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“The reason for the Buddha's appearance in the world
This sutra explains the apparition of Amida and His Pure Land in terms of cause and effect[1] and cannot be denied,
especially because Shakyamuni's main reason of coming to this world was to
teach this sutra:
“To reveal the
true teaching: It is the Larger Sutra of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. The
central purport of this sutra is that Amida, by establishing the incomparable
Vows, has opened wide the Dharma storehouse, and full of compassion for small,
foolish beings, selects and bestows the treasure of virtues. The sutra further
reveals that Shakyamuni appeared in this world and expounded the teachings of
the way to Enlightenment, seeking to save the multitudes of living beings by
blessing them with this benefit that is true and real[2]. Thus, to teach the Tathagata’s Primal Vow is the true intent of this
sutra; the Name of the Buddha is its essence”[3].
“The Larger Sutra reveals the true teaching.
It is indeed the right exposition for which the Tathagata appeared in the world,
the wondrous scripture rare and most excellent, the conclusive and ultimate
exposition of the One Vehicle[4],
the precious words disclosing perfect, instantaneous fulfillment, the sincere
words praised by all the Buddhas throughout the ten quarters, the true teaching
in consummate readiness for the beings of this day. Let this be known”[5].
“The reason for the Buddha's appearance in the world
Is, above all, to expound the Primal Vow of Amida, wide and deep as the
ocean.
All beings in the evil age of the five defilements
Should believe in the truth of the Buddha's words.[6]
All beings in the evil age of the five defilements
Should believe in the truth of the Buddha's words.[6]
In it, we also
acknowledge the testimony of Ananda and all those gathered on Vulture Peak to
hear this sutra and who literaly saw Amida Buddha and His Pure Land in a
vision, thus attesting of their existence. Shakyamuni Buddha even said that we
must accept this sutra in faith, so we should do this, and not criticize nor change
it according to our likes or dislikes:
"Thus have I formed my Dharma, thus
have I expounded my Dharma, thus have I taught my Dharma. You must receive it
and practice it by the method prescribed”.[7]
“I have expounded this teaching (sutra) for
the sake of sentient beings and enabled
you to see Amitayus (Amida) and all in His Land. Strive to do what you
should. After I have passed into Nirvana[8], do not allow doubt to arise."[9]
“Even
if a great fire were to fill the universe of a thousand million worlds, you
should pass through it to hear this sutra, to
arouse joyful faith, to uphold and chant it, and to practice in accordance
with its teachings”.[10]
“Most
difficult of all difficulties is to hear this sutra, have faith in it with joy, and hold fast to it. Nothing is more
difficult than this”[11]
Shinran Shonin said:
"We
are encouraged three times[12]
to entrust ourselves to the Buddha's teaching. To 'accept my words' is to
entrust ourselves to the teaching. For people not to entrust themselves to 'the
witness to me of the Buddhas of the ten quarters' would be to take the Buddha's
words as false and empty."[13]
„It is
stated in the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss:
The
supernatural powers of the two Buddhas (Amida and Shakyamuni) are equal. Be
that as it may, Shakyamuni Tathagata does not speak of His own capacities but
especially reveals Amida’s distinguished capacities, out of His desire to make
all sentient beings equally take refuge
in Amida. For this reason, in many sutras Shakyamuni praises Amida and urges
beings to take refuge in Him. We ought to be aware of the Buddha’s intent.”[14]
Master Seikaku said:
"Suppose
that a man whom one deeply trusts and of whom one has no cause for suspicion
whatever tells you about a place which he knows well at firsthand, saying that
there is a mountain here, a river there. You believe deeply what he says, and
after you have accepted these words, you meet other people who say it is all
false. There is no mountain and no river. Nevertheless, since what you heard
was said by a person whom you cannot think would speak a mere fabrication, a
hundred thousand people might tell you differently but you would not accept it.
Rather, you deeply trust what you heard first. This is called trust. Now, believing in what Sakyamuni taught,
entrusting yourself to Amida's Vow, and being without any doubt should be like
this."[15]
Honen Shonin said:
"I, Hōnen,
believe in the words of Buddha Shakyamuni and long for birth in the Pure Land
with all my heart."[16]
Even if we do not read this sutra but hear the teaching
from somebody and accept the existence of Amida Buddha, entrust to Him, say His
Name and wish to go to His Pure Land when we die, then we automatically accept
the sutra, because its main
intention is exactly to teach the existence of Amida and His Pure Land, as well
His method of salvation - faith, nembutsu of faith and wish to be born there
(the Primal Vow). As Shinran said:
„The
true and real teaching of the easy practice, the Primal Vow of the Pure Land
way; this is the teaching of the Larger Sutra[17]
of Immeasurable Life.”[18]
[1] You can read the story of Amida Buddha as told by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Larger Sutra in my book, The True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His
Pure Land, Dharma Lion Publications, Craiova, 2015, p.66
[2] „The benefit that is true and real” is the infinite merit and
virtue of Amida embodied in His Name. To say His Name in faith, desiring to be
born in His Land, is what the Primal Vow urges us to do.
[3] Shinran Shonin, The Collected Works
of Shinran, Shin Buddhism
Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.7
[4] „One vehicle” („Ichijo” in Jpn or „Ekayana” in Skrt) is the complete
and supreme Dharma of the Buddha which provides the method of attaining Buddhahood
quickly.
[5] Shinran Shonin, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism
Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.10
[6] Shinran Shonin, Hymn of True Faith
and the Nembutsu (Shoshinge), The Way of Nembutsu-Faith: A Commentary
on the Shoshinge, by Hisao Inagaki, Nagata Bunshodo, Kyoto, 1996,
pp. 163-183. The same translation can be found at http://horai.eu/shoshinge-eng.htm
[7] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from
Chinese by Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo
Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003,
p.70
[9] The Three Pure Land Sutras - A Study and Translation from
Chinese by Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart, Bukkyo Dendo
Kyokai and Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003,
p.70
[13] Shinran Shonin, Gutoku's Notes, The
Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.599
[14] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, IV, Kyogyoshinsho
– On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao
Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.
173
[15] Master Seikaku, Essentials of Faith Alone, The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.692
[16] Honen Shonin, The
Significance of the Threefold Devotional Heart, The Promise of Amida Buddha -
Honen's Path to Bliss;
English translation of the Genko edition of the works of Honen Shonin - Collected Teachings of Kurodani Shonin: The
Japanese Anthology (Wago Toroku), translated by Joji Atone and Yoko
Hayashi, Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2011, p.131
[17] There are some who deny
the authenticity of the Mahayana sutras in general, and of the three Pure Land
sutras, in particular, saying that because they appeared later in written form,
they are in fact, the creation of some monks. Many Theravadins share the same
opinion on this matter and claim that their Pali canon is the only authentic
set of sutras. However, common sense
dictates that the time when a Buddhist sutra was put into written form was not
automatically the time of its creation. During Shakyamuni Buddha’s life and
later, upon His physical death, His discourses (sutras) were transmitted orally
and sometimes by His closest disciples through special states of mind
called Samadhi for hundreds of years before they were put into written
form. The Pali Canon was, in fact, preserved in the artificial language of Pali
(which neither the Buddha nor anyone else ever spoke) while the Mahayana sutras
were initially preserved in Sanskrit (a language which Shakyamuni, a highly
educated person, may have spoken). Some make the claim that the Pali
Canon of the Theravada school is the
oldest and thus the most reliable collection of sutras. Positing that all
the discourses or sutras originated from Shakyamuni, then the fact that some
were put into written form earlier than the others is not proof of their
exclusive authenticity or superior content. The Mahayana and Pure Land
sutras did exist and were transmitted in the same timeframe with the sutras of
the Pali Canon.
Each group of Buddhist disciples put into written form their own basket (pitaka) of recognized sutras, some earlier and some later. But no one can prove by documentary evidence that his school’s basket of sutras were actually preached by Shakyamuni while the others’ were not. By the same token, no one can prove that Shakyamuni did not impart some sutras only to a group of special disciples which were open and more prepared to receive them than others and who, in turn, transmitted such sutras to their own chosen disciples in an uninterrupted succession, until one day they decided it was time to give them a written form.
Each group of Buddhist disciples put into written form their own basket (pitaka) of recognized sutras, some earlier and some later. But no one can prove by documentary evidence that his school’s basket of sutras were actually preached by Shakyamuni while the others’ were not. By the same token, no one can prove that Shakyamuni did not impart some sutras only to a group of special disciples which were open and more prepared to receive them than others and who, in turn, transmitted such sutras to their own chosen disciples in an uninterrupted succession, until one day they decided it was time to give them a written form.
No one can check
and investigate the Buddha’s mind or the minds of His closest disciples and
their actions by means of documentary evidence. If we read about the Buddhist councils who compiled
orally the discourses of the Buddha after His physical death, we see that the
monks who attended such councils could all recite by heart dozens of those
discourses and that all were accomplished Masters.
Also, we know from
the first passages of the Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable
Life (Larger Sutra), that among the assembly gathered on the Vulture Peak,
where Shakyamuni delivered it, there were “twelve thousand monks […] all
great sages who had already attained supernatural powers.” This aspect is
extremely important because it is an indication about who were the monks who
heard that sutra and later transmitted it to further generations. They were
monks who had “attained supernatural powers,” and it follows that these
monks used their mind power to accurately transmit this sutra
by Samadhi to others. Among these monks we read the names of
Venerable Mahakasyapa, Venerable Sariputra, Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana and
Ananda. “All of these were Elders”, says the sutra. But monks with
supernatural powers were not the only listeners. Great transcendental
Bodhisattvas like Samantabhadra, Manjusri and Maitreya, the future Buddha, were
present too, and they all rejoiced at hearing the Amida Dharma, which can only
mean they had faith in it and later helped in its promotion.
[18] Shinran Shonin, Gutoku's Notes, The
Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.587
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