Tannisho
-
I
When the thought of saying the nembutsu emerges decisively from within, having entrusted ourselves to the inconceivable power of Amida's vow which saves us, enabling us to be born in the Pure Land, in that very moment we receive the ultimate benefit of being grasped never to be abandoned.
Amida's Primal Vow does not discriminate between the young and old, good and evil; true entrusting alone is essential. The reason is that the Vow is directed to the being burdened with the weight of karmic evil and burning with the flames of blind passion.
Thus, in entrusting ourselves to the Primal Vow, no other form of good is necessary, for there is no good that surpasses the nembutsu. And evil need not be feared, for there is no evil which can obstruct the working of Amida's Primal Vow.
Just thought I'd start a Tannisho thread, please, feel free to add comments or thoughts each day as I post another passage from this text. -
Hi Billy,
thanks for posting this. The first chapter of the Tannisho can be said to be the synopsis of the Jodo Shinshu teachings. What do you think?
Gassho -
Originally posted by WDF:
are u the Billy i know in Singapore Polytechnic ??
[b]I
When the thought of saying the nembutsu emerges decisively from within, having entrusted ourselves to the inconceivable power of Amida's vow which saves us, enabling us to be born in the Pure Land, in that very moment we receive the ultimate benefit of being grasped never to be abandoned.
Amida's Primal Vow does not discriminate between the young and old, good and evil; true entrusting alone is essential. The reason is that the Vow is directed to the being burdened with the weight of karmic evil and burning with the flames of blind passion.
Thus, in entrusting ourselves to the Primal Vow, no other form of good is necessary, for there is no good that surpasses the nembutsu. And evil need not be feared, for there is no evil which can obstruct the working of Amida's Primal Vow.
Just thought I'd start a Tannisho thread, please, feel free to add comments or thoughts each day as I post another passage from this text.[/b] -
Dun think u know Billy, Billy is my friend here in Japan.
Gassho -
sanath,
I think it stands up as a pretty good summary of Shinran's teachings. I've been reading Tannisho again recently, and the more I read it, the more gratitude I feel for the Shin teachings. It is truly an amazing work.
bohiruci,
I'm not the Billy you know from Singapore - I live in Japan
Gassho -
Hi Billy,
but something i was told by my Sensei.
Actually, the most important is still, afterall, Shinran Shonin's "Kyogyoshinsho". If one cannot learn it, then "Shoshinge" or the Wasans are more important. "Tannisho" afterall, is not a writing of Shinran Shonin. What do you think?
Gassho -
II
I believe that the reason you have come here, crossing over more than ten provinces at the risk of your lives, is solely to ascertain the path that leads to birth in the Pure Land. But if you suspect that I know ways other than the nembutsu to attain birth, or that I am versed in the scriptures connected with it, you are greatly mistaken. If that be the case, there are many eminent scholars in the monasteries of Nara and Mt. Hiei, so you should go see them and ask them in detail about the way to attain birth in the Pure Land.
As for myself, Shinran, I simply receive the words of my dear teacher, Honen, "Just say the nembutsu and be saved by Amida," and entrust myself to the Primal Vow. Besides this, there is nothing else.
I really do not know whether the nembutsu may be the cause for my birth in the Pure Land, or the act that shall condemn me to hell. But I have nothing to regret, even if I should have been deceived by my teacher, and, saying the nembtsu, fall into hell. The reason is that if I were capable of realizing Buddhahood by other religious practices and yet fell into hell for saying the nembutsu, I might have dire regrets for having been deceived. But since I am absolutely incapable of any religious practice, hell is my only home. -
2
Each of you has come to see me, crossing the borders of more than ten provinces at the risk of your life, solely with the intent of asking about the path to birth in the land of bliss. But if you imagine in me some special knowledge of a path to birth other than the nembutsu or of scriptural writings that teach it, you are greatly mistaken. If that is the case, since there are many eminent scholars in the southern capital of Nara or on Mount Hiei to the north, you would do better to meet with them and inquire fully about the essentials for birth.
