Why
did Shinran marry? Because he wanted to show that the salvation offered by
Amida Buddha does not make any discrimination between those who keep the
precept of celibacy and those who are attached to their wives and children or
have various other blind passions.
Why did he say that he was neither a monk nor lay? There are two reasons for this. First, although the Emperor stripped him of his monkhood and was given a secular name, he did not consider himself a lay person living a worldly life without any religious aspirations. Second, although he was pardoned and his status restored, he was still not able to live the life of a monk belonging to the Right Dharma Age, while in the same time, he had more aspirations than an ordinary lay person. Later, all his ordained disciples followed his example and got married. Even now the clergy of Jodo Shinshu, both men and women, get marry and have children like the rest of Japanese Buddhist monks of other schools[2].
So, it is important to realize that Shinran did not deny his monk ordination by saying that he is “neither monk, nor lay”, but only his spiritual capacities to be like the monks of the Right Dharma Age when Shakyamuni and His direct disciples were in the world. By saying, “neither monk, nor lay”, he actually meant, “neither a virtuous monk of the Right Dharma Age, nor a lay”. Thus, there is no problem if we, his disciples of modern times, call ourselves monks and nuns as long as we keep in mind that we are not the virtuous monks of that long gone era, but the decadent monks of this Last Dharma Age.
Although Shinran was public about his marriage, which was approved by His Master, and he knew that Amida saves everybody without any discrimination, why did he keep his monk robes and kesa? The reason for doing so is to be found in the doctrine of the Three Dharma Ages and the Lamp for the Last Dharma Age (Mappo Tomyo Ki), by Master Saicho[3]. Both Shinran and his Master Honen made reference to this work, and Shinran even quoted it almost entirely in chapter VI of his Kyogyoshinsho[4]. This is how important it was for him and why we, his present day disciples who also wear the monk robes and get marry must understand it thoroughly.
Here is how Master Saicho explained the doctrine of the Three Dharma Ages:
“With regard to the Dharma, there are three ages, and among people, there are three levels. The instruction imparting the teaching and precepts flourishes and declines according to the age, and words of condemnation or praise are accepted or rejected depending on the person. The fortunes of the three ancient eras arose and declined in different ways, and the wisdom and Enlightenment of beings of the five five-hundred year periods after the Buddha’s demise differ. How can beings be saved by only one path? How can they be disciplined according to one principle?”[5]
Generally speaking, the doctrine of the Three Dharma Ages
refers to the gradual decline of the capacities of beings to practice the
Dharma and attain realization through it. Thus, there is a difference between
the time when Shakyamuni Buddha was in human body and influenced directly through
His example and His holy presence those gathered around Him, and the periods
far away in time when only the teaching remains, but not the Teacher.
According to Saicho and the passages he quoted, the first period of 500 years after the Buddha’s departure from His physical body (Parinirvana) is called the Right Dharma age. The second Dharma age is called the Semblance (Imitative) Dharma age, and it lasted 1000 years after the previous one. The third and last Dharma age lasts for 10.000 years after the second age.
Master Saicho quoted the Sutra of Mahamaya, where it is stated:
“During the first
five hundred years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana, seven holy monks, sages all,
including Mahakasyapa, will uphold the right Dharma in succession so that it does
not perish. After five hundred years, the right Dharma will become completely
extinct.
Six hundred years
after, the ninety-five kinds of nonbuddhist teaching will arise and vie with
each other, but Asvaghosa will appear and subdue them all.
Seven hundred
years after, Nagarjuna will appear and demolish the banners of wrong-views.
Eight hundred
years after, monks will give themselves to self-indulgence and only a few will
attain the fruit of Enlightenment.
Nine hundred years
after, menials will be made into monks and nuns.
One thousand years
after, on hearing of the contemplation of bodily impurity, they will be enraged
and give it no thought.
One thousand one
hundred years after, monks and nuns will take wives and husbands, and will
break and revile the precepts.
One thousand two
hundred years after, monks and nuns will have children.
One thousand three
hundred years after, the yellow monk’s robe will be changed to white.
One thousand four
hundred years after, the four kinds of disciples will all be like hunters, and
will sell the offerings made to the Three Treasures.
