Back to: Introduction
I take refuge in the Dharma.
Truly it is my vow that together with multitudinous beings, I will deeply enter
the Dharma Storehouse and become like the ocean of wisdom.
During the lifetime of Sakyamuni Buddha, the historic Buddha, one cannot help but be impressed by the propagation activity of this man and his disciples. Over a period of time spanning more than four decades the Buddha continued to share his insights with all those who were willing to listen. Because his messages were so attentive to the person or persons he addressed, those who listened, it is said, could not help but be made to feel that the messages were meant solely for them. This description of how the Buddha gave his message is important in helping us to understand how we should approach religion in general and how we should follow the Buddhist Path in particular. Through the Buddha’s teaching style, we are shown that religion, although meant for all, is ultimately personal. Religion draws people to it because of the universal message it tries to provide for all. Religions develop because it helps us to see the universal nature of life. However, it should always be kept in mind that the life religion is specifically addressing is none other than my own. In the Buddhist approach called Jodo Shinshu this attitude is found in expressions like, “When I consider deeply the Vow of Amida[1], which arose from five kalpas[2] of profound thought, I realize that it was entirely for the sake of myself alone!”[3] These are the words of Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
Because Sakyamuni Buddha taught in a very personal style, it is said that the Buddha gave 84,000 messages during his lifetime. Although the number 84,000 is probably an arbitrary number, it is also a number that is meant to convey the idea that the Buddha exhausted all the possible ways for humanity to reach enlightenment: an expression of the universality of the Buddha-Dharma.[4] Within these 84,000 paths, one is the path most suited to you. This becomes the expression of the personal aspect of the Buddha-Dharma. In other words, these 84,000 paths will allow all to become a Buddha and taken together is what has become known as the Dharma or the truth that a Buddha becomes Enlightened to. These paths are the content and source of the Buddha’s enlightenment. It is the great repository of wisdom that allows the Buddha to help all sentient beings reach the same state of Enlightenment and because of this the Dharma is said to be housed in a Storehouse.
A storehouse is used to protect and to help provide access. It does this by protecting valuables in a fixed location. In what we now ourselves call the information age, protecting data or information has become an industry onto itself. To help protect that information, the infrastructure we know as the internet was developed. The internet was developed to protect data while making it centrally accessible, and in this sense may also be called a storehouse. Data is protected because it is stored at different locations and it is accessible whenever we “enter” the internet. The Buddha-Dharma was organized in much the same way. Access to the Dharma is also available if and when we enter the Dharma. Although full access comes with the gaining of Enlightenment, the route to enter the Dharma Storehouse—the modem—became the Buddha and his disciples. The sharing of the Dharma became one way to assure that the Dharma was preserved. However, it also became important to assure that the Dharma was preserved correctly. In order to do this, the Historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, utilized the Summer time retreats or Ango to gather his disciples for them to hear and review the Dharma. Later the Vihara or dwelling buildings used by wandering monks would grow and become gathering points and learning centers.
In viewing the Dharma as a storehouse, however, two issues have arisen. The first is centered on the fact that Sakyamuni Buddha died. Although the Dharma was shared with his disciples and because of that the words of the Buddha have been preserved, only a Buddha is recognized as someone who has fully entered the Dharma. Because of this, if the Dharma is a storehouse and the Buddha is the keeper of that storehouse, what happens if the Buddha is no longer present? The second issue involves part of the reason why Buddhism diverged along two great traditions or the split between what is now called the “Path of Elders” or Theravada, and “The Larger Vehicle” or Mahayana. This issue can be described as the difference between entering the Dharma Storehouse versus entering to share the Dharma Storehouse. Mahayana Buddhism would choose the latter as its focus and would call the person who practices to share the Dharma Storehouse a Bodhisattva[5]. This focus is highlighted in the telling of the truth-story of the Bodhisattva Dharmakara, the Bodhisattva whose name means “Dharma Storehouse,” or the Bodhisattva who would later become Amida Buddha.
Despite having prepared his disciples for his demise as being
consistent with the primary teaching of impermanence, the Buddha’s death was,
nonetheless, a great challenge for his disciples to deal with. Ananda, for example, one of the chief disciples of the
Buddha and the Buddha’s attendant, lamented in the following way.
