When their lives are
about to end, Amida Buddha will appear before them with a host of sages. When
they die, their minds will not fall into confusion and so they will be born in
his land.”[1]
Shinran Shonin, quoted the Smaller Amida Sutra, in his Kyogyoshinsho
“It is like a wax seal impressed on the
clay; as the wax seal is destroyed, the letter is formed. When one’s life ends,
one is born in the Land
of Peace and Bliss.”[2]
Master
Tao-ch’o, An-le-chi (Anrakushu)
*
“If one wholeheartedly places faith in
the Buddhist teachings and aspires to be born in the Pure Land ,
one is born there as soon as one’s life—whether short or long—ends. […]
I now urge you to turn to the Land of Utmost Bliss for refuge. If you dedicate
all your practice toward it with sincerity of heart, you will be born there,
without fail, after the end of your life.[3]
Master
Tao-ch’o, An-le-chi (Anrakushu)
*
In his An-le-chi
(Anrakushu), Master
Tao-ch’o presents the following question:
“Is there scriptural evidence to prove
that by aspiring to birth in the Pure
Land one can be born
there at one’s death?”[4]
then he quotes
many passages from the various sutras to prove there is indeed such a
scriptural evidence. From all the passages he quoted, I am presenting you only
a few:
“As the Dharma Drum Sutra states: ‘Even
though you are unable to be mindful (of the Buddha), if you know that the Buddha
dwells in the west and think of attaining birth there, you will be born there.’”[5]
As you can see,
“the Buddha dwells in the west”, so
His Land is there, not “here and now”.
“Again, it is stated in the Great Compassion Sutra (adapted):
‘Why is this called ‘Great Compassion’? Those who
single-mindedly practice the Nembutsu without ceasing will be certainly born in
the Land of Pace and Bliss after death. Those who
urge the transmission of the Nembutsu from person to person, it should be
known, are all those who practice the great compassion.’”[6]
Master
Tao-ch’o, An-le-chi (Anrakushu)
*
“In the Garland Sutra it is stated:
‘By practicing the Nembutsu Samadhi,
one unfailingly sees the Buddha,
and will be born in His presence after
death.
So, if you see a man at his deathbed,
urge him to say the Nembutsu;
Also show him a Buddha's figure so that
he could see and worship it.’”[7]
Master
Tao-ch’o, An-le-chi (Anrakushu)
*
“Those who are mindful of Amida
continuously until the end of their lives will be born in the Pure Land ,
ten out of ten and a hundred out of a hundred. The reason is that they are free
of miscellaneous influences from the outside, they have attained the right
mindfulness, they are in accord with the Buddha’s Primal Vow, they do not
disagree with the Buddha’s teachings, and they accord with the Buddha’s words”.[8]
Master
Shan-tao, Ojoraisan
“Mindful of
Amida continuously” means that their faith (shinjin) in Amida Buddha is truly
settled and so it will not disappear until the end of their lives when the
actual birth in the Pure
Land takes place. “Right
mindfulness” is the faith (shinjin) of the Primal Vow.
*
“Shakyamuni and other Buddhas throughout
the ten quarters glorify Amida’s Light with twelve names and extensively urge
beings to recite the Name and worship Him continuously without interruption,
for such people will gain immeasurable merits in this lifetime and, after
death, definitely attain birth in the Pure Land ”.[9]
Master
Shan-tao, Ojoraisan
*
“If you are to choose the place
for birth in the next life,
Master
Shan-tao, Ojoraisan
*
“Those who
continuously recite the Name, as explained above, until the end of their lives,
will all be born in the Pure
Land , ten out of ten and
a hundred out of a hundred. Why? Because such people are free of obstructions
from outside and dwell in the state of right mindfulness, and so they are in
accord with the Buddha’s Primal Vow, in harmony with the teaching, and in
agreement with the Buddha’s words”.[11]
Master Shan-tao as quoted by Shinran Shonin in his Kyogyoshinsho
*
"Being mindful of
Him (Amida Buddha) always, we board the Vow Power. After death we attain birth
in His land, where we meet Him, face to face, with unbounded joy."
Master Shan-tao, Ojoraisan
*
“Let us realize, therefore, that when one
comes to the hour
of death, even though it be in a grass
hut, at that very moment one can take his place upon the
lotus seat. One can
follow after Amida Nyorai and in company
with a host of Bodhisattvas be born
in a
moment into the realm of the Pure Land which lies in the West ten thousand
hundred millions lands away.”[12]
Master Genshin, Ojoyoshu
*
“Without regard for
time, place, and various karmic relationships, merely reciting nembutsu makes
birth in the Pure Land possible if one desires birth in the Pure Land
at the end of this life”. [13]
Master Genshin as quoted by Honen Shonin in his Admonitions for Attaining of Birth in the Pure Land
*
“There is no
discrepancy between either the words or the deeds of the many Buddhas. If
Shakyamuni encouraged all ordinary people wholeheartedly and exclusively to
engage in the one practice of the nembutsu while in their present bodies, and
if He assured them that, after their lives had ended, they would surely be born
in that land, then all the Buddhas of the ten directions will equally praise,
equally encourage, and equally confirm this”.[14]
Honen Shonin, Senchakushu
*
“Following the path of
the Vow’s Power, after death they can attain birth in that land [Amida’s Land],
where they will meet the Buddha and where their joy will know no end”.[15]
Honen Shonin, Senchakushu
*
“When they lay aside
their present lives, they will enter into the dwelling of the Buddhas, the Pure Land ”.[16]
Honen Shonin, Senchakushu
*
“The nembutsu practitioners,
after they have laid aside their present life, will certainly be born in the Land of Sukhavati ”.[17]
Honen Shonin, Senchakushu
*
“Master Shan-tao said
that those whose faith in birth in the Pure Land
in the next life and in the Primal Vow was less than profound would not enjoy
the embrace and protection of holy beings. While reciting nembutsu, we must
arouse profound faith, loathe this defiled world of suffering, and long for the
Pure Land ”.[18]
Honen Shonin, Wago
Toroku
*
“Question: ‘How would it
be to put your afterlife in the hands of a god’?
Answer: ‘Nothing
surpasses placing your future in the hands of Amida Buddha’”.[19]
Honen Shonin, Dialogue
on One Hundred Forty-Five Topics
*
“Foremost in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss , when I attain my birth,
will be the precious
memory of fellow practitioners I left on earth”.[20]
Honen Shonin, poems
*
“Recite nembutsu while
wishing for deliverance and birth in the Pure Land
in the life to come.”[21]
Honen Shonin, Replies
to Saburo in Tsunoto
*
“To pray for a good
fortune in this ephemeral world and forgetting crucial deliverance in the next
life are not the true meaning for
nembutsu devotees. Amida Buddha designed nembutsu as the ‘rightly established
practice’ for birth in the Pure
Land in the life to come.”[22]
Honen Shonin, Wago
Toroku
*
“Regarding the life to
come, one should not aspire for birth in a pure Buddha-land other than the Pure Land
of Amida Buddha, nor should one hope to be born in the Tusita Heaven of Buddha
Maitreya, nor desire to be reborn in the delusive worlds of human beings or
heavenly beings”.[23]
Honen Shonin, Wago
Toroku
*
“Nothing but nembutsu
will allow one to attain birth in the Pure Land
in the life to come. I am not telling you this by my own initiative. I just
state exactly what the sacred scriptures describe, as if holding the text up to
a mirror. Please, look over the scriptures.”[24]
Honen Shonin, Wago
Toroku
*
“Concerning ‘the
supreme working to embrace beings,’ one of the Forty-eight Vows in the Larger
Sutra says, ‘If, when I become a Buddha, the sentient beings of the ten
directions who, aspiring to be born in my land, call my Name even ten times,
fail to be born there through my Vow-Power, may I not attain perfect
Enlightenment.’
This means that the
practitioners who aspire for birth are embraced by the Vow Power – when their
lives are about to end – and are enabled to attain Birth. Hence, this is called
“the supreme working to embrace beings.”[25]
Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho
*
Shakyamuni urges all
ordinary beings to practice the Nembutsu singleheartedly throughout their
lives; when they die, they will
definitely be born in that land. All the Buddhas of the ten directions,
without exception, praise and recommend this teaching and give testimony to its
truth. Why do they do so? Because their great compassion arises from the same
essence. One Buddha’s teaching is the teaching of all the Buddhas; all the
Buddhas’ teachings are one Buddha’s teaching.[26]
The Master of Kuang-ming Temple says:
[…] the moment your
life ends you will in the next moment be born in that land, where you will
enjoy the Dharma pleasure of non-action for eternally long kalpas.[27]
Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter III
*
At the end of your
life you will enter the family of the Buddhas, that is, the Pure Land .[28]
Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter III
*
Out of the thousands
of people who received his teaching, personally or otherwise, over many days
and years, very few were allowed to read and copy this book. Nevertheless, I
was allowed to copy it and also make a copy of Genku’s (Honen) portrait. This is the benefit of the exclusive
practice of the act of right assurance; this is a sure proof of my future
attainment of birth.[29]
Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter III
Here “future
attainment of birth” clearly indicates birth in the Pure Land
after death.
