The transmission of the Nembutsu faith from Master Shantao to Master Honen

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“One night Honen dreamed that he saw a large high mountain facing west and running north and south. A large river ran along the foot of the mountain out of the north, its waves moving towards the south. It seemed to be boundless, and on the eastern side were trackless forests. When Honen climbed half way up the mountain side and looked westward, he saw a mass of purple clouds about fifty feet from the earth flying through the air, and coming to the spot where he stood. While he was wondering at this strange sight, he noticed that countless beams of light issued from out of the clouds, and forth from these beams in all directions flew peacocks, parrots and a great variety of birds, and some of them on alighting strolled up and down the beach. Innumerable streams of light flashed forth from their bodies. After a while the whole flock flew up and went back as before into the clouds. Then the cloud, turning northward, covered the mountain and river. At this sight Honen thought to himself, ‘Surely, there must be someone here about to be born into the Pure Land., when suddenly the cloud turned and stopped right in front of him, till at length it overspread the whole heavens. Then there came forth out of the cloud a monk who made towards the place where Honen was. He was clad in a golden garment from his waist downward, and in black robes from his waist upwards. Bowing respectfully with hands folded towards him, Honen said, ‘And who may you be?’ The monk replied, ‘I am Zendo (Shantao)’. And what have you come for?’ ‘To show my appreciation of your devotion to the practice and dissemination of the one and only discipline of the Nembutsu’”[1]

Do not mix Nembutsu with other practices

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

"The profound heart is the heart that believes profoundly in Nembutsu. It also means to recite exclusively Nembutsu without embracing other practices. If other practices are performed concurrently with Nembutsu, one would be a Nembutsu devotee lacking in the profound heart. To understand that the Three Sutras of Pure Land Buddhism taught by Buddha Shakyamuni

exclusively propagate the sole practice of Nembutsu, to believe that the essence of the forty-eight vows of Amida Buddha is the Vow of the exclusive recitation of Nembutsu, and to recite single-heartedly Nembutsu - these indicate having the profound heart."[1] 

Commentary:

We are the school of the Primal Vow. All we need to know and all we have to do for our salvation is found in the Primal Vow. This is why I explained it word by word in almost 90 pages in my Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 

We cannot enter into karmic connection with Amida Buddha for birth in the fulfilled land of the Pure Land[2] if we do not do EXACTLY what He asked us to do in His Primal Vow – entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land. These three elements are exclusive requirements so we must have faith only in Amida, say only His Name and wish to be born only in His Pure Land. If we do exactly this and only this, then we receive the karma for birth there after death. 

Selected teachings from Honen Shonin with commentary

These texts were revised and published by Amazon under the title Selected Teachings of Honen Shonin with Commentary. You can can order the book or download the free online edition here (click here)

I hope you will enjoy these passages from Honen Shonin's life and teachings, as well as my  commentaries. I also use many quotes from him in some of my books that you can download from here. 

Say the Nembutsu with an undivided mind  

The transmission of the Nembutsu faith from Master Shantao to Master Honen  

Honen's one page testament   

Honen's search for salvation  

The superiority of the Nembutsu Path according to Honen Shonin 

On people who cannot be saved by Amida Buddha 

Self-power teachings and practices are not appropriate for our times 

Honen's reason for the founding of a separate Pure Land school and my reason for founding Amidaji  

Just say the Nembutsu without adding anything to it 

Remember to say the Nembutsu 

On those who slander the exclusive Nembutsu practitioners 

 The thirteen contemplations are provisional practices while the Nembutsu of faith is the main Gate to the Pure Land 

Don't listen to teachers who deny birth in the Pure Land through Nembutsu  

The protection by Amida Buddha can reach only those who exclusively say His Name in faith 

The Meaning of "no working is true working" in relation with our birth in the Pure Land 

Do not mix Nembutsu with other practices  

Faith, Nembutsu and aspirations are one 

The number of Nembutsu recitations is not important as long as we rely on Amida's Power  

Self-power and Amida's Power 

Nembutsu and daily life 

The uniqueness and universality of Nembutsu  

Say Nembutsu as you are 

The indiscriminative salvation offered by Amida Buddha is NOT an encouragement to commit or justify evil 

Focus on Amida's Name, not on your monkey mind 

Do not despise other Buddhas, Dharma Gates and Buddhist teachings because you have faith in Amida 

Nembutsu is the same no matter who says it 

Goodness or badness are not the cause of birth into the Pure Land 

Honen said the Nembutsu as if already saved by Amida  

The determination of the true disciple of Amida Buddha 

There is no need to wait for the  coming of Maitreya when the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha is already available here and now - the strange story of Ajari Koen, the former teacher of Honen Shonin 

Soldiers are saved by Amida Buddha if they entrust to Him - Honen Shonin's instruction to samurai Taro Tadatsuma Amakasu 

The cause for birth into the Pure Land may appear anytime 

The need for oral instructions by a true teacher  

Honen Shonin and the nun in the Ninnaji temple 

Honen Shonin's letter to the nun Shonyobo   

Kyo Amidabutsu (Shiro Amano) of Kawachi Province

The prostitute of Muro, a disciple of Honen Shonin

Honen Shonin on Amida Buddha 

More will follow soon!

Kyo Amidabutsu (Shiro Amano) of Kawachi Province

Public teaching by Honen

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

According to Amidaji calendar, on January 26^th we celebrate Kyo Amidabutsu (Shiro Amano), a disciple of Honen Shonin. Here are some discussions between him and Honen and the story of his conversion:

"In the province of Kawachi near present-day Osaka, there lived a man called Shiro Amano who was the leader of a gang of thieves. He passed most of his life murdering people and stealing their goods. But after he had grown old, he came under Honen's influence and gave himself over to spiritual life, taking the name of Kyo Amidabutsu. Sometime later he found Honen in the main hall of the temple and said to him, "I have no relatives in the city, so it’ll be hard for me to stay here much longer. I have a friend living in the province of Sagami near Kamakura, and I’m intending to go and ask him to let me stay with him. As I’m already an old man, it’ll be hard for me to come and see you again. Of course, I’m only an ignorant person, so even if I were told all the deepest teachings of the Dharma, it wouldn’t be of much use to me since I wouldn’t understand them. I’d like just one word from you about what I should do to make sure of Birth in the Pure Land, and that I’ll try to remember all my life."

The number of Nembutsu recitation is NOT important as long as we rely on Amida’s Power

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There are some who teach that Nembutsu must be said many times in order to reach birth in the Pure Land, thus forgetting the Power behind the Name which makes the Nembutsu effective.

I would ask these people to try using their own names, John, Marc, Mary, etc, and see if they can attain birth in the Pure Land through them. Of course, they can’t and the reason why is that theirs are empty names without any power.

As the Nembutsu is the saying of Amida’s Name it belongs to Amida and is infused with His infinite merits and Power. This is why it works in bringing us to the Pure Land at the end of our physical bodies. So, it is extremely important that our saying of the Name should be an expression of faith in Amida, and NOT in our capacities to say it often or seldom. 

Each of us has his/her own personal relation with Amida Buddha who saves us one by one, having us always in front of His compassionate eyes. We do not need to be heroes, have the same visions or recitation capacities like Masters of the past, but simply say the Nembutsu according to our personal conditions while keeping in mind that Amida did NOT impose a fixed number of recitations in order to be born in His Pure Land: “say my Name perhaps even ten times”. This expression “perhaps even ten times” means ANY NUMBER from one to ten or to hundreds, thousands and as many as we can.

Honen Shonin and the nun in the Ninnaji temple

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“There was once a nun in the Ninnaji temple who came to Honen, and with a tone of sadness in her voice, said she had made a vow to read the Hokke Sutra (Lotus Sutra) a thousand times over. She had already finished reading it seven hundred times, but as she was now getting quite old, she did not know how to obtain the merit of doing the rest. Then Honen said, ‘You have indeed done well despite your age to read it over seven hundred times. As to the other three hundred, the best thing to do is to apply your whole mind to one thing, and that is the practice of the Nembutsu’.

She took his advice, gave up the reading, and did nothing but call upon the sacred Name all the rest of her life, till she at last attained Ojo (birth in the Pure Land). 

Goodness or badness are NOT the cause of birth into the Pure Land

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Some people were conversing about the future life, some saying that fish-eaters will be born in the Pure Land, others that they will not. Honen overhearing them said, ‘If it is a case of eating fish, cormorants would be born into the Pure Land; and if it is a case of not eating them, monkeys would be so born. But I am sure that whether a man eats fish or not, if he only calls upon the sacred Name, he will be born into the Pure Land.’”[1] 

Commentary:
There is a sentence in Tannisho which explains the reason for such useless discussions about eating or not eating meat in relation with birth in the Pure Land: 

“In truth, myself and others discuss only good and evil, leaving Amida’s benevolence out of consideration”.[2] 

Master Honen’s reason for the founding of a separate Pure Land school and my reason for founding Amidaji

Amida Buddha is my strength.

Amida Buddha is my refuge.

Amida Buddha is my salvation.

Amida Buddha is all I transmit to others.

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

 "Honen once said: ‘The reasons I founded the Jodo (Pure Land)   school was that I might show the ordinary man how to be born into     the Buddha’s real land of compensation (hōdo). According to the   Tendai sect, the ordinary man may be born into the so-called Pure   Land, but that land is conceived of as a very inferior place.   Although  the Hossō school conceived of it as indeed a very   superior  place, they do not allow that the common man can be born   there at all. And all the schools, though differing in many points, all   agree in not allowing that the common man can be born into the   Buddha’s land of real compensation; while according to Zendo’s   (Shan-tao) commentary, which laid the foundation of the Jodo (Pure   Land) school, it was made clear that birth into that land is possible   even for the common man. But many said to me: ‘You surely can   promote the Nembutsu way of attaining Ojo (birth into the Pure  Land) without establishing a new school. You are doing this merely out of ambition, to appear superior to others. If we ordinary people can only attain this birth, it ought to be enough to be born into the land in which the Buddha appears in His temporary body. Why do you need to talk of their reaching that land of real compensation that is occupied by the Buddhas and the highest Bodhisattvas alone?’
At first sight this seems quite plausible, but on further reflection it really misses the point. Unless I start a separate school, the truth that the common man may be born into the Buddha’s land of compensation will be obscured, and it will be hard to realize the deep meaning of Amida’s Primal Vow. I, therefore, in accordance with the interpretation given by Zendo (Shan-tao), unhesitatingly proclaim the doctrine of the land of real compensation. This is by no means a question of personal ambition.”[1]

La razón de Honen para la fundación de una escuela Tierra pura separada y la razón por la cual he fundado Amidaji

Buda Amida es mi fuerza.
El Buda Amida es mi refugio.

Buda Amida es mi salvación.

Amida Buddha es todo lo que transmito 

a los demás

                    traducido del inglés por 

Juan Sebastian Hincapie Arana  

“Honen dijo una vez: ‘La razón por la cual fundé la escuela Jodo   (Tierra Pura) es para poder mostrarle al hombre común cómo   nacer  en la verdadera tierra de compensación (hōdo) del Buda.

 Según la secta Tendai, el hombre ordinario puede nacer en la

 llamada Tierra Pura, pero esa tierra se concibe como un lugar muy

 inferior. Aunque la escuela Hossō la concibió como un lugar muy

 superior, no permiten que el hombre común pueda nacer allí en

 absoluto. Además todas las escuelas, aunque difiriendo en muchos

 puntos, están de acuerdo unánimemente en no permitir que el

 hombre común pueda nacer en la tierra de compensación real del

 Buda; mientras que según el comentario de Zendo (Shan-tao), quien

 sentó las bases de la escuela Jodo (Tierra Pura), quedó claro que el

 nacimiento en esa tierra es posible incluso para el hombre común.

Sin embargo muchos me dijeron: 'Seguramente puedes promover la

 forma de Nembutsu para alcanzar el Ojo (nacer en la Tierra Pura)

 sin necesidad de establecer una nueva escuela. Estás haciendo esto

 simplemente por ambición, para parecer superior a los demás. Si

 nosotros, la gente común, solo podemos lograr este nacimiento,

 debería ser suficiente nacer en la tierra en la que el Buda aparece en Su cuerpo temporal. ¿Por qué necesitas hablar de que (las personas comunes) alcanzan esa tierra de compensación real que está ocupada solo por los Budas y los Bodhisattvas más elevados?´

The meaning of “no working is true working” in relation with our birth in the Pure Land

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Honen Shonin said: 

"If you think that birth in the Pure Land is possible through your own efforts, you will become consumed with conceit that you are wise. When you possess this heart of conceit, you will not be in accord with the Primal Vow, and you will lose the protection of Amida Buddha as well as that of other Buddhas[1]. You are ultimately haunted by malevolent spirits. I here repeat - be vigilant indeed against conceit."[2] 

Commentary:

Nembutsu is the same no matter who says it

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“When someone once said to Honen that his repetition of the Nembutsu must be very acceptable to the Buddha, he asked ‘Why?’

‘Because you are a wise man, and know in detail what merit there is in the repetition of the sacred Name, clearly understanding the meaning of the Buddha’s Primal Vow.’

At this Honen replied: ‘You have not yet really come to believe in the Primal Vow at all. As to calling upon the sacred Name of the Primal Vow of the Buddha Amida, it makes no difference whether the man be a wood-cutter, a gatherer of grass or greens, or a drawer of water or the like, whether he be utterly unlettered in Buddhism or other religions. It makes no difference, I say, so long as he calls upon the sacred Name. If he believes his Ojo (birth in the Pure Land) is certain and keeps repeating the Nembutsu, he is the very best kind of believer. If it is possible by wisdom to get free from the bondage of life and death, why indeed should I, Genku (Honen), have given up the Holy Path (Shodo-mon) and devoted myself exclusively to this Pure Land doctrine (Jodo-mon)? The self-discipline of the so-called Holy Path consists in the effort to escape birth and death by the cultivation of one’s wisdom whereas that of the Pure Land consists in coming back to what the world calls foolishness, and thus attain birth into the Land of Bliss.’”[1] 

The prostitute of Muro, a disciple of Honen Shonin

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin with commentary

"When Honen arrived at the port of Muro on his way into exile on Shikoku in the spring of 1207, a small boat drew near carrying a woman of the night. She said to Honen, "I heard that this was your boat, and I have come to meet you. There are many ways of getting on in the world, but what terrible acts could have been committed in a former life of mine to bring me into such a miserable life as this? What can a woman who carries a load of karma like mine do to escape and be saved in the world to come?"

Honen compassionately replied, "Your guilt in living such a life is surely great and the penalties seem incalculable. If you can find another means of livelihood, give this up at once. But if you can’t, or if you are not yet ready to sacrifice your very life for the true way, begin just as you are and call on the sacred Name (Namo Amida Butsu). It is for just such deluded folk as you that Amida Buddha made that wonderfully comprehensive Primal Vow (hongan). So put your full trust in it without the smallest reservation. If you rely upon the Primal Vow and repeat the Nembutsu, your Ojo (birth in the Pure Land) is absolutely certain." Thus kindly taught, the woman began to weep out of joy. Later, Honen said of her, "She is a woman of strong faith. She is sure to attain Ojo."

Do not despise other Buddhas, Dharma Gates and Buddhist teachings because you have faith in Amida

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

"Just because one relies solely upon Amida Buddha and believes only in Nembutsu, do not make light of the compassionate vows of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or think ill of and slander wondrous sutras such as the Lotus Sutra or the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. The karma of defaming myriad Buddhas and of doubting and slandering many holy teachings is not in harmony with the heart of Amida Buddha. Such actions would certainly exclude one from His compassionate Vow even if one recites Nembutsu”.[1] 

Commentary:

This excellent teaching of Honen Shonin is fundamental to our Amidaji school. 

Soldiers are saved by Amida Buddha if they entrust to Him - Honen Shonin's instructions to Samurai Taro Tadatsuma Amakasu

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

In the province of Musashi there lived a samurai called Taro Tadatsuna Amakasu, who belonged to the Inomata clan and was in the service of the Minamoto family. He was also a devout Nembutsu follower of Honen Shonin. At that time there was a conflict with the monk armies of Mount Hiei who took their stand at the Hiyosho Hachioji shrine. Tadatsuna was put by Imperial command in charge of a body of troops to suppress the uprising. Before going to battle he paid a visit to Honen and said to him: 