“Alas, I remain still
at the stage of a learner, one who has not yet realized the state of an arhat. And the World-Honored One is about to abandon me and
enter nirvana. When shall I be able to attain emancipation? After his passing
away, for whom should I fetch water every morning, prepare the couch every
evening; whose face and whose feet should I wash?” thus thinking to himself, Ananda raised his arms, clung to a branch of a tree and
wept from the depths of his heart.[6]
Ananda, in expressing his grief over the
impending death of the Buddha wondered if he would ever be able to achieve
Enlightenment. The worry was if he could not reach enlightenment while the
Buddha lived, did this mean that the door to enlightenment was now forever
closed to him? Some of the other issues that also had to be considered included
questions such as did impermanence make it impossible to talk about a timeless
truth? Would truth become an elusive goal, one that changed over time?[7]
That there was an immediate difference between a world with a Buddha and one without is almost immediately recorded following the Buddha’s death.
There was a
disciple called Subhadda who joined the path in his
old age and whose mind was not very bright….At this time, observing other
disciples in grief, he said, “O Brethren, when the World-Honored One was alive,
he always admonished us, saying, ‘This you may do, that you many not,’ so that
we could not do whatever we wished to. Since he is gone now, we can do whatever
we like. This is much better.” Having heard this, Maha-Kassapa
was pained. “Only seven days have passed since the World-Honored One’s demise,
and this man speaks such words. The flower of the true Dharma will soon be
scattered by this kind of man, like unstrung flowers that are easily blown away
by the wind.[8]
This episode, found in the Nirvana Sutra, was perhaps
a foretelling of the future. Taken together with the fundamental Buddhist
principle of impermanence, Buddhist thinkers developed the idea of a
degenerative propagation model that occurred over three distinct time periods.
This idea would become particularly important in the development of the
The degenerative process was said to affect the three pillars of teaching, practice and enlightenment. The first period known as the True Dharma Age was a period that allowed access to all three pillars. The second or Semblance Dharma Age was a period that still allowed access to the teaching and practice, but was an age where enlightenment became unachievable. The third or Final Dharma Age was a period where only the teaching survived. During this period practice becomes so difficult for the practitioner that it cannot be performed or is no longer seriously considered.
Although different theories exist in determining the length of time for each of the different time periods, and because of this a possible difference in opinion in what time period we are currently in, Shinran Shonin in establishing Jodo Shinshu chose the theory of a 500 year True Dharma Age, a 1,000 year Semblance Dharma Age, and a 10,000 year Final Dharma Age. In his Kyogyoshinsho he writes:
Considering the
teachings concerning the three dharma-ages, we find that the date of the Tathagata’s parinirvana falls on
the fifty-third year (the year water/monkey) of the reign of King Mu, the fifth emperor of the Chou dynasty. From that year
of water/monkey to the first year of our Gennin era
(the year wood/monkey) it is 2, 173 years. Based on the Auspicious Kalpa Sutra, the Benevolent Kings Sutra, and the
Nirvana Sutra, we find that we are already 673 years into the last
dharma-age.[9]
In other words, Shinran Shonin saw himself as a person clearly in the Final Dharma Age. Buddhism, at this stage, was reduced to a mere teaching and no longer functioned as a path that led towards Enlightenment. If this was the only meaning to the Final Dharma Age, then the only conclusion possible was that he was a man born at the wrong time; he was born too late. [10]
Although
the great number of messages that the Buddha gave also helps us to understand
that the religious path is ultimately personal and that different messages were
necessary for people of different abilities and understanding, remembering or
recording all the different messages, and finding the universal meaning behind
all these messages became a challenge in and of itself. Another issue that
arose involved how literally the messages should be understood; or the debate
between letter and intent. These issues become especially important when having
to decide “which is my path.” Without a Buddha as a guide, or an Enlightened
person who could prescribe a correct course of action, how then does one chose
among the 84,000 paths available.
Even before this challenge could be confronted, however, it was necessary to insure that the Dharma was preserved correctly. The Ango, or summer retreats, and the Vihara were instrumental in performing this function. Later, with the addition of the Stupa, or burial mounds that were built with the death of Sakyamuni Buddha, all the elements that would later develop into the modern temple or Buddhist centers where the Dharma is both preserved and propagated existed immediately after the death of the Buddha.
Although the means through which the continued transmission of the
Buddha-Dharma was in place, the death of the Buddha was still a great challenge
that had to be overcome. Following the Buddha’s death Maha-Kassapa convened what would later be called the First Council. This was
done after his experience with Subhadda who suggested that the
Sangha or followers of the Buddha rejoice at the
Buddha’s death because they no longer had to worry about being reprimanded by him.
At this First Council 500 monks gathered at Rajagriha.