Here I declare: One thousand five hundred years after, two monks in the land of Kausambi will fall into dispute with each other and finally kill each other. As a result, the teachings will be stored in the naga’s palace.”[6]
Words like, “the right Dharma will become completely extinct” or “the teachings will be stored in the naga’s palace” means that although one can still find the written texts of the Buddhist teaching, the practices based on personal power are as good as non-existent or practically non-existent because nobody can attain Enlightenment through them. The requirements of the paths of self-power within the Buddhist teachings do not accord anymore with the capacities of beings. This is what started to happen in the Semblance Dharma Age and is a constant reality in the Last Dharma Age.
We have to bear in mind that the expression “the right Dharma” in the above text refers to the Dharma methods based on self-power (the Path of Sages) taught in the Right Dharma Age as there is also a right Dharma (or most suitable Dharma method) for the Last Dharma Age. This is the Amida Dharma, that is, the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha and all teachings that are in agreement with the Primal Vow. I am saying this because in the Primal Vow there is also a warning against slandering the right Dharma which means to deny the existence of Amida and His Pure Land as well as the efficacy of His Primal Vow[7]. So, if the observance of precepts and various self-power practices leading to Enlightenment in this very life were the right Dharma for the Right Dharma Age, the Primal Vow and Amida Dharma is the right Dharma for the last Dharma Age when people cannot attain Enlightenment through their own powers and the Primal Vow alone remains the only Path that affords passage for all beings no matter their spiritual capacities. Thus, there must always be a correspondence between the practices and the capacities of beings, as well as the time they live in. The Primal Vow is actually the right Dharma for all ages because beings of any time can be saved through it, but for the sake of our present discussion we will focus on the specifics of each Dharma ages.
“How can beings be saved by only one path?”, said Master Saicho and we say, how can beings of the last Dharma Age attain Enlightenment through the means and practices given to those living in the presence of the historical Buddha or His direct successors (the Right Dharma Age)?
“It is like rubbing green wood to build a fire; fire cannot be made, for time is not right”[8], said Master Tao-ch’o in a well suited comparison.
“Truly we know that the teachings of the Path of Sages
were intended for the period when the Buddha was in the world and for the Right
Dharma Age; they are altogether inappropriate for the times and beings of the
Semblance and last Dharma Ages and the age when the Dharma has become extinct[9].
Already their time has passed; they are no longer in accord with beings.”[10]
Thus the Great Collection Sutra states:
“Out of billions of sentient beings who seek to perform
practices and cultivate the Way in the last Dharma-age, not one will gain
realization.”[11]
Master Tao-ch’o said:
“This is now the Last
Dharma Age; it is the evil world of the five defilements[12].
This one gate – the Pure Land way – is the only path that affords passage.
Thus, the multitudes of this evil, defiled world, ignorant of the distinctive characteristics of the Latter Age, revile the behavior and attitude of monks and nuns, but all people of the present, whether monk or lay, must take measure of their own capabilities.”[13]
To judge and revile the monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age on the basis of the principles and capacities of the Right Dharma Age is a grave mistake and against this very idea did Master Saicho wrote Lamp for the Last Dharma Age, so let’s go back to his text. After he presented the above passage from the Sutra of Mahamaya, Saicho said (words in brackets are my own):
“This
passage is also found in the Nirvana Sutra, fascicle eighteen, the Benevolent
Kings Sutra, and others. According to these sutra passages, after 1,500 years,
there will be no precepts, meditation, or wisdom. Therefore, the Great
Collection Sutra, fascicle fifty-one, states:
‘During
the first five hundred years after my Nirvana, monks and others will be
resolute in attaining Emancipation[14]
through the right Dharma that I have taught (through the self-power methods).
In the next five hundred years, they will be resolute in meditation. In the
next five hundred years, they will be resolute in listening to the teaching. In
the next five hundred years, they will be resolute in constructing temples. In
the last five hundred years, they will be resolute in conflict and disputes, and
the pure Dharma (the Dharma methods based on purity of meditation, wisdom and
precepts) will sink into dormancy…’
This
passage means that during the first three five-hundred year periods, the three
Dharmas of precepts, meditation, and wisdom will, in succession, be resolutely
upheld. This corresponds to the two periods in the quotation above: the Right Dharma
lasting five hundred years and the Semblance Dharma lasting one thousand years.
