Notes: ‘Bearer of the Light’ (J1)

Jishin’s Notes on Chapter 3 pages 78 - 82

I have been looking at Chapter 3 which starts with an excellent appraisal of Shinran Shonin’s essential teaching which Rennyo sought to transmit in his Letters. Here are some brief notes on my reading so far:

Chapter 3 begins by discussing the two aspects of directing virtue as explicated by Shinran in the Kyogyoshinsho. These two aspects are:

1) Oso Eko - The aspect of going to the Pure Land, and
2) Genso Eko - The aspect of returning to this world.

They are the two ways in which the power of the Vow directs virtue (eko) to sentient beings.

Oso Eko is formed of the Four Pillars - Teaching, Practice, Shinjin and Realisation.

Oso Eko includes attaining birth in the Pure Land and the attainment of enlightenment (realisation) on being born there.

The returning aspect is to awaken the mind of great compassion and return to the world.

Both aspects of directing virtue are directed by Amida Buddha - Other-power.

——————

Zendo clarified the 18th Vow as revealing Amida Buddha’s fundamental intent.

Honen followed Zendo’s teaching - 18th Vow selects and settles upon the single practice of the nembutsu. He called it the “Selected Primal Vow”.

Shinran regarded this teaching as the essence of Pure Land Buddhism or Jodo Shinshu.

Shinran taught that the Primal Vow is actually comprised of five Vows -

11th Vow = Realisation
12th Vow - True Buddha
13th Vow = True Land
17th Vow = Teaching and Practice
18th Vow = Shinjin/entrusting

11th Vow also includes the 22nd Vow of returning to this world. It is known as the “Teaching of the five Vows.”

More to come……………

 

Rev. C. Takehara on Amida’s 17th Vow

It is through the clarification of the meaning of the Seventeenth Vow that the nembutsu practice did not end up as something purely personal to Shinran Shonin but instead came to add an element of sociality or universality to his faith (shinjin). Shinran Shonin’s notion of faith was tremendously enriched by his interpretation of the Seventeenth Vow.”

- Reverend Chimyo Takehara, Head priest of Shogyoji temple (Fukuoka, Japan)

 

Bodhisattvas Everywhere

Another elemental day with a vicious wind, sudden flurries of rain and brief windows of sunshine, a fleeting rainbow and birds in their dozens; including a large female Sparrowhawk and - a seasonal delight - a Fieldfare.

Sheltering indoors making notes on Jitsuen Kakehashi’s Bearer of the Light I came across a quotation which provides further textual basis for an oral Shin teaching that I frequently encounter; that hearing the nembutsu of people of shinjin helps the hearer to receive it themselves (see also - Pledges of Friendship):

When people hear female devotees saying; “How precious it is! How grateful I am!” they will attain shinjin … Although they know nothing at all, when people hear the joy of such female lay devotees they will attain shinjin, due to the power of the Buddha that bestows benefits upon beings. (Words of the Master Rennyo, 95)”

As I’ve mentioned before this is usually linked by Shin doctrine to the 17th Vow that all Buddha’s praise the name. It is also linked to the notion of eko. When our fellow practioners entrust themselves to the Vow, riding on the out-going power of the Vow, the Vow also works through them - beyond their awareness - to reveal the Buddha to us:

Concerning also the concept of ‘return to this world’, we have to take this element into account; namely, a person of shinjin is one who is seeking after birth in the Pure Land, but for other people who are acquainted with that person of shinjin, he or she may seem as though they are guiding them to the final realization.

For instance, Honen someone who was aiming at attaining ‘birth in the Pure Land’ for himself through nembutsu but, for Shinran, Honen was an incarnation of Amida or a Bodhisattva working for his salvation. Shinran, too, pursued the Pure Land path under Honen’s guidance but, for other people, he may be a Buddha or a Bodhisattva who has returned from the Pure Land in order to enable us to realize true compassion.

This can be said of all the myokonins who appeared in the history of Shin Buddhism. Regarding all the predecessors of shinjin as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas who have returned from the Pure Land to guide them to enlightenment, a myokonin penetrates deep into their inmost self as one who has no prospect of salvation. And such a myokonin, again, is looked up by others as one who has returned from the Pure Land to lead them there.

Suppose a person is going on a way, along which many people must have walked to get to that same destination. In the same way, a person of shinjin follows the way guided by many predecessors, which means that right on the way to the final realization there is an encounter of one who is going on to the final realization with one who has returned from there. Shinjin is that which enables one to be awakened to such an encounter. The concept of ‘return to this world’, therefore, is to be realized by a person of shinjin who, again, is looked on by others as one who has returned from the final destination to guide them. In this sense, we will be able to say that ‘going (to the Pure Land)’ is one with ‘returning (from the Pure Land)’ or, more briefly, ‘going is returning’.”

(Michio Tokunaga)