Letters of Summer (1)

During his final summer spent at the Yamashina Honganji before his death on the 25th March 1499, Rennyo Shonin composed four letters which later came to be known as the ‘Letters of Summer’. The first two were composed in May 1498 and the latter two in the June and July. At this time Rennyo Shonin had been suffering from a grave illness, and, believing that his time in this world was very short, sought only to encourage his followers to attain Shinjin-faith.

The ‘Sayings and Doings of Rennyo Shonin’ (Rennyo Shonin Goichidai Kikigaki) records his strict but ever compassionate concern towards them during that time in this passage:

Article 44.

The Shonin had a recurrent illness during the Summer of the 7th, year of MEIO (1498) and was confined to quarters. On the 7th day of the 5th month, he stated his desire to pay his farewell respects to Shonin Shinran, and came up to Yamashina. Almost immediately, he said, “I do not wish to see anyone who has not received SHINJIN. I would meet and visit with anyone who will receive SHINJIN even if I have to invite them to come”. Thus, spoke the Shonin.

Twenty-two years after his death, Rennyo Shonin’s grandson Ennyo, undertook to compile together Rennyo Shonin’s letters. The main five fascicle collection of eighty letters is known as the Ofumi(or Gobunsho). The four ‘Letters of Summer’ were grouped together in a seperate volume known as the Natsu Ofumi or, in the Nishi-Honganji tradition, Ge no Ofumi.

Here in the first of the ‘Letters of Summer’, Rennyo Shonin looks at the meaning of Anjin (the peaceful or settled mind) in the context of single-hearted trust in Amida Buddha.

He then goes on to comment on a quotation from Shinran Shonin’s Wasan using passages taken from the Anjin Ketsujosho (On Attaining the Settled Mind), an anonymous work that is thought to probably be a text composed within the Seizan Tradition of the Jodo Shu. It is a text Rennyo Shonin greatly valued comparing it to a ‘goldmine’. It must be emphasised however that Rennyo Shonin interpreted it purely from the standpoint of Shinran Shonin’s teaching, using it to express the depth of Shinran’s thought in terms ordinary people could understand. These passages you can find in the last main paragraph of the letter which begins ‘Relative to this…’.

Another preliminary point to note is that the quotation from the wasan is actually an amalgamation of two from the Shozomatsu Wasan - the first part is from verse 35 and last from verse 34. (Rogers and Rogers page 131 note 85).

The reason that you have all gathered here today to listen seriously to the readings of the Triple Sutras is to gain a further understanding of Shinjin-Faith. However, unless you cease from listening to the Teachings in a negligent manner, you have no business being here after today. I shall explain the reason for this now; listen to me carefully.

By “Anjin-Faith” is meant the discarding of all other practices, the reliance upon Amida Tathagata with a singleness of heart, and the seeking of deliverance by Amida in the life to come. He who has accomplished this is a follower that has received the Determination of Anjin. The Nembutsu recited by those who have received this Determination of Anjin is known as the Nembutsu expressing the gratitude and the debt owed to Amida Buddha. Thus, in Shinran’s “Wasan” it is most clearly stated:

“The receipt of the Nembutsu of Wisdom is through the power of the Vow of Dharmakara. A person becomes one who expresses gratitude to the debt he owes Amida Buddha only after being immersed in the Wisdom of Shinjin-Faith”.

It is very important to understand the essence of this “Wasan”.

Relative to this: Firstly, when a follower of the Nembutsu hears the sacred name “Namu Amida Butsu” he should realise that his own rebirth has already been clearly established. He should know that it is the resultant Sacred Name that followed the Great Enlightenment of Dharmakara as He vowed that He would not take the Great Enlightenment if the rebirth of all sentient beings of the Ten Quarters was not clearly established. Secondly, when a follower of the Nembutsu hears the word “Land of Bliss” he should realise that his own place of rebirth has been clearly determined for him. He should know that it is the Land of Bliss established by Dharmakara as He vowed that he would not take the Great Enlightenment if the rebirth there of all sentient beings were not clearly established. While believing in the Original Vow and reciting the Sacred Name, it is a very saddening thing for any to think that this Sacred Name comes from the benevolence of some other Buddha, and that unless we supplement our own merits to it, we would never obtain rebirth. When Shinjin-Faith arises strongly so that our established rebirth is in the form of “Namu Amida Butsu” (since the work for our rebirth is accomplished by the Nembutsu), a single recitation of the Sacred Name assures us of our rebirth!

One should understand that all these points are the essence of the thoughts following the receipt of “Anjin-Faith.”

With reverence, I remain

Latter part, 5th month, 7th year of Meio (1498)

From the ‘Shinshu Seiten’ - published by the Buddhist Churches of America 1978

 

The Purpose of Faith-Meetings

For what purpose have there come to be meetings twice each month? They are [held] for the sake of realizing one’s own faith which leads to birth in the land of utmost bliss and for nothing else. Although there have been “meetings” everywhere each month, from the past up until now, there has been anything at all that might be called a discussion of faith. In recent years in particular, when there have been meetings (wherever they have been), everyone has dispersed after nothing more than sake, rice and tea. This is indeed contrary to the fundamental intent of the Buddha‑Dharma. Although each of those lacking faith (fushin) should by all means raise their doubts and discuss what it is to have faith or to be without it, they take their leaves without coming to any conclusions. This is not as it should be. You must carefully reflect on this matter. In brief, it is essential that each of those lacking faith (fushin) have discussions of faith with one another from now on. (Rennyo, Ofumi 1: 11)”

Earlier this year the oldest priest at our head temple Reverend Eshu Seno said, “At [this] Temple, the very source of Samgha life is to be found in the Daily services of Chanting Sutras (gongyo), Dharma-meetings, and Deep Hearing (Chomon), in that all three are fruitful manifestations of the Wisdom in our day to day lives.” Of these three dynamic processes Dharma or Faith Meetings are the most under-emphasised in the wider Shin community and the most often misunderstood by newcomers into our own.

Faith-meetings usually consist of a Dharma talk by a priest, or a lay-person giving their impressions of a certain event or even a sutra.  Then the priest or chair person invites various other people to give spontaneous repsonses to that initial talk.  Naturally this often makes feel people ‘put on the spot’ and can be tough for people of a reticent personality.  Equally even more loquacious people can be uncomfortable about expressing their feelings in a group environment.  Given such difficulties people often react to their intial experience of faith-meetings by assuming it is an expression of Japanese ‘group mentality’.  However when we look more deeply into the origins of these meetings we find that they have a far deeper significance and function.

In the records of Rennyo Shonin’s words [1], in particular the Rennyo Shonin Goichidai Kikigaki, we find frequent admonishments [2] to nembutsu followers to ‘Just say something!’:

Talk, talk to one another [When fellow devotees gather together]” and “Anyone who remains silent is a danger.” Again he said, “Those who have attained faith and those who have yet to do so, they should all talk to one another.” If you speak, then what you have on your mind becomes known to others and can be corrected. Just say something!” (RSGK, Article 87)

What is particularly important to understand is that we need not feel pressure to say something wise, something clever, even something honest, we must simply speak.  This is because when the words come out they do so in front of the Buddha and in the ritual space of the Buddha-shrine, and as such there is a natural echo back in which the nature of those words is revealed to us.  For example if our hearts our insincere we may come to know it by the time the words leave our lips, and our heart-mind will then be changed naturally.  Rennyo says that we need to trust the Buddha-dharma to take our words as they are, however limited, and transform them:

“[Rennyo] said, “It is through lack of faith that a person does not speak at Buddhist meetings. Such a person thinks he should say something that he has carefully worked out and thought about. It is as if he felt he had to go off and find something special. But happiness should be expressed just as it is.

If it is cold, say ‘cold’ and if it is hot, say ‘hot’: you should talk about your state of mind just exactly as it is. Not speaking at all at Buddhist meetings is a sign of ‘no faith’. The problem of lack of awareness is also related to the matter of faith. If fellow devotees gather together and praise [the Buddha], there will be no lack of awareness. (RSGK, Article 203)”

It is also possible, though relatively rare, that a person may find another sangha member attempting to correct their understanding by direct comment.  Here Rennyo Shonin says the important point is not to discern whether one’s view is right over another’s but to see why they have responded in that way and what it shows us about our own condition.  In that sense people are always mirrors to ourselves:

“[Rennyo] said, “You should prepare yourself mentally as best you can to be corrected by others! Let your heart be open to your fellow devotees. People fail to trust and accept advice from others who are younger or of lower status and fly into a temper. How deplorable that is! You should maintain a state of mind that allows you to accept the advice of others.” (RSGK, Article 108)

Hopefully then we can see from the fore-going discussion that faith-meetings cannot be reduced to a sociological phenomena but were specifically developed to aid the process of spiritual reflection and the settlement of shinjin.  That they remain challenging is a given, however I think that we can now see that they are a different kind of challenge from that which we first imagined. Faith-meetings call us to go forwards to the Buddha, just as we are, and that means that both the confident and the shy person are confronted by challenge of meeting themselves as if for the first time.

Finally, as an aside, a Dharma friend from a Rinzai background commented to me recently that they had never experienced these kinds of meetings before in other Buddhist traditions.  I acknowledged this [3] but pointed out that in many ways Rennyo’s admonishment to ‘Just say something’ is not so different to koan practice, especially the famous case found in the Mumonkan which says; “On top of a hundred foot pole, how will you take a further step?”.

Notes:
——
This post is partly based on a talk given by my teacher Reverend Kemmyo Taira Sato.

[1] Rennyo (1415-1499) was the eighth head priest of Honganji.
[2] See also Articles 120 of Rennyo Shonin Ichidai Kikigaki a
[3] I am not sure how similar they are to our meetings but the Nichiren lay-organisation Rissho Koseikai have group meetings called ‘Hoza‘ so it is certainly not unheard of in other sects of Japanese Buddhism.

 

Priorities (& Meditation #2)

[We] think of the Buddha (say the nembutsu) whilst reflecting on death [in daily life].” - Old Pure Land saying

In all likelihood things will be quiet here over the next week. If you’ve got a national holiday like we have here in the UK then I hope you have a relaxing time in which to be refreshed, reflect on the year past, and prepare for the new!

In last night’s gongyo at my home the Ofumi was Juzu no Sho (Chapter on Devotional Beads). The Ofumi is one of the few parts of the liturgy I still read out in English, and this was an occasion when I rather wished I had an annotated Japanese-English copy to hand. The reason being is that in the letter Rennyo Shonin criticises the shallow, fake piety of certain priests and urges them to stop only going ‘through the motions of listening’. Then, very interestingly, he says that they should review their situation with ‘calmed minds’.

In the context of our recent discussion about meditation and Jodo Shinshu it is interesting that Rennyo Shonin doesn’t tell them to calm their minds via any practice but simply draws their attention to human mortality via the breath; “Man’s life is dependent upon breathing where the out-going breath must await the incoming breath. Enshrine the Dharma in your hearts and obtain Faith with deliberate concern and without laxity.”

Jodo Shinshu at its best is in many ways a return to the pristine spirit of early Buddhism. It’s about the fact that we have already been given what we need to hear the Dharma, and we don’t need to engage in any complicated practices or calculated efforts. Though death may seem a peculiar topic to reflect on, both in terms of calmness and as we approach the ‘new year’, it has a tendency to bring a clarity and sense of priorities to our lives.

If you are reading this you may be a Shinshu follower or just curious, but I hope that you will join me in 2008 as I continue to contemplate with my Dharma friends what Rennyo in the above letter calls; “the sacredness of the Primal Vow of Amida Tathágata (having been so established, especially) as the most suitable way” [for ordinary people such as ourselves]. Namuamidabutsu.