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SENCHAKU HONGAN NEMBUTSU SHU A COLLECTION OF PASSAGES ON THE NEMBUTSU CHOSEN IN THE ORIGINAL VOW dBET Alpha PDF

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BDK English Tripitaka 104-11 SENCHAKU HONGAN NEMBUTSU SHÜ

A Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow Compiled by Genku (Honen) (Taisho Volume 83, Number 2608) Translated into English by

Morris J. Augustine and

K ondo Tessho

Numata Center

for Buddhist Translation and Research 1997

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed in any form or by any means —electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise— without the prior written permission of the publisher. First Printing, 1997

ISBN: 1-886439-05-2

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-069168 Published by

Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research 2620 Warring Street

Berkeley, California 94704

Printed in the United States of America

A Message on the Publication of the

English Tripitaka

The Buddhist canon is said to contain eighty-four thousand different teachings. I believe that this is because the Buddha's basic approach was to prescribe a different treatment for every spiritual ailment, much as a doctor prescribes a different medicine for every medical ailment. Thus his teachings were always appropriate for the particular suffering individual and for the time at which the teaching was given, and over the ages not one of his prescriptions has failed to relieve the suffering to which it was addressed. Ever since the Buddha's Great Demise over twenty-five hundred years ago, his message of isdom and compassion has spread throughout the world. Yet no one has ever attempted to translate the entire Buddhist canon into English throughout the history of Japan. It is my greatest wish to see this done and to make the translations available to the many English-speaking people who have never had the opportunity to learn about the Buddha's teachings. Of course, it would be impossible to translate all of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings in a few years. I have, therefore, had one hundred thirty-nine of the scriptural texts in the prodigious Taisho edition of the Chinese Buddhist canon selected for inclusion in the First Series of this translation project. It is in the nature of this undertaking that the results are bound to be criticized. Nonetheless, I am convinced that unless someone takes it upon himself or herself to initiate this project, it will never be done. At the same time, I hope that an improved, revised edition will appear in the future.

It is most gratifying that, thanks to the efforts of more than a hundred Buddhist scholars from the East and the West, this monumental project has finally gotten off the ground. May the rays of the Wisdom of the Compassionate One reach each and every person in the world.

August 7,1991

Numata Yehan

Founder of the English

Tripitaka Project

Editorial Foreword

In January, 1982, Dr. Numata Yehan, the founder of the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (Society for the Promotion of Buddhism), decided to begin the monumental task of translating the complete Taisho edition of the Chinese Tripitaka (Buddhist Canon) into the English language. Under his leadership, a special preparatory committee was organized in April, 1982. By July of the same year, the Translation Committee of the English Tripitaka was officially convened. The initial Committee consisted of the following members: Hanayama Shoyu (Chairperson); Bando Shojun; Ishigami Zenno; Kamata Shigeo; Kanaoka Shuyu; Mayeda Sengaku; Nara Yasuaki; Sayeki Shinko; (late) Shioiri Ryotatsu; TAMARuNoriyoshi; (late) Tamura Kwansei; Uryuzu Ryushin; and Yuyama Akira. Assistant members of the Committee were as follows: Kanazawa Atsushi; Watanabe Shogo; Rolf Giebel of New Zealand; and Rudy Smet of Belgium. After holding planning meetings on a monthly basis, the Committee selected 139 texts for the First Series of translations, an estimated one hundred printed volumes in all. The texts selected are not necessarily limited to those originally written in India but also include works written or composed in China and Japan. While the publication of the First Series proceeds, the texts for the Second Series will be selected from among the remaining works; this process will continue until all the texts, in Japanese as well as in Chinese, have been published.

Frankly speaking, it will take perhaps one hundred years or more to accomplish the English translation of the complete Chinese and Japanese texts, for they consist of thousands of orks. Nevertheless, as Dr. Numata wished, it is the sincere hope of the Committee that this project will continue unto completion, even after all its present members have passed away.

