Echoes of the Name

Gongyo (jp.) means ‘steadfast practice’ and describes the daily routine of the person of nembutsu which consists primarily of two services, morning and evening, as well as informal nembutsu recitation at any time. Gongyo is also known as Otsutome or ‘daily devotions’.

In a tradition focused on Other-power, and which rejects petitionary prayer, the requirement for steadfast performance of daily devotions may seem surprising. Jodo Shin however is entirely consistent with mainstream Buddhism in holding that the true nature of that-which-is, tathatā (skt.) or nyoze (jp.), may be apprehended if only we are receptive to it. This in Jodo Shin Buddhism is called deep hearing or monpo (jp.). However, as human beings living busy and sometimes troubled lives, the attainment of such reflective attentiveness usually defeats us, and often all that remains in our hearts is a sense of regret and a great desire towards something inexpressible … a kind of purity and peace. Our daily devotions before the Buddha shrine place these latter desires within a dynamic space, formed of ritual, mythos and skilful means, in which they are transformed into receptivity and hearing. This natural process is the gift of generations of Pure Land followers down the ages who have attended to the Light of tathatā and let it shape their daily lives.

Lest this sound too mystical we can also see gongyo as a good habit passed down through the’ Buddha family’. Looking deeply at ourselves and at our best qualities we will often find that these are not traits we self-consciously and suddenly decided to embrace (in fact such efforts rarely stick) but the consequence of good behaviours learnt, or negative ones rejected, through exposure to others such as our parents and families. In much the same way gongyo is not something that we establish on the basis of our own will, which is often weak and vacillating, but rather from witnessing the examples of good teachers - and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas - or conversely those who aren’t living in the middle way.

In my own life establishing a daily practice over many years has certainly not been a simple process. Just as a young adult often looks back on their childish rejection of parental advice with rueful regret, gongyo is one of those things that emerges like a lotus out of a murky background of resistance, misplaced effort and self-pride. It’s not that we become wiser or less foolish of ourselves (I suspect every age of human life from childhood to dotage has its temptations), but rather it just becomes easier to hear the call of the Other-power … to fall into its embrace. Even as life poses ever more questions (somewhat contrary to the expectations of childhood and adolescence); laziness, doubt, no end of thoughts and concerns, all are more difficult than just sitting before the Buddha shrine … nembutsu or Shoshinge tumbling bumpily from our lips.

Nembutsu is a kind of habit that takes on a life of its own … it looks like empty foolishness to people who haven’t caught it but it is a karma with a deep and ancient pedigree; the voiceless call of suchness given form … mindfulness of the Buddha-body.

The practical dimensions of gongyo involve the performance of a liturgy once early in the morning (for many before breakfast and the time they have to leave for work) and once in the evening. The liturgy varies slightly between Jodo Shin sub-sects but the one used at my home temple can be found here.

Right practice in Shin

It should be common sense that thought, deed and word (or mind, body, and speech) are deeply connected. Often however we say harmful things as if they have no causative link to our minds and bodies, or we commit careless acts as if they have no relation to what we are, saying, ‘Well that wasn’t really me’ or I’m not really like that’. From a Buddhist perspective however there is no essential, unchanging, unsullied soul separate from what we say, think and do, and thus what we are includes our failings and spiritual blindness.Fortunately the nembutsu way doesn’t require us to be morally perfect people; in fact it recognises and accepts that we are not (despite our best intentions). All it asks for instead is sincerity, or makoto (jp.), which consists of our facing the infinite without deception, denial, or double-mindedness. This ‘as-it-is-ness‘ is entrusting to Other-power. At rest in the embrace of Amida, all calculation extinguished, the Power beyond Self naturally makes us over into something new; beyond analysis or grasping.

Sadly even sincerity is something that is hard for human beings to muster. As such in performing gongyo there is a system of etiquette and behaviour which is designed to strip away falsehood and allow us to meet the Dharma afresh. For some converts to Jodo Shin some of this etiquette will appear to take a very Japanese form and be nothing more than so-called ‘cultural baggage’. Such a view may well have a seed of truth. To try to quickly and artificially replace traditional Jodo Shin rituals with new ones, however, may be to risk destroying the dynamic involved, and I would personally recommend starting out by following the traditional forms and letting new ones evolve naturally over time.

Here is a list of the fundamentals of otsutome etiquette courtesy of Rev. Clifton Ong (Shaku Dodatsu):

Gassho

Gassho means to put the hands together. The palms of both hands are placed together with the fingers and thumbs extended and with the O-juzu (rosary) encircling both hands and held lightly between the thumbs and the fingers. Both elbows should be fairly close to the body and the hands should be at mid-chest level. To bow during the gassho, the hands should be held steady, while the body is bent forward from the hips and then back to the upright position. Gassho is the natural expression of reverence and gratitude.

O-juzu / O-nenju

The Ojuzu should be treated with the utmost respect at all times. At home it should be kept in a special place, such as in a drawer near the family shrine. At other times, the Buddhist should carry the Ojuzu in the purse or in the coat pocket so that it will always be available. During the service, the Ojuzu should be held in the left hand, including when holding a sūtra book. The Ojuzu encircles the hand during gassho symbolizing Oneness.

Burning of Incense (O-shoko)

When burning incense, walk up to the front of the shrine and bow at a distance of about two steps in front of the incense table. Step up to the table and with the right hand take a pinch of powdered incense and drop it into the incense-burner. Gassho and bow. Take two or three steps backward, bow and return to the seat. O-shoko is the acceptance of transience and fulfilment in life.

Use of Seiten and Gatha books

The Seiten and Gatha books should be handled with proper care. They should never be left directly on the floor. A beautiful cloth cover is traditionally wrapped around them for protection and this may be unrolled and used to rest them on during services. Before and after the chanting the book should be raised to the forehead as a gesture of appreciation and reverence to the words of the Buddha.

Entering and leaving the Shrine Room

The Shrine Room should be entered quietly and with reverence. Upon entering, gassho facing the shrine. Take your seat and sit quietly or say the nembutsu. Before leaving the Hondo, when the service is over, turn to face the shrine and gassho before leaving.

Listening to Readings of the Sacred Writings

The minister or lay reader reads excerpts from the writings of Shinran Shonin, or the Letters of Rennyo shonin (Gobunsho / Ofumi) before delivering a talk. The congregation should sit with heads bowed and listen attentively to the words. When the speaker bows in greeting the congregation, or when he/she bows after the talk, the congregation should bow back.

Namuamidabutsu.

There is a new article by the Soto Zen priest and scholar Brian Victoria in Japan Focus entitled Karma, War and Inequality in Twentieth Century Japan, which discusses misuse of the doctrine of karma as a tool for social repression.

Although I consider Victoria’s work (which highlights serious spiritual, ethical and institutional failings in Japanese Buddhism) exceedingly important, I have often felt that it lacks objectivity and that his usage of source materials - for example quoting out of context - is sometimes underhanded. In this instance however his work seems more balanced, not least because he finally takes note of the more progressive and even radical side of D.T. Suzuki, a figure against whom he has directed a rather aggressively onesided critique in the past.*

In addition Victoria must be praised for being one of the very few followers of Eastern Buddhism (that I have come across at least) who will speak openly of the problematic fact that, whereas karma and causation are commonly conflated in the East, originally Buddhism actually taught that:

“karma is only one of five rules or processes (Skt., niyama), that cause effects. The five are: 1) Karma Niyama—Consequences of one’s actions; 2) Dharma Niyama - Laws of nature; 3) Utu Niyama—Seasonal changes and climate; 4) Bija Niyama—Genetic inheritance; and 5) Citta Niyama—Processes of consciousness. Thus it is clearly mistaken to claim that all occurrences are no more or less than the result of karma.”

As Victoria points out, this latter, ancient perspective negates the validity of the more mechanical and reactionary conceptions of karma and, one would assume, places the doctrine’s significance within the narrower sphere of Buddhist self-reflection and/or meditation practices.

Overall it is refreshing to see assumptions that have gained mainstream acceptance in Buddhist orders and societies coming under critique. Such a process, if conducted skilfully, helps to deepen our appreciation of the Dharma, and ensures that it is not subjugated to unwholesome forces in ourselves or in our communities.

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* By way of full disclosure I should note that my Dharma teacher Rev. Prof. Kemmyo Taira Sato, was a disciple of D.T. Suzuki. An essay by the former on Suzuki’s attitude to both warfare and Japanese nationalism is due for publication in Japan later this year, and will be eventually translated into English. I will publish further details when they are available.

“When I deeply contemplate the transient nature of human life, I realize that, from beginning to end, life is impermanent like an illusion. We have not yet heard of anyone who lived ten thousand years. How fleeting is a lifetime!

Who in this world today can maintain a human form for even a hundred years? There is no knowing whether I will die first or others, whether death will occur today or tomorrow. We depart one after another more quickly than the dewdrops on the roots or the tips of the blades of grasses. So it is said. Hence, we may have radiant faces in the morning, but by evening we may turn into white ashes. Once the winds of impermanence have blown, our eyes are instantly closed and our breath stops forever. Then, our radiant face changes its color, and the attractive countenance like peach and plum blossoms is lost. Family and relatives will gather and grieve, but all to no avail? Since there is nothing else that can be done, they carry the deceased out to the fields, and then what is left after the body has been cremated and has turned into the midnight smoke is just white ashes. Words fail to describe the sadness of it all.

Thus the ephemeral nature of human existence is such that death comes to young and old alike without discrimination. So we should all quickly take to heart the matter of the greatest importance of the afterlife, entrust ourselves deeply to Amida Buddha, and recite the nembutsu. Humbly and respectfully.” (translated by Hisao Inagaki et al)