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The Sutra of the Samadhi of All Buddhas' Presence states:
'Take refuge in the Buddha yourself, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha. Do not serve other teachings, do not worship devas, do not enshrine spirits, do not heed days considered lucky.'
Further, it states:
'must not worship devas or enshrine spirits.'"[4]
“If, when I attain Buddhahood, innumerable Buddhas in the lands of the ten directions should not all praise and glorify my Name, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”
For example, a person of genuine faith will not entrust to, nor rely on
the "god" of the monotheists[1] or
any other gods or spirits of various religions.
"Based
on the true intent of the Buddha’s teaching and the expositions made and
transmitted by the masters of the past, I will clarify that the path of sages
is provisional and the Pure Land path is true, and caution people against
non-Buddhist teachings, which are perverted, false, and wrong".[2]
“Those
who take refuge truly and wholeheartedly, freeing themselves from all
delusional attachments and all concern with the propitious or unpropitious,
must never take refuge in false spirits or non-Buddhist teachings.”[3]
"Here,
based on the sutras, the true and the false are determined and people are
cautioned against the wrong, false, and misleading opinions of nonbuddhist teachings:
The Nirvana Sutra states:
'If one has taken refuge in the Buddha, one must not further take refuge in various gods.'
The Nirvana Sutra states:
'If one has taken refuge in the Buddha, one must not further take refuge in various gods.'
The Sutra of the Samadhi of All Buddhas' Presence states:
'Take refuge in the Buddha yourself, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha. Do not serve other teachings, do not worship devas, do not enshrine spirits, do not heed days considered lucky.'
Further, it states:
'must not worship devas or enshrine spirits.'"[4]
Also, as devotees
of Amida’s Primal Vow we will never mix Nembutsu with other practices from
inside or outside of Buddha Dharma, but focus exclusively on Amida Buddha and
His Name:
“With
your whole heart look forward expectantly to birth in the Pure Land, worship
and bear in mind the Buddha of Infinite Light, and don’t think about anything
else, nor perform any other spiritual practices.”[5]
All we need to do for our attainment of
Buddhahood in the Pure Land is mentioned in the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha: to
say the Name in faith and wish to be born there. Nothing else. No meditation
practices, no this or that special virtue, just entrust to Amida, say His Name
and wish to be born in His Pure Land.
Now please, pay attention: to say the Name of Amida, and not of other
Buddhas or religious figures outside Buddhism, to have faith in Amida and wish
to be born in His Pure Land, not in the land of other Buddhas! This is
extremely important.
Among all the pure lands in the ten directions
we chose to go in the Pure Land of Amida, and from among all the Buddhas in the
ten directions we chose to entrust to and say the Name of Amida only. This is
not because other Buddhas are not worthy of devotion and respect, or that other
practices like meditation, precepts and so on, are not good in themselves. It
is just because other Buddhas do not have vows of making evil people like us to
be born so easy in their Pure Lands, and because only Amida took the Vow to do
so:
„When we
inquire in detail as to why it is that Amida’s Primal Vow surpasses the compassionate
vows of other Buddhas, we realize that the Buddhas of the ten directions are
unable to save sentient beings with extremely deep evil karma or women,
who are burdened with the five obstacles and the three submissions. Hence it is
said that Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow surpasses other Buddhas’ vows.”[6]
Among all the Buddhas, only Amida established
a spiritual country where it is easy to emigrate:
„It was
Amida Tathagata who alone made an unsurpassed, incomparable Vow – the great Vow
that he would save ordinary beings burdened with evils and offenses
and women burdened with the five obstacles.”[7]
“In the
ten directions there are countless Buddha lands. We should aspire to be born in
the Western Land
because, as beings who have committed the five deadly sins, it is the only Pure Land
Also, in our everyday life, depending on the
result we wish to achieve, we must follow specific instructions. If for
example, we want to go from A to B we follow the course from A to B, not the
course from A to C. In the same way, if we want to reach the Pure Land of Amida,
then we follow only the indications mentioned in His Primal Vow: faith
(shinjin), Nembutsu and the wish to be born there, which are all expressions of
faith. Honen Shonin clearly said:
“It is a
general rule that those who wish to be born in a particular land ought to
follow the vow of the Buddha who established that country. Thus those who wish
to be born into the Western Land of Amida Buddha should follow His fundamental
Vow.”[9]
More than this, for
us, ordinary unenlightened people, it is extremely important to be concentrated
on one thing only and not let ourselves distracted by many practices belonging
to different teachings and even different Dharma gates.