They gathered because of the fear that “The
flower of the true Dharma will soon be scattered like unstrung flowers that are
easily blown away by the wind.” To prevent this from happening it became
necessary for the Sangha to make sure they were able
to transmit the Dharma accurately especially now that the Buddha was no longer
around to correct any errors that they might make. Since everything was still committed to memory the Sangha relied heavily on Upali,
who served as the chief respondent for the Codes of Conduct, and Ananda who served the same role for the doctrinal
teachings.
In this way, structures to preserve and propagate the Dharma were
established. However, part of the reason for organizing the Council was because
it became necessary to try to understand the purpose and intent of the many
messages that the Buddha gave. They struggled with how to transmit the Dharma
in a manner that would form a uniform, universal message that was informed by
the Enlightenment experience of the Buddha. Without this base it would be
difficult to propagate and therefore preserve the Dharma in any consistent
manner. With the case of Subhadda, for example, the
precepts established by Sakyamuni were interpreted to
be nothing more than restrictive nuisances. If this was the correct way to
interpret the precepts, then there would be no need whatsoever to try to
preserve them other than as a historical artifact.
Despite having established mechanisms to preserve the Dharma
differences in how the Dharma should be interpreted and how closely the
precepts or rules of conduct should be followed arose. Although the when, where
and how the split occurred is still debated, historical documents suggests that
after the conclusion of the Second Council, held by most accounts a hundred
years after the death of the Buddha, the Sangha was
split into two different groups. These two groups, what will later be known as
Theravada (Hinayana) and Mahayana[11], have been described as conservative and progressive
respectfully. The former group would accuse the later as not abiding by the precepts of a
Buddhist monk and compiling false teachings as part of their canon, and the later group would accuse the former as being
self-centered and limited in their interpretation of the goal of Buddhism[12]. Although much of the polemic that existed between the two
groups have all but disappeared, Buddhism would continue to make adaptations as
it crossed borders and assimilated into different cultures. The expansion of
Buddhism over broad geographic and cultural regions only added pressure on how
to interpret the Dharma and because of this different “schools of Buddhism”
continued to develop. Because the transmission of the Buddha-Dharma did not
necessarily follow the same chronological order as its development in
Given the breadth of the Buddha’s wisdom it should come as no surprise that different schools would develop. However, given this great number of lessons, it is only natural to ask, “Of these 84,000 paths, which is the one that Sakyamuni really wanted to leave behind after his death?” Put in terms of one’s personal spiritual search, “How do I choose among the 84,000 paths available? How am I to choose My Path?”
How does the Buddha of the
Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, tells this narrative of Amida Buddha to Ananda, one of his primary disciples, after he asks the Buddha the following question:
“Today,
World-honored one, your sense organs are filled with gladness and serenity.
Your complexion is pure. Your radiant countenance is majestic, like a luminous
mirror in which clear reflections pass unobstructed. Your lofty features are
resplendent, surpassing all words or measure. Never before have I beheld your
lineaments as sublime as they are now. Indeed, Great Sage, I have thought to
myself: Today, the World-honored one abides in the dharma most rare and
wondrous. Today, the Great Hero abides where all Buddhas
abide. Today, the World’s Eye abides in the activity of guide and teacher.
Today, the Preeminent one of the world abides in the
supreme enlightenment. Today, the Heaven-honored one puts into practice all
virtue of all Tathagatas. The Buddhas
of the past, future, and present all think on one another. Do not you, the
present Buddha, also think on all the other Buddhas
now? Why does your commanding radiance shine forth with such brilliance?” [13]
Sakyamuni Buddha, questioning the intent of Ananda, responds by asking him the following question before relating to him the narrative of Amida:
“Did devas so instruct you that you ask this, or do you inquire of my noble mien out of your own wisdom?”
To which, Ananda responds: “No deva came to teach me; I ask this myself, simply from what I observe.”
Upon hearing this response, Sakyamuni Buddha then praises Ananda by saying:
“Well spoken, Ananda! Your question is excellent. You ask this insightful question having summoned up deep wisdom and true and subtle powers of expression, and having turned tender thoughts to all sentient beings. … This question you now ask will bring immense benefit; it will enlighten the minds of all devas and human beings.”[14]
In the passages quoted we discover how Ananda refers to Sakyamuni Buddha as the “World-honored one,” the “Great Sage,” the “Great Hero,” the “World’s Eye,” the “Preeminent one of the world,” and as the “Heaven-honored” to refer to the activity of a Buddha he was able to receive.
