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.

Simple explanations of shinjin (faith) coming from Amida Buddha (video)

 Please watch these two video teachings on this topic and check the links bellow:

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Here are two articles on the same topic:

Faith in Amida Buddha is not the creation of our minds

Again on the idea that faith in Amida comes from Amida

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!