As for me, I simply accept and entrust myself to what my revered teacher told me, "Just say the nembutsu and be saved by Amida"; nothing else is involved.
I have no idea whether the nembutsu is truly the seed for my being born in the Pure Land or whether it is the karmic act for which I must fall into hell. Should I have been deceived by Master Honen and, saying the nembutsu, were to fall into hell, even then I would have no regrets.
The reason is, if I could attain Buddhahood by endeavoring in other practices, but said the nembutsu and so fell into hell, then I would feel regret at having been deceived. But I am incapable of any other practice, so hell is decidedly my abode whatever I do.
If Amida's Primal Vow is true, Shakyamuni's teaching cannot be false. If the Buddha's teaching is true, Shan-tao's commentaries cannot be false. If Shan-tao's commentaries are true can Honen's words be lies? If Honen's words are true, then surely what I say cannot be empty.
Such, in the end, is how this foolish person entrusts himself [to the Vow]. Beyond this, whether you take up the nembutsu or whether you abandon it is for each of you to determine.
Thus were his words -
Oops, great minds think alike, to think i also posted in at the same time. Whose translation is this?
An interesting point i learnt in university last week regarding about the last portion of Chapter 2 of the Tannisho.
"It is not because Sakyamuni Buddha preached it (Pure Land teachings/Amida Buddha) that it is Truth. Rather, because it is Truth that is why Sakyamuni Buddha preached". What do you think of this statement? Quite true i would say.
Gassho -
Hmm...I think if you cannot learn from Kyogyoshinsho, you should try out "Passages on the Pure Land Way," and see if that is a bit easier to grasp. To be honest, I haven't read through all of the Wasans, because works like "Tannisho" and "Essentials on Faith Alone" resonate better for me.Originally posted by sanath:Hi Billy,
but something i was told by my Sensei.
Actually, the most important is still, afterall, Shinran Shonin's "Kyogyoshinsho". If one cannot learn it, then "Shoshinge" or the Wasans are more important. "Tannisho" afterall, is not a writing of Shinran Shonin. What do you think?
Gassho
Gassho -
The most commonly misunderstood chapter of the Tannisho, but here goes:
3
Even a good person attains birth in the Pure Land, so it goes without saying that an evil person will.
Though it is so, people commonly say, "Even an evil person attains birth, so it goes without saying that a good person will." This statement may seem well founded at first, but it runs counter to the intent of the Primal Vow, which is Other Power. This is because people who rely on doing good through their self-power fail to entrust themselves wholeheartedly to Other Power and therefore not in accord with Amida's Primal Vow, but when they overturn the mind of self-power and entrust themselves to Other Power, they will attain birth in the true and fulfilled land.
It is impossible for us, who are possessed of blind passions, to free ourselves from birth-and-death through any practice whatever. Sorrowing at this, Amida made the Vow, the essential intent of which is the evil person's attainment of Buddhahood. Hence, evil persons who entrust themselves to Other Power are precisely the ones who possess the true cause of birth.
Accordingly he said, "Even the good person is born in the Pure Land, so without question is the person who is evil"
---
It seems that Shinran Shonin was not really the first person to have said this, but rather, it can be found in one of Honen Shonin's writings. If memory does not fail me, in Honen Shonin's "Wago Toroku ˜aŒê“”˜^".
First we must know what "evil" means in Jodo Shinshu.
(to be continued)
Gassho -
Evil, karmic evil [aku, akugo]
Buddhism teaches that human beings possess blind passions, but that through practice they can become rid of those passions. When they are completely free of passions, they attain Buddhahood. Shinran, however, takes the position of a person incapable of ridding himself of passions, and the blind passions one cannot rid oneself of he terms "evil." These passions form the core of one's very existence as a human being; one has possessed them from the beginningless past and will continue to have them for however long one lives. Shinran uses a number of interrelated terms to refer to evil: aku (bad, evil), tsumi (also zai-, evil, transgression), zaiaku, zaigo (evil karma), akugo (evil karma). Although they differ in perspective and emphasis, these terms all express the nature of the self that one becomes aware of within the light of the Buddha's wisdom.
The basic meaning of evil may be seen in the following words of Shinran recorded in A Record in Lament of Divergences 3:
It is impossible for us, filled as we are with blind passions, to free ourselves from birth-and-death through any practice whatever. Sorrowing at this, Amida made the Vow, the essential intent of which is the attainment of Buddhahood by the evil person.
A person is "evil" because he or she is filled with blind passions; this is also clear from Shinran's statement, "A foolish being is by nature possessed of blind passions, so you must recognize yourself as a being of evil" (Lamp for the Latter Ages 6). It should be noted that while the term "evil" has moral and ethical implications in Shin Buddhism, its chief significance is religious. The essential meaning of the term evil is a person's inability to perform any religious practice whatever - any act to bring him or herself to the attainment of Buddhahood - because of the deeply harbored blind passions that motivate all his acts. In other words, whatever moral or ethical "good" persons may do, and however pure and spiritually disciplined they may make themselves, every thought that they have, word that they utter, and deed that they do can result only in sending them to hell, and not one can bring them closer to enlightenment. Nevertheless, the essential intent of the Primal Vow is "the attainment of Buddhahood by the evil person."
In order to understand Shinran's concept of the evil person as the one in accord with the Vow, it is necessary to consider Shinran's use of "good and evil."
Know that the Primal Vow of Amida makes no distinction between people young and old, good and evil.
(A Record in Lament of Divergences 1)
By acting on the impulses of such blind passions as anger or greed, one may inflict harm and suffering on others; this is part of the Shin concept of "evil." But, as stated here, human judgments of good and evil hold no meaning from the standpoint of the Primal Vow. However evil one may be, one will be saved, and however virtuous one may be, or diligent in religious practice, such good is of no aid or significance whatever. In the realm of the Primal Vow, there is only the Buddha and evil beings. "Good" people in the ordinary sense - people who believe their actions to be good and who strive to make them so - cannot enter there, for they believe instead in their own judgments, will, and capacity to do good:
People who rely on doing good through their self-power fail to entrust themselves wholeheartedly to Other Power and therefore are not in accord with Amida's Vow. (ibid., 3)
Because of their calculation, such persons cannot entrust themselves to the Primal Vow. They stand within the realm of intellect and morality - the realm of ordinary human life - and cannot encounter that which transcends such life. "But," Shinran continues,
When they overturn the mind of self-power and entrust themselves to Other Power, they will attain birth in the true and real fulfilled land. (ibid.)
In abandoning attachment to their own good and "becoming their foolish self" (Lamp for the Latter Ages 6), persons come to encounter the Vow. That is, abandoning the thought that one is good, and even the belief in the ultimate significance of human good, one realizes one's evil and becomes evil in Shinran's sense; it is precisely such an evil person who is liberated by the Vow.
The self-realization implied in the concept of evil is strongly expressed in the characterization of evil as karmic (akugo, zaigo). Karma signifies the history of the human existence of a single person flowing in a line of cause and effect from past to present and present to future. Karmic evil, frequently used together with ignorance (mumyo akugo) and blind passions (bonno akugo), implies the infiniteness of one's evil, stretching back into the beginningless past and harboring unknowable evil in the depths of the existence of the self. Because of eons of repetition and habit, this evil thoroughly pervades one's life; hence, to become aware of the deep roots of existence of one's self is at the same time to become aware of its basic nature as evil, being pervaded by blind passions.
Karma further implies that one's evil is of one's own commission. Thus there is a basic difference between Shinran's concept of evil and the idea of original sin in Christianity, in which one shares with all humankind the sin committed by the first man. Moreover, Amida's great compassion is absolute; there is no place at all for the judgment of sins. Hence, neither is there any redemption of sins; persons are grasped by great compassion just as they are, possessed of evil. Their sins are worked out not by Amida Buddha, but by the law of karma. In a sense, persons must deal with their own evil through the karma at work in their lives and redeem it themselves. Amida has no part in this. Evil thus describes persons who have been taken into Other Power just as they are, living out the consequences of their acts.