Shinran Shonin quotes the above passages in his Kyogyoshinsho in the Chapter on Teaching. Shinran Shonin uses these passages as proof that the reason for Sakyamuni Buddha to appear in our world was to teach the Larger Sutra and inform us of the path towards Enlightenment opened to us by the Enlightened activity of Amida Buddha. Interpreting these passages in this way becomes important when considering that Shinran Shonin saw himself as a person born in the Final Dharma Age, an age where Enlightenment was seen as an impossible goal for the practitioner of Buddhist disciplines. Although birth in this age could simply suggest that one was born too late, Shinran Shonin was instead able to discover a path that was open to even those born during this time, a time that would otherwise mean that the Dharma was a thing of the past. Shinran Shonin would claim that the 84,000 teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha were meant to guide all to seek and find the path that was open for all even during the Final Dharma Age. This, he would declare, is the True and Real teaching of the Buddha.[15]
Another way of interpreting the meaning of the Final Dharma Age is through the quality or potential of the seeker. It is important to keep in mind that Ananda was not able to perceive Amida Buddha through his own means: he would later be revealed as someone who could not understand the fundamental teaching of impermanence when he could not refrain from tears at the loss of Sakyamuni Buddha. In other words, despite constantly being in the presence of the Dharma, he was still not able to realize its meaning. However, because of constantly being in the presence of the living Dharma he was able to ask the Buddha why are you who you are today? In asking this question Ananda was able to show us that a Buddha does not become Enlightened just for themselves, but rather to become Enlightened to reveal and share the Dharma with others.
Although Shinran Shonin does not quote the sections that follow, the discourse between Sakyamuni Buddha and Ananda continues:
“Ananda, you should realize that the Tathagata’s
perfectly enlightened wisdom is unfathomable, capable of leading innumerable
beings to liberation, and that his penetrating insight cannot be obstructed.
With just one meal, he is able to live for a hundred thousand kotis of kalpas, or an
incalculable and immeasurable length of time, or beyond. Even after that lapse
of time, his senses will still be radiant with joy and show no signs of
deterioration; his appearance will not change and his august countenance will
look just the same. The reason for this is that the Tathagata’s
meditation and wisdom are perfect and boundless and he has attained
unrestricted power over all dharmas. Ananda, listen carefully. I shall now expound the Dharma.”
“Ananda replied, ‘Yes, I will. With joy in my heart, I wish to hear the Dharma.’”[16]
“With joy in my heart, I wish to hear the Dharma,”
is a sentiment that even those of us born in a period far removed from the
Buddha, a time when only the teaching of a Buddha, the Dharma, remains. Even
during this Final Dharma age, and even hundreds of years after Shinran Shonin’s death, we are
able to share in the same joy of hearing the Dharma that is expressed for us by
Ananda. The joy that is being expressed comes from Sakyamuni Buddha sharing with us the timeless sense of the
Dharma as expressed through the truth-revealing narrative of Amida Buddha or the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and
Immeasurable Light.
Although it can be argued that Shinran Shonin was lead to the Dharma of Amida Buddha because he was born in the era of Mappo or the Final Dharma Age, one can also argue that Shinran Shonin was able to discover that the reason why Sakyamuni Buddha became Enlightened and taught his many lessons was so that he could share the Dharma of Amida Buddha or a teaching that could even transcend the Final Dharma Age.
In order to do this, however, Shinran Shonin would have to help us to understand how all the other teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha fit together to lead to this conclusion. One such analysis can be found in a work titled, “Gutoku’s Notes.” Although he also classifies what during his time was still called the Hinayana path of Buddhism into two types of teaching[17], Shinran Shonin’s main emphasis was the classification of the Mahayana path. This analysis is often called the “Classification of the Two Pairs into Four Types.”
In this classification, Shinran Shonin divides all of
Mahayana into two types of teaching. One is of sudden attainment, and the other
of gradual attainment. In talking about the Mahayana of sudden attainment he
says that there are again two types of teaching and two kinds of transcendence.
He classifies these teachings as “REAL” and “TRUE AND REAL.” The REAL teachings
are, he says, the teaching of the Path of Sages or the path of difficult
practice. In this classification Shinran Shonin includes the teachings of Zen, Shingon,
Tendai, Kegon, and other
schools. The TRUE AND REAL teaching is that of easy practice. It is the
teaching of the Primal Vow of the
He continues with his discussion
on gradual attainment. Here again he speaks of two kinds of teachings and two
kinds of departure. The two teachings are the accommodated teaching of the path
of difficult practice, and the other is the path of easy practice or the
essential gate of the
In this analysis Shinran Shonin describes each of these attainment paths as having a lengthwise and a crosswise dimension. This dimension is meant to describe the relative difficulty of the path chosen. The image that is often used to describe this dimension is that of a bamboo pole. The goal is to bore through the bamboo pole from one side to the other. The lengthwise dimension is the attempt to bore through the bamboo pole from either “cap” end. Crosswise, on the other hand, is boring through the pole from its “side.” Obviously, boring through from the side will be much easier than trying to drill a hole through the entire length of the bamboo pole. This lengthwise and crosswise dimension is further divided into a transcendent or departure dimension. This dimension describes the relative speed through which one achieves Enlightenment and can be described as the “sudden” or “gradual” dimension respectively. The matrix would look something like the one shown in table 1.