The period from that of temple construction on is the last Dharma-age. Thus,
Chi’s Commentary on the Diamond Sutra states:
‘The Right Dharma Age lasts five hundred years and the Semblance Dharma age one thousand; after these 1,500 years, the right Dharma will perish utterly. We know, therefore, that the period from temple construction on belongs to the last Dharma Age.’”[15]
After
some calculations based on various historical sources of the time, Master
Saicho concludes that his time (he lived between 767 – 822 C.E.) “belongs to the end of the Semblance Dharma
Age. Conduct in this period is already the same as in the Last Dharma Age”.
Then he explained (words in brackets are my own):
“In the Last
Dharma Age, only the verbal teaching remains; there is no practice or
realization. If there were precepts, then there would be the breaking of
precepts. But already there are no precepts; by the violation of what precept
can the precepts be said to be broken? And since there is not even the breaking
of precepts, how much less is there the observance of precepts! Therefore, the
Great Collection Sutra states:
‘After the
Buddha’s Nirvana, those without precepts will (gradually) fill the land.’”[16]
By saying that only “the verbal teaching remains”, he didn’t mean that in the Last Dharma Age there will be no written texts as we can clearly see that our world is filled with sutra translations easily available online or in printed form, but to the fact that the Dharma will remain an empty talk as nobody will be able to put self-power teachings into practice.
Next, what is this idea that there are no precepts? Well, it refers to the fact that although we can read about the precepts, they are no longer useful, because of our low capacities, to help us attain Enlightenment. Talking about precepts to low level people like us, monks or lay, living in this Last Dharma Age is like asking terminally ill patients on the death bed to practice sport or like asking madmen to act sane and reasonable. Just like there are no physical requirements for terminally ill patients, there are no precepts for monks or lay of our age. In the same way that sport exist for healthy individuals but it does not exist for terminally ill patients, precepts exist for spiritually evolved people who can really follow them, while they do not practically exist for wretched beings like us. Also, just like reasonable actions can be expected from sane people, one cannot demand madmen to act sanely, or monks of the Last Dharma Age to behave like monks of the Right Dharma Age when Shakyamuni or His direct disciples were present. This of course, does not mean that we should not try to have a good behavior in our daily life but it indicates that no matter the amount of success, we cannot be judged according to the standards of the Right Dharma Age.
“In the Last Dharma
Age, with which we are concerned here, there are monks in name only. These
nominal monks are the true treasures of the age. Are they not fields of
merits? If, in the Last Dharma Age, there were those who observed precepts,
they would seem strange and suspect, like a tiger in the marketplace. Who would
believe in such things?”[17]
Those who seem to be successful in perfectly observing the precepts are not actually ordinary monks and nuns, but great Bodhisattvas who manifest in this world to maintain an example and uphold the Dharma so that Buddhist disciples, especially those who are not open towards Amida’s Primal Vow, be kept on the Path. Master Saicho quoted the Nirvana Sutra:
“In the Last Dharma Age, a multitude of 120,000 great Bodhisattvas[18] uphold the Dharma so that it does not perish.”[19]
Then he explained: “Since this statement concerns Bodhisattvas of high rank, it is irrelevant for our discussion here.”[20] This is why our main concern are the decadent monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age who cannot keep the precepts, and not the exceptions that are actually Bodhisattva manifestations.
Master Saicho wrote:
“Question: We have already seen the subject
of monks’ conduct in the Right, Semblance, and Last Dharma Ages discussed in
many sutras. Is it stated in the sacred scriptures, however, that nominal monks
of the Last Dharma Age are the true treasure?
Answer: The Great
Collection Sutra, fascicle nine, states:
‘It is like
genuine gold being regarded as a priceless treasure. If there were no genuine gold,
silver would be regarded as a priceless treasure. If there were no silver, then
brass – as spurious treasure – would be regarded as priceless. If there were no
brass, then copper or nickel, iron, pewter, or lead would be regarded as
priceless.
All such metals
are the world’s treasures, but it is the Buddha Dharma that is priceless. If
there is no treasure of Buddha, the Pratyekabuddhas[21]
are supreme. If there are no Pratyekabuddhas, the Arhat is supreme. If there is
no Arhat[22], other sages are
regarded as supreme. If there are no other sages, beings who have realized
meditation are regarded as supreme. If there are no beings who have realized
meditation, those who strictly observe precepts are regarded as supreme. If
there are none who strictly observe precepts, monks who imperfectly observe
precepts are regarded as supreme. If
there are none who imperfectly observe precepts, monks in name only, who shave their heads and wear a monk’s robe, are
regarded as supreme.