*
It is stated in the
Collection of Passages on the Land
of Peace and Bliss:
I have collected true
words so that they may help others practice the way for Birth. For my wish is
that those who have attained Birth may lead those who come after them and those
who aspire for Birth may follow their predecessors, thus following one after
another endlessly and uninterruptedly until the boundless sea of birth and
death is exhausted.[30]
Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter IV
*
“Concerning the
expression, ‘Each living thing being grasped by Amida, a manifestation of the
decisive cause of Birth’: it is declared among the Forty-eight Vows taught in
the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life:
‘If, when I attain
Buddhahood, the sentient beings of the ten quarters, aspiring to be born in my
land, saying my Name even down to ten times, and being carried by the power of
my Vow, were not to be born there, then may I not attain perfect
Enlightenment.’
This means that practicers who aspire to be
born are grasped by the power of the Vow and brought to attainment of Birth
when their lives end. Hence the expression, ‘Each living thing being grasped by
Amida, a manifestation of the decisive cause of Birth’”.[31]
Shinran Shonin, Notes
on the Inscriptions on Sacred Scrolls
*
“’Were not to be born
there, then may I not attain perfect Enlightenment’:
If people who entrust
themselves to the Vow are not born in the true land fulfilled by the Primal
Vow, I shall not become a Buddha.
This means that practicers who aspire to be born are grasped by the power of the Vow and brought to attainment of Birth when their lives end”.[32]
This means that practicers who aspire to be born are grasped by the power of the Vow and brought to attainment of Birth when their lives end”.[32]
Shinran Shonin, Notes
on the Inscriptions on Sacred Scrolls
*
“I, for my own part,
attach no significance to the condition, good or bad, of persons in their final
moments. People in whom shinjin is determined do not doubt, and so abide among
the truly settled. For this reason their end also – even for those ignorant and
foolish and lacking in wisdom – is a happy one.”[33]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 6
*
“My life has now
reached the fullness of years. It is certain that I will go to birth in the Pure Land
before you, so without fail I will await you there”.[34]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 12
This clearly
shows that Shinran Shonin associates his death with birth in the Pure Land .
*
“Since they dwell in
the stage of non-retrogression until being born into the Pure Land ,
they are said to be in the stage of the truly settled.
Since true shinjin is
awakened through the working of the two Honored Ones, Shakyamuni and Amida, it
is when one is grasped that the settling of shinjin occurs. Thereafter the
person abides in the stage of the truly settled until born into the Pure Land .”[35]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 13
So, as we see, entering the stage of non-retrogression when
shinjin occurs in one’s heart is not the same thing with being born into the Pure Land .
As the passages clearly states, this stage is prior to birth there – “until born into the Pure Land ”.
*
Kyoshin wrote a letter to Shinran in which he said:
“Those who attain true
and real shinjin
Immediately join the
truly settled;
Thus having entered
the stage of non retrogression,
They necessarily
attain Nirvana.
The statement, ‘they
attain Nirvana’, means that when the heart of the persons of true and real
shinjin attain the fulfilled land at the end of his or her present life, that
person becomes one with the light that is the heart of the Tathagata.”[36]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 14
Ren’i, another disciple, sent to him the answer of Shinran
in which it was confirmed that the above statement was free from error:
“I conveyed the
contents of your letter in detail to the Shonin, and he stated that it was
altogether free from error.”[37]
*
"The fulfillment
of Myoho-bo's cherished desire to be born in the Pure
Land is surely celebrated by those in Hitachi province who share
the same aspiration."[38]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 19
Here Shinran speaks about Myoho-bo’s death which he equates
with birth in the Pure
Land .