Table
1
|
“Classification of the 2 pairs into 4 Types” |
Transcendent (sudden) |
Departure (gradual) |
|
Lengthwise |
Realization of becoming a
Buddha with this body (path of sages) |
Realization through Path of
Sages taken over many kalpa |
|
Crosswise |
Birth in the Pure Land through
the Primal Vow |
Birth in the womb palace through
the Pure Land Path |
In this description, Shinran Shonin was able to show how the 84,000 paths are part of the same whole and was able to categorize the entire doctrinal lineage along the two dimensions of lengthwise versus crosswise and transcendent versus departure. Through this analysis he was able to declare that the True and Real teaching is the Crosswise-Transcendent teaching of the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha. This is the teaching found in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life.
Much of the explanation of the
Primal Vow of Amida Buddha is given in narrative
form. The narrative begins when Amida Buddha was
still seeking the path and was not yet a Buddha. The story begins when, like Ananda, an unenlightened person asks a Buddha for
instruction. This parallel is important to keep in mind because it reminds us
that the story being revealed is not just about an “other” but is a story that
I am participating in as well. Following this question and answer session
between Sakyamuni Buddha and Ananda
the Buddha begins to reveal to us the narrative of Amida
Buddha.
“At that time there was a king who, having heard the Buddha’s exposition of the Dharma, rejoiced in his heart and awakened aspiration for highest, perfect enlightenment. He renounced his kingdom and throne, and became a monk named Dharmakara. Having superior intelligence, courage, and wisdom, he distinguished himself in the world. He went to see the Tathagata Lokesvararaja, knelt down at his feet, walked round him three times keeping him always on his right, prostrated himself on the ground, and, putting his palms together in worship, praised the Buddha with these verses…[20]
The verses that Dharmakara
praise the Buddha with are the gatha, or explanation in verse form, known as the Sanbutsu-ge or “gatha in praise
of the Buddha.” This verse is often chanted during the Jodo
Shinshu service. It is chanted every morning at the Hongwanji or “
The spiritual journey described within the Sanbutsu-ge is divided into three major sections. The first
section praises the virtue of the Buddha Lokesvararaja, the second talks about the kind of Buddha Dharmakara would like to be based on his experience with Lokesvararaja, and the concluding section asks the various
Buddha, beginning with Lokesvararaja, to bear witness
to the true intentions of the Bodhisattva.
Because the Pure
Land Tradition of Buddhism focuses on the Name of the Buddha Amida, or Namo Amida Butsu, names take a
particular import in understanding the doctrinal nuances of the tradition. The
three principal names that appear in the telling of this truth-revealing
narrative are Lokesvararaja, Dharmakara,
and Amida.
Lokesvararaja literally
means, “Sovereign Monarch of the World,” or “World-Sovereign King.” This Buddha
is the teacher of the Bodhisattva who would later become Amida
Buddha. The question that arises is, “Why would this Buddha be the one who
opens up the Dharma to Bodhisattva Dharmakara?” In
recounting the narrative, we recall how Dharmakara
was a King himself. Meeting this particular Buddha, Dharmakara meets with the “King of Kings.” This
King, however, has no army, has no kingdom, and possesses no material
treasures. This King, therefore, cannot conquer an external enemy nor can he
manipulate a potential alliance with the promise of material wealth. This
Buddha is the King of Kings because he imparts the truth, a truth that can
liberate all of humanity, and impart the greatest of riches: the appreciation
of life.
In talking
about Lokesvararaja because he is incapable of
conquering an external enemy the focus of this King of Kings becomes the
conquering of the self. The conquered self is the self that is no longer
attached to the self. It is the “egoless” self or the self of “non-ego.” In
this focus we rediscover a fundamental Buddhist tenet or the idea that all manifestation (existence) is non-substantive. In other words, nothing can
exist in and of itself.
The name of
the Bodhisattva, for example, also reveals this fundamental tenet of Buddhism.
