Commentaries
Notes on 'Essentials of Faith Alone' (4)
The person with the three minds will be born without fail
in that land
This means that because a person has the three minds he or
she will be born without fail in that land. Thus Shan-tao
states:
If one possesses these three minds, one will necessarily
attain birth. If the one mind is lacking, then birth is
not attained.
If one possesses these three minds means that we must
have the threefold mind.
If the one mind is lacking means that no one can be
born when this one mind is lacking. To lack the one mind is
to lack shinjin. To lack shinjin is to lack the true and real
threefold shinjin of the Primal Vow. To realize the three
minds of the Contemplation Sutra and then the threefold
shinjin of the Larger Sutra is to realize the one mind.
When this one mind is lacking, one is not born in the real
fulfilled land. The three minds of the Contemplation Sutra
are parts of the mind of self-power of a person who pursues
meditative and nonmeditative practice. Know that the deep
mind and sincere mind, which are means, are intended to bring
the two goods - meditative and nonmeditative - into the aspiration
for the threefold shinjin of the Larger Sutra. When
one has not attained the true and real threefold shinjin,
one is not born in the true fulfilled land. Since one is not
born, it is said then birth is not attained.
Then means immediately.
Birth is not attained means that the person is not
born. Those of meditative and nonmeditative good acts - performing
sundry practices, undergoing disciplines, and lacking threefold
shinjin - will be born in the true and real fulfilled land,
after countless lives in vast ages, after they have realized
the threefold shinjin of the Larger Sutra. Thus, the
person is not born. The sutras state that even if such a person
attains birth in the palace of womb or the borderland, he
or she must pass five hundred years there; furthermore, out
of millions upon millions of beings, scarcely a single one
will advance to the true fulfilled land. Thus, we must carefully
understand the importance of threefold shinjin and aspire
for its realization.
~
We should not express outwardly signs of wisdom, goodness,
or diligence
People who aspire for the Pure Land must not behave outwardly
as though wise or good, nor should they act as though diligent.
The reason is stated, for inwardly we are possessed of
falsity (literally, that which is empty and transitory).
Inwardly means "within"; since the mind
is filled with blind passions, it is empty and transitory.
Empty means vain, not real, not sincere.
Transitory means provisional, not true.
For this reason, in the Tathagata's teaching this world is
called the defiled world of the corrupt dharma. All beings
lack a true and sincere heart, mock teachers and elders, disrespect
their parents, distrust their companions, and favor only evil;
hence, it is taught that everyone, both in the secular and
religious worlds, is possessed of "Heart and tongue at
odds," and "Words and thoughts both insincere."
The former means that what is in the heart and what is said
are at variance, and the latter means that what is spoken
and what is thought are not real. Real means "sincere."
People of this world have only thoughts that are not real,
and those who wish to be born in the Pure Land have only thoughts
of deceiving and flattering. Even those who renounce this
world have nothing but thoughts of fame and profit. Hence,
know that we are not good persons, nor persons of wisdom;
that we have no diligence, but only indolence, and within,
the heart is ever empty, deceptive, vainglorious, and flattering.
We do not have a heart that is true and real.
Reflect on this means that a person must understand
this in accordance with the way things truly are.
~
Nor rejecting those who break precepts and whose evil
karma is profound
This means that men who break the various precepts and whose
evil karma is deep are not rejected. This was explained fully
above. Please read the explanation carefully.
~
If sentient beings, saying my Name perhaps even ten times,
should not be born there, may I not attain the supreme enlightenment.
This is from the text of the selected Primal Vow. It means
that if the people who say the Name as stated in the Vow,
"up to ten times," are not born in my land, may
I not become a Buddha.
Perhaps even contains all the meanings of upper and
lower limit, more or less, near or far, long continued. This
is the Vow that Bodhisattva Dharmakara made in advance out
of compassion for beings of later ages, seeking to end attachment
to either many-calling or once-calling. We should be truly
happy about this, and take delight and rejoice.
~
Neither accommodated nor real
This is a teaching of the Tendai school. It has nothing to
do with Shin Buddhism, and expresses the thought of the Path
of Sages. It is not the way of easy practice, so please ask
people of the Tendai school about it.
~
If you cannot think on Amida
This is the teaching which urges the person guilty of the
five grave offenses and ten transgressions and of engaging
in defiled expositions of the dharma, "If you are tormented
by suffering due to illness and cannot think on Amida, then
simply say Namu-amida-butsu with your lips." This demonstrates
that Amida made verbal utterance the essence of the Primal
Vow. The expression say the Name of the Buddha of immeasurable
life refers to this fact, and say instructs us
to utter the Name.
~
When you say Namu-muryoju-butsu [Namu-amida-butsu]
ten times, because you say the Buddha's Name, with each
utterance the evil karma of eight billion kalpas of birth-and-death
is eliminated.
Those who commit the five grave offenses are burdened with
evil karma, in fact, tenfold eight billion kalpas of evil
karma; hence, they are urged to say Namu-amida-butsu ten times.
It is not that the evil karma of tenfold eight billion kalpas
cannot be extinguished in a single utterance; but in this
way, we are made to realize the seriousness of the evil karma
of the five grave offenses.
Ten times means that we should simply say the Name
ten times with the lips.
Thus, Shan-tao rephrases the selected Primal Vow,
If, when I attain Buddhahood, the sentient beings of the
ten quarters say my Name even ten times but do not attain
birth, may I not attain the supreme enlightenment.
Here, in Amida's Primal Vow, even includes "few"
in contrast to "many," teaching us that sentient
beings who say the Name as few as ten times will without fail
attain birth. Know that "thinking" and "voicing"
have the same meaning; no voicing exists separate from thinking,
and no thinking separate from voicing.
~
I have not explained the meaning of these passages as fully
as I would like. Please ask good teachers about them, and
with these notes explore their deep significance.
Namu-amida-butsu
That people of the countryside, who do not know the meanings
of written characters and who are painfully and hopelessly
ignorant, may easily understand, I have repeated the same
things over and over. The educated will probably find this
writing peculiar and may ridicule it. But paying no heed to
such criticisms, I write only that ignorant people may easily
grasp the meaning.
Shoka 1 [1257], eighth month, 19th day
Gutoku Shinran
Age 85
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