Compared with followers of the ninety-five kinds of
wrong paths (non-Buddhists), they are regarded as belonging to the first rank.
They are worthy of receiving the world’s homage. They are the field of merits
for beings. Why? Because they
show that they are to be held in awe by sentient beings. If one pays homage to such monks, protecting and supporting them,
before long one will surely attain the state of discernment.’
In this passage, eight kinds of priceless treasure are mentioned: the Tathagata, Pratyekabuddhas, Sravakas[23], and those of the first three fruits; beings who have realized meditation, monks who observe precepts, and monks who break precepts; and monks in name only who are without precepts. These are the priceless treasures of the Right, Semblance, and Last Dharma Ages, respectively. The first four belong to the Right Dharma Age, the next three to the Semblance Dharma Age, and the last to the Last Dharma Age. Thus we know clearly that those who break precepts and those who have no precepts are all true treasures”.[24]
As we have seen above, each Dharma Age has its own spiritual treasures or monks and nuns who act as teachers for sentient beings of that specific age. These should be judged only in accordance with the spiritual capacities of their times and should be respected and cared for by their contemporaries. In comparison with the monks of the Right Dharma Age who are like pure gold, monks and nuns in the Last Dharma Age are like lead, but for people who don’t have access to gold, lead is the greatest treasure.
Here is another passage from the precious work of Master Saicho, discussing why the monks of the Last Dharma Age should not be judged in accordance with the standard of those living in the Right Dharma Age. The following also shows that some sutra passages who blame monks who break precepts and those supporting them apply to the Right Dharma Age and NOT to the monks and their supporters of the Semblance and Last Dharma Ages (words in brackets are my own):
“Question: Humbly
reading the preceding passage from the sutra, I see that monks who break
precepts and monks in name only are
indeed all true treasures. Why is it stated in the Nirvana Sutra and the Great
Collection Sutra:
‘If the king and
the ministers make offerings to monks who break precepts, the three calamities
will arise in the land, and they will eventually be born in hell.’
It is so even with
monks who break precepts; how much more so, then, with monks who have no
precepts. Thus, with regard to a single person – the monk who breaks precepts –
the Tathagata speaks at times with censure and at times with praise. Is there
not the fault of two contradictory judgments in the exposition of the One Sage?
Answer: Your
reasoning is in error. In the Nirvana Sutra and the other sutras, there is an injunction against breaking precepts in
the Right Dharma Age. This is not spoken with regard to monks of the Semblance
and Last Dharma Ages. Although the terms are the same, the times differ. There
is injunction or sanction according to the age. This is the Great Sage’s
intent. In the World-honored one, there is no fault of two contradictory
judgments.
Question: If that
is the case, how do we know that the Nirvana Sutra and the other sutras
prohibit breaking precepts during the Right Dharma Age and that this does not
apply to monks of the Semblance and Last Dharma Ages?
