Kikyomon And Ryogemon - Jodo Shinshu Homage And Creed

• sanath

  26 Jun 06, 22:02

  Homages - Kikyomon
  
  Hard it is to be born into human life; now we are living it. Difficult it is to hear the teachings of the Blessed One; now we hear them. If we do not gain emancipation in this present life, how may we be freed from sorrow in the ocean of birth and death? Let us reverently take refuge in the Triple Gems.
  
  I go to the Buddha for refuge. May I always walk the way that leads to Enlightenment.
  I go to the Dharma for refuge. May I be submerged in the depth of the Teachings and gain Wisdom as deep as the ocean.
  I go to the Sangha for refuge. May I all with one accord live the life of harmony in the spirit of brotherhood, free from the bondage of selfishness.
  
  Even though myriad of kalpas, hard it is to hear such excellent and profound teachings. Now we are able to hear and receive them. Let us try to understand the Tathágatas teachings.
  
  Ryogemon - The Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Creed
  
  I rely on Amida Buddha, with my whole heart, for the attainment of Nirvana. I give up trust in my powerless self, and abandon all practices that rely on the false ego.
  
  I know that, because of Amida Buddhas Boundless Compassion, I am assured of re-birth the very moment that I put my trust in Him. I call His Name, Namu Amida Butsu, in happiness and thanksgiving for the gift of His Universal Vow.
  
  I am grateful to Shinran Shonin and his followers for leading me to this profound teaching. I will try to live, throughout my life, according to the way of Nembutsu that they have taught.
  
  The Kikyomon is a verse to express the difficulty and rarity of attaining our present human life, and a reminder for us to settle the affairs of the afterlife (Gojo no ichidaji) while living our lives in the present moment. In the Kikyomon we also take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - The Triple Gems.
  The Ryogemon, written by Rennyo Shonin, expresses the Jodo Shinshu belief of abandoning the various practices that rely on self-power, and to take refuge in Amida Buddha's Saving Grace for our Enlightenment in future lives. It also expresses our gratitude to Shinran Shonin, the Founder, as well as his followers for leading us to encounter the rare and unsurpassed Jodo Shinshu teachings.
  The Kikyomon and Ryogemon are also said daily during Morning and Evening recitals in-front of the Shrine.
  
  from: http://www.buddhistinformation.com/pureland/kikyomon_and_ryogemon.htm
• sanath

  26 Jun 06, 22:10

  The Shin Buddhist Creed (Ryo Ge Mon)
  
  I rely on Amida Buddha, with my whole heart, for the attainment of Nirvana.
  I give up trust in my powerless self and abandon all practices that rely on the false ego.
  I know that, because of AmidaÂ’s Boundless Compassion,
  I am assured of re-birth the very moment I put my trust in Amida Buddha.
  I call the Name, "Namo Amida Butsu"
  in happiness and thanks giving for the gift of the Universal Vow.
  I am grateful to Shinran Shonin and his followers for leading me to this profound teaching.
  I will try to live, throughout my life, according to the way of Nembutsu that they have taught.
  
  The above is a translation of the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’, which was written by Rennyo Shonin. The practice of reciting the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ by the followers began around the time when the Yamashina Hongwanji was built. Rennyo Shonin must have put so much effort into writing this passage, because although it is short, it contains the essence of the Jodo Shinshu teaching.
  
  Because of his desire to have everyone understand the teaching and receive Shinjin, Rennyo Shonin wrote the ‘Ryo Ge Mon.’ The Character ‘Ryo’ translated in to English means, the ‘important point,’ while the character ‘Ge’ means ‘to understand’. Thus, ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ is the passage for ‘understanding the important point (essence) of the Jodo Shinshu teachings’
  
  I remember when I was young, my family recited the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ every night. Of course, as a child, I had no idea what I was reciting. To me it was just a passage I memorized. That was until I went to university and received my Tokudo ordination. It was there, for the first time, that I learned about the meaning of the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’. Unfortunately, at that time I did not think too deeply about it. Recently, however, I was reading an article about the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ and I realized how important the passage is. It was then that I started to think about what the passage means to me.
  
  In this passage, Rennyo Shonin is saying "Just rely on Amida Buddha, that is all you have to do." This seems easy to do so, but actually is very difficult. For example, if Rennyo Shonin had said "If you recite the Onembutsu one thousand times every day for one year, you will receive Shinjin" It would be very easy to understand and we would know exactly what we have to do. However, Rennyo Shonin did not say that, he said "Just rely on Amida Buddha". So what exactly does this mean? My understanding of "Just rely on Amida Buddha" is that it means to receive the teaching of Amida Buddha as it is, and to listen to the words of Shinran Shonin and the great teachers of Pure Land Buddhism as they are. To do so, I (you) understand and realize that the teaching of the Buddha was taught for me (you). This is one of the most important parts of listening to the teaching. Just as one cannot become full by having someone else eat food for them; the teaching of the Buddha is same. One cannot listen to the teachings to benefit others. It is only when we listen to the teaching for one self that we will be able to totally rely on Amida Buddha. Please keep listening to the teaching.
  