For example, in teaching Dharmakara Bodhisattva, Lokesvararaja Buddha states that you have everything you
need to become Enlightened. This statement should come
as no surprise when considering the meaning of the name Dharmakara
or “dharma storehouse.” In other words, the name Dharmakara
suggests that the Bodhisattva has all the Dharma, all the truth already stored
within him. If this is the case, what is missing from the Bodhisattva that
prevents him from becoming a Buddha?
A Buddha is a person who is fully awakened to the
truth; it is a person who embodies the truth. As seen in the synonym for Buddha
or Tathagata, Buddhism sees truth not just as a
static state but as dynamic one as well. The truth cannot simply remain as
truth. It has to become real as well. In other words, Truth is not fully
expressed until it is shared with others. This aspect is revealed in the Buddha’s
Vows and in particular the Primal Vow where Dharmakara
promises to renounce his Enlightenment unless all sentient beings can be saved
from the world of suffering. This primary or Primal Vow is fulfilled in the
Name of the Buddha or Namo Amida
Butsu. This name is proof of the fulfillment of this
Vow and the transformation of Dharmakara Bodhisattva
into the Buddha Amida. When this name is recited it
is often referred to as the nembutsu.
In viewing the Dharma as a
storehouse two separate challenges to the propagation and realization of that
Dharma were identified. The first centered upon the fact that Sakyamuni Buddha died. This challenge can be described as
the challenge of having the path towards Buddhahood
closed. If access to the storehouse were lost, then it doesn’t matter what
treasures could be found inside. In terms of one’s personal relationship with
the Dharma it became possible to consider the possibility that one could be
born too late to meet with the Dharma. The second challenge is related to the
long propagation career of Sakyamuni Buddha. Because
he taught so many different paths towards Enlightenment, based in part on the
ability of the listener, the challenge following the Buddha’s death became how
to discover and decide upon the true path for my personal salvation given the
great number of paths available. These two challenges, taken together, can also
be described as the challenge of discovering how the Truth of the Buddha’s
Enlightenment becomes Real in my life.
Relative to the possibility of having been born too late to hear, receive and share the Dharma, Shinran Shonin repeats again and again his joy in being able to meet with the Dharma difficult to meet. In his General Preface to the Kyogyoshinsho, for example, he talks about the meaning of Sakyamuni Buddha’s teaching by stating that, “Among all the teachings the Great Sage preached in his lifetime, none surpasses this ocean of virtues.”[21] He continues by describing the struggle we as human beings have in discovering the truth or meaning of our lives especially during the period of time we would have to consider the Final Dharma Age: “Let the one who seeks to abandon the defiled and aspire for the pure; who is confused in practice and vacillating in faith; whose mind is dark and whose understanding deficient; whose evils are heavy and whose karmic obstructions manifold”[22] and concludes by describing what we should do with this teaching before describing his joy in meeting with the Nembutsu:
…let such persons embrace above all the Tathagata’s
exhortations, take refuge without fail in the most excellent direct path,
devote themselves solely to this practice, and revere only this shinjin.
Ah, hard to encounter, even in many lifetimes, is the decisive cause of
birth, Amida’s universal Vow! Hard to realize, even
in myriads of kalpas, is pure shinjin
that is true and real! If you should come to realize this practice and shinjin, rejoice at the conditions from the distant past
that have brought it about.”[23]
This “distant past” that Shinran Shonin relates to us also includes the incident where Ananda asks Sakyamuni Buddha why he looked so radiant on the day when because of this question he opens up the Dharma of Amida Buddha for us. We are reminded of the words, “With joy in my heart, I wish to hear the Dharma.”
This first challenge, the challenge of having the path closed off from us or the challenge of the Final Dharma Age, also speaks to us about the quality or potential of the seeker. The inability to pursue the Dharma, the inability to consistently perform practice, is one of the distinguishing characteristics of those found in the Final Dharma Age or Mappo. In recognizing this description of who we are as beings living in the age of Mappo, Shinran Shonin continues by saying:
But if in this lifetime still you are entangled in a net of doubt, then unavoidably you must pass once more in the stream of birth-and-death through myriads of kalpas.[24]
Shinran Shonin concludes this section of his writing by declaring that it is for the benefit of just such a person that the Dharma of the Nembutsu was meant for:
Wholly sincere, indeed, are the words of truth that one is grasped, never to be abandoned, the right dharma all-surpassing and wondrous! Hear and reflect, and let there be no wavering or apprehension.”[25]
We are reminded that it is not too late for us to hear the Dharma and that the reason for the teaching career of Sakyamuni Buddha was to allow all of us to meet with the Dharma that embraces and does not abandon. We are reminded that the Dharma of the Nembutsu is not just for the few who were born during the time of a Buddha and that it is a truth open to even those of the Final Dharma age, a period where it is far too easy to conclude that the Dharma and Enlightenment have nothing to do with me. We discover that the joy that was expressed by Sakyamuni Buddha, Ananda and Shinran Shonin is a joy that we can share. It is a joy that was also expressed because they knew that we would be able to share their joy even long after their death. The Dharma is not closed by death. Instead, we are able to share the timeless sense of the Dharma and express our joy through the Nembutsu or the voiced Name of Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Immeasurable Light. The Nembutsu, then, is also an expression of our joy and gratitude upon our realization that the Dharma is not just open for us, but embraces us as well.
If the Nembutsu
is an expression of joy at having received the Dharma open to all and
demonstrates for us that the Dharma is not closed off to us, how does the Nembutsu answer the second challenge or determining which
of the 84,000 paths is the path for me? We can easily become lost in the number
of choices available to us. It should be kept in mind that selecting a path is
no trivial matter given that the goal of Buddhism is to become Enlightened; the goal of a Buddhist is to become a Buddha.
This point is not lost by Shinran Shonin
when he quotes, “Attainment of Buddhahood through the nembutsu:
this is the true essence of the
To help us understand the meaning of the Nembutsu or Namo Amida Butsu, Shinran Shonin first quotes from Zendo[27] who divides Namo Amida Butsu into Namo (Namu)[28] and Amida Butsu.
Namu means “to take refuge.” It further signifies aspiring for birth and directing virtue[29]. Amida-butsu is the practice. Because of this import, one necessarily attains birth.[30]
From this base, Shinran Shonin defines the name of the Buddha in the following way.
From these passages we see that the word Namu
means to take refuge (kimyo), ki
means to arrive at. Further, it is used in compounds to mean to yield joyfully
to (kietsu) and to take shelter in (kisai). Myo means to act, to
invite, to command, to teach, path, message, to devise, to summon. Thus, kimyo is the command of the Primal Vow calling to and
summoning us.
Aspiring for birth and directing virtue[31] indicates the mind of
the Tathagata who, having already established the
Vow, gives sentient beings the practice necessary for their birth.
The practice is the selected Primal Vow.[32]
Namo is the activity of
the Buddha that forces or commands a response from us. It is an activity that
causes us to feel both joy and security that overcomes all the sorrow and
insecurity we create in our lives. It is the call of the Buddha to let us know
that we do not have to live a life of suffering and sorrow.
Namo is also the Buddha
giving rise to vows and transferring or sharing the virtues of a Buddha. In
particular it is the sharing of the Primal Vow. Stated briefly, the Primal Vow
of Amida Buddha, the Buddha’s fundamental vow, can be
described as the promise of the Buddha to renounce Enlightenment itself unless
all sentient beings are born into his land and achieve the same great
awakening. In order to achieve this, Amida Buddha has
selected among the 84,000 paths available the Nembutsu.
This Nembutsu, it should be cautioned, is not the
parroted repetition of the Name Namo Amida Butsu. It is hearing the command of the Primal Vow
calling to and summoning us.
This point is
also emphasized in the passage where Shinran Shonin tells us practice, or Amida-butsu,
is the selected Primal Vow. Practice, in other words, is the transformation
into Amida Buddha from the Bodhisattva Dharmakara or the Bodhisattva who is the Dharma Storehouse.
Practice is the fulfillment of sharing completely the Dharma with others. Amida Buddha, through the Primal Vow, has promised that
this sharing will be accomplished. It is a vow that reveals the Buddha’s
confidence in all of us to hear and receive the heart of a Buddha.
Repeating the Name Namo Amida Butsu,
the Nembutsu, then is taking refuge in Amida Buddha. We able to take refuge because we have met
with the Vow, and through this also meet with Sakyamuni Buddha and all those who have helped to preserve
and propagate this teaching so that it has been able to reach us all. For us,
this would include Shinran Shonin.
For Shinran Shonin, this
teaching was only able to reach him because of Seven Masters who came from
For more about the life and teachings of Shinran Shonin and the doctrinal heritage he established, the reader is encouraged to take the on-line course offered by the Center for Buddhist Education. For more information about the Center and the on-line course offerings, please visit http://jscc.cbe-bca.org/home/index.php?option=com_frontgage&itemid=1.
Go to: Buddha Section
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[1] Please see Buddha section
[2] A kalpa is an unfathomably incredible long unit of time.
[3] Collected Works of Shinran, p. 679. Passage from the Tannisho.
[4] To reach this number of messages, the Buddha would have had to give an average of over 5 unique and different messages a day every day throughout his 45 year propagation career.
[5] A Bodhisattva is the ideal practicer of the Mahayana approach of Buddhism and is the person who would postpone his or her own enlightenment in order to aid others to achieve enlightenment.
[6] Buddha-Dharma, p. 705.
[7] For example, Ananda is said to have asked Sakyamuni Buddha the following question: “If the World-Honored One remains in this world, people of virtue and those of diligent practice will all come together to worship the World-Honored One; they will be able to listen to the Dharma and cultivate merits. If, however, the World-Honored One passes away now, those people will not come. What then are we to do?” (Buddha-Dharma: The Way to Enlightenment. P. 704).
[8] Buddha-Dharma: The Way to Enlightenment. P. 720
[9] Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1, p. 244
[10] For more about the Shinran Shonin and Three Dharma Ages, please refer to: Asano, Kyoshin, “The Idea of the Last Dharma-Age in Shinran’s Thought, Part 1,” in Pacific World, third series, no. 3 (Fall, 2001), pp. 53-70, and Asano, Kyoshin, “The Idea of the Last Dharma-Age in Shinran’s Thought, Part 2,” in Pacific World, third series, no. 4 (Fall, 2002), pp. 197-216
[11] The term “Hinayana” literally means “smaller (lesser) vehicle” and was a term coined by the Mahayana or “greater vehicle.” Although the term Hinayana is no longer commonly used, because much of the earlier literature uses the term in contrast to Mahayana, the term is introduced here.
[12] See Hirakawa, Akira, A History of Indian Buddhism, p. 107-109
[13] Collected Works of Shinran, Vol. 1, pp. 7-8
[14] Ibid, p. 8
[15] One example of how Shinran Shonin makes this declaration is through his analysis of the “Classification of the 2 pairs into 4 Types” which will be discussed in the section titled “Answering the Second Challenge: the meaning of sharing the Dharma as revealed by Amida Buddha.”
[16] “The Three Pure Land Sutras,” BDK English Tripitaka, pp. 8-9.
[17] The first teaching is that of the Pratyeka Buddha or those who become awakened to the conditioned nature of existence. This path, Shinran Shonin emphasizes, is a solitary path. The other Hinayana teaching is called the path of Sravaka. This is the path of Enlightenment where one obediently listens to and follows the words of a Buddha. This path, however, requires the successive advancement through four consecutive stages and reaching each successive stage’s fruition before progressing onto the next stage.
[18] CWS, p. 587
[19] The Contemplation Sutra is one of the three Pure Land Sutras that lays the foundation for the Pure Land Schools of Buddhism. The three sutras are (1) The Larger Sutra, (2) The Contemplation Sutra and (3) The Amida or Smaller Sutra.
[20] “The Three Pure Land Sutras,” p. 10
[21] CWS, p. 3. Although this particular translation focuses on the “true teaching easy to practice” and the “straight way easy to traverse” or the Nembutsu, this particular phrase can also be interpreted more generally (while pointing towards the single path of Nembutsu). From this perspective, the passage can be translated as: “The teachings of the Great Sage given during this one lifetime, this ocean of virtue, has no equal.”
[22] ibid
[23] ibid, Pp. 3-4.
[24] Ibid p. 4
[25] ibid
[26] CWS, p. 55.
[27] One of the seven masters chosen by Shinran Shonin in establishing the doctrinal lineage of Jodo Shinshu.
[28] In writing the six character name for Amida Buddha,
the Chinese characters used would ordinarily be read as Namu
Amida Butsu. However, in
many of the notes written by Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, it would appear that he intended the six
Chinese characters to be read Namo Amida Butsu. In the chanting of
the Shoshin Nembutsu-ge,
for example, based on these notes we chant the Nembutsu
as Namo Amida Butsu.
[29] What is being translated into “aspiring for birth and directing virtue” is the phrase hotsugan eko. Hotsugan means “Give rise to Vows,” Eko means “transfer merit” or “directing virtue.” In this translation, the translators have made sentient beings, the person taking refuge, as the agent of the action. However, as will be seen in Shinran Shonin’s interpretation, the agent of the action is clearly Amida Buddha. Because Amida Buddha would have no need to aspire to be born in a Land the Buddha established, here it would perhaps be better to translate the passage as, “giving rise to vows and directing virtue.”
[30] CWS, p. 37
[31] See note 31
[32] CWS p. 38