It must be mentioned here that the final object of this project is not academic fulfillment but the transmission of the teaching of the vii

Publisher’s Foreword

Editorial Foreword

Buddha to the whole world in order to create harmony and peace among mankind. Therefore, any notes, such as footnotes and endnotes, which might be indispensable for academic purposes, are not given in the English translations, since they might make the general reader lose interest in the Buddhist scriptures. Instead, a glossary is added at the end of each work, in accordance with the translators' wish. To my great regret, however, Dr. Numata passed away on May 5, 1994, at the age of 97, entrusting his son, Mr. Numata Toshihide, with the continuation and completion of the Translation Project. The Committee also lost its able and devoted Chairperson, Professor Hanayama Shoyu, on June 16, 1995, at the age of 63. After these severe blows, the Committee elected me, Vice-President of he Musashino Women's College, to be the Chair in October, 1995. The Committee has renewed its determination to carry out the noble intention of Dr. Numata, under the leadership of Mr. Numata Toshihide. The present members of the Committee are Mayeda Sengaku (Chairperson), Bando Shojun, Ishigami Zenno, Ichishima Shoshin, Kamata Shigeo, Kanaoka Shuyu, Nara Yasuaki, Sayeki Shinko, Tamaru Noriyoshi, Uryuzu Ryushin, and Yuyama Akira. Assistant members are Watanabe Shogo and Minowa Kenryo.

The Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research was established in November, 1984, in Berkeley, California, U.S.A., to assist in the publication of the BDK English Tripitaka First Series. In December, 1991, the Publication Committee was organized at the Numata Center, with Professor Philip Yampolsky as the Chairperson. To our sorrow, Professor Yampolsky passed away in July, 1996, but thankfully Dr. Kenneth Inada is continuing the work as Chairperson. The Numata Center has thus far published eleven volumes and has been distributing them. All of the remaining texts will be published under the supervision of this Committee, in close cooperation with the Translation Committee in Tokyo.

June 1, 1997 Mayeda Sengaku

Chairperson

Translation Committee of

the BDK English Tripitaka

viii

Publisher's Foreword

The Publication Committee works in close cooperation with the Editorial Committee of he BDK English Tripitaka in Tokyo, Japan. Since December 1991, it has operated from the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research in Berkeley, California. Its principal mission is to oversee and facilitate the publication in English of selected texts from the one hundred-volume Taisho Edition of the Chinese Tripitaka, along with a few major influential Japanese Buddhist texts not in the Tripitaka. The list of elected texts is conveniently appended at the end of each volume. In the text itself, the Taisho Edition page and column designations are provided in the margins. The Committee is committed to the task of publishing clear, readable English texts. It honors the deep faith, spirit, and concern of the late Reverend Doctor Numata Yehan to disseminate Buddhist teachings throughout the world.

In July 1996, the Committee unfortunately lost its valued Chairperson, Dr. Philip Yampolsky, who was a stalwart leader, trusted friend, and esteemed colleague. We follow in his shadow. In February 1997,1 was appointed to guide the Committee in his place. The Committee is charged with the normal duties of a publishing firm—general editing, formatting, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, and checking linguistic fidelity. The Committee members are Diane Ames, Brian Galloway, Nobuo Haneda, Charles Niimi, Koh Nishiike, and the president and director of the Numata Center, Reverend Kiyoshi S. Yamashita.

Kenneth K. Inada

Chairperson,

June 1, 1997 Publication Committee

A Message on the Publication of the English Tripitaka Numata Yehan v Editorial Foreword Mayeda Sengaku vii Publisher's Foreword Kenneth Inada ix Translator's Introduction Morris Augustine 1 Chapter I 7

The Two Gateways Chapter II 17 The Right and Miscellaneous Practices Chapter III 29 The Original Vow Chapter IV 43 The Three Classes of People Chapter V 53 The Benefits of the Nembutsu Chapter VI 57 The Nembutsu Alone Will Remain Chapter VII 63 The Light of Amida Envelops the Nembutsu Practitioners Chapter VIII 67 The Three Minds Chapter IX 87 The Four Modes of Practice XI

Translator’s Introduction

Contents

Chapter X 93 Praise from the Transformation Buddha Chapter XI 97 The Nembutsu Practice Is Praised above the Miscellaneous Practices Chapter XII 105 Only the Nembutsu Was Transmitted to Ananda Chapter XIII 119 The Nembutsu Is the Source of Much Good Chapter XIV 123 The Many Buddhas Bear Witness Only to the Nembutsu Chapter XV 127 All the Buddhas Protect Those Who Utter the Nembutsu Chapter XVI 131 Sakyamuni Transmitted Amida's Name to Sariputra Glossary 143 Bibliography 165 Index 167

A List of the Volumes of the BDK English Tripitaka (First Series) 171

xii

Translator's Introduction

Honen Shonin's A Collection of assages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow (Senchaku hongan nembutsu shu, hereafter abbreviated as Collection and Senchakushu) is one of the most important Buddhist texts to be written in Japan during her long history. It ranks along with Dogen Zenji's The Treasured Eye of he True Dharma (Shobogenzo) and with Honen's disciple Shinran's major writings as one of the three most influential bodies of Buddhist teachings of the Kamakura period. Together, the doctrinally revolutionary ideas contained in these works radically and permanently changed the face of Japanese Buddhism. And among them Honen's Senchakushu was, in terms of its originative and transformative effects on Japanese Buddhism, the most powerful of them all.