  Gassho,
  Masanobu Nishiaki Kumagai
  
  from: http://www.buddhistinformation.com/pureland/shin_buddhist_creed.htm
• WDF

  26 Jun 06, 23:46

  Originally posted by sanath:
  [b]The Shin Buddhist Creed (Ryo Ge Mon)
  
  I rely on Amida Buddha, with my whole heart, for the attainment of Nirvana.
  I give up trust in my powerless self and abandon all practices that rely on the false ego.
  I know that, because of AmidaÂ’s Boundless Compassion,
  I am assured of re-birth the very moment I put my trust in Amida Buddha.
  I call the Name, "Namo Amida Butsu"
  in happiness and thanks giving for the gift of the Universal Vow.
  I am grateful to Shinran Shonin and his followers for leading me to this profound teaching.
  I will try to live, throughout my life, according to the way of Nembutsu that they have taught.
  
  The above is a translation of the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’, which was written by Rennyo Shonin. The practice of reciting the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ by the followers began around the time when the Yamashina Hongwanji was built. Rennyo Shonin must have put so much effort into writing this passage, because although it is short, it contains the essence of the Jodo Shinshu teaching.
  
  Because of his desire to have everyone understand the teaching and receive Shinjin, Rennyo Shonin wrote the ‘Ryo Ge Mon.’ The Character ‘Ryo’ translated in to English means, the ‘important point,’ while the character ‘Ge’ means ‘to understand’. Thus, ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ is the passage for ‘understanding the important point (essence) of the Jodo Shinshu teachings’
  
  I remember when I was young, my family recited the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ every night. Of course, as a child, I had no idea what I was reciting. To me it was just a passage I memorized. That was until I went to university and received my Tokudo ordination. It was there, for the first time, that I learned about the meaning of the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’. Unfortunately, at that time I did not think too deeply about it. Recently, however, I was reading an article about the ‘Ryo Ge Mon’ and I realized how important the passage is. It was then that I started to think about what the passage means to me.
  
  In this passage, Rennyo Shonin is saying "Just rely on Amida Buddha, that is all you have to do." This seems easy to do so, but actually is very difficult. For example, if Rennyo Shonin had said "If you recite the Onembutsu one thousand times every day for one year, you will receive Shinjin" It would be very easy to understand and we would know exactly what we have to do. However, Rennyo Shonin did not say that, he said "Just rely on Amida Buddha". So what exactly does this mean? My understanding of "Just rely on Amida Buddha" is that it means to receive the teaching of Amida Buddha as it is, and to listen to the words of Shinran Shonin and the great teachers of Pure Land Buddhism as they are. To do so, I (you) understand and realize that the teaching of the Buddha was taught for me (you). This is one of the most important parts of listening to the teaching. Just as one cannot become full by having someone else eat food for them; the teaching of the Buddha is same. One cannot listen to the teachings to benefit others. It is only when we listen to the teaching for one self that we will be able to totally rely on Amida Buddha. Please keep listening to the teaching.
  
  Gassho,
  Masanobu Nishiaki Kumagai
  
  from: http://www.buddhistinformation.com/pureland/shin_buddhist_creed.htm[/b]

  This is great Cliff, I have never seen this before. What Masanobu Nishiaki Kumagai wrote about "just rely on Amida" is 100% what I believe. The meaning, to me, is to understand that the Pure Land teaching is made perfectly with you in mind. I read somewhere, "Know that for every moment you think of the Buddha, the Buddha is thinking of you." I believe that some may view this as a practice of meditation on the Buddha - however, to me, this means that every moment I spend thinking of the Buddha is a moment that Amida must have considered when the 48 Vows were made, and a moment he is considering now. Can you remember which master, I think it may have been Tan Luan, who said that when we think of the Buddha, a lotus flower appears in the Pure Land, and when we entrust ourselves to Amida, the lotus opens?
  
  I think in Shin that thinking of the Buddha and hearing the Pure Land teachings is nothing that has to involve sweat and concentration - it is to understand that Amida made the Primal Vow to accept me just as I am. This feeling pervades everything I do in my life, and now I can see things begin to change slowly for me. Of course I am still myself and am as far from perfect as anyone else, but I know the feeling of being grasped and can see things from that standpoint now.
  
  Gassho