Remember to say the Nembutsu

last revised February 18th, 2024

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Selected passages from Honen Shonin 

with commentary

You must believe that Nembutsu possesses supreme merit and that Amida Buddha with His great compassion of the Primal Vow, will come to embrace one who recites Nembutsu even ten times or just once. Thus believing this, practice Nembutsu for your entire lifetime without negligence”[1]. 

Commentary:

As I showed in chapter “The Nembutsu is true and real” from my book Simple Teachings on Emptiness and Buddha nature, by quoting many sacred texts, the Name contains the merits of Amida and all Buddhas, as well as the virtues of all Buddhist teachings and practices. “It is the treasure-sea of merits of true Suchness, ultimate reality”[2], as Shinran said. 

Also, Amida protects and embraces those who entrust to Him both in this life as well as in the moment of death when He welcomes them into His Pure Land of Bliss.  

After pointing out that the number of recitations is not important for our birth in the Pure Land, Master Honen encouraged us to say the Name for our entire lifetime. Just as one who was saved from fire will always be grateful to his savior, we should also not be negligent in expressing our gratitude to Amida Buddha for saving us from the repeated births and deaths. This is the reason why sometimes Honen, but also Shinran and Rennyo, insisted on remembering to say the Nembutsu. It was NOT that the number of recitations is important (it isn’t!), but because we should remember to say “thank you” to the one who assured our liberation from samsara.

The Nembutsu is also the expression of faith, so if we really entrusted ourselves to Amida, we’ll surely like to express it by saying His Name.

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[1] Teachings of Honen, translated by Yoko Hayashi and Joji Atone, Bukkyo University, Los Angeles, p 243-245
[2] Shinran Shonin, Kyogyoshinsho, chapter II, Kyogyoshinsho – On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment, translated by Hisao Inagaki, Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, Kyoto, 2003, p. 9

 

La fede (shinjin) è una semplice accettazione

translated from English by Daikaku Antonio Aliperti

Clicca qui per ritornare alla pagina principale di libri ed articoli in italiano

La fede (shinjin) è una semplice accettazione. Senti che il Buddha Amida e la Sua Terra Pura esistono e lo accetti come vero. Senti che Egli può salvarti e portarti nella Sua Terra Pura se ti affidi a Lui, dici il Suo Nome con fede e desideri andare lì, e dici, "ok, questo è vero, lo accetto". E così ti affidi al Buddha Amida, dici il Suo Nome e desideri andare nella Sua Terra Pura dopo la morte. Questa è l'essenza del Buddismo Jodo Shinshu (Amida Dharma), qualcosa che possono comprendere sia gli analfabeti che gli studiosi. Qualunque altra cosa, tutti i testi e le scritture sono solo vari modi per aiutarti ad accettare questa semplice fede.

On those who deny the basics of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism while calling themselves "innovators" (video discussion)

 

On the "here and now" spiritual trap

Some people say that the Nembutsu of faith is too much related with death and afterlife and that they prefer something (a practice or teaching) for the "here and now”. The world of spiritual seekers is filled with such ideas of "here and now" being a supreme goal, that we must learn to live in the "here and now", and not think about death or after death. But this separation is only a delusion. In truth, death is not separated from the "here and now” as breath which comes out might not be followed by the breath which comes in. In the "here and now” we can lose everything; in the "here and now” we and our loved ones can stop breathing, in the "here and now” we may suddenly find ourselves in the afterlife, losing this humanform, the chance of listening the Amida Dharma and receive faith.

Like in the good movie, "Groundhog day” , the minds of unenlightened people dwell constantly in an ever repeating "here and now”. Unfortunately, they like this "here and now" so much that they even create spiritual ideologies to keep them focused on it. Being extremely attached to the "here and now”, they refuse to speak about death and rebirth, or the aspiration to be born in Amida’s Pure Land, calling it a reminiscent of folk religion or a distraction from the "here and now". Unfortunately, they will also die one day, in the exact moment they dream about ‚"here and now" and will be born again, in another "here and now" - the same here and now, but painted differently. How sad this is…

The relation between hearing the Name, faith and saying the Name of Amida Buddha

Amida Buddha promised in His Primal Vow that those who entrust to Him, say His Name and wish to be born in His Pure Land (“sincerely entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and say my Name perhaps even ten times[1]”) will be born there.
 
The reason faith (“entrust to me”), desire to be born in the Pure Land, as well as the saying of the Name (Nembutsu) are mentioned in the same Vow is because they cannot be treated separately. One who has faith in Amida Buddha will naturally say His Name and wish to be with Him in the Pure Land. Thus, there can be no faith separated from Nembutsu, and no Nembutsu separated from faith. Also, there can be no faith and no Nembutsu of faith without the desire to be born in the Pure Land.
 
Recently, a reader expressed the opinion that to say the Name of Amida Buddha is secondary to “hearing the Name”. This is a grave misunderstanding of the Jodo Shinshu teaching which cannot arise if we properly understand the term “hearing the Name”. So, to hear the Name means to have faith (shinjin), as Shinran clearly explained,

Amida Buddha è la nostra forza

 translated from English by Daikaku Antonio Aliperti

Clicca qui per ritornare alla pagina principale di libri ed articoli in italiano

Amida Buddha è la nostra forza. Non importano gli ostacoli esterni o interni che compaiono nella nostra vita, non dobbiamo cadere in preda alla disperazione perché il Buddha Amida è dalla nostra parte. Cari amici, seguite questo consiglio dal cuore! Qualunque emozione e paura disturbante appaia nel vostro flusso mentale a causa della vostra ignoranza, dei vostri attaccamenti e del vostro karma passato, semplicemente ignoratele, lasciate che vengano e si dissolvano da sole e concentratevi su Amida. Cambiate la vostra attenzione su Amida ogni volta che il vostro mondo interiore o esteriore è sopraffatto da problemi e difficoltà. Ricordate questa verità - tutto ciò che appare nell'universo samsarico esterno o interno è illusorio e, in definitiva, non reale. Solo Amida, la Sua Terra Pura e il Suo Nome sono veramente reali, quindi concentratevi su quello. Non permettete che le vostre vite siano governate dall'illusione e dalla paura. Scegliete il reale, scegliete  Amida e fate di Lui il fondamento della vostra vita. 

Perché sei una persona ordinaria

translated from English by Daikaku Antonio Aliperti

Clicca qui per ritornare alla pagina principale di libri ed articoli in italiano

Soprattutto perché sei una persona ordinaria, non puoi permetterti di non essere sicura di dove andrai dopo la morte. Quindi, se hai incontrato l’aiuto di Amida, accettalo immediatamente, senza pensarci due volte. Non devi assumerti alcun rischio e non lasciare che la morte ti colga impreparato, cioè senza fede (shinjin). Lascia che i ragazzi intelligenti e i praticanti virtuosi dimorino nel “qui e ora”, realizzino la vacuità, l’unità, o qualunque cosa dicano di realizzare, ma rimani umile e aggrappati alle maniche di Amida.