Nevertheless, when persons have been grasped by Other Power, "without their calculating in any way, all their past, present, and future karmic evil is transformed into good." This is not to say that their karmic evil is deprived of its own inherent action. It at once follows the law of karma and is transformed by Other Power. Evil, then, must not be understood merely as a label for the human condition; it refers specifically to persons who entrust themselves to Other Power and live in its working. This entrusting is at the same time a realization of one's self as evil that cannot be attained through the self-reflection carried on by human intellect; it only occurs within the realm of the Primal Vow (the Buddha's mind), which transcends the dimensions of intellect and consciousness and therefore transcends morality and social life. Through the light shed for them by the Buddha's wisdom, persons become aware of the evil at the roots of their lives, and while they are grieved by it and repent, they are also filled with gratitude for Amida's compassion.
In referring to evil, Shinran uses both aku (waroshi) and zai (tsumi). Tsumi refers to human defilement in contrast to the purity of the Buddha. It is, therefore, fundamentally a religious concept. Aku (evil) is originally an ethical and moral concept used in relation to good and confined in its meaning to the realm of human relationships. Shinran uses this term in the religious sense outlined above, however, and this usage expresses the close relationship between religion and morality. Precisely by transcending morality, the realm of the Primal Vow lends support to morality from a more profound level, and morality itself performs a function of leading us, through self-reflection, toward the world of the Vow. -
Haha, I left out the last part! Woops! I'm using the translation from Unno, though which I believe was the first translation I read before I read the Hongwanji-ha translation.Originally posted by sanath:Oops, great minds think alike, to think i also posted in at the same time. Whose translation is this?
An interesting point i learnt in university last week regarding about the last portion of Chapter 2 of the Tannisho.
"It is not because Sakyamuni Buddha preached it (Pure Land teachings/Amida Buddha) that it is Truth. Rather, because it is Truth that is why Sakyamuni Buddha preached". What do you think of this statement? Quite true i would say.
Gassho
Regarding the quote about Shakyamuni preaching the Pure Land teachings because it was the truth - I definitely agree. The Pure Land path opened up to me just as I believe it opened up to Honen, Shinran, and many others - I was first caught up in my own efforts to reach enlightenment. I mean, I went to the monastery and made plans to enter and become a Zen monk. But the more I found I practiced, the further I felt I was actually from where I wanted to be, and felt my efforts were totally inadequate. It took a long time and a lot of introspection to realize that I am incapable of finding enlightenment through my own efforts. The realization made me open my eyes to a lot of things about myself that perhaps I wasn't willing to acknowledge before.
When I look back on this process, I realized that it wasn't due to my own skills of meditation or introspection that I could see these things, but by Amida's light that I was made aware of what had been hidden to me before.
Gassho -
Ah, just realised that we both forgot to put in the Preface of the Tannisho, so here it goes:
As I humbly reflect on the past [when the late master was alive] and the present in my foolish mind, I cannot but lament the divergences from the true shinjin that he conveyed by speaking to us directly, and I fear there are doubts and confusions in the way followers receive and transmit the teaching. For how is entrance into the single gate of easy practice possible unless we happily come to rely on a true teacher whom conditions bring us to encounter? Let there be not the slightest distortion of the teaching of Other Power with words of an understanding based on personal views.
Here, then, I set down in small part the words spoken by the late Shinran Shonin that remain deep in my mind, solely to disperse the doubts of fellow practicers. -
4
Concerning compassion, there is a difference between the Path of Sages and the Pure Land Path.
Compassion in the Path of Sages is to pity, commiserate with, and care for beings. It is extremely difficult, however, to accomplish the saving of others just as one wishes.
Compassion in the Pure Land Path should be understood as first attaining Buddhahood quickly through saying the nembutsu and, with the mind of great love and compassion, freely benefiting sentient beings as one wishes.
