Letters
A Collection of Letters
7
I understand from your letter that you have undergone great
difficulties stemming from matters related to the nembutsu.
I deeply sympathize with you. In the final analysis, it appears
that the conditions [for teaching the nembutsu] in that area
have been exhausted. You must not lament about one thing or
another regarding the obstruction of the nembutsu. Whatever
may become of those who seek to suppress the nembutsu, for
persons who say it, what hardship should they feel? You must
not in any way design to spread the nembutsu by utilizing
outside people for support. The spread of the nembutsu in
that area must come about through the working of the revered
Buddha.
I have been informed that, following the various things that
Jishin-bo has said, the minds of the people have been shaken
in different ways. This is deeply distressing. You should
entrust all things to the working of the revered Buddha. If
conditions [for teaching the nembutsu] in that area have been
exhausted, you should think about moving to another place.
If you accept what Jishin-bo is saying - that I have instructed
people to spread the nembutsu by relying on outside people
as powerful supporters, which I have never said - it will
be an unmitigated error. The Buddha has taught beforehand
that, as the custom of the secular world, there would be attempts
to obstruct the nembutsu; hence, you should not be taken aback
by it. You should never, under any circumstances, take the
various things Jishin-bo is saying as coming from me. Concerning
the teachings, he is making groundless remarks. You should
not give him your ear. I hear of incredibly erroneous views;
it is deplorable.
I am sorry to hear about Nyushin-bo and the others. That
they have been long detained in Kamakura is regrettable. Some
complication must have arisen now, causing their delay. There
is nothing I can do about it.
It is inexpressibly lamentable and saddening that the people
of the remote districts (Ogun), deceived by Jishin-bo, have
all been shaken in shinjin. Further, to hear it being said
that I have been deceiving people is deeply discouraging.
I take these things as manifesting the fact that from before,
for those people, shinjin has not been settled. It is deeply
saddening.
The shinjin the people held from before was shaken by what
Jishin-bo is saying; in short, the fact that their shinjin
was not genuine has become manifest. This is good. It is deplorable
that people believed those statements to be what I said.
It appears to have been of no value whatever that they have
for a long time copied and possessed various writings. I think
that Essentials for Faith Alone and the various other
writings have now become useless to them. The teachings that
they carefully copied out and kept are now all worthless to
them. I have heard that all the people, following Jishin-bo,
have discarded those splendid writings. I lament this deeply.
You should read such writings as Essential of Faith Alone
and On the Afterlife carefully. It appears that the
remarks of those people who had long been saying that they
had shinjin were all empty. It is deplorable, truly deplorable.
Concerning all those matters, I will write another time.
First month, 9th day
Shinran
To: Venerable Shinjo-bo
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