Answer: It is as
revealed in terms of the eight kinds of true treasure taught in the passage
from the Great Collection Sutra quoted before. This is the proof. For depending
on the age, all are regarded as priceless. However, the monk who breaks precepts in the time of the Right Dharma defiles
the purity of the sangha; hence, the Buddha strictly prohibits this and does
not allow him to enter. Thus, it is stated in the Nirvana Sutra, fascicle
three:
‘The Tathagata has
now entrusted the supreme, Right Dharma (the Dharma of the Right Dharma Age) to
kings, ministers, councilors, monks, and nuns… If there are some who break
their precepts and slander the right Dharma, the kings, ministers, and four
groups of Buddhists should earnestly correct them. Such kings, ministers, and
others will gain immeasurable merit… They are my disciples; they are true
hearers. They will attain merit beyond measure…’
Such words of injunction appear in numerous places throughout the sutras. All are injunctions explained for the Right Dharma Age, not teachings for the Semblance and Last Dharma Ages. This is known because there is no Dharma that can be abused, for the right Dharma (the self-power practices of the Right Dharma Age) cannot be practiced in the latter part of the Semblance Dharma Age and in the Last Dharma Age. What is there that can be called abuse of the Dharma? There are no precepts to be broken. Who is there that can be called one who breaks precepts? Further, in such times there is no practice of right Dharma for a great king to safeguard. How should the three calamities be fomented, and how could the practice of precepts and wisdom be lost? Moreover, in the Semblance and Last Dharma Ages, there is no one who attains the fruit of realization. Why should it be taught that the great king be advised by the two kinds of sages? Hence we know that the teachings in the preceding passages all refer to the Right Dharma Age, when precepts are observed, for only then can there be the breaking of precepts”.[25]
The capacities of monks and nuns (as well as lay people) to observe precepts gradually become lower and lower as time passes in the Semblance Dharma Age:
“Concerning the thousand years of the Semblance Dharma Age, during the first five hundred years, the observance of precepts wanes by degrees and the breaking of precepts gradually spreads. Although precepts are observed and practices performed, there is no realization. […] At that time monks will gradually come to desire and keep the eight kinds of impure possessions.”[26]
According to the Nirvana
Sutra, the justification for such changes in the behavior of monks will be
influenced by Mara, who will gradually gain strength and spread false views
such as the Buddha allows monks and nuns “to
acquire and keep menials, servants, cows, sheep, elephants, horses and so on,
including copper and iron kettles and cauldrons, copper bowls of various sizes,
and necessities of daily life; they may cultivate fields and plant seeds, buy
and sell, engage in trade, and store grains and rice”[27].
There is a great difference between pitying sentient beings, saving them as they are (as Amida does), not judging them, etc, and allowing them to make wrong deeds. Buddhas never taught that breaking precepts is good, nor did they agreed with the degradation of monks and nuns, but it was a thing that could not be prevented in any way as they could not be forced by the Enlightened Ones to have the same pure behavior as the monks and nuns of the Right Dharma Age.
“Next”, said Master Saicho, “in the latter half of the Semblance Dharma Age, observance of precepts will decline and diminish, and breaking precepts will increase enormously.”[28] However, those monks who break precepts, although spiritually dead, they were like the usefulness of the musk after the musk deer has died:
“The Sutra of the
Ten Wheels states:
‘If there is a
person who, according to my teaching, abandons homelife and yet commits evil,
then though he is not a sramana, he calls himself a sramana, and though he does
no pure acts he calls himself one who performs pure acts. Such a monk opens the
storehouse of all good acts and virtues to all the devas, nagas, and yaksas,
thus becoming a true teacher of sentient beings. Though he cannot be said to
know content with but few desires, he shaves his head and beard and dons monk’s
robes. Through this, he increases the roots of good of sentient beings and
discloses the path of good for the beings of the heavens…
Although the monk
who breaks precepts is said to be a dead man, the traces of the power of
precepts in him are like the cow’s liver[29].
The cow may have died, but people can in full awareness derive the medicinal
liver from it. It is like the usefulness of the musk after the musk deer has
died”.[30]
Master Saicho commented:
“As we see, it is stated [in the Nirvana Sutra], ‘In the poisonous kara forest, there is a single persimmon tree.’ This is a parable teaching that the momentum of the Semblance Dharma Age is declining, and that in the defiled world characterized by the breaking of precepts, there are but one or two monks who observe precepts. Further, it is stated: ‘Although the monk who breaks precepts is said to be a dead man, it is like the usefulness of the musk after the musk deer has died. He becomes the true teacher of sentient beings.’[31] You should know clearly that this statement, that at these time monks who break the precepts are gradually tolerated and become the fields of merit of the people of the world, is identical to the statement of the Great Collection Sutra above[32]”.
“Next”, said Master Saicho, “after
the end of the Semblance Dharma Age, there are no precepts whatsoever. Recognizing
the momentum of the times, the Buddha praises those who are monks in name only,
declaring them to be the field of merits for the world, in order to save the
people of the Last Dharma Age.
The Great
Collection Sutra, fascicle fifty-two, states:
‘If, in the Last Age
that follows, there is a monk in name only who, in accord with my teaching,
shaves his hair and beard and wears a monk’s robe, and if there are lay
supporters making offerings to him, these latter will acquire immeasurable
merit.’
