"To avoid evil, do good and purify one’s mind" according to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

 

A reader asked Shingyo Sensei of Amidaji: “The most succinct definition of any school of Buddhism made by the Buddha himself is the sentence ‘Not to do any evil, to cultivate good, to purify one’s mind, this is the teaching of the Buddhas’. Is this to be found in the teachings of Jodo Shinshu?”
 
Shingyo Sensei gave him a very simple and direct answer:
“This was said in the context of the self-power Path. However, it is possible to reinterpret these words in accordance with the Path of Other Power  (Jodo Shinshu Buddhism/the Path of total reliance on Amida’s Power):
 
“Not to do any evil” - wish to be born in the Pure Land. (Samsara is evil).
“To cultivate good” - say the Name of Amida Buddha (no good is higher than His Name).
“To purify one’s mind” - entrust yourself to Amida Buddha.”
 

My commentary:
I think Shingyo Sensei’s words are golden and from now on they will remain Amidaji’s official reading of the above saying by Shakyamuni recorded in Dhammapada 183. However, I think a few more details are needed to better understand his explanation.

Is Jodo Shinshu Buddhism the teaching of non-ego?

 

(the video version is more detailed)

Question: I saw somewhere the saying that Jodo Shinshu is the teaching of non-ego. What does it mean? 

My answer: Master Rennyo said: “The teaching of Buddha Dharma is the teaching of non-ego”. 

In Buddhism, the teaching of non-ego is often linked with the image of Bodhisattvas who never think of themselves but are always dedicated to the salvation of all beings. This is true, but it is only one aspect of it. How can we, ignorant people, understand the teaching of non-ego? In what form do we find it emphasized in Jodo Shinshu? To follow the teaching of non-ego also means to abandon once and for all any thought of merit or non-merit, for it means not to include any personal calculation in matters that concern our birth in the Pure Land. 

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]

On sangha, politics and the hypocrisy of modern Buddhists in the Last Dharma Age

 

Click here to watch more videos in the DHARMA TALK playlist. There are more than 130 videos there until now, so you'll certainly find one that is useful to you. 

The meaning of mindfulness in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism

 

Question: What did Shinran mean by "mindfulness is Nembutsu"?
 
 “Saying the Name is in itself mindfulness;
mindfulness is Nembutsu; 
Nembutsu is Namo Amida Butsu”.
 
Answer: We need to know that whenever we meet the word “mindfulness” it is in no way referring to the modern idea of meditation based on self-power. For Shinran “mindfulness” always referred to faith and to Amida Buddha. So, he said that mindfulness is Nembutsu and that Nembutsu is Namo Amida Butsu. What does Namo Amida Butsu mean? It means “I take refuge in Amida Buddha/Homage to Amida Buddha”. What does Nembutsu represent? What do we express by saying Namo Amida Butsu? We express faith, so Namo Amida Butsu or Nembutsu is the expression of faith. It is faith as there can be no faith separate from Nembutsu and no genuine Nembutsu separate from faith. Shinran Shonin said:

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:

Honen’s search for salvation

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

Here is the story of Honen’s meeting with the Primal Vow in his own words[1]: 

“Having a deep desire to obtain salvation, and with faith in the teachings of the various scriptures, I practiced many forms of self-discipline. There are indeed many doctrines in Buddhism, but they may all be summed up in the three learnings, namely the precepts, meditation and wisdom[2], as practiced by the adherents of the Lesser (Hinayana) and Greater Vehicles (Mahayana), and the exoteric and esoteric sects. But the fact is that I do not keep even one of the precepts, not do I attain to any one of the many forms of meditation. A certain monk said that without the observance of the sila (precepts), there is no such thing as the realization of samadhi[3]. Moreover, the heart (mind) of the ordinary unenlightened man because of his surroundings, is always liable to change, just like monkeys jumping from one branch to another. It is indeed in a state of confusion, easily moved and with difficulty controlled. In what way does right and indefectible wisdom arise? Without the sword of indefectible wisdom, how can one get free from the chains of evil passion, whence comes evil conduct?  And unless one gets free from evil conduct and evil passions, how shall he obtain deliverance from the bondage of birth and death? Alas! What shall I do? What shall I do? The like of us are incompetent to practice the three disciplines of the precepts, meditation and wisdom. 
And so I enquired of a great many learned men and monks whether there is any other way of salvation than these three disciplines, that is better suited to our poor abilities, but I found none who could either teach me the way of even suggest it to me. At last I went into the library at Kurodani at Mount Hiei, where all the scriptures were, all by myself, and with a heavy heart, read them all through. While doing so, I hit upon a passage in Shantao’s Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra, which runs as follows: