings of Shinran Shonin”.

I’ve included an online collection of Rennyo’s letters in the resources section of the Shin Ugly Blog links. If you actually go and read them, you will see that their message about the True Teaching and the message of the SHIN UGLY Blog are one and the same.

Indeed, if you find that they are NOT the same message, I would consider it a favor to be corrected in an email or a comment to the blog. Shinran (and by extension Rennyo) are the PLUMBLINE for understanding the True Teaching - certainly not me - or anyone else, either.

I’ve included two pieces in this blog post:

• The introduction to Rennyo’s letters (from the Buddhist Church of America collection).
• A selection from one of Rennyo’s letters, which gives a clear window into his own bedrock belief concerning the personhood of Amida Buddha

(more…)

RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER.

That’s the SHINRAN Manifesto.

Here’s the first of several Shin Ugly Blog posts where I examine the TRUE teaching of Shinran - and the teaching of others - concerning Amida Buddha.

Here’s a question to challenge all of us in the Shin Buddhist community - clerics, scholars and laypeople alike: what did Shinran believe and teach concerning Amida Buddha?

Here’s the Shin Ugly answer - plain talk in plain English to dispel confusion and help people find the same SHINJIN (true entrusting) as Shinran:

Amida Buddha has personhood in the same way Shakyamuni Buddha does.

Like Shakyamuni Buddha, Amida Buddha had a time in his existence when he was not a Buddha.

Like Shakyamuni Buddha, Amida Buddha went through a process that took place over many lifetimes which resulted in his attaining Buddhahood.

I’m going to unpack these few sentences in more detail below - simply and plainly - so that a plain person does not become confused, muddled or befuddled. (more…)

Here it is - starkly and simply - a clarion call to Shin Buddhist clerics, scholars and laypeople alike:

RETURN TO THE TRUE TEACHING OF SHINRAN, OUR TRUE TEACHER

(more…)

I know you are interested in the survival of Shin Buddhism in the West.

I - along with others - have very specific concerns and suggestions, in that regard. (more…)

The posts in the Shin Ugly blog have a common purpose - to serve as TRUE teaching, in plain English, of the basics of Shin Buddhism (or Jodo Shinshu) as taught by Shinran and his true students. Like it says in the title bar, they’re all about SHIN UGLY - plain talk, for plain people, about suffering and the end of suffering.

I started the Shin Ugly Blog because I found that few places on the web where Shinran’s TRUE teaching is shared in plain language - based on my own Google research for the past several years. (more…)

Someone wrote me saying how confused she was. We dialogued by email, and she was STILL confused.

That happens a lot.

We’re confused people, living in a confused and confusing world. (more…)

The Shin Ugly truth is this: regardless of who we are, and what we do, we are all living a life that I call ICEBERG US - bound and determined in ways we cannot even see by our own blind passion, our own cravings and aversions, our own ineradicable egotism.

This is why my teacher Shinran, looking deeply and honestly at himself, said for his whole long life, “I am an evil person”…and “Hell is my only home”.

Shinran KNEW he was stuck - that his existential predicament was inescapable - that playing at being a good Buddhist was a worthless exercise.

He had seen through his own agenda - he knew it was just another form of religious self-indulgence in order to convince himself that he was earning some kind of karmic brownie points - while ignoring the truth of his own endless grasping - even his grasping after merit, or the acclaim of others as a good, righteous and spiritual person. (more…)

Rennyo the Restorer was ALL about the bottom line of Jodo-Shinshu - Shin Buddhism.

He is my own model for what I call SHIN UGLY - because he avoided Shinran’s deep scholarship while being faithful to his TRUE teaching as he talked to the common people in common language about this ultimate teaching of Shakyamuni - the the one we call the Buddha.

Rennyo’s letters are RICH with simple-to-understand meaning and instruction for sincere seekers - plain people in our day who are earnestly searching for TRUE and FINAL enlightenment - the end of suffering at last - by whatever name they call it - whether they are Buddhists, or not. (more…)

People generally have a hard time hearing when my teacher Shinran said, “I am an evil person”…and “Hell is my only home”.

Why can’t they hear? Because they just can’t see when THEY look in the mirror what Shinran saw when HE looked in the mirror.

Here’s what he saw, displayed as a metaphor in one amazing picture: (more…)

Because the Shin Buddhist community has not stayed with the True Teaching of Shinran, confusion exists where it should not.

All of us who are of the same mind as Shinran should be committed to dispelling all doubts, correcting all mis-understandings, and clearing up all confusion.

Why? So people can respond to Amida Buddha’s call, and find the end of suffering at last.

This response to a friend is long, but it is worth reading if you are a person of SHINJIN (true entrusting) who cares about others- or are sincerely seeking to become a person of SHINJIN yourself.

Namu-Amida-Butsu

Paul R (more…)

If you’re not familiar with Shinran, you probably don’t know Genshin. He was the sixth of Shinran’s Seven Pure Land Masters Shinran referred to as he unpacked this final teaching of Shakyamuni Buddha for plain people in this age of Dharma Decline.

On Beliefnet’s Pure Land discussion list severall folks talked recently about Genshin’s personal AHA! moment.

If you’re doing ANY kind of PRACTICE - Buddhist or otherwise - in order to clean up your act, tame your mind, experience pristine awareness, deconstruct your egotism, etc, etc, etc - I invite you to listen deeply to the discussion. (more…)

Rev. Al Bloom (of Shin Dharma Net): Your discussion sounds much like that of scholars and clerics. Why make a contrast between scholars and clerics who are trying to understand their faith and relating to the world they live in.

Is it necessary to be a know-nothing to have SHINJIN (true entrusting)? (more…)

Shin Ugly - Shinran’s plain teaching for plain people about suffering and the end of suffering - pivots around one central concept: there is only one way to END your suffering and become a TRUE Buddha in this age of Dharma Decline - and that is to become a person of SHINJIN (True Entrusting) in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha.

The teaching is not hard, intellectually - even for someone with no background in Buddhism at all, like my friend Anna. In fact, the very simplicity of it all is what makes it hard for sophisticated folks like us. (more…)

Anna writes: The Shin Ugly blog is blossoming into a wonderful source of easy to understand information and it is really appealing to me. So simple yet so clear.

Thank you for the time and energy which you spend to share these teachings….I appreciate it and I appreciate you. Along with you, my dharma friend, I take refuge in Amida Buddha - in his Primal Vow to bring me at last to the Pure Land.

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I’m highlighting my friend Anna’s comment because she is a good example of what is SO RIGHT with SHIN UGLY - Shinran’s plain talk for plain people about suffering and the end of suffering - and what is SO WRONG with so much of what is being written by clerics and scholars about Shin Buddhism today. (more…)

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: (more…)

This blog is my personal legacy work. If I die tonight (no plans to do so) it is here for my daughter to read, so that she may find her way to the True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way.

Of course, it’s not JUST for my daughter. It’s for her, her friends, Jessie’s friends, my friends - and anyone who is tired of suffering in life after life.

And it’s also for those who already have a deep and true aspiration to be able to help other people in a real and profound way.

Only when we are free of the chains and fetters of our endless delusions and obscurations can we REALLY help those we love - and those we don’t even know in this life - though (as Shinran teaches) we knew ALL of them from countless lives before. (more…)