Further, the Sutra
of the Wise and the Foolish states:
‘If in the future,
in the last age when the Dharma-vehicle is about to perish, nominal monks
should take wives and have them bear children, still lay supporters should pay
homage to groups of four or more such monks just as they would to Sariputra,
Mahamaudgalayayana, and the others.’[33]
Also it is stated in the Great
Collection Sutra:
‘The crime of
striking and reproaching a monk who wears a robe but breaks or does not keep
the precepts is the same as causing a trillion Buddhas to shed blood. If,
because of the Dharma that I teach, sentient beings shave their hair and beard
and don monk’s robes, though they may not observe the precepts, they all bear
the seal of Nirvana already. These people indicate the way to Nirvana to
various people and heavenly beings. These people are already within the Three
Treasures, have given rise to faith and respect in their minds, and surpass the
ninety-five kinds of non-Buddhist path. These people will invariably enter Nirvana
quickly. They excel all laymen and secular people, with the exception of the
householders who have attained endurance. For this reason, heavenly beings and
humans should venerate them, even if they break the precepts."[34]
The
passage is so clear and wonderful that I do not think it needs any further
explanations, except this sentence: “they
excel all laymen and secular people, with the exception of the householders who
have attained endurance.”
Endurance or perseverance (ksanti) is part of the six paramitas (perfections) that I already explained in the Jodo Shinshu context in my recent book[35]. Simply stated, one who entrusts to Amida Buddha has natural perseverance in the sense that he will never be interrupted in his faith[36]. Anyone, whether monk or lay can have this, as faith in Amida appears in the hearts of all beings no matter if they are ordained or not.
The monks, nuns (as well as laymen and laywomen) of the Last Dharma Age will all enter Nirvana at the end of their present life (this is what is meant by “enter Nirvana quickly” in the above passage) if they entrust to Amida Buddha and say His Name in faith. However, those monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age that do not have faith in Amida but continue to engage in miscellaneous practices in the present will be reborn in the times of future Buddhas like Maitreya and enter Nirvana through their guidance:
“The Sutra of
Great Compassion states:
The Buddha said to
Ananda, ‘In the future age, when the Dharma is about to fall into complete
extinction, monks and nuns – who have abandoned homelife in accord with the Dharma
that I teach – will wander together from one winehouse to another, leading
their children by the hand. While following the Dharma, they will commit impure
acts. […] Ananda, while following the Dharma, people will perform the acts of
sramanas merely in form and declare themselves sramanas; in appearance they
will resemble sramanas, and they will still wear monk’s robes. In the
Auspicious Kalpa, when the Buddhas from Maitreya down to Rocana Tathagata
appear, such sramanas will, under those Buddhas, gradually enter Nirvana in the
realm of Nirvana without residue. None will be left behind. Why? Because among
the sramanas under the guidance of the Tathagatas, those who say the Buddha’s Name
even once, awakening one moment of trust, will gain virtue through their act
that will ultimately not be in vain. Thus through Buddha-wisdom, I discern the
Dharma-realm…”[37]
The above fragment and especially the words “those who say the Buddha’s Name even once, awakening one moment of trust” are a clear indication that those nominal monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age who do not entrust to Amida’s Primal Vow and do not say His Name in faith now, will surely do it in the time of Maitreya and the future Buddhas.
Master Saicho said:
“All these sutras,
referring to the age, speak of the
nominal monks of the Last Dharma Age in the future as the venerable teachers of
that period. If the monks of the last Dharma Age are constrained by the
injunctions meant for the Right Dharma Age, then the teachings and the
capacities of beings will fall into opposition, and human beings and Dharma
will not be suited to each other. Accordingly, the Four-Part Vinaya states:
‘When that which
has not been prohibited is made into a prohibition, the [Buddha’s] three
illuminations are sundered. Codifying such arbitrary opinions is an offense.
With the quotations from the sutras given above, the alignment of Dharma Ages and beings has been completed.”[38]
Thus, if anybody asked us, ordained clergy of the Jodo Shinshu Amidaji who we are, we should humbly say that we are monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age. We are not virtuous monks like Shariputra, Ananda and others who lived during the Right Dharma Age, but monks in name only, that is, monks who shave their heads and wear the robes and kesa of Nembutsu faith. We do read about precepts and we try our best to have a decent moral life, but this trying can no longer be called observance of precepts and our failure in the moral life cannot be called breaking of precepts as we are too spiritually sick to be even given such precepts. For us the precepts are like non-existent not because we deny them but because we cannot follow them or use them as a mean to attain Enlightenment. The only Path we can follow is the Nembutsu of Faith in Amida Buddha and even that does not depend on our limited capacities. Our lives as monks and nuns are dedicated to the single goal of helping all beings entrust to Amida Buddha. We are focused on this, day and night, although some of us also have wives and children. This is why we are not lay people and although we are in the worldly life we do not belong to it as our aspiration is otherworldly.