*
"Please read the
copies of Seikaku's Essentials of Faith Alone, Ryukan's On Self-power and
Other-Power, and the other tracts I sent earlier. Such men are the best
teachers for our times. Since they have already been born in the Pure Land ,
nothing can surpass what is written in their tracts. They understood Master
Honen's teaching fully and for this reason attained perfect Birth."[39]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 19
At the moment Shinran wrote this letter, Master Seikaku and
Master Ryukan were dead, so their birth in the Pure Land
was attained in their after life.
*
While criticizing some disciples, Shinran said, "Such people have no aspiration for the
nembutsu nor for the Buddha's Vow; thus, however diligently they engage in the
nembutsu with such an attitude, it is difficult for them to attain Birth in the
next life."[40]
Shinran Shonin, Lamp
for the Latter Ages, Letter 19
*
" I am truly sad
to hear about Kakunen-bo. I had expected that I would go first to the Pure Land ,
but I have been left behind; it is unutterably saddening. Kakushin-bo, who left
us last year, has certainly gone to the Pure Land
and is awaiting us there. Needless to say, I will surely meet them there; it is
beyond words. Kakunen-bo’s words did not differ at all from what I have said,
so we will certainly go to the same place, the Pure Land . If
I am still alive in the tenth month of next year, it will undoubtedly be
possible to meet again in this world. Since your mind of entrusting also does
not differ at all from my own, even if I go first, I will await you in the Pure Land "[41]
Shinran Shonin, Uncollected
Letters, Letter 2
Here again, Shinran equates the death of one of his
disciples (Kakunen-bo) with birth in the Pure Land .
*
"Further, having
no thought of wanting to go to the Pure
Land quickly, we think
forlornly that we may die even when we become slightly ill; this is the action
of blind passions. It is hard for us to abandon this old home of pain, where we
have been transmigrating for innumerable kalpas down to the present, and we
feel no longing for the Pure
Land of peace, where we
have yet to be born. Truly, how powerful our blind passions are! But though we
feel reluctant to part from this world, at the moment our karmic bonds to this
saha world run out and helplessly we die, we shall go to that land."[42]
Shinran Shonin,
Tannisho, chapter 9
*
“The point is to keep the matter
of Other Power faith firmly in mind. Beyond that, you should just say the
nembutsu—walking,
standing, sitting, and lying down—in
gratitude for Amida Buddha’s
benevolence. With this understanding, the birth that is to come in the Pure Land
is assured”.[43]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
“Birth that is to come in the Pure Land ”
clearly means
not “here and now” in this life, as we’ll see from the next passages.
*
“I don’t know why, but recently
(this summer), I have been particularly subject to drowsiness, and when I
consider why I should be so lethargic, I feel without a doubt that the moment
of death leading to birth in the Pure Land may be close at hand.”[44]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Those who become wives of the
priests in charge of lodgings on this mountain at Yoshizaki should be aware
that this happens because past conditions in their previous lives are not
shallow. This awareness, however, will come about after they have realized that
the afterlife is the matter of greatest importance and undergone a decisive
settling of faith. Therefore those who are to be wives of the priests should, by all means, firmly attain faith.
First of all, because what is
known as settled mind in our tradition differs greatly from and is superior to
[the understanding of] the Jodo schools in general, it is said to be the great
faith of Other Power. Therefore, we should realize that those who have attained
this faith—ten
out of ten, one hundred out of one hundred—are
assured of the birth that is to come in the Pure Land .”[45]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“If you wish to attain faith and
entrust yourselves to Amida, first realize that human life endures only as long
as a dream or an illusion and that the afterlife in the Pure Land is indeed the
blissful result in eternity, that human life means the enjoyment of only fifty
to a hundred years, and that the afterlife is the matter of greatest
importance.”[46]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Let us realize, then, that what
we should earnestly aspire to is birth
in the Pure Land
in the afterlife, that the one we should rely upon is Amida Tathagata, and
that the place to which we go after faith is decisively settled is the Pure Land
of serene sustenance. These days, however, the priests in this region who are
nembutsu people are seriously at variance with the Buddha-Dharma. That is, they
call followers from whom they receive donations ‘good disciples’ and speak of
them as ‘people of faith.’ This is a serious error. Also, the disciples think
that if they just bring an abundance of things to the priests, they will be
saved by the priests’
power, even if their own power is insufficient. This, too, is an error. And so
between the priests and their followers, there is not a modicum of
understanding of our tradition’s
faith. This is indeed deplorable. Without a doubt, neither priests nor
disciples will be born in the Land
of Utmost Bliss ; they
will fall in vain into hell.
