Monks and nuns of the Last Dharma Age

This is a fragment from my new book 

On the Monks and Nuns of Amidaji Branch 

of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism 

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Both Honen Shonin and Shinran Shonin were ordained Tendai monks. Although they left that school, they continued to wear their monk robes, and while Honen remained celibate, Shinran got married and had six children. Before him and after him, many monks had secret wives and children, but Shinran went public about his marriage and continued to wear the monk’s robes. Also, after he and his Master Honen were banished by the Emperor, striped of their ordination status[1] and given secular names, they also kept their robes. At that time Shinran said about himself that he was neither monk nor lay, but he continued to wear the robes of a monk. Later, they were both pardoned, so their former status was restored. 

Why did Shinran marry? Because he wanted to show that the salvation offered by Amida Buddha does not make any discrimination between those who keep the precept of celibacy and those who are attached to their wives and children or have various other blind passions.

Why did he say that he was neither a monk nor lay? There are two reasons for this. First, although the Emperor stripped him of his monkhood and was given a secular name, he did not consider himself a lay person living a worldly life without any religious aspirations. Second, although he was pardoned and his status restored, he was still not able to live the life of a monk belonging to the Right Dharma Age, while in the same time, he had more aspirations than an ordinary lay person. Later, all his ordained disciples followed his example and got married. Even now the clergy of Jodo Shinshu, both men and women, get marry and have children like the rest of Japanese Buddhist monks of other schools[2]. 

So, it is important to realize that Shinran did not deny his monk ordination by saying that he is “neither monk, nor lay”, but only his spiritual capacities to be like the monks of the Right Dharma Age when Shakyamuni and His direct disciples were in the world. By saying, “neither monk, nor lay”, he actually meant, “neither a virtuous monk of the Right Dharma Age, nor a lay”. Thus, there is no problem if we, his disciples of modern times, call ourselves monks and nuns as long as we keep in mind that we are not the virtuous monks of that long gone era, but the decadent monks of this Last Dharma Age.

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. 

Faith, Nembutsu and aspiration are one

 Click here to return to 

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”. 

On the importance to be examples of faith in Amida Buddha (video Dharma talk)

 

Useful links mentioned in the video:

Five conditions for birth in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha

Again on the idea that faith in Amida comes from Amida 

YouTube channel of Shaku Joshin 

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

Click here to return to "Selected passages from Honen Shonin with commentary"

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.

Self-power and Amida's Power

Click here to return to Selected passages from Honen Shonin with commentary

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.