However much love and pity we may feel in our present lives, it is hard to save others as we wish; hence, such compassion remains unfulfilled. Only the saying of the nembutsu, then, is the mind of great compassion that is thoroughgoing.
Thus were his words. -
This is an interesting passage in Tannisho, as I've often had people question me about the purpose of practicing Shin Buddhism in relation to our present lives. People often are turned off by Pure Land Buddhism in general, I believe, as they view it as too outwardly-oriented, dualistic, or focused on the future, and not the present.Originally posted by sanath:
Thoughts on this? -
Hi Billy,
are you asking me about Chapter 4 of the Tannisho?
Generally, Pure Land Buddhism does place alot of emphasis on the "next life". However, as you know, in Jodo Shinshu there are two benefits that a Nembutsu follower will attain. One is, the gurantee of rebirth in the Pure Land at the moment of the attainment of Shinjin, and two, gurantee that one will become a Buddha in the Pure Land when one's life in this Saha world has ended, brought through the working of Amida's Primal Vow.
http://www.shinranworks.com/readingtools/glossary/glossary-e.htm#satori
In Shin Buddhism, human existence is seen as permeated by ignorance; hence, the source of the transformation from ignorance to wisdom is not within a person but without, the Primal Vow of Amida. The Primal vow effects the enlightenment of all beings in two stages: in the realization of shinjin here and now in this life, persons attain the equal of enlightenment (but not full enlightenment, because of their karmic limitations); and at the end of life, they attain birth in the Pure Land and realize complete and supreme enlightenment (having become freed of all karmic bonds - intellectual, emotional, and physical). Moreover, since enlightenment is not a static state but a dynamic becoming, the enlightened being comes back to the defiled world of karmic limitations to work for the emancipation of suffering beings.
This point can be said to be the doctrinal difference between Jodo Shin and other Pure Land teachings.
Gassho -
Yes, I was asking in reference to the 4th passage in Tannisho. I think, especially in the West, people are turned off by the idea that we are fundamentally ignorant - they don't get past many of the initial misconceptions about Shin before they make surface judgments regarding the tradition. I understand how this kind of thinking works, because I used to feel the same way.
I think that in any Shin follower who was not brought up in a Shin family, there is a cycle that we must follow. Usually we begin by rejecting Shin as overly pessimistic, or unbelievable, or naive heaven-based nonsense. After this stage of rejection there is a period of time when we engage in many different kinds of practices. Maybe for some they work, but for those of us who can't practice the other paths, we come back to Shin and realize how much insight the teachings provide, and how perfectly they can fit us if we just take the time to understand the basics.
Gassho -
5
As for me, Shinran, I have never said the nembutsu even once for the repose of my departed father and mother. For all sentient beings, without exception, have been our parents and brothers and sisters in the course of countless lives in the many states of existence. On attaining Buddhahood after this present life, we can save every one of them.
Were saying the nembutsu indeed a good act in which I strove through my own powers, then I might direct the merit thus gained towards saving my father and mother. But this is not the case.
If, however, simply abandoning self-power, we quickly attain enlightenment in the Pure Land, we will be able to save, by means of transcendent powers, first those with whom we have close karmic relations, whatever karmic suffering they may have sunk to in the six realms through the four modes of birth.
Thus were his words.
Just a question - other than performing services for Honen, did Shinran ever perform funeral services for others?
Gassho -
Hi Billy,
not sure, never heard of any references with regards to this.
Gassho -
Hmm...Well, I know that the take on funerals in Shin is that they are performed for the sake of those left behind by the deceased, but really, aside from the financial benefits, I'm not sure why funerals are such a big deal in Shinshu. To be honest, they seem somewhat contrary to the spirit of what Shinran said in the 5th part of Tannisho.Originally posted by sanath:Hi Billy,
not sure, never heard of any references with regards to this.
Gassho
Gassho -
Hi Billy,
well all Buddhist traditions everywhere in the world hold funerals, or have funeral services, including the most thought-to-be "simplistic" Zen, where the cost of a funeral and Kaimyo is extravangantly more expensive than a Jodo Shinshu funeral.