In our religious daily life focus is a key
point. Only when we reach Buddhahood we’ll be able to play as we like with all
methods, but until then we must stay humble and let go to everything which is
not related with the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha. Master Seikaku said it
clearly:
“That
which is rejected as ‘various good acts done according to one's conditions’ is
the attachment to one's own former practice. In serving as a retainer, for
example, one should serve one's lord, depend on him, and wholeheartedly be
loyal to him.
Being of
two minds and being of one mind are as vastly different as heaven and earth.”[10]
Master Honen, Shinran and Rennyo too, also advised
us to be of one mind and say only Amida’s Name in faith. For example, here is a
quote from Rennyo which is in perfect similarity and agreement with Seikaku:
Again, Master Seikaku said:
“If one
already aspires wholeheartedly for the land of bliss, why include other things
besides contemplating on the master of that land? Life is like a flash of
lightning, or a dewdrop at daybreak, and the body like the plantain tree or a
bubble - yet one seeks in a mere lifetime of religious practice to depart
immediately from one's long abode in the five courses. How can one leisurely
combine diverse practices?[12]”
Truly we have no time here in this
unpredictable world where death can occur at any time (“life is like a flash of lightning or a dewdrop at daybreak, and the
body like the plantain tree or a bubble”) to understand, to check or to
combine diverse religious practices at once. And if we have already wished to
be born in the land
of Amida
“Aside
from aspiring for the one land and thinking on the one Buddha Amida, there
is no other necessity. People who enter the gate of the nembutsu but combine it
with other practices are attached to their former practices and have difficulty
abandoning them.”[13]
I know it might be hard for some who are still
attached to the previous practices they performed before they met with Amida Dharma,
but I ask them to always try to conform to the Primal Vow and abandon all which
is not in accord with it. If they do this, they please Amida Buddha and all the
Buddhas, including Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha. This is because all
Buddhas praise the Name of Amida and encourage beings to say it and be
concentrated on it, wishing to be born in that specific land. If they do
otherwise, even if they think that thus they please as many Buddhas as
possible, they in fact scatter their minds in many directions and fail to
observe the intentions of all these Awakened Ones. For example, if you notice
that Avalokitesvara wears an image of Amida on the crown of her head, this
should be an indication to you that this great Bodhisattva wishes you to say
Amida’s Name and entrust to Him. It is like She is saying to you, „Amida is my
spiritual Parent and far greater than me, so please entrust to Him”.
Master Rennyo said:
“Since
Amida Tathagata is the original teacher and master of all Buddhas of the three
periods, how can all the Buddhas who are His disciples not rejoice when we rely
on that Buddha who is the master? You must understand the grounds for this very
thoroughly.“[14]
So, if you truly have devotion for many other
Buddhas except Amida, then please do not think that you serve them if you chant
their Names or their sacred formulas together with the Name of Amida! In truth,
as Shinran explained in his hymns, saying Amida's Name contains in itself the
praise and respect for all Buddhas:
"When
we take refuge in the Pure Land of Amida,
We take refuge in all the Buddhas.
To praise the one Buddha, Amida, with the mind that is single
Is to praise all the Unhindered Ones".[15]
We take refuge in all the Buddhas.
To praise the one Buddha, Amida, with the mind that is single
Is to praise all the Unhindered Ones".[15]
Also do not think that you acquire special
protection or other spiritual or worldly benefits if you combine the saying of
nembutsu with other sacred formulas or practices. This is because all you need
to receive is provided in the Name of Amida. Just say exclusively the Name of
Amida and many spiritual blessings[16] will naturally come to you. How can
not this be the case, when all Buddhas praise Amida’s Name? What can have
more spiritual benefits than a Name that is praised by all Buddhas?
If all Buddhas praise the Name of Amida, why do you, a disciple of the Buddhas
and a person who has attachments to many Buddhas, don’t do the same?
In His 17th Vow, Amida promised:
“If, when I attain Buddhahood, innumerable Buddhas in the lands of the ten directions should not all praise and glorify my Name, may I not attain perfect Enlightenment.”
Also Shakyamuni is recorded as saying, in
the Smaller Amida Sutra:
"Shariputra,
just as I praise the inconceivable virtue of Amida Buddha, so do the Buddhas in
the eastern quarter, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, [..] While
dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad tongues and,
encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds, pronounce
these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra entitled 'Praise
of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'
Also in the southern, western, northern,
quarter in the nadir and zenith, that is, in all places of the universe, the
various Buddhas praise Amida:
"Shariputra,
there are in the southern quarter Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the
Ganges, […] While dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad
tongues and, encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds,
pronounce these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra
entitled 'Praise of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'
"Shariputra,
there are in the western quarter Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the
Ganges, […] While dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad
tongues and, encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds,
pronounce these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra
entitled 'Praise of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'
"Shariputra,
there are in the northern quarter Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the
Ganges, […] While dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad
tongues and, encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds,
pronounce these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra
entitled 'Praise of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'
"Shariputra,
there are in the nadir Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges[…]While
dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad tongues and,
encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds, pronounce
these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra entitled 'Praise
of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'
"Shariputra,
there are in the zenith Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, such as
[…]. While dwelling in their own lands, they extend their long, broad tongues
and, encompassing with them the universe of a thousand million worlds,
pronounce these words of truth: Sentient beings should accept this sutra
entitled 'Praise of the Inconceivable Virtue and Protection by All Buddhas.'”
More than this, after showing how all the
Buddhas praise Amida, Shakyamuni explains why His teaching about Amida is
called 'the Sutra of Protection by All Buddhas':
"Shariputra,
why do you think this teaching is called 'the Sutra of Protection by All Buddhas'?
Shariputra, all good men and women who hear the Name of Amida Buddha expounded by all the Buddhas and the name
of this sutra are protected by all the Buddhas and dwell in the Stage of
Non-retrogression for realizing the highest, perfect Enlightenment. This is
why, Shariputra, you should accept my words and the teachings of all the
Buddhas.”
Please stop and reflect because this is
extremely important! The teaching on saying Amida’s Name in faith is not only
Shakyamuni’s teaching, but the teaching of all Buddhas: “you should accept my words and the teachings of all the
Buddhas” And “the Name of
Amida Buddha” is “expounded
by all Buddhas”! So, how much more we should say only this Name in
faith and aspire to be born in the Pure
Land
"those
who have already aspired, now aspire or in the future will aspire to be born in
Amida Buddha's land, all dwell in the Stage of Non-retrogression for realizing
the highest, perfect Enlightenment. They have already been born, are now being
born, or will be born in that land. Hence, Shariputra, good men and women of
faith should aspire to birth there.”
Also, in the Larger Sutra, Shakyamuni again speaks about the praising of Amida
by all the Buddhas:
“The
light of Amida shines brilliantly, illuminating all the Buddha-lands of the ten
quarters. There is no place where it is not perceived. I am not the only one
who now praises His light. All the Buddhas, shravakas, pratyekabuddhas and
bodhisattvas praise and glorify it in the same way. If sentient beings, having
heard of the majestic virtue of His light, glorify it continually, day and
night, with sincerity of heart, they will be able to attain birth in His land,
as they wish.”
There is also another
reason why many people combine the reliance on Amida Buddha with various
practices. Master Seikaku points to a question asked by a disciple:
"Suppose
there is a person who practices the nembutsu, reciting it ten thousand times
each day, and aside from that does nothing but play all day and sleep all
night; and another person who says it ten thousand times and afterwards reads
sutras and recites the names of other Buddhas: which is superior?”
The disciple also asks how, for example, reciting
the Lotus Sutra in addition
to the Name of Amida can be the same as playing and frolicking. He also
mentions the sutra on Yakushi Buddha[17] where it is found the guidance of
eight Bodhisattvas. He argues:
“Thinking
on Yakushi Buddha is surely not like useless sleep. I still cannot understand
praising one as single practice and rejecting the other as sundry
practice."
Master Seikaku then explains that in fact, the
problem is falsely stated and that people are, by their very condition of
unenlightened beings, prone to sleeping too much, playing and frolicking and
that exactly such people Amida saves:
“In
considering this matter over again now, single practice is still superior. The
reason is that we are essentially foolish beings of this defiled world who
experience obstacles in everything. Amida, observing this, taught the path of
easy practice. One who plays and frolics all day is a person of great
distraction and confusion. One who sleeps the whole night is a person of great
lethargy. All are consequences of blind passions, difficult to sunder and
difficult to control.”
And the solution Master Seikaku proposes is
simple:
“When
playing has ended, say the nembutsu; when awakening from sleep, recall the
Primal Vow. This does not violate the performance of single practice.”
He then goes on explaining that at first sight
it might seem a good thing to chant as many sutras and names of other Buddhas
as possible in combination with the nembutsu:
“To
recite the nembutsu ten thousand times and afterward hold in mind other sutras
and other Buddhas seems splendid upon first hearing,
but this is again, a mistaken way to
address the problem, because:
“who
determined that the nembutsu should be limited to ten thousand times? If you
are a person of diligence, then recite all day. If you take up the nenju-beads,
then utter the Name of Amida. If you face an object of worship, then choose the
image of Amida. Directly await Amida's coming; why depend on the eight
bodhisattvas to direct your way? You should rely solely on the guidance of the
Primal Vow.”