This very important work, unlike Dogen's, is not at all difficult to understand. In fact its central message is so simple that any child could understand it. And therein precisely lies the secret of its unprecedented success. It brought Buddhism within the grasp of even the most unlettered peasant. In a word, Honen simply declares that Sakyamuni Buddha left an "easy way" for the powerless people of the Age of the Dharma's Degeneration into which the world has already entered. One need only cast aside all other worries and practices and recite the Nembutsu. All other Buddhist traditions, practices, and official sects—lumped together as the Gateway of he Holy Path— were expounded for stronger people of an earlier age. But now, says Honen, literally no one is able to use the Holy Path to attain Enlightenment. And so only the Gateway of the Pure Land—the simple recitation of the Nembutsu in full faith—can lead one to Rebirth in the Pure Land and assure one of eventual complete Enlightenment. 1

Translator's Introduction

Though this central message is crystal clear in Honen's work, his sometimes tortured interpretations of scriptural passages, offered in an attempt to bring the various teachings of the three Chinese patriarchs into some semblance of logical coherence, are not. Only careful scholarly research into the slow development of Chinese and Japanese Pure Land tradition can unravel the complexities involved. Three things should be kept in mind while reading this central work of Honen: (1) Honen's own central role in founding the new Pure Land Sect (Jodo Shu) and, via his disciple Shinran, of originating the True Pure Land Sect (Jodo Shin Shu) as well (these two new sects eventually came to include the vast majority of all Buddhist believers and practitioners in Japan), (2) the origins and nature of the doctrines that are set forth in the Collection, and (3) the precise difference between Honen's teachings as set forth in this document and the even more revolutionary teachings and writings of his disciple Shinran.

Regarding the first of these points, it is important to understand from the beginning that Honen did not himself originate more than a small portion of the ideas contained in this his major work, the Collection. He himself is the best witness that the three Chinese patriarchs of the Pure Land tradition, T'an-luan, Tao-ch'o, and Shantao, were the source for the great majority of the passages in his Collection, especially Shan-tao (613-681), who was dead more than five hundred years before Honen (1133-1212) was born, and on whom Honen relied for practically the whole of the teachings presented in the Collection.

Honen was nevertheless a truly great originator in that it was he (his disciple Shinran began by merely following in his master's footsteps) who almost singlehandedly created the revolutionary movement that was eventually to transform the very nature of most of Japanese Buddhism. Relying on Shan-tao, whose works he had come to rely on only after many years of less radical Pure Land practice, Honen taught that one must completely abandon the practice of every other Buddhist observance or discipline and rely solely on the verbal and continual recitation of the phrase "Namu Amida Butsu" 2

Translator's Introduction

or "Homage to Amida Buddha" with firm faith. By this "easy way" one can be reborn into Amida's Pure Land in the West at death and there be absolutely assured of eventual complete Enlightenment. Honen, however, pushed these teachings of Shan-tao a step further. He argued that his teaching or school (shu) was in fact one of the legitimate, independent, fully recognized sects (the same word, shu, but with a vastly augmented significance) of Buddhism. And in fact this Collection (Senchakushu) was a major force in the eventually successful fight for precisely such public and official recognition. However, once having given Honen his rightful place among the patriarchs of Japanese Buddhism, we must immediately qualify his revolutionary status by situating him in the middle of a long Pure Land tradition in Japan, one that began almost with the original introduction of Buddhism into Japan in the fourth and fifth centuries. But Pure Land belief and Nembutsu practice were, until Honen's revolution, usually understood to be a relatively minor part of the elaborate scheme of doctrines, practices, and meditative disciplines of one of the six officially recognized sects of Japanese Buddhism. Each of the traditional recognized sects, such as the Tendai, the Shingon, and the older Nara sects, had its own unique combination of such absolutely required elements, and the recitation of the Nembutsu—though encouraged as one "easy" way—was never considered to be even a central element of any of them. Even Genshin (942-1017), the author of the immensely influential A Collection on the Essentials for Rebirth in the Pure Land (Ojbyoshu), with all of its inspiring images of the glories of Amida's Pure Land, never dreamed of demanding, as Honen was to do roughly two hundred years later, that the practitioner completely abandon every other Buddhist practice and rely on the Nembutsu alone.

