Say Nembutsu as you are

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said, in reply to a question by Zenshobo: 

“Those who think that it is only the Nembutsu of the pious and learned which can eventuate in Ojo (birth in the Pure Land), and that there is no Ojo for the ignorant and unlettered and those who go in sinning every day, even if they should say the Nembutsu, have not yet grasped the fact that the Primal Vow includes both the good and the bad. 

It is impossible in this life to change man’s nature, which he has inherited through the working of his karma from a pre-existent state, just in the same way as it is impossible for a woman in this life to be changed into a man, no matter how much she might desire it. Those who call upon the sacred Name should do it with the nature they now have, the wise man as a wise man, the fool as a fool, the pious as pious, the irreligious as irreligious, and thus all equally may attain Ojo. 

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

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

„There are those who say that the effort to avoid sin and improve oneself is making light of Amida’s Vow [...] But do not for a moment be misled by such misconceptions. Is there any place in any of the sutras where Amida encourages men to sin? Certainly not. Such things come from those who make no effort to get away from their own evil deeds, and who go on in their former sinful life. By such utterly unreasonable and false sayings, they would mislead ignorant men and women, urging them forward in the committing of sin and stirring up their evil passions within them. Now such persons are nothing less than a company of devil, and you ought to think of them as enemies to your reaching birth into the Pure Land of Bliss”.[1] 

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

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

“Question: ‘When evil thoughts will keep arising within the mind, what ought one to do?
Answer (by Honen Shonin): ‘The only thing to do is to repeat the Nembutsu.’”[1]
 
Commentary:
This is something that I often say in my books, articles and discussions with my Dharma friends. We cannot fix our samsaric minds. We cannot eliminate evil thoughts. We cannot stop thinking. All we can to do is change the focus from whatever appears in our mind to Amida, through the saying of His Name. Just as you don’t take a monkey serious, don’t take your mind serious. We are not saved because of any quality that can be found in our minds and we are not obstructed to be born in the Pure Land by our blind passions and evil thoughts. Our salvation comes from outside of our samsaric mind, so we do not need to bother about it anymore.

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. 

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] 

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] 

Honen said the Nembutsu as if already saved by Amida

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

“Where one is to receive something from another, which is better, to have already received, or not yet to have received? I, Genku (Honen), repeat the Nembutsu as if I had already received.”[1]

 Commentary:

There are two types of Nembutsu: the Nembutsu of those who don’t have faith, and the Nembutsu of faith.

The Nembutsu of those who are not yet established in faith is said without being sure of their salvation (“not yet to have received” – not yet assured of birth in the Pure Land).  This is because when one relies on one’s own power one cannot have any certainty.

The Nembutsu of faith or Honen’s Nembutsu is said by one who knows that he has already received the assurance of birth in the Pure Land since the moment he entrusted for the first time in Amida (“have already received”).  This is the Nembutsu of Buddha centered Power through which one is certain to attain Ojo[2]. It is also the Nembutsu of “thank you Amida Buddha for saving me as I am”.

 

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[1] Honen the Buddhist Saint - His Life and Teachings, volume III, compiled by imperial order, translation by Rev Ryugaku Ishizuka and Rev Harper Havelock Coates, The Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, Kyoto, 1949, p. 400

[2] Ojo means birth in the Pure Land.

The determination of the true disciple of Amida Buddha

 

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Honen Shonin said: 

“When a deer is being pursued by the hunters, it does not stop even to look around for its fellows or look back at its pursuers, but with all eagerness, hastens straight forward, and no matter how many may be following, it escapes in safety. It is with the same determination that a man fully entrusts himself to the Buddha’s power, and without regard to anything else, steadfastly sets his mind upon being born into the Pure Land.”[1] 

Commentary:
A genuine disciple of Amida Buddha does not care about other practices and does not listen to the wrong views of modernists or the false teachings of externalists (non-Buddhists). Even if thoughts of “what if Amida is not real” or “what if the Primal Vow is not true” appear suddenly in his mind, he does not pay attention to them, but continues to be focused on the Nembutsu of faith. Instead of looking at these “pursuers” who come in the form of non-Buddhists, heretics or even random thoughts, he goes forward to the Pure Land encouraged by Shakyamuni and the lineage Masters. 

To be satisfied with the Nembutsu and to think that Nembutsu is enough, to not need anything else than Amida’s Holy Name – these are the characteristics of a person of faith. Promises of other practices and religions fall deaf to his ears because he obeys only to the exclusive requirements of the Primal Vow: exclusive faith in Amida, exclusive saying of His Name and exclusive wish to be born in His Pure Land. 

Even if the people around him follow other paths or the stones and rocks, the sky and the trees all shout in one voice that Amida does not exist or that so and so god has a better teaching, the true disciple will never falter in his determination to have faith only in Amida, say only His Name and wish to go only to His Pure Land after death. Just like the deer pursued by hunters, he sees nothing, hears nothing and is not interested in any other path than the Nembutsu of faith. Only such a true disciple will reach the safety of the Pure Land.
 

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[1] Honen the Buddhist Saint - His Life and Teachings, volume III, compiled by imperial order, translation by Rev Ryugaku Ishizuka and Rev Harper Havelock Coates, The Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, Kyoto, 1949, p. 399

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

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

"Ajari[1] Koen, the abbot of the Kudokuin Temple, and one of Honen’s teachers hailing from the province of Higo, was a noted scholar who was learned in the doctrines of both the esoteric and exoteric sects, and himself a disciple of Hokkyo Kokaku of Sugyu on Mount Hiei. One day as he was reflecting seriously upon life, and considering the limitations of his own powers, he thought that it would be no easy thing for him to get free from the fated round of life and death, and that every time he would change his state of existence, he would, as the doctrine goes, forget what had happened to him in the one before, and so, he thought, he would probably in the next life forget what he had now learned about the Teaching of the Buddhas. ‘I have’, he said, ‘indeed been born a man, but I am so unfortunate as to have come into the world in the period between the appearance of the two Buddhas, and so I see nothing for it but that I must go through transmigration after transmigration. But in order to be able to meet the Merciful One (Maitreya) when He finally appears in the world, I should like to have my body changed into that of some being that has long life. So there is nothing better for me than to be born a serpent. I therefore vow that I shall be born a great serpent (naga). Only there is one thing I am afraid of, and that is the mighty gold-winged bird (Garuda)[2] that lives on the serpents dwelling in the great sea. My wish therefore is to live in a pond.’ So he made a bargain for a pond called Sakura-ga-ike[3] in the village of Kasawara in the province of Totomi, receiving the deed of it from its owner. When he came to die, he asked for some water which he put in the palm of his hand and then passed away. 

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?” 

The cause for birth into the Pure Land may appear anytime

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

“The completion of the karma necessary for birth into the Pure Land may be at any ordinary time, or at the time of death. There is no distinction made between the two in the language of the Primal Vow.”[1]

In the very first moment one entrusts to Amida Buddha he enters the stage of non-retrogression for birth in the Pure Land where he will attain supreme Enlightenment. The karma necessary for birth into the Pure Land appears in the very first moment of faith when the believer receives the pure karmic merits of Amida which make him capable of going there. 

This passage contradicts those who think that the moment of death is of paramount importance for birth into the Pure Land. I always insist that we are the school of the Primal Vow and that whatever we need to know is to be found in the Primal Vow. Honen Shonin thought the same when he made reference to “the language of the Primal Vow” in which Amida urged us to entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His land. Some do this when they are strong and healthy, young or old, while others when they are about to die. Amida did not mention a specific moment in life when one should entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His land, so we should not worry about this. Anytime is a good time to say the Nembutsu of faith. 

The following passage proves even more that Honen Shonin did not add a special significance to the Nembutsu at the time of death: 

"Question: Which is more profound: Nembutsu at the time of death or Nembutsu in our daily life?

Answer: They are the same. Our daily Nembutsu and Nembutsu at the time of death are no different at all. When we are visited by death, our daily Nembutsu becomes Nembutsu at death; if our life is prolonged,  Nembutsu at death becomes Nembutsu of daily life."[2]

  

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[1] Honen the Buddhist Saint - His Life and Teachings, volume III, compiled by imperial order, translation by Rev Ryugaku Ishizuka and Rev Harper Havelock Coates, The Society for the Publication of Sacred Books of the World, Kyoto, 1949, p. 398
[2] 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.125

The need for oral instructions by a true teacher

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Honen Shonin said: 

“A man who reads about the doctrines of the Jodo (Pure Land) without receiving oral instruction will miss the thing really necessary to the attainment of Ojo (birth in the Pure Land). Men of high station such as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, and on the other hand, men of the lowest rank of common latter-day sinners guilty of the ten evil deeds and the five deadly sins, used to be the object of Shakyamuni Buddha’s exhortations to enter the Land of Perfect Bliss. Now we, common men of the lowest class, when we hear the Buddha exhorting good men at once begin to depreciate ourselves and to think that we cannot be born into the Pure Land, and so we actually by our doubts prevent ourselves from reaching that birth after death. The main thing, then, is that we clearly distinguish between the teaching intended for the good, and that applicable to the evil like ourselves. If we are so minded, our faith in the certainty of our own birth will become assured, and through the power of the Buddha’s Primal Vow we shall accomplish our birth into that land at death.”[1] 

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). 

Honen Shonin's letter to nun Shonyobo

 

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin with commentary

A nun called Shōnyobō who practiced Nembutsu and embraced the teaching of Honen Shonin became sick, and as she was lying on her death bed she sent word that she would like to see him one last time. At that moment Honen was in a Nembutsu retreat and he wrote her the following letter (words in brackets are my own): 

“I am very sorry indeed to hear about Shonyobo’s illness. Having heard that she is ill, in fact seriously so, I should like to go and see her, and make sure whether she is going right on with the practice of the Nembutsu up to the very end; but especially so when I remember how often she used to call upon me to ask questions about the way of salvation. So as soon as word reached me, I at once wanted to go and see her. But I had just before that decided upon the special Nembutsu practice (Nembutsu retreat) for some days, and not to go out of my chamber for anything whatsoever. Now circumstances have so changed, that I am tempted to reverse my decision and go at once to see her. But on further reflection I have come to feel that, after all, it does not matter one way or the other about such interchanges of courtesy in this world, for the fact is that we are in danger anyway of becoming foolishly attached to these earthly bodies of ours. No matter who it is, no one stays forever here in this fleshly body. The only difference is that either I myself or someone else must be left behind and the other go first. Then if we think of the interval of time that will separate us, that too is uncertain. And even though they may call it long, at the longest it is only like a short dream. So no matter how many times I think it over, the more I am convinced that the thing to do is to think only of our meeting in the land of Amida Buddha where, as we sit upon our lotus flowers, the cares of this world will have all clear away, and we shall converse together about the scenes and events of our past lives.

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!

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."

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."