Even though we lament this, we
cannot lament deeply enough; though we grieve, we should grieve more deeply.
From now on, therefore, the priests should seek out those who fully know the details
of the great faith of Other Power, let their faith be decisively settled, and
then teach the essentials of that faith to their disciples; together, they will
surely attain the birth that is to come
in the Pure Land , which is the most important matter.”[47]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“What is fundamental is that we
simply discard the sundry practices and take refuge in the right practice. To
take refuge in the right practice is just to rely on Amida Tathagata
singleheartedly and steadfastly, without any contriving. Sentient beings
everywhere who entrust themselves in this way are embraced within Amida’s
light; He does not abandon them, and when
life is spent, He brings them without fail to the Pure Land .
It is through this single minded faith alone that we are born in the Pure Land .
How readily we attain this settled mind—there
is no effort on our part! Hence the two characters ‘anjin’
are read’easily attained mind’; they have this meaning.”[48]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“We should realize that we have
been received within Amida Tathagata’s all-pervading light and that we will
dwell within this light for the duration of our lives. Then, when life is
spent, Amida brings us at once to the true and real fulfilled land.”[49]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Then, in order to be saved in
regard to the most important matter, the
afterlife, how do we entrust ourselves to Amida Tathagata? The answer is
that when we entrust ourselves without any worry or double-mindedness - casting
away all sundry practices and miscellaneous good acts and relying on Amida
Tathagata singleheartedly and steadfastly - Amida sends forth His light and
embraces within it the sentient beings who rely on Him. This is called
‘receiving the benefit of Amida Tathagata’s embracing light.’ It is also called
‘receiving the benefit of the Vow that never abandons us.’ Once we have been
received in this way within Amida Tathagata’s
light, we will be born immediately into the true and real fulfilled land when
life is spent. Let there be no doubt about this.”[50]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“In this province and others,
there are many these days who are sharply at variance with what our tradition
teaches about the settled mind. Each person feels that he understands
correctly, and few think of making further effort to attain true and real faith
by asking others about views that run counter to the Dharma. This is indeed a
deplorable attachment. Unless the birth
that is to come in the fulfilled land is decisively settled by their
quickly repenting and confessing these views and abiding in our tradition’s true and real
faith, it is indeed just as if they went to a mountain of treasure and returned
empty- handed.”[51]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Those who intend to come without
fail on the twenty-eighth of every month must understand that people in whom
the settled mind is yet to be realized (mianjin)
and for whom the customary ways of faith are not decisively established should,
by all means, quickly attain Other Power faith based on the truth and reality
of the Primal Vow, thereby decisively settling the birth that is to come in the fulfilled land. It is this that
will truly accomplish their own resolve to repay their indebtedness and express
their gratitude for the Master’s
benevolence. This also means that, as a matter of course, their objective of
birth in the Land
of Utmost Bliss is
assured. It is, in other words, entirely consistent with what is expressed in
Shan-tao’s commentary:
‘To realize faith oneself and to
guide others to faith is the most difficult of all difficulties; to tell of
great Compassion and awaken beings everywhere is truly to respond in gratitude
to the Buddha’s benevolence.’”[52]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Therefore, given this present
occasion, if there are people who have not realized the faith that is the truth
and reality of the Primal Vow, we must indeed conclude they have not received
the prompting of good from the past. If there were not people for whom good
from the past had unfolded, all would be in vain and the birth that is to come in
the Pure Land could not be settled. This would be
the one thing to be lamented above all else.”[53]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“What we should bear in mind is
that it is indeed through Amida Tathagata’s gracious and vast benevolence that
birth in the Pure Land is settled; and with this realization, sleeping or
waking, we simply say ‘Namo Amida Butsu’ in
gratitude for the Buddha’s benevolence.
What else, then, do we need
besides this for birth in the afterlife?
Is it not truly deplorable that some people confuse others by talking about
false teachings that are of uncertain origin and are unknown to us, and
furthermore that they debase the transmission of the Dharma? You must reflect
on this very carefully.”[54]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Having thus attained the faith
that is expressed through the nembutsu, we should then realize that, although
we are wretched beings of deep evil karma who commit evil all our lives, when
we once awaken faith with the one thought-moment of taking refuge in Amida, we
are readily saved by the working of the Buddha’s Vow. Then, deeply recognizing
the graciousness of Amida Tathagata’s inconceivable, all-surpassing Primal Vow
– the strong cause of Birth - we simply say the nembutsu, sleeping or waking,
in gratitude for the Buddha’s
benevolence, and repay our indebtedness to Amida Tathagata.
Nothing we know beyond this is of
any use for the attainment of birth in
the afterlife, but these days, people talk absurdly - as if something were
lacking - about unknown, eccentric teachings that have not been transmitted within
our tradition; thus they confuse others and debase the unsurpassed transmission
of the Dharma. This is indeed a deplorable situation. We must think about it
very carefully.”[55]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
Especially in our days, when various false teachings are
given more and more space in the international sangha, we must reflect deeply
on the above warnings of Rennyo Shonin.
*
“We find, therefore, that if
people who seek birth through the nembutsu do not realize faith through the
prompting of past causes, the birth to come in the fulfilled land is
impossible. In the words of the Master, the point of this is: ‘If you should
realize faith, rejoice in conditions from the distant past’.”[56]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“The way of the world is, above
all, that we continue on as if unaware of the uncertainty of life for young and
old alike. Existence is as ephemeral as a flash of lightning or the morning
dew, and the wind of impermanence may come even now. Yet we think only of
prolonging this life for as long as possible, without ever aspiring to birth in the Pure Land
in the afterlife. This is inexpressibly deplorable.
From today, we should quickly
entrust ourselves to Amida Tathagata’s
Primal Vow of Other Power. Steadfastly taking refuge in the Buddha of
Immeasurable Life, we should aspire to birth in the true and real fulfilled
land and repeat the nembutsu, saying the Name of the Buddha.”[57]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“When we simply take refuge in
this Primal Vow with sincere mind, with the awakening of the one thought-moment
in which there is no doubt, then, without any anxiety, birth in the Pure Land
is assured if we die at that time. Or, if life is prolonged, then during that
time, we should say the nembutsu in gratitude for the Buddha’s benevolence and
await our lives’ end.”[58]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“The meaning of our tradition’s
settled mind is that, regardless of the depth of our own evil hindrances, there
is no doubt whatsoever that Amida will save all sentient beings who simply put
a stop to their inclination toward the sundry practices, single heartedly take
refuge in Amida Tathagata, and deeply entrust themselves to Him to save them in
regard to the most important Matter –
the birth that is to come in the
afterlife. Those who thoroughly understand in this way will indeed be born
in the Pure Land , one hundred out of one hundred.”[59]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“Considering that the human realm
is a place of uncertainty for young and old alike, we will surely undergo some
sort of illness and die. Everyone must understand that, given the circumstances
in a world like this, it is essential that faith be settled decisively and
promptly - indeed, as soon as possible - and that we be assured of the birth to
come in the Land of Utmost Bliss.”[60]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“When we abandon the
sundry practices and steadfastly and single heartedly rely on Amida to save us
in regard to the afterlife, there is no doubt at all that we will be born
without fail in the Land of Utmost Bliss.”[61]
Rennyo Shonin, Letters
*
“It has been said that
those who do not know the importance of the afterlife are foolish, even though
they may understand eighty thousand sutras and teachings; those who know about
the afterlife are wise, even though they may be unlettered men and women.”[62]
Rennyo
Shonin, Letters
*
“As the Master
[Shinran] has said, no men or women will ever be saved without entrusting
themselves to Amida’s Primal Vow. Hence there should be no doubt at all that
those who abandon the sundry practices and, with the awakening of the one thought-moment, deeply entrust
themselves to Amida Tathagata to save them in regard to the afterlife will all
be born in Amida’s fulfilled land, whether ten
people or one hundred - whatever sort of men or women they may be.”[63]
Rennyo Shonin, Letters
*
“Women who rely firmly
and without any anxiety on Amida Tathagata and accept that Amida saves them in
regard to the most important matter, the afterlife, will unfailingly be saved. If, leaving the depth of their evil to
Amida, they simply rely single heartedly on Amida Tathagata to save them in
regard to the afterlife, there is no doubt that Amida, fully knowing those
beings, will save them.”[64]
Rennyo Shonin, Letters
*
“Because the
impermanence of this world creates a condition of uncertainty for young and old
alike, we should all immediately take to heart the most important matter, the
afterlife, and, deeply entrusting ourselves to Amida Buddha, and say the nembutsu.”[65]
Rennyo Shonin, Letters
[1] Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 37.