Regarding the second of the above three central points, the origins of the teachings and practices that Honen sets down in his Collection, it must suffice here to enlarge only slightly upon what was said above, that Honen relied almost exclusively on Shan-tao's writings to ground his own teachings. This is clearly evident in the present work, especially in the overwhelming priority of place given to quotations 3

Translator's Introduction

from Shan-tao's writings in Honen's Collection. The precise meaning and nature of Honen's major work and its title can be clearly understood only in this light. It is, as the title implies, nothing more than a collection of recognized scriptural authorities marshalled and interpreted with the intent of proving the orthodoxy of a radical Pure Land exclusivism, a teaching and practice that, even while Honen was still alive, was immediately and bitterly condemned by the entrenched traditional sects. The central contention of Honen's Collection is that Amida "chose" (the "Senchaku" of the title) only the Nembutsu and set it up as the one practice carefully tailored to save not only the weakest of men and women, but the strongest as well, in this degenerate age.

The source of Honen's teachings can be traced more precisely, first to the Threefold Sutra of the Pure Land (see the Glossary), second to the general Pure Land tradition, which from very early times runs throughout the major schools of the Mahayana tradition, third to a Pure Land tradition and practice deeply entrenched before Honen, and finally and more precisely to the above-mentioned three Pure Land patriarchs, especially Shan-tao. A more precise overview of the nature of each of these sources of Honen's work and teachings can be gleaned by carefully consulting the alphabetized Glossary at the end of this work, which explains every scriptural reference, every technical doctrinal term or phrase, and every person mentioned by Honen in his Collection.

The third difficult point that needs brief explanation here is the somewhat disputed matter of precisely how Honen's teaching as presented in the present work differs from that of his famous disciple Shinran. The first thing to note here is Shinran's own protestation that every word of his own teaching derived from that of his beloved master Honen. Proof of his sincerity in this regard lies in the fact that he copied the whole of the present work in his own hand. The fact is, however, that Shinran brought Honen's rendering of han-tao's ideas— actually Shinran relied more on Tao-ch'o—to an even more radical stage. Shinran declares that the practitioner in our Age of Degeneration cannot even wish to recite the Nembutsu, much less perform 4

Translator's Introductioi

more difficult works, without the enabling omnipresent power of Amida's Original Vow to save all sentient beings. Honen, however, insists throughout the present work that men and women can and must recite the Nembutsu as the one and only "practice" left within their power. Whereas he does see this recitation as based on Amida's Other Power, he nevertheless uses the same terminology (e.g., "practice") and the same manner of thinking as that used by others within his mother Tendai sect. In other words, people retain some small power of their own to do good, and thus an absolutely total break with traditional Buddhism was avoided. Such is the essence of the difference between the teaching of onen and that of is disciple, though volumes have been written about the nuances of the controversy. The present translation of Honen's A Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow is the result of some fifteen years of collaborative labor between its two translators. I wish to acknowledge my esteemed collaborator as being also my teacher in the realm of her Master, Honen. During the endless long hours, weeks, months, and years in which we collaborated, I learned not only the teachings of Honen but—at least imperfectly—the inner difficult discipline of Kanbun (Japanese writing in the Chinese language) and to understand and deeply respect the inner heart and mind of a kind of Buddhist thought and practice that I had never before seriously confronted. All of this has been immensely enriching. Finally, as a comparative historian of religions I have come to appreciate the important place that the "new" Pure Land schools of Honen and Shinran occupy in the ranks of the world's great and influential religious systems. Morris J. Augustine

Chapter I

The Two Gateways

Namu Amida Butsu

The Nembutsu is foremost among the

practices for Rebirth in the Pure Land

Passages Concerning How Tao-ch'o, the Dhydna Master, Distinguishing between Two Gateways—the Holy Path and the Pure Land —Cast Aside the Holy Path and Sincerely Took Refuge in the Pure Land

In the first volume of the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss [by Tao-ch'o] we read: One might ask, "If all sentient beings have the Buddha nature, and as each of them from ancient times to the present must have encountered many Buddhas, why then do they still continue through cycles of birth and death and fail to escape from this burning house?" To such a question, I should answer that according to the holy teaching of the Mahayana, it is actually because they have been unable to cast aside birth and death through exercising one of the two kinds of the excellