“My spiritual path has taken a very
different direction, away from True Shin Buddhism and away from
Buddhism in general”.
Here is my
comment:
When you hear about a teacher leaving Jodo Shinshu and Buddhism after many years of writing, teaching and judging what is right and wrong, you should realize that person has never had shinjin (faith) but only knowledge and enthusiasm for the Dharma. As any enthusiasm is impermanent, it is inevitable that one day he will get tired and search for something else.
Also, you should ask yourself since when
he had the thoughts of leaving and if he might have lied to you,
hiding his doubts while playing as a person of faith and perhaps
judging your faith or your understanding of the Dharma. The great
disservice a person like that is doing to the Sangha is immense
because the enemies of the true teaching will use his leaving to
attack everything that person said (even the good things!) and
taught by stating that he had no moral and spiritual authority to
teach and correct the wrong understanding of others. And yes, they
are right! Everything Richard St Clair said and did, even the good
things, is now put under the shameful abandonment of the Dharma.
Whenever somebody will read a good thing he said or a correct
critic of modernist views they can attack him by saying that he
left Buddhism so he has never had a true faith anyway. And they are
right to say so!
However, they also don't have the
spiritual authority to judge Richard for abandoning Buddhism
because they themselves are NOT genuine disciples of the Buddha and
lack faith as they have always denied the actual, real existence of
Amida and His Pure Land as well as other teachings of the general
Buddha Dharma.
Yes, Richard St Clair has never had
faith because a person of faith never abandons the Primal Vow.
Faith once received can never be lost as Shinran Shonin clearly
explained in one of his Letters:
"Concerning the nature of shinjin, I
have learned from the Master of Kuang-ming temple (Master Shan-tao)
that after true shinjin (faith) has become settled in us, even if
Buddhas like Amida or Sakyamuni should fill the skies and proclaim
that Sakyamuni's teaching and Amida's Primal Vow are false, we will
not have even one moment of doubt. Thus I have spoken for long
years."[1]
Richard was deluded to think he had
faith and also many of us were deluded to think he was a person of
faith. I have felt something is wrong with him since two years ago
since I've interrupted any connection with him after some disputes
over general Dharma aspects. However, Richard St Clair did say some
good things about the Amida Dharma while modernists have denied the
very essence of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist teaching - Amida Buddha
himself. Certainly, with all his faults, Richard St Clair has a
better karma and has created a stronger karmic connection with
Amida Buddha (who might manifest in a future life) than them who,
because of the fault of slandering the right Dharma will fall into
hell at the end of their present life.
Yes, Richard St Clair had no faith but
he brought something good in the life of others by making many
authentic Jodo Shinshu texts available online and guiding people in
the limited way a person without faith can do. He made mistakes but
also many good things and even helped me during our past
friendship.
It is a pity he left like this and that he abandoned the most precious thing one can hope to meet in many lifetimes - the Amida Dharma. This should be a lesson for all of us - except those who deny the existence of Amida Buddha and His Pure Land who clearly don't have shinjin (faith) as they deny the very object of our faith, we never know for sure who has and who does not have shinjin. We can be easily fooled because no matter how much knowledge we have and even if we are people of faith ourselves we are not Buddhas yet and don't know, as a Buddha knows, what is inside one's heart and mind.
Namo Amida Bu
[1] Shinran Shonin, Letters of the Tradition, Letter 2
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