.jpg)
If one desires to attain birth in the Pure Land, both his heart and practice must be in concert. Therefore, the interpretation of Master Shan-tao reads: ‘Practice alone is not sufficient for the accomplishment of birth in the Pure Land. Neither is aspiration alone. Realization occurs only when aspiration and practice are concomitant.’
Both heart and
practice must be a single discipline, not only to achieve birth in the Pure
Land, but also to realize Enlightenment in the Holy Gate. This is referred to
as ‘observing the practice by awakening the heart to Enlightenment’.
In Jodo Shu (Pure Land
school), Master Shan-tao called this ‘the steadfast heart and practice’.”[1]
“Heart” refers to the
“entrusting heart” (shinjin) or faith in Amida Buddha. This is also linked with
“aspiration”, which is aspiration or
desire to be born in the Pure Land. “Practice”
is to say the Name of Amida Buddha.
All these three: faith (shinjin), the saying of the Name and the wish (aspiration) to be born in the Pure Land are the three requirements of Amida in His Primal Vow, where He asked beings to entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land: “sincerely entrust themselves to me (faith/shinjin), desire to be born in my land (aspiration), and say my Name (Nembutsu) perhaps even ten times”.
So, if these three combine, that is, if we say the Nembutsu as an expression of faith in Amida and we aspire to be born in His Pure Land, then we’ll go there (“realization”). If one of these is lacking, for example, if we say the Nembutsu without faith and without the wish (aspiration) to be born in the Pure Land, then we’ll not go there. Same will happen if we wish to go to the Pure Land, pretend to have faith but do not say Nembutsu. I use the expression “pretend to have faith” because actually it’s impossible to have faith and to aspire for the Pure Land but do not say the Nembutsu. You can’t have faith and aspiration without Nembutsu, nor true Nembutsu[2] without faith and aspiration (wish) for the Pure Land. This is why Honen Shonin said:
His disciple, Shinran Shonin, who later continued his work, also explained:
“Though a person may
have shinjin (faith), if he or she does not say the Name it is of no avail. And
conversely, even though a person fervently says the Name, if that person's
shinjin is shallow he cannot attain birth in the Pure Land. Thus, it is the
person who both deeply entrusts himself to Birth through the Nembutsu and
undertakes to say the Name who is certain to be born in the true fulfilled land[4]."[5]
"Although the one moment of shinjin (faith) and the one moment of Nembutsu are two, there is no Nembutsu separate from shinjin, nor is the one moment of shinjin separate from the one moment of Nembutsu. The reason is that the practice of Nembutsu is to say it perhaps once, perhaps ten times, on hearing and realizing that birth into the Pure Land is attained by saying the Name fulfilled in the Primal Vow. To hear this Vow and be completely without doubt is the one moment of shinjin. Thus, although shinjin and Nembutsu are two, since shinjin (faith) is to hear and not doubt that you are saved by only a single pronouncing, which is the fulfillment of practice, there is no shinjin separate from Nembutsu; this is the teaching I have received (from Master Honen). You should know further that there can be no Nembutsu separate from shinjin. Both should be understood to be Amida's Vow."[6]
“So long as you are resolute and unwavering in your faith, you will attain birth with ten utterances of the Nembutsu, even if sinister signs may appear at the end your life.”[7]
And Master Chih-yüan of Mount Ku:
"Through the power of faith, one firmly accepts the Name in one’s heart".[8]
Disciples of the self-power paths also need the unity between mind/heart/aspiration and practice. Honen mentioned that in their case, the unity is called “observing the practice by awakening the heart to Enlightenment” and specified that “in Jodo Shu (Pure Land school), Master Shan-tao called this ‘the steadfast heart and practice’”. In the online Cambridge dictionary, we read that steadfast means “staying the same for a long time and not changing quickly or unexpectedly”. Indeed, the heart/mind of one who entrusts to Amida Buddha NEVER changes during our lifetime and our saying of the Name in faith, although not dependent on a fix number, continues until death.
On the Pure Land Path, we are also taught that faith (shinjin) is itself the Bodhi Mind or the mind to aspire for Enlightenment as we know that after we reach the Pure Land through the Nembutsu of faith we attain perfect Enlightenment (Buddhahood/Nirvana). In this regard, Shinran Shonin said:
“The mind that aspires to attain
Buddhahood
Is the mind to save all sentient beings;
The mind to save all sentient beings
Is true and real shinjin (faith), which is Amida's benefiting of others.
Shinjin is the mind that is single;
The mind that is single is the diamondlike mind.
The diamondlike mind is the mind aspiring for enlightenment (Bodhi Mind);
This mind is itself Other Power."[9]
[1] Teachings of
Honen, translated by Yoko Hayashi and Joji Atone, Los Angeles: Bukkyo
University – Los Angeles Extension, 2007, p. 74.
[2] By true Nembutsu I mean the Nembutsu
of the Primal Vow, the Nembtsu of total reliance on Amida Buddha’s Power.
[3] Honen Shonin, Essentials
for Birth in the Pure Land through Nembutsu, 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.361
[4] This is the center of the Pure
Land where he automatically attains perfect Enlightenment. It is attained
through complete faith in the Power of Amida Buddha and is contrasted with
birth in the border land where those who say Nembutsu while still clinging to
their self-power may go if they are very serious in Nembutsu recitation up to
the moment of their death. See my explanations of the border land in my books,
especially in the Commentary on the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life and Jodo
Shinshu Buddhist Teachings, 2nd revised edition.
[5] Shinran Shonin, Lamp for the Latter-Ages, letter 12, The
Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.539
[6] Shinran Shonin,
Lamp for the Latter-Ages, letter 11, The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.538
[7] Shinran Shonin quoted Master Yuan-chao in
Kyogyoshinsho, III. Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and
Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist
Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 117
[8] Shinran quoted Master Chih-yüan of
Mount Ku in his Kyogyoshinsho, VI. Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 117
[9] The
Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo
Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.365
0 comentarii:
Post a Comment