Question: What is the difference between priests and monks?
Answer: The word “priest” does not exist in the Buddhist vocabulary, so it is a modern adaptation to explain the idea of married monks and nuns to people whom such a thing would be hard to understand due to their cultural background. For example, in Romania, Russia or other countries in the South-East of Europe and Balkans it might be difficult to use the word monk because people here (Orthodox Christian majority) are used to think that monks live in monasteries and only priests get married. On the contrary, in some countries with a Catholic majority people might also do not understand the idea of priest as in their case priests too are celibate. Recently, a Dharma friend from Brasil told me the following:
“’Priest’ (padre) and ‘nun’ (freira) are exclusive for Catholics. Monk (‘monge’ for male, ‘monja’ for female) are used for Buddhist clergy. It’s the same reason why in English you have to use ‘pastor’ instead of ‘priest’ for Protestants. There is no such a thing, in Portuguese, as a Buddhist priest, only Buddhist monk (monge or monja) no matter if married or not”.
So, Jodo Shinshu clergy of Amidaji can rightfully call
themselves monks and nuns based on the teaching presented in this article which
was approved by many Masters of the past and the words of Shakyamuni Buddha
himself. Only if you think that some people might not understand what you say
and you do not have time to explain in detail you can use the word “priest”. I
myself often used the term “priest” in the past but I will also start to refer
myself more as a “monk of the Last Dharma Age” because this is what I really am.
Namo Amida Bu
[1] During that time monk ordination
could be given with imperial permission and took away by imperial decree. However,
this was an abnormal thing and Shinran (as well as Honen) continued to wear his
robes which shows that he didn’t actually agree that the Emperor, whom he also
criticized for his decision, had the right to do such a thing. There were also
many monks during that era who did not care to be officially recognized by the
authorities and who roamed the countryside and did various practices.
[2] Buddhist clergy, except Jodo
Shinshu, were not allowed to marry by law until 1872, and nowadays most of the
monks in Japan from all schools are married and transfer their temples from
father to son.
[3] Master Saicho
(Dengyo Daishi), who lived between 767
– 822 C.E. was the founder of Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan.
[4] The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 244 - 253
[5] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 244
- 245
[6] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 245-246
[7] The slander of the right Dharma
mentioned in the Primal Vow also includes to deny the existence of other
Buddhas and the authenticity of the Mahayana Sutras. See my detailed explanations of the Primal Vow in my book Commentary
on the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life.
[8] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 243
[9] The Age when the Dharma will
become extinct refers to the time after the Last Dharma Age when life-span will
decrease to ten years due to constant war, famine and plagues. Even during that
time, the Nembutsu of faith will be effective in bringing one to liberation. After
the Age when the Dharma becomes extinct comes to an end, people will start to
slowly wake up and change their ways until a new good time will appear and
Maitreya will come in this world as a successor to Shakyamuni.
[10] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.240
[11] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 244
[12] The five
defilements are the five marks of decay of the world we live in: 1) the
defilement of views, when incorrect, perverse thoughts and ideas are predominant,
2) the defilement of passions, when all kinds of transgressions are exalted, 3)
the defilement of human condition, when people are usually dissatisfied and
unhappy, 4) the defilement of life-span, when the human life-span as a whole
decreases – according to the sutras, when it is less or close to one hundred
years, 5) the defilement of the world-age, when war and natural disasters are
rife.
[13] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 244
[14] Master Saichi explained: “The first stage of sagehood that is
attained is termed emancipation.”
[15] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 246-247
[16] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 247
[17] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 248
[18] According to
Mahayana Buddhism, there are two types of bodhisattvas:
1. Bodhisattvas
in aspiration who have made the vows of becoming Buddhas for themselves
and all beings, but who are still on the path (still in training) and still
unenlightened (not Buddhas yet). Anyone who made the four Bodhisattva
vows may call himself or herself a bodhisattva in aspiration. Some
bodhisattvas may be very much advanced and on various higher levels,
even close to Enlightenment, but as long as they have not reached perfect
Enlightement I also include them in this category.
2. Bodhisattvas
who already attained Buddhahood but who do not remain secluded in their
Enlightenment. These are in fact, ancient Buddhas who manifest as Bodhisattvas.
In this category we find Avalokitesvara, Mahasthamaprapta, Samantabhadra, Manjusri,
Maitreya, and many others.
Among
those Bodhisattvas who manifest in the Last Dharma Age some might be in the
high levels of the first category while others in the second. For more detailed
explanations of the Bodhisattvas in the second category please read “section 2- The qualities of Bodhisattvas in the audience” from my book Commentary on the Sutra on the Buddha of
Infinite Life.
[19] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 245
[20] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 245
[21] A Pratyekabuddha
(Solitary Realizer) is one who keeps his master’s identity secret and prefers
to stay in solitary places. It is said:
“Fear at the
thought of samsara, yearning for Nirvana,
Little compassion,
arrogance,
Secretive about
their teachers, and enjoying solitude
A wise one should understand that
these are the marks of the Solitary Realizer family”.
(The Jewel Ornament of Liberation – The Wish-fulfilling
Gem of the Noble Teachings, Gampopa, translated into English by Khenpo Konchog
Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications, Ithaka, New York, 1998, p.51)
The
Sravakayana (Sravaka vehicle) and Pratyekabuddhayana are the two vehicles
(yana) of the Hinayana, while the Bodhisattvayana is the Mahayana which aims at
attaining Nirvana for all beings.
[22] An Arhat is the saint and the culmination of the
Hinayana Buddhist teaching. He has overcome the outward manifestation of the
afflictive emotions but has not completely uprooted their psychic imprint. He
is free from samsara but has not attained perfect Enlightenment. For this
reason, we say he did not discover the Buddha nature.
[23] A Hinayana Sravaka or Hinayana Hearer is the Buddhist
disciple who fears samsara and wishes to achieve Nirvana but has little
compassion. It is said:
“One who is afraid upon seeing the suffering of
samsara
And yearns to achieve Nirvana
But has little interest in benefiting sentient beings
–
These are the three marks of the Hearer family.”
(The Jewel Ornament of
Liberation – The Wish-fulfilling Gem of the Noble Teachings, Gampopa, translated
into English by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Snow Lion Publications,
Ithaka, New York, 1998, p.51)
These should NOT be confused with the sravakas mentioned in the The Larger Sutra which refer to people
who might have been Hinayana sravakas in a previous existence before being born
in the Pure Land and who are now faithful enlightened disciples of Amida Buddha
and hear the teaching directly from Him.
[24] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 248-249.
[25] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 249-250.
[26] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 250-251
[27] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 251
[28] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 251
[29] It was said by some doctors of
those times that cow’s liver contains medicine which is why the Buddha used
this metaphor.
[30] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 251
[31] This fragment of the Lamp for the Last Dharma Age appears in
The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu
Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 252, while the rest is from a different
translation.
[32] This fragment of the Lamp for the Last Dharma Age appears in the translation done by the
BDK - The Candle of the Latter Dharma
(Mappo Tomyo Ki) by Saicho. BDK English Tripitaka Vol. 107-III.
Translated from the Japanese by Robert Rhodes. Numata Center for Buddhist
Translation and Research. 1994. I used this variant because the expression “at these time monks who break the precepts
are gradually tolerated and become
the fields of merit of the people of the world” in BDK edition sounds better
than “in this period the breaking of
precepts gradually comes to be permitted
and becomes the field of merits for the world” as in the Hongwanji edition.
[33] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.
252
[34] This fragment is a combination of
the translation done by Hongwanji in The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin
Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p. 251 and
the translation done by BDK in the
BDK English Tripitaka Vol. 107-III.
[35] Jodo Shinshu Buddhist teachings, 2nd revised
edition.
[36] Faith (shinjin) once received
cannot be lost.
[37] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.
252-253
[38] The Collected Works of Shinran,
Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.
253
[39] We should bow to all monks and
nuns of the Last Dharma Age and treat them like Shariputra and Ananda, except
those who deny the existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land or the
authenticity of the Mahayana Sutras.
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