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| Amida's Light sent to His devotee shown in the lower part |
After describing the twelve Lights of Amida Buddha, Shakyamuni continues:
“If sentient beings encounter His light, their three
defilements are removed; they feel tenderness, joy, and pleasure; and good
thoughts arise. If sentient beings in the three realms of suffering see His
light they will all be relieved and freed from affliction. At the end of their
lives they all reach liberation.”[1]
All the benefits enumerated there, like the
removal of defilements, the feeling of tenderness, joy and pleasure, apparition
of good thoughts, freedom from suffering and liberation, come from the Light of
Amida and become effective due to encountering
(“if sentient beings encounter His light”)
and seeing this Light (“if sentient beings in the three realms of
suffering see His light”).
For a seeing or an encounter to take place
it needs two persons – in our case, Amida Buddha who wishes to save us, and we
who accept His salvation. Amida’s wish to save us is not enough; we also need
to let Him save us. It’s not enough that the light of the sun is outside our window;
we must also open the window and let it come in.
Like
the sun who sends its rays everywhere, Amida is calling all beings to entrust
to Him, just some close the windows of their minds and hearts while others keep
them open. But even if you open your window, the rays of light belong to the
sun, and not to yourself. It is the same with faith. Rennyo Shonin said: "There is no heart far from Amida,
but a covered bowl of water cannot reflect the moon."[2]
One
day, when we are open enough, we entrust. However, this apparition of faith comes from Amida, just like the
light which occurs in the room after we opened the window comes from the rays
sent by the sun. The light which illuminates the room of our minds
(shinjin/faith) after we opened the window, comes from the rays sent by Amida. This
is why Shinran said:
"Illuminated by the light of the Buddha,
foolish beings possessed of blind passions attain
shinjin (faith) and rejoice. Because they attain shinjin and rejoice, they
abide in the stage of the truly settled."[3]
By opening the
window of our minds and hearts to Amida, we become illuminated by Him and we
receive faith, thus entering the stage of the truly settled or those assured ofbirth in the Pure Land.
Opening
the window does not create light (faith/shinjin). Light is not the product of
the window, nor the creation of the one who opens the window. Light comes only
from the sun. Thus, according to the logic of Shinran, faith itself and the
effects of faith, which he called “the ten benefits in this life”[4], come from Amida[5],
and are the result of encountering His Light. The passage above from the Larger Sutra refers to some of these
benefits. I will explain them bellow.
*
“Their three defilements are removed” – this does NOT mean that we have no
more delusion, greed, hate, or other blind passions, but that these no longer
have the power to keep us prisoners of samsara.
It is like they do not exist anymore. Rennyo Shonin explained:
“When it is stated that
one's karmic evils are all cancelled at the moment of awakening a single
thought of shinjin (faith), it means that one's birth in the Pure Land is
settled by the power of the single thought of shinjin and that one's
transgressions (defilements) do not create a hindrance to Birth; therefore,
they are as good as non-existent.”[6]
Shinran Shonin also said:
"Although
shinjin (faith) is overcast by clouds and mists of greed, desire, anger, and
hatred, they form no obstruction to birth in the Pure Land."[7]
The following verses by Shinran suggest
that to see Amida Buddha’s Light does not mean a seeing (“perceiving”) in the physical or supernatural sense, as this would
be impossible due to our karmic limitations (“evil
passions”), but an encounter of faith in which we are not discriminated due
to our evil passions:
“Although I, too, am in Amida’s embracing Light,
My
evil passions hinder me from perceiving it,
But
His Light of great compassion never ceases to shine on
me
untiringly."[8]
Although
we cannot perceive it with our unenlightened eyes, Amida’s Light that we
accepted in our minds and hearts through faith (shinjin) always shines upon us,
keeping us in its safe embrace:
“My
eyes being hindered by blind passions,
I cannot perceive the Light that grasps me;
Yet the great compassion, without tiring,
Illumines me always.”[9]
I cannot perceive the Light that grasps me;
Yet the great compassion, without tiring,
Illumines me always.”[9]
As Shinran explained, the reason we call
Amida – the Buddha of Unhindered Light
is because “it is not obstructed or
impeded by the minds of karmic evil and blind passions of all sentient beings
of the ten quarters”."[10],
so, when Shakyamuni uses the words “their
three defilements are removed” it means that delusion, hate, greed, as well
as all the other types of blind passions which manifest from these basic three,
no longer constitute an obstacle for
birth in the Pure Land or “liberation”
which occurs “at the end of their lives”.
*
“They feel tenderness, joy, and pleasure; and good
thoughts arise”:
These words are related with the 33rd vow of Amida which I already explained in the section on the 48th
Vows.
