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The difference between the three kinds of faith in the Contemplation Sutra and the three kinds of faith of the Primal Vow and the Larger Sutra
Shakyamuni Buddha said, in the Contemplation Sutra,
“Those who attain birth on the highest level of the
highest grade are sentient beings who resolve to be born in that land,
awaken the three kinds of faith, and so are born there. What are the
three kinds of faith? They are, first, sincere faith; second, deep faith; and
third, the faith that seeks birth there by transferring one’s merit. Those who
have these three kinds of faith will certainly be born there.”
In relation to the above three minds of faith in the
Contemplation Sutra, Shinran Shonin explained,
“The three minds that beings awaken are all minds of
self-benefit that are individually different and not the mind (of faith) that is single, which arises from Amida’s benefiting of others. They are roots
of good with which to aspire for the Pure Land that Sakyamuni Tathagata taught
as a distinct provisional means.”
Here “the three minds” are “the three kinds
of faith”. These are not aspects of true faith/shinjin (“mind that is
single”) that is given by Amida Buddha (“arises from Amida’s benefiting
of others”), and which means a complete and total reliance on Amida Buddha
in matters of birth in the Pure Land, but aspects of a self-created faith. As the personalities of the practitioners of
the highest level of the highest grade (as well as all grades and levels listed
in the Contemplation Sutra) differ from each other, they have “individually
different” faiths/minds with which they go to the border land of the Pure Land.
As this is a book that is meant to be simple, I will try
my best to offer easy to understand explanations of these three faiths or three
minds.
The sincere faith of the
Contemplation Sutra means a sincere wish to go to the Pure Land of Amida Buddha
and sincerely relying partially on Him and partially on their own spiritual
capacities. For these kind of practitioners, Amida’s Power is only an assisting
power and not the only Power that leads to birth in the Pure Land. They have a
mixed faith and a faith that is deep in the sense that they really want to go
to the Pure Land. Their deep faith is a deep understanding of the
suffering of samsara and a strong wish to go to the Pure Land, asking for the
assistance of Amida Buddha and being deeply convinced that their so-called
merits and contribution is very important to reach that goal. Thus, they have a
“faith that seeks birth there by transferring one’s merit”.
Contrary to the three aspects of the self-power faith
of the Contemplation Sutra, the three aspects of the genuine faith of the
Primal Vow that is presented in the Larger Sutra, are a sincere faith in the
Power of Amida as the only Power that makes birth in the Pure Land possible.
This mind of faith is a “mind that is single” in the sense that has
totally surrendered to Amida’s Power and is uniquely oriented towards Amida,
thus saying only His Name in faith, without combining other practices. The
deep mind aspect of a genuine faith in Amida Buddha is the twofold profound
conviction which is 1) to know that we are people of deep karmic limitations,
incapable of attaining Buddhahood through our own power and 2) that only Amida
Buddha can save us through His Vow Power without asking anything from us.
The aspect of merit transference in a genuine faith (shinjin)
is that we rely NOT on the transference of our pitiful merits towards birth in
the Pure Land, but on Amida’s transference of merits. A person of true faith
abandons the idea of “deserving” to be born in the Pure Land which is the main
feature of those destined to the border land and who are obsessed with levels
and grades. Unlike them, a person of total faith in Amida Buddha knows that he cannot
create anything in his samsaric and unenlightened mind that can bring him to
the Pure Land of Enlightenment, and so he lets Amida bring Him there.
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.92 Shinran
Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, cf with Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice,
Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for
Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 212
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