There’s an ongoing debate within the Jodo Shinshu tradition in the West, though primarily in America, about the incorporation of meditation practices (especially Zen) into temple activities. In the Buddhist Churches of America (Nishi Honganji) this has come to something of a head in recent years with the appointment of a Bishop, Rev. Koshin Ogui, who studied under the Soto Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki and who actively promotes meditation within the organisation.
My own thoughts and experiences on this issue can be briefly summed up in the following way:
The Shin temple (not BCA) I attend offers meditation classes but they seem to be mostly taken up by people with a general interest in Buddhism, and the Westerners who participate in traditional Shinshu activities generally don’t seem overly concerned with participating in meditation … especially as many have come to Shin from originally practicing in meditative traditions. I wonder to what extent the BCA teaches newcomers about gongyo, Shinshu ritual, or offers in the way of faith meetings (such as Rennyo promoted in his letters)? I came from Soto Zen to Shin and find that gongyo provides a contemplative and reflective ’space’ which is sufficient for me.
I also wonder what exactly is meant by ‘zazen’ when it is taught in Shin temples. If it is taught without any of the actual Zen teachings aren’t we just talking about the physical act of sitting? And if conversely it is taught alongside Zen teachings are we really saying that our tradition is so devoid of contemplative resources that we need to turn to another?
I think the current trend for formal meditation in the BCA is positive in the respect that it suggests a revival of the reflective dimension of Shinshu but it is surprising that our own tradition has been so quickly judged to be lacking in this regard. It is also somewhat ironic when, outside of Shin in the sphere of psycho-therapy, Naikan - which is a Shinshu derived form of self-other reflection, is growing in popularity.”
Another day I’ll try and write more about what these resources in our own tradition, that I referred to above, are. In the meantime here are a few articles related to this debate:
… it is impossible to find in Sanskrit, Pali, or Chinese any one word which represents exactly the word meditation. In Shin, the word Furumai, which appears often in the scriptures, comes perhaps closest to the full meaning of meditation.
If we take the word meditation in the proper sense of its consideration, study, self preparation, exercise, practices, declamation, then Shin Buddhism has five kinds of meditation activity or service. These do not form an actual practice, though Shin dislikes and even refuses the word. Moreover, since Shin is a fusion of the principles of the ancient Sanron and Kegon sects reflected against the Buddhism of the Kamakura era, Shin does not define certain activities or services as practice, but insists that every action, even the most insignificant of daily life, may be an essentially religious action within the Way of Buddha …The goals of all such meditative exercises in Buddhism must be carefully analyzed. Westerners, and even ill informed Buddhists, too easily fall into the trap of believing that the goal of Buddhist “meditation” is the attainment of enlightenment of Nirvana. This however, is an erroneous notion …The correctly aware disciple knows that his meditation was undertaken as a result of past conditioning, and that, however much he thought he was doing it of his own innate volition, he actually was caused to meditate. The five kinds of meditation which are practiced in Shin are: ritual service, practical service, regular service, social service, and quietist service.”
Each of these elements of our standard service are more than just listening with our ears. I remember when I was in Japan, I struggled with the Japanese language. During one lecture, just as I was feeling somewhat confident in my abilities. The teacher said that we should listen to the Dharma with our feet. I thought to myself, “Here we go again, back to step one, he couldn’t have said ears.” I raised my hand to ask the teacher to clarify what he had said. Once again the teacher said, “Listen to the Dharma with your feet.” I had to ask him, “Did you say feet?” He laughed and said, “Yes, feet. To listen to the Dharma means to listen with your entire being, from your head to your feet.” He then gave an example of how Rennyo Shonin had worn out many, many pairs of sandals going from place to place listening to the Dharma.”
If you have been doing zazen for many years and, by chance, awakened to Amida’s Great Compassion, it would be difficult to change your life-style immediately. You can carry on your meditation to enrich your experience of shinjin … But if you have no experience of zazen, I would not recommend it. Attainment of shinjin is a lifelong work, toward which all your effort should be directed. You won’t have time to try other methods. If you have shinjin, that’s enough. If you have Namu Amida Butsu, that’s enough. There is no need to seek satori in this life. Among other things, if improperly practiced, zazen does more harm than good.”
Kyōshin
Jishin