This joy and
pleasure is like the relief you feel when a great burden is taken from your
shoulders, and indeed there is no greater burden than being unenlightened and a
slave of samsaric existence. The burden of your liberation is carried by Amida
Buddha, who already crossed the Path for you. Anybody who carries a great
burden is happy when that is taken away from him, so you can be happy or feel
relief when you first entrust to Amida Buddha (when you encounter His Light),
if attaining Buddhahood or final liberation from birth and death is the most
important matter for you.
However, this
doesn’t mean that hour to hour, minute to minute, second to second, you will
think about Amida or feel a continuous joy as to jump in the air. Our lives are
in such a way that we can always be overwhelmed by daily problems and worries.
But it’s ok, it’s simply ok to be like this. We are not compelled to
always jump with joy because we are saved by Amida. Despite of this, the
salvation of Amida is always present, as our simple faith in Him remains with
us since we first received it in our hearts[11].
We can also compare the situation with
being in prison. Just imagine that somebody you trust assures you that you will
be released in one year. That one year in which you are still in prison is of
course difficult, but you also know for sure that your day of freedom will soon
come. So you are able to feel relief and joy remembering your assurance, no
matter how hard your everyday life in prison still remains. As Shinran
explained:
„'Joy' (kangi): means to rejoice beforehand at being
assured of attaining what one shall attain.”[12]
It is important
to understand that the joy, tenderness
and pleasure mentioned here in section 11 of the sutra is a kind of relief at
knowing that you will attain birth in the Pure Land at the end of your physical
body, and not a constant ecstasy, happiness, serene state of mind, or something
like that. We know we are assured of the attainment of Nirvana when we die
and we are born in the Pure Land, but until then we remain ordinary beings
filled with attachments to our bodily existence. Thus, even if our every day
sorrows, difficulties and attachments cover the sky of faith, we know deep
inside that we are assured of Amida’s salvation and that the suffering of
samsara will not last long for us anymore.
The “good
thoughts” that arise out of entrusting to Amida
Buddha (“encounter/see His light“) refer
especially to thoughts of faith. Encountering Amida’s Light does not mean
attainment of perfect Enlightenment in one’s present body, so it does not mean
we’ll always have pure thoughts. However, if we entrust to Amida (“encounter/see His Light”) we think to Him,
we know that our sufferings in samsara will soon be over, and we are grateful
for being saved so easily. We might also think to helping others receive faith.
“Good thoughts arise” also
means that as persons of faith we can sometimes transform an unpleasant
experience into an opportunity to understand that unfortunate events are the
effects of our karma, using them to become more aware that this is samsara, the
world of suffering, from which we must escape once and for all through birth in
the Pure Land. Bad events in our lives can thus be transformed through the
light of Amida into useful ones – useful for our understanding and for
deepening our faith in Him.
*
“If sentient beings in the three realms of suffering
see His light they will all be relieved and freed from affliction. At the end
of their lives they all reach liberation”
The sentence above is very clear – seeing
Amida’s Light (receiving faith), happens in this samsaric life (“sentient beings in the three realms of suffering see His light”) which
causes us to “be relieved and freed from
affliction”.
As already explained, to “be relieved and freed from affliction”
means that the karma of a Nembutsu devotee has its roots cut or sterilized so
that it cannot spread its seeds into another life. However, until we die and we
are actually born in the Pure Land we still experience the effects of our
previous karma. We are like a cut flower – you know cut flowers that you put
into a vase? Those flowers will preserve their colour and perfume for
a few days more, but having their roots cut, they will soon wither. It’s the same
with our karma which becomes powerless in driving us to another life in
samsara. Thus, to be “relieved and freed from affliction”
means that the causes of future lives of suffering in samsara are cut or
destroyed after seeing or
encountering Amida’s Light.
The fact that “relieved and freed from affliction” is immediately followed by “at the end of their lives they all reach
liberation” shows that we do not become totally free (attain
Nirvana/Buddhahood/perfect Enlightenment/Liberation) from suffering here and
now in our present samsaric existence, but after death and birth in the Pure Land. Thus, the above benefits of “encountering/seeing
Amida’s Light” (having faith in Amida) do NOT refer to Nirvanic states, but
to things we receive during this life, while we are still unenlightened.
[1] 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.25
[2] It is said that
Zen Master Ikkyu sent the following koan to Master Rennyo: "Amida has no mercy since Amida only saves those who says His
Name". Master Rennyo answered him with the poem: "There is no heart far from Amida, but
a covered bowl of water cannot reflect the moon.”
[3] Shinran
Shonin, Lamp for the Latter-Ages,
letter 14, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation
Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.544
[4] I
explained all the ten benefits in this life of faith in Amida Buddha in my book
The Meaning of Faith and Nembutsu in Jodo
Shinshu Buddhism, free online edition, http://amida-ji-retreat-temple-romania.blogspot.com/2017/11/my-new-book-four-profound-thoughts.html
p.162 -207
[5] The reason why in a Nembutsu follower’s heart
coexist both faith in the Primal Vow and his blind passions and illusions is
that this faith doesn’t belong to him. This is another important
aspect of the Jodo Shinshu teaching.
It
is said that in a poisonous Eranda forest grow only Eranda trees and not
the famous Chandana trees with their fine fragrance. It is a miracle if a
Chandana tree grows in an Eranda forest. Similarly, it is a miracle if faith in
Amida Buddha flourishes in the people’s hearts. How can it be possible that
from human passions the faith in Buddha be born? The answer is that this
phenomenon is practically impossible and that faith in Amida is not the product
of our minds, but what Amida plants in us. That is why shinjin or the
entrusting heart is called “rootless faith” for it has no roots in the human
mind but in Amida’s Power and Compassion. The same thing happens with saying
the Name which expresses faith. Everything comes from Amida and manifests like
an echo in our minds and on our lips, just like a child who faithfully answers
his mother’s calling.
A
mother calls her child and the child answers immediately. The answer of the
child is due to the mother’s call, not to the power of the child. In the same
way, faith is not our own creation, but
the natural answer to the call of Amida Buddha, the Compassionate Mother of
all beings. Because of Amida, we entrust in Amida and say Nembutsu. Only
because the mother always sends unconditional love to her child, the child can
trust and rely on her. The faith of the child is in fact, the love of the
mother which manifests in him. The mother is the one who actually feeds and
makes the child grow. A child is nothing without a mother. The power of her
love makes him grow, not his own power.
Shinjin and nembutsu are the echo – manifested in us, of the powerful call of Amida. When one is in the mountains and shouts in a loud voice, you can automatically hear the echo. If you do not shout, no echo can be heard. In the same way, if Amida would not compassionately call to us, there would be no faith and no Nembutsu as an expression of faith.
The profound truth that faith arises in us from Amida is very difficult to explain in words. In fact, this is beyond conceptual understanding, so we should not complicate our minds with it because we’ll never understand it completely. I sometimes use suggestive images like the above with mother and child only to help my readers abandon any thoughts of personal merit in receiving faith and saying the Nembutsu. So, just entrust to Amida Buddha and don't complicate yourself. These things are impossible to understand by our limited unenlightened minds.
Shinjin and nembutsu are the echo – manifested in us, of the powerful call of Amida. When one is in the mountains and shouts in a loud voice, you can automatically hear the echo. If you do not shout, no echo can be heard. In the same way, if Amida would not compassionately call to us, there would be no faith and no Nembutsu as an expression of faith.
The profound truth that faith arises in us from Amida is very difficult to explain in words. In fact, this is beyond conceptual understanding, so we should not complicate our minds with it because we’ll never understand it completely. I sometimes use suggestive images like the above with mother and child only to help my readers abandon any thoughts of personal merit in receiving faith and saying the Nembutsu. So, just entrust to Amida Buddha and don't complicate yourself. These things are impossible to understand by our limited unenlightened minds.
[6] Thus I Have Heard from Rennyo Shonin (Rennyo
Shonin ‘s Goichidaiki Kikigaki), translated by Hisao Inagaki, Dharma Lion
Publications, Craiova, 2008, p.27
[7] Shinran Shonin,
Notes on the Inscriptions on Sacred
Scrolls, The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.519
[8] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, chapter II Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 80
[9] Shinran
Shonin, Hymns of the Pure Land Masters
(Koso Wasan), The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation
Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.385
[10] The
Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.657
[11] I usually explain that faith, once
received, becomes like breathing, always being there although you don’t always
express it consciously. We don’t always feel our breathing, but this doesn’t
mean that breathing doesn’t exist. Sometimes we feel it better when, for
example, we are fascinated by the clear air of the mountains or of a beautiful
morning and we take long and deep breaths, while some other time we are too
hurried and busy in our daily life to concentrate on it.
But the breath has
always been there with you since you were born, being a part of yourself, just
you don’t express it consciously every minute. The same applies to faith and
nembutsu. The faith is there, inside you, since the first time you entrusted in
Amida Buddha and you’ve become a person of faith. No matter what you do in your
every day life, eating, sleeping, going to toilet, spending time with your
girlfriend or boyfriend, being sad or happy, sober or drunk, the faith is there
and cannot be destroyed (once received) by anything, not even by the worst of
your blind passions. From time to time you remember that you are accepted as
you are and saved by Amida Buddha, feel again the relief of somebody who no
longer needs to rely on himself to attain freedom from birth and death, and so
you express this faith and say „thank you” to Amida with Namo Amida Butsu.
[12] Shinran Shonin, Notes on Once-calling and Many-calling, The Collected Works of
Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha,
Kyoto, 1997, p.474
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