“I have often heard you say that even sinners like us, if they will only say the Nembutsu, and put their whole trust in Amida’s Primal Vow, will undoubtedly attain Ojo (birth in the Pure Land). This has made a deep impression upon me, but I suppose it is the case only with those who are lying on a sick bed and calmly waiting for the end to come. But as for myself, being a samurai, I cannot do just as I would like, and now in obedience to an imperial order, I am setting out for the castle at Hachioji to chastise those obstreperous priests of Sammon. I was born in a soldier’s family and trained in the use of the bow and arrow, being on the one hand under obligation not to fail in carrying out at least in some measure the will of my ancestors, and on the other responsible for handling down something of glory to my posterity. And yet if, as a soldier, I abandon myself to the driving back of the enemy, all sorts of wicked and furious passions are likely to be stirred within me, and it becomes very hard to awaken any pious feeling in my heart. If, indeed, I should allow myself to keep thinking all the time about the transitoriness of life, and trying not to forget the truth about attaining Ojo by the Nembutsu, I should be in danger of being taken captive by my enemies, and thereby be eternally branded as a coward, straightway have all my patrimony confiscated, and so for a fool like me it is very hard to decide which of these courses to choose. Will you not tell me how I may accomplish my cherished desire for Ojo, without on the other hand sacrificing the honor of my family as an archer?” 

Why did Shinran say that we should not wait for Amida’s coming at the moment of death?

Question:

 Why did Shinran say that we should not wait for Amida’s coming at the moment of death? Will Amida not come for people of shinjin?

Answer:

The person who has faith in the Primal Vow does not wait for the final moment of death to have a good state of mind in which to say Nembutsu and be welcomed by Amida Buddha, but receives faith during his present life when he  becomes assured of birth in the Pure Land, which will actually happen at the moment of death, when he is naturally welcomed  by Amida Buddha and attains Budhahood. The Nembutsu one says during one’s whole life is thus the expression of faith and gratitude, and not the self power nembutsu. When Shinran said that we should not wait for Amida's coming at the moment of death, he did not mean that we are not actually received by Amida in His Pure Land when we die or that He might not send one of His manifestations to us in our final hours before death! Of course Amida can do that if He wants! What Shinran meant is that we should not think that the moment of death is more important than our daily lives, and we should not attach a false significance to it, fearing that if we do not have a good state of mind or concentration in those final moments, then we will not go to the Pure Land. No matter we are or we are not in a concentrated or good state of mind when we die, no matter if we say the Nembutsu or die without saying it because of unforeseen circumstances, we will be welcomed by Amida Buddha in His Pure Land if we already entrusted ourselves to Him and said His Name in faith during life. Shinran explained:

Honen’s one-page testament

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

"The method of final salvation that I have propounded is neither a sort of meditation, such as has been practiced by many scholars in China and Japan, nor is it a repetition of the Buddha's name by those who have studied and understood the deep meaning of it. It is nothing but the mere repetition of the 'Namo Amida Butsu,' without a doubt of His mercy, whereby one may be born into the Land of Perfect Bliss. 
The mere repetition with firm faith includes all the practical details, such as the threefold preparation of mind and the four practical rules. If I as an individual had any doctrine more profound than this, I should miss the mercy of the Two Honorable Ones, Amida and Shakyamuni, and be left out of the Vow of the Amida Buddha. 
Those who believe this, though they clearly understand all the teachings Shakyamuni taught throughout His whole life, should behave themselves like simple-minded folks, who know not a single letter, or like ignorant nuns or monks whose faith is implicitly simple. 
Thus without pedantic airs, they should fervently practice the repetition of the Name of Amida, and that alone."[1]

Commentary:

Self-power and Amida's Power

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Honen Shonin said:

 “It is impossible to predict the length of our lives, and although we may live a long time, the past is in the end like a phantom dream.

Therefore, remember that together we will enter the same Buddha-land of Amida Buddha. Upon the lotus flower we will dispel memories of sadness in this defiled world of suffering, we will reminiscence about our past karmic connections, and we will vow to save and lead people to Enlightenment in the future. I shared the importance of this with you when we first met. 

Believe deeply in the Primal Vow[1] of Amida Buddha; do not doubt even for a moment that you will attain birth in the Pure Land; and believe that with ten recitations of Namo Amida Butsu you will definitely achieve birth in the Pure Land through the power of the Primal Vow, however much negative karma you may have. Please focus on reciting Nembutsu. 

The superiority of the Nembutsu Path according to Honen Shonin

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen had the following dialogue with Shinjakubo from Harima: 

“’Suppose two imperial orders were sent out, one for the western and the other for the eastern provinces. What would you think, if the one intended for the western were by mistake taken to the eastern provinces, or vice versa? Would the people observe them?’ After some thought Shinjakubo replied: ‘Even though they were imperial orders, how would it be possible for the people to observe them?’ ‘Right you are’, said Honen. ‘Now by the two imperial orders, I mean the teachings we inherit from Shakyamuni belonging to the so-called three periods, that of the Right Dharma Age, the Semblance Dharma Age and the Last Dharma Age[1]. The practice of the so-called Holy Path (Shōdō), belongs to the periods of the Right Dharma Age and the Semblance Dharma Age, and is only attainable by men of superior capacity and wisdom. Let us call this the imperial order to the western provinces. The practice of the so-called Pure Land (Jodo) belongs to the degenerate age when the Dharma[2] has fallen into decay, in which even the most worthless may find the way of salvation. Let us liken this to the imperial order to the eastern provinces. So it would never do to confuse these two paths, only one of which is suited to all three periods. I once discussed the doctrines of the Holy Path (path of self-power) and of the Pure Land with several scholars at Ōhara, and admitted that they both are equally Buddhistic, just as both horns of an ox are equally his own. I went on to show that from the standpoint of human capacity, my doctrine of the Pure Land is much superior and has had by far the greater success. Though the Holy Path is indeed profound, it belongs to an age already past, and is not suited to men of the present day, and while the Pure Land seems shallow it really is just the thing for our generation. When I thus won in the argument, the audience applauded, deeply convinced of the truth of the saying: ‘In the period of the Last Dharma Age, which last ten thousand years, all other sutras shall perish, but the one teaching of Amida alone shall remain to bless men and endure.’” [3] 

Faith, Nembutsu and aspiration are one

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

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]

 Commentary:

“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”. 

Honen Shonin on Amida Buddha

Honen Shonin (1133-1212)

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

In the Dialogue on One Hundred Forty-Five Topics, Honen Shonin said:

„Although there is one Amida Buddha, his teachings have different interpretations. The Shingon school teaches that Amida Buddha resides in one’s own heart; they do not admit his existence outside of one’s heart. The Pure Land school, however, teaches that Bodhisattva Dharmakara realized Buddhahood and became Amida Buddha and now resides in the west[1]. These two viwepoints reflect great differences between the two schools”.

The words of Master Honen are very clear for those who have a sincere wish to understand who Amida really is and repent for spreading wrong views.

I especially chose this quote to show that any presentation of Amida Buddha as being a metaphor, a myth, a symbol of one’s own Enlightened nature or one’s own heart and mind, etc, is not in accord with the Pure Land teaching of Honen and his Dharma heir, Shinran Shonin. The right view that a follower of our school should have about Amida Buddha and teach it to others is the one presented by Shakyamuni in the Larger Sutra: Amida is a real and living Buddha who resides in his Pure Land of the west (a manifestation of his vows to save all beings).  Because Amida is not something inside our heart or mind His Pure Land too, is not inside us, not „here and now” and not „our own pure mind”as some might say.

Because Amida is a real and living Buddha outside of us, His Pure Land too, is a real place outside us, unenlightened beings, who can never have a pure mind and heart. In our own heart and mind there is nothing else than illusion so we cannot say that Amida Buddha or his Pure Land is to be sought there.

There are great differences in interpreting Amida between our Pure Land school and other Buddhist schools based on personal power. But if we consider ourselves disciples of Honen and Shinran Shonin we should discard the latter and take refuge in the living Amida Buddha of the western Pure Land.

Only upon birth in the Pure Land, when we become Buddhas, we’ll understand fully the ultimate nature of all things and the Pure Land.

---

[1] The Pure Land of Amida Buddha is sometimes called the Pure Land of the west. See my article „The reason for the western location of the Pure Land and its wonderful description in the sutras”.