The reason for Shakyamuni’s appearance in our world and why His teaching on Amida Buddha is the most difficult to accept in faith - commentary on section 13

This is a fragment from my 

Commentary on the Smaller Amida Sutra (Amidakyo) 

- work in progress and under constant revision - 

“Śāriputra, just as I now praise the inconceivable virtue of other Buddhas, they also praise my inconceivable virtue, saying, ‘Śākyamuni Buddha, you have accomplished an extremely difficult and unprecedented task. In this Sahā world, during the evil period of the five defilements – those of time, views, passions, sentient beings, and lifespan – you have attained highest, perfect Enlightenment and, for the sake of sentient beings, have delivered this teaching which is the most difficult in the world to accept in faith.’
 
“Śāriputra, you must realize that I have accomplished this difficult task during the period of the five defilements. That is to say, having attained highest, perfect Enlightenment, I have for the sake of the world delivered this teaching, which is so hard for [people] to accept in faith. This is indeed an extremely difficult task.”[1]
 
According to Shinran Shonin’s interpretation, the reason for Shakyamuni Buddha’s coming to this world was to teach about the unconditional salvation offered by Amida[2]. As He taught the story of Amida and His 48 Vows (among which the 18^th/Primal Vow is the most important) in the Larger Sutra, that discourse is Shakyamuni’s true reason for His appearance in human form[3]:
 
“The Larger Sutra reveals the true teaching. It is indeed the right exposition for which the Tathagata (Buddha) appeared in the world, the wondrous scripture rare and most excellent, the conclusive and ultimate exposition of the One Vehicle, the precious words disclosing perfect, instantaneous fulfilment[4], the sincere words praised by all the Buddhas throughout the ten quarters, the true teaching in consummate readiness for the beings of this day. Let this be known.”[5] 

The idea of Shakyamuni’s coming to this world to teach about the unconditional salvation offered by Amida is emphasized again in the Smaller Amida Sutra in the form of all Buddhas praising Shakyamuni’s appearance in our Saha universe in an era filled with the five defilements. The passage from section 13 of Amidakyo clearly links the appearance of Shakyamuni in our universe with His teaching on Amida Buddha which is based on faith and most difficult to be accepted in faith. Shinran Shonin also said in relation to this section:
 
"Realization of true and real shinjin (faith in Amida)
Is rare in the defiled world of the last Dharma-age;
The witness of Buddhas countless as the sands of the Ganges
Reveals how difficult it is to attain ".[6]
 
Why is this teaching on Amida “the most difficult in the world to accept in faith”, especially since it is the easiest Path to Buddhahood? The answer is obvious - because people tend to dismiss the path of birth in the Pure Land through simple faith in Amida as being too easy to be true. Although Amida Buddha offers us the easiest Path out of samsara and Shakyamuni with all Buddhas praise it and recommends it to us, many will miss it due to their illusory dreams of spiritual greatness. Just look to nowadays practitioners who think they can conquer Nirvana with their self-efforts like it’s just another human attainable project[7], who consider that to become a Buddha is to be a good human being when Shakyamuni himself clearly said that He and His realizations were beyond the human realm[8]. Also, think to those who deny the existence of Amida and His Pure Land calling them myths, metaphors, symbols and dismiss the path of faith as some kind of folk addition or method for lower people who can’t understand non-duality …. Such deluded practitioners copy and paste the words of Enlightened Masters of old without having their spiritual realizations. How can they ever receive faith?

to be continued 

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[1] The Three Pure Land sutras, translated into English by Hisao Inagaki in collaboration with Harold Stewart, revised second edition, BDK English Tripitaka12-II, II, IV, Numata Center for Buddhist translation and Research, 2003, p.107-108
[2] Please read chapter “Shakyamuni Buddha’s supreme appearance and the reason for His coming to this world –commentary on the section 3”, from my Commentary on the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra).
[3] For a detailed explanations of Shakyamuni’s words on this topic in the Larger Sutra and Shinran’s interpretation, please read the chapter “Shakyamuni Buddha’s supreme appearance and the reason for His coming to this world – commentary on section 3”, from my Commentary on the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra).
[4] Through the Path of Faith in Amida one will instantly attain perfect Enlightenment in the very moment of his birth in the Pure Land.
[5] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, chapter I, The Collected Works of Shinran, Shin Buddhism Translation Series, Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Kyoto, 1997, p.10
[6] Shinran Shonin, Hymns of the Dharma Ages (Shozomatsu Wasan)
[7] People don't really understand what is meant by becoming a Buddha in this life, and in this very body. This is perhaps due to the bad influence of many fancy Buddhist magazines which talk about Enlightenment like it’s some kind of calmness or stillness of mind which can be attained by everybody. They use a language which makes Enlightenment seem a normal human experience if you are good, and meditate, and they also describe Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, like a normal human being who proved that spiritual calmness can be attained by anybody. Well, Shakyamuni was NOT a human being and Buddhahood is nothing comparable with any calmness or stillness of mind! This should be well understood.
Also, Buddhahood goes beyond any human or godly experience, and so we can say that Shakyamuni was NOT a human anymore after He attained perfect Enlightenment. His outer form remained human, but His mind went beyond any attainments of humans and gods. This is because Buddhahood or perfect Enlightenment is supreme in the universe. Nothing can compare with a Buddha or fully Enlightened One. Buddhahood means, among many things, that you attain the Three Bodies (Aspects), that is, ultimate Dharmakaya beyond form, a glorious Sambhogakaya or transcendent body seen only by high level Bodhisattvas, that you can manifest a Pure Land if you want (perhaps not so great like Amida's but definitely a better realm than any samsaric realm), that you can know the thoughts of ALL beings in ALL worlds and thus are able to help each one of them according to their specific level of understanding. You can also see and hear them all, and you know all their past lives as well as the many possible ways of development in the never ending future. I repeat as  I am not sure it was well understood – I said ALL beings in ALL worlds! You know everything about ANY particular being in the six realms of all world systems from tiny insects to long living gods and you can go everywhere in an instant, without even moving yourself from your present location. This means that you can manifest as many Nirmanakayas or transformed/ accommodated bodies you want in all parts of the universe. Shinran Shonin said the same in Tannisho:
“Do those who speak of realizing Enlightenment while in this bodily existence manifest various accommodated bodies (Nirmanakayas), possess the Buddha’s thirty-two features and eighty marks, and preach the Dharma to benefit beings like Shakyamuni? It is this that is meant by realizing Enlightenment in this life.”
Buddhahood also means that you master ALL practices, Dharma gates and profound teachings, and are able to teach them all without effort. I don’t have the time now to describe the various other supernatural capacities of a Buddha, but I ask you, the reader of this book, to just contemplate the few mentioned above. Do you think you can become like this in your present life? If yes, then you are gravely deluded about your real capacities, and thus you cannot yet accept Amida’s helping hand that is extended to you.
[8] In a well known dialogue (Dona Sutta), a brahman named Dona asked Shakyamuni Buddha who is He:
“Sir, are you a god?”
“No, brahman.”
 “Are you a yakkha?
“No, brahman.”
“Are you a human being?”
“No, brahman.”
“When asked, ‘Are you a god?’ you answer, ‘No, brahman…’ When asked, ‘Are you a yakkha?’ you answer, ‘No, brahman…’ When asked, ‘Are you a human being?’ you answer, ‘No, brahman…’ Then what sort of being are you?”
“Brahman, the defilements by which - if they were not abandoned - I would be a god: those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palm tree stump, no longer subject to future arising. The defilements by which - if they were not abandoned - I would be a yakkha… a human being: those are abandoned by me, their root destroyed, made like a palm tree stump, no longer subject to future arising.
Just as a blue or red or white lotus born in water, grows in water and stands up above the water untouched by it, so too I, who was born in the world and grew up in the world, have transcended the world, and I live untouched by the world. Remember me, brahman, as a Buddha.”
The state of human beings is limited by various kinds of delusions, so we are mistaken if we say, for example, that Buddha is a human being. This is because the state He attained is higher than the human state of spiritual evolution. In particular, some Christians accuse Buddhism that its Founder is just a human and is thus inferior to Jesus who was the son of God. Even some Buddhists say that Buddha was a human being in order to show that they don’t promote idols or god-worshiping.
Both methods of speaking about a Buddha are false, because although the physical appearance of a Buddha may be human, the state which He has attained and in which He dwells is supreme in the universe.
The ego’s unceasing run, led by desires and karma, is followed by suffering. Birth and death does not end until Enlightement or Awakening is attained. A Buddha is one who escapes from this maddening run.
The word “Buddha” means “The Awakened One”, that is, awakened to the true reality. He goes beyond birth and death, escaping the chains of karma. His existence in the Universe is supreme and beyond our thinking which is still enslaved by illusions and ignorance. A Buddha has Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Compassion, helping sentient beings to break free from birth and death.
In Buddhism the situation is different from Christianity because there isn’t a Creator God, a Ruler, or a Judge. Everything depends on karma: a Buddha is not a creator, a ruler, or a judge, but His existence in the Universe is supreme. He is just “The Awakened One” and He acts as a guide and Saviour, capable of true Compassion which is no longer enchained by the attachments or the illusions of ordinary beings.