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Selected passages from Honen Shonin
with commentary
“It is indeed lamentable and regrettable that there are
those who say birth in the Pure Landis impossible. Please, do not
ever be swayed by such words, even if the speakers are wise and
honorable. They may be people who are learned and respected in
their individual paths of endeavor, but the instructions of those
with different understandings and practices will be troublesome for
those who are aspiring for birth in the Pure Land. These proponents
of other practices are referred to as ‘undesirable teachers who
will serve to distance the aspirants from their karmic relationship
with Amida Buddha.’ You must not lend an ear to such misguided
people but continue to rely steadfastly on the Primal Vow for birth
in the Pure
Land”.[1]
Commentary:We cannot understand, at the
level we are now as unenlightened beings, every detail of all the
Buddhist paths, especially that we did not create them. We are like
travelers lost in a dangerous jungle looking for the safety of the
beach. Because we do not fly and cannot see the jungle from above,
we need to choose one Path among the many that were made for us by
the Guide.
The Buddhas see and understand with their divine eyes and
unobstructed wisdom the entire samsaric jungle and are able to cut
through it various Paths, each with its own specific elements to
guide various types of people with different understandings and
affinities. Thus, they teach the Zen Paths, the Esoteric Paths, the
so and so Path, and the Pure Land Path of exclusive reliance on the
Primal Vow of Amida Buddha. Travelers who chose to walk on one Path
cannot give indications to those who walk on another that they
themselves do not see, nor follow. A teacher who plays smart with
many Dharma Gates is like one who lived all his life in the
mountains and walked only on mountain paths, and he insists to give
indications to those who walk through the desert. To express
opinions about Amida Buddha and His Pure Land when one does not
have faith in Him is like a blind talking about things he never
saw. Yes, dear friends, as long as one has not said the Nembutsu of
faith he cannot know the Path of the Primal Vow and cannot teach
others about it. More than this, it is a sign of spiritual
arrogance to say to an Amida devotee that birth in the Pure Land is
impossible or that our Nembutsu Path does not work. Really, how can
a teacher of a different Path know that Nembutsu does not work, as
long as he never entrusted himself to Amida, nor had the aspiration
for birth in His Land?
I’ve seen a tendency in some nowadays teachers of other
Buddhist Paths to interpret various elements of our tradition
through the concepts of their own Dharma Gate. This causes a lot of
confusion and leads to false views like the idea of Pure Land to
not be found after death, but here and now or in the mind, etc.
Sometimes well-educated scholars who wear the robes and kesas of
Jodo Shinshu but in their hearts are ashamed to belong to a school
of simple faith, also contribute to this confusion. They play nice
with such teachers from other Dharma Gates hoping to be seen as
more elevated than us peasants, who believe that we’ll go to the
Pure Land after death. These people don’t like Jodo Shinshu as it
is, I mean as it was transmitted by Honen, Shinran and Rennyo, but
want it to be more Zen-like or in agreement with other teachings
and even worldly philosophies.
My heart advice to my fellow simple minded peasants is to
have eyes and ears only for the exclusive requirements of the
Primal Vow if they want to enter into karmic relationship with
Amida Buddha and be sure of reaching His Pure Land. Birth there
is possible because Amida said is possible and Shakyamuni confirmed
it together with our great Masters of the past. Only fools
whose life in human form is spent in vain would trust the words of
unenlightened teachers of self-power paths and not Amida and
Shakyamuni!
“If those who entrust to me, say my Name, and wish to be born
in my Land will not go there, then it means I am not a Buddha” -
this is the essence of Amida’s Primal Vow. He is a Buddha and He
will never break His promise.
Namo Amida
Bu
Recommended article:
Stop using Zen Masters explanations
when referring to Amida Buddha - an
example
[1]
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.248
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