Next, he explains that some nembutsu devotees
say the Name often while others say it seldom, which are both correct because
the Primal Vow does not imposes a fixed number of recitations and he also
points to the fact that those who are truly dedicated to nembutsu do not really
wish to spend their time with other practices:
“Those
say the nembutsu both night and day; in what interval, then, can they
turn their attention to other Buddhas? You should reflect on this deeply and
not become entangled in distracting doubts.”
Master Rennyo also points to the same thing in
his letters:
„My
saying of the Name in grateful return for the Buddha’s benevolence is therefore
unceasing; walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, I am never forgetful”.[18]
The expression „walking, standing, sitting, or lying down” is much spread in
the letters of Rennyo and it also means that faith in Amida Buddha never
disappears from the heart of the devotee who is thus concentrated exclusively
on Amida Buddha. Such a disciple with true faith, even if he spends his daily
life going here and there or being attached to this or that, he relies
exclusively on Amida Buddha and he is thus in accord with the Primal Vow.
We too, if we wish to be in accord with this
Vow, must do as Rennyo did and as Seikaku emphasizes in his Essentials of Faith Alone:
“The
Tathagata selected the essential Dharma [Amida Dharma],
Instructing beings to say Amida's Name with singleness, again singleness.”
Instructing beings to say Amida's Name with singleness, again singleness.”
“Singleness,
again singleness” – that is Nembutsu only.
[1] Read the chapters "There is no supreme
god or creator in the Buddha Dharma", "Some Buddhist explanations on
the origin and existence of the universe:, "Two questions on Buddha-nature
and samsara" and "Those who believe in a creator god cannot have
faith in Amida Buddha" from my book, The
True Teaching on Amida Buddha and His Pure Land, Dharma Lion Publications,
Craiova, p. 18-58 and the section on "the powerful pretas who wish to
dominate other beings through religion" from my book, The Four Profound Thoughts Which Turn the Mind Towards Amida Dharma,
p. 116-123, free online edition at,
http://amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.ro/2017/11/my-new-book-four-profound-thoughts.html
[2]Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, VI, Kyogyoshinsho
– On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao
Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p.
274
[3] Sutra of the Ten Wheels of
Ksitigarbha, quoted by Shinran his Kyogyoshinsho,
chapter VI, Kyogyoshinsho - The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.273
[4] Kyogyoshinsho
- The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.255
[5] Honen Shonin, Dialogue on the
Essential Teachings.
[6] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter
„On the Compassionate Vows of Other Buddhas”, BDK English Tripitaka 105-II,
106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1996, Berkeley USA,
p.60
[7] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter
„On the Present Plight of the world”, in
BDK English Tripitaka 105-II, 106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and
Research, 1996, Berkeley USA, p85
[8] "Words of Dharma - Sixty selections from the Sayings and Writings
of Honen Shonin. A Translation of Go Ho Ga", translated by Dwight R
Nakamura, The Pure Land Institute & The
Arya Marga Foundation, 1994, p.9
[9] "Words of Dharma - Sixty selections from the Sayings and Writings
of Honen Shonin. A Translation of Go Ho Ga", translated by Dwight R
Nakamura; The Pure Land Institute & The Arya Marga Foundation, 1994, p.10
[10] Essentials of Faith Alone by
Seikaku, http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/seikaku-essentials.html
[11] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter
„On the ‚Loyal Retainer and the Faithful Wife’”, BDK English Tripitaka 105-II,
106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 1996, Berkeley USA,
p.44
[12] Essentials of Faith Alone by
Seikaku, http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/seikaku-essentials.html
[13] Essentials of Faith Alone by
Seikaku, http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/seikaku-essentials.html
[14] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter „On the ‚Loyal Retainer and the Faithful
Wife’”, BDK English Tripitaka 105-II, 106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist
Translation and Research, 1996, Berkeley USA, p.44
[15] Shinran Shonin, Hymns of the Pure Land (Jodo Wasan), The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.336
[16] Read the chapter „The Ten Benefits in this Life of a Nembutsu
practitioner”.
[17] Yakushi Buddha or the Healing Buddha presides over another land in the
east and many Buddhist practices are related with him. He is very popular
among and many people combine saying the Name of this Buddha with that of
Amida, especially for healthy benefits.
[18] Rennyo Shonin Ofumi, letter „Reflections in Early Summer”, BDK English
Tripitaka 105-II, 106-I, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research,
1996, Berkeley USA, p.102
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