[2] Collection
of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss - AN LE CHI by Tao-ch’o, translated by Zuio Hisao Inagaki, Horai
Association International, Singapore, 2015, p.62
[3] Idem, p.97
[4]Idem, p.98
[5] Idem, p.99
[6] Collection
of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss - AN LE CHI by Tao-ch’o, translated by Zuio Hisao Inagaki, Horai
Association International, Singapore, 2015, p.100
[7] Idem p.89
[8] Shan-tao’s Liturgy for Birth – Ojoraisan,
compiled by Master Shan-tao, annotated translation by Zuio Hisao Inagaki,
edited by Doyi Tan, Singapore, 2009, p.41-42
[9] Idem, p.45
[10] Idem, p.78
[11] Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 34.
[12] Genshin’s Ojoyoshu – Collected Essays on
Birth into the Pure Land, translated from Japanese by A.K. Reischauer, The
Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, second series, volume VII, 1930,
free online edition at http://www.amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.ro/2014/03/genshins-ojoyoshu-free-english-edition.html#more
[13] The Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen’s Path to
Bliss – the first English translation of the Genko edition of the works of
Honen Shonin composed in Japanese - also
known as Collected Teachings of Kurodani
Shonin: The Japanese Anthology (Wago
Toroku), translated by Joji Atone and Yoko Hayashi, Wisdom Publications, Boston , 2011, p. 400-401
[14] Honen’s Senchakushu – Passages on the Selection of the Nembutsu in the Original Vow
(Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu), translated and edited by Senchakushu
English Translation Project, Kuroda Institute, University of Hawai’i Press,
Honolulu and Sogo Bukkyo Kenkujo, Taisho University, Tokyo, p.104
[15] Idem p.110
[16] Honen’s Senchakushu – Passages on the Selection of the Nembutsu in the Original Vow
(Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu), translated and edited by Senchakushu
English Translation Project, Kuroda Institute, University of Hawai’i Press,
Honolulu and Sogo Bukkyo Kenkujo, Taisho University, Tokyo, p.121
[17] Idem, p.124
[18]
The
Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen’s Path to Bliss – the first English translation of the Genko edition
of the works of Honen Shonin composed in Japanese - also known as Collected Teachings of Kurodani Shonin:
The Japanese Anthology (Wago Toroku), translated by Joji Atone and
Yoko Hayashi, Wisdom Publications, Boston ,
2011, p. 174
[19] Idem, p. 284
[20] Idem, p. 319
[21] Idem p.
352
[22] The Promise of Amida Buddha: Honen’s Path to
Bliss – the first English translation of the Genko edition of the works of
Honen Shonin composed in Japanese - also
known as Collected Teachings of Kurodani
Shonin: The Japanese Anthology (Wago
Toroku), translated by Joji Atone and Yoko Hayashi, Wisdom Publications, Boston , 2011, p. 365
[24] Idem, p. 386
[25] Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 39.
[26] Idem p. 92.
[27] Idem, p. 125.
[28] Idem p. 132.
[29] Idem p. 338.
[30] Ibid.
[31] The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin
Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto , 1997, p.505.
[32] Idem p. 06.
[33] Idem p.531.
[34] Idem. 539.
[35] Idem p. 540.
[36] Idem 541.
[37] Idem p. 543.
[38] Idem p. 550.
[39] Ibid
[40]
Idem
p. 551.
[41] Idem p. 579 - 580.
[42] Idem, p. 666.
[43]Rennyo Shonin Ofumi: The Letters of Rennyo,
translated from the Japanese (Taisho, Volume 74, Number 2668) by Ann T. Rogers
and Minor L. Rogers, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Berkeley , California ,
1996, p.16
[44] Idem p.17
[45] Idem, p.22
[46] Idem p.23
[47] Idem p.24
[48] Idem, p.43
[49] Idem p.46
[50] Idem p.60-61
[51] Idem, p.67
[52] Idem, p.69
[53] Idem, p.70
[54] Idem, p.73
[55] Idem, p.78-79
[56] Idem, p.82
[57] Idem, p.84
[58] Idem, p.87
[59] Idem, p.101
[60] Idem, p.102
[61] Idem, p.104
[62] Idem, p.107
[63] Idem, p.108
[64] Idem, p.118-119
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