Major Expositions

KGSS II:62-71

[Genshin]

62 The Essentials for Attaining Birth states:

It is taught that among the various acts performed by the three levels of practicers presented in the two-fascicle [Larger] Sutra, some are shallow and others are profound, but the act common to all is "wholehearted exclusive utterance of the Name of the Buddha of immeasurable life."
Third, among the Forty-eight Vows is one that, established especially for the gate of the nembutsu, declares, "If sentient beings say my Name even ten times and yet are not born, may I not attain the supreme enlightenment."
Fourth, the Contemplation Sutra states, "For those most heavily burdened with karmic evil, there is no other way. By Simply saying the Name of Amida, one attains birth in the land of bliss."

63 Further it states:

We should refer to the Buddha's six kinds of virtue presented in the Sutra of Contemplation on the Mind-ground: The Buddha is 1) the supreme, great field of virtues, 2) the supreme, great benefactor, 3) the most honored among sentient beings without legs, with two legs, or with many legs, 4) the one as extremely rare to encounter as the blossoming of the udumbara, 5) the only one appearing in all the great triple-thousandfold worlds, 6) the one who has perfectly fulfilled all worldly and supramundane virtues. With these six kinds of virtue, [Amida] constantly benefits all sentient beings.

64 Concerning these six kinds of virtue, Master Genshin states:

1. Think on the Buddha's virtue! All who say "Namu-butsu!" even once have already fulfilled the Buddha-way; hence, I take refuge in and worship the supreme, great field of virtues.
2. Think on the Buddha's virtue! The Buddha's regard for each sentient being with eyes of compassion is equal, as though each one was the Buddha's only child; hence, I take refuge in and worship the unsurpassed mother of great compassion.
3. Think on the Buddha's virtue! All the mahasattvas of the ten quarters bow reverently to Amida, the honored one; hence, I take refuge in and worship the supreme honored one among beings of two legs.
4. Think on the Buddha's virtue! Hearing the Buddha's Name even once is rarer than encountering the udumbara in bloom; hence, I take refuge in and worship the one exceedingly rare to encounter.
5. Think on the Buddha's virtue! Two honored ones do not appear at the same time in the one hundred kotis of worlds; hence, I take refuge in and worship the great Dharma-king rarely met with.
6. Think on the Buddha's virtue! The ocean of virtues of the Buddha-dharma is one and the same throughout past, present, and future; hence, I take refuge in and worship the honored one who has perfectly fulfilled the myriad virtues.

65 Further it states:

When a robe is scented for a single day with flowers of the palijata tree, its fragrance cannot be equaled by the flowers of campaka or varskika, though it be scented by them for a thousand years.

66 Further it states:

It is like one measure of elixir transforming a thousand measures of copper into gold. In the Himalayas there is a herb called "forbearance." If a cow eats it, it will produce milk of the finest taste (manda). If the silk tree faces the constellation Krttika, it bears fruit.

[Honen]

67 Passages on the Nembutsu Selected in the Primal Vow compiled by Genku states:

Namu-amida-butsu: as the act that leads to birth in the Pure Land, the nembutsu is taken to be fundamental.

68 Further it states:

If you desire to free yourself quickly from birth-and-death, of the two excellent teachings leave aside the Path of Sages and choosing, enter the Pure Land way. If you desire to enter the Pure Land way, of the two methods of practice, right and sundry, cast aside all sundry practices and choosing, take the right practice. If you desire to perform the right practice, of the two kinds of acts, true and auxiliary, further put aside the auxiliary and choosing, solely perform the act of true settlement. The act of true settlement is to say the Name of the Buddha. Saying the Name unfailingly brings about birth, for this is based on the Buddha's Primal Vow.

[Conclusion to the Scriptural Passages]

69 Clearly we know, then, that the nembutsu is not a self-power practice performed by foolish beings or sages; it is therefore called the practice of "not-directing virtue [on the part of beings]." Masters of the Mahayana and Hinayana and people burdened with karmic evil, whether heavy or light, should all in the same way take refuge in the great treasure ocean of the selected Vow and attain Buddhahood through the nembutsu.

70 Accordingly, the Commentary on the Treatise states:

In that land of happiness, every single being is born transformed from the pure lotus of Amida Tathagata's perfect enlightenment, for they are the same in practicing the nembutsu and follow no other way.

71 Thus, when one attains the true and real practice and shinjin, one greatly rejoices in one's heart. This attainment is therefore called the stage of joy. It is likened to the first fruit: sages of the first fruit, though they may give themselves to sleep and to sloth, will still never be subject to samsaric existence for a twenty-ninth time. Even more decisively will the ocean of beings of the ten quarters be grasped and never abandoned when they have taken refuge in this practice and shinjin. Therefore the Buddha is called "Amida Buddha." This is Other Power. Accordingly, the mahasattva Nagarjuna states [that such persons] "immediately enter the stage of the definitely settled." Master T'an-luan states [that they] "enter the group of the truly settled." We should reverently entrust ourselves to this [practice and shinjin]; we should single-heartedly practice it.