Commentaries

Notes on the Inscriptions on Sacred Scrolls (10)

The inscription in praise of Hoin Seikaku:

In capacities, there are keen and dull; among teachings, those of gradual attainment and sudden attainment. Among people, there are slow and quick; among practices, difficult and easy. Know that the gates of the Path of Sages are teachings of gradual attainment; they are difficult practices. The Pure Land teaching is that of sudden attainment; it is the easy practice. The esoteric practices of Shingon or Tendai meditation are hard to master with a mind like a monkey's; the Sanron or Hosso teachings easily bewilder the eyes of cows and sheep. In my school, the act that is the cause of birth has been settled in Amida's Primal Vow as the ten utterances; Shan-tao deliberated and determined that the only qualification is the three minds. Even for a person lacking wisdom or diligence, solely saying the Name is truly easy to perform. Even though a person lacks knowledge and broad learning, why should he or she not possess the capacity for trust?... Thus our great teacher, as the messenger of Sakyamuni Tathagata, spread the nembutsu teaching; as the incarnation of Master Shan-tao, he urged people to perform the single practice of saying the Name. The act of single practice and singlemindfulness of Amida will spread gradually from now; the religious act uninterrupted and universal now has come to be known. Thus it is that those fundamentally evil who break precepts ardently enter the path of birth in the Pure Land. Those of weak intellect and shallow capacity fervently direct themselves to the gate of the Pure Land teaching. Truly we know: It is a great torch in the long night of ignorance; why should we sorrow that our eyes of wisdom are dark? It is a great ship on the vast ocean of birth-and-death; why should we grieve that our karmic hindrance is heavy?... In reflecting fully, I realize that the benevolence of his teaching and guidance is truly one with the compassionate Vow of Amida. Even to your bones becoming dust, then, should you repay it; even to the breaking of your body should it be returned.

In capacities, there are keen and dull: The innate capacities of sentient beings range from the keen to the dull. Keen refers to people of discernment and dull to the obtuse.

Among teachings, those of gradual attainment and sudden attainment: In accordance with the capacities of sentient beings, there are gradual and sudden among the Buddha's teachings. In the gradual, one endeavors step by step along the Buddha-way and attains Buddhahood after three asamkhya kalpas or a hundred great kalpas. In the sudden, one attains Buddhahood immediately, while maintaining one's existence in this Saha world; this is to attain enlightenment according to such schools as Zen, Shingon, Tendai, or Kegon.

Among people, there are slow and quick: Slow indicates those slow to apprehend; quick those with acuteness of mind. For this reason, among practices, there are difficult and easy. Difficult: the practices performed through self-power taught in the Path of Sages. Easy: the practice performed through Other Power taught in the Pure Land teaching.

Know that the gates of the Path of Sages are teachings of gradual attainment: Know that they are difficult practices; they are gradual teachings.

The Pure Land teaching: Know that this is the sudden teaching; it is the easy practice.

The esoteric practices of Shingon or Tendai meditation: Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Tendai meditation refers to the Tendai school. Are hard to master with a mind like a monkey's: The minds of people of this Saha world are likened to those of monkeys. Since our minds are easily distracted, like a monkey's, Shingon and Tendai practices are hard to perform, hard to fulfill. The Sanron or Hosso teachings easily bewilder the eyes of cows and sheep: The eyes of the Buddhists of this Saha world are like those of cows and sheep and will surely be confused by the self-power teachings of the Path of Sages, such as those of the Sanron and Hosso schools.

In my school: Seikaku states, "The Pure Land school, which I follow, teaches that if persons say the Name as the true cause of attaining birth in the land fulfilled through Amida's Primal Vow just ten times or even once, they will attain the supreme enlightenment." He states that according to the teaching of Master Shan-tao, if a person possesses the three minds, he or she will be born in the land of bliss without fail.

Even for persons lacking wisdom or diligence: Know that those who have realized the shinjin of the single practice and singlemindfulness attains birth, although they may be unintelligent and indolent by nature, lacking wisdom and even diligence. Thus our great teacher: words by which Seikaku reveres and expresses his reliance on Genku as his great teacher and master.

The act of single practice and singlemindfulness of Amida will spread gradually from now; the religious act uninterrupted and universal: Know that the wholehearted single practice shall spread widely from this point.

Thus it is that those fundamentally evil who break precepts ardently enter the path of birth in the Pure Land. Know that thus it is means "being made to become so"; that is, according to the way the Pure Land is, those who break precepts or have no precepts as well as those of deep evil karma will all attain birth.

Those of weak intellect and shallow capacity fervently direct themselves to the gate of the Pure Land teaching urges the person lacking wisdom and great intelligence to enter the Pure Land way.

Truly we know: It is a great torch in the long night of ignorance; why should we sorrow that our eyes of wisdom are dark: Amida's Vow is a great torch in the long night of ignorance. We should reflect that, although our wisdom-eyes are dark, we need not despair.

It is a great ship on the vast ocean of birth-and-death; why should we grieve that our karmic hindrance is heavy: The power of Amida's Vow is a great ship upon the vast ocean of birth-and-death. Seikaku states that we should not grieve that our existence is one of greatest evil, deep and heavy.

In reflecting fully, I realize that the benevolence of his teaching and guidance is truly one with the compassionate Vow of Amida: "Reflecting on the master's teaching, it is one with Amida's compassionate Vow." We should realize, then, the vast and profound benevolence of the great master's teaching.

Even to your bones becoming dust, then, should you repay it; even to the breaking point of your body should it be returned: Realizing the vastness of the benevolence of the great master's teaching, you should endeavor to repay it, even to your bones becoming dust; strive to return it, even to the breaking of your body. Carefully study this teaching of Master Seikaku.