Jodo Shin's take on funerals are basically for two reasons. One, for those left behind, so that they may have the opportunity to hear the Dharma. Two, to provide a proper and respectful "send-off" to the deceased. Many a time, it is through a Shin funeral (esp nowadays) that people have the opportunity to hear a Jodo Shin sermon, and some do actually convert to Shin because of that. -
Shall put in three passages together at one time, so let's discuss about this.
Gassho
6
It appears that disputes have arisen among followers of the sole practice of nembutsu, who argue that "these are my disciples" or "those are someone else's disciples." This is utterly senseless.
For myself, I do not have even a single disciple. For if I brought people to say the nembutsu through my own efforts, then they might be my disciples. But it is indeed preposterous to call persons "my disciples" when they say the nembutsu having received the working of Amida.
We come together when conditions bring us to meet and part when conditions separate us. In spite of this, some assert that those who say the nembutsu having turned from one teacher to follow another cannot attain birth. This is absurd. Are they saying that they will take back the shinjin given by Amida as if it belonged to them? Such a claim should never be made.
If one comes to be in accord with the spontaneous working of the Vow (jinen), one will awaken to the benevolence of the Buddha and of one's teachers.
Thus were his words.
7
The nembutsu is the single path free of hindrances. Why is this? To practicers who have realized shinjin, the gods of the heavens and earth bow in homage, and maras and nonbuddhists present no obstruction. No evil act can bring about karmic results, nor can any good act equal the nembutsu.
Thus were his words.
8
The nembutsu, for its practicers, is not a practice or a good act. Since it is not preformed out of one's own designs, it is not a practice. Since it is not good done through one's own calculation, it is not a good act. Because it arises wholly from Other Power and is free of self-power, for the practicer, it is not a practice or a good act.
Thus were his words. -
Yet at the same time, Shinran wrote that he wanted to be thrown into the river so the fish could eat him. I think that due to the aura of veneration surrounding him, Shinran's message and unique character is sometimes overlooked.Originally posted by sanath:Hi Billy,
well all Buddhist traditions everywhere in the world hold funerals, or have funeral services, including the most thought-to-be "simplistic" Zen, where the cost of a funeral and Kaimyo is extravangantly more expensive than a Jodo Shinshu funeral.
Jodo Shin's take on funerals are basically for two reasons. One, for those left behind, so that they may have the opportunity to hear the Dharma. Two, to provide a proper and respectful "send-off" to the deceased. Many a time, it is through a Shin funeral (esp nowadays) that people have the opportunity to hear a Jodo Shin sermon, and some do actually convert to Shin because of that.
I believe that during Shinran's time, even, the practice of monthly or bi-weekly dharma talks was a popular practice for Shin followers, which took place in a dojo, not a temple, if I am not mistaken. Don't get me wrong, I believe that temples are beautiful and wonderful centers for culture, scholarship, and dharma-related activity, but somewhere in the mix it seems that some of the grass-roots nature of Shinran's teachings were lost.
While I'm sure it was not intentional, it seems that the distance between the clergy and laity that Shinran strived to avoid has been created after his death by ritualistic ceremonies, observances, etc. I can see them as being respectful and serving their purpose, but sometimes I wonder if Shinran were alive now whether or not he would shake his head at some of the things that are now common practice in organized Shinshu. You've got more experience dealing w/rituals, funerals, observances, etc. than me, Cliff. What do you think?
Gassho -
Hi Billy,
yes Jodo Shin temples actually came into the being as a natural turn from Dojos, it was only natural, especially during the Edo period when one had to be registered under a temple, so many Shin Dojos turned into formal temples to attend to the needs of the Monto.
Well, every religious movement, would sooner or later in its history, turn into formal religious groups (Kyodan), complete with rites and rituals. The same goes for Jodo Shin. If without turning into a formal religious group, in our case the Honganji, we might not have been able to encounter the Shin teachings, for it may have just been absorbed or completely forgotten.
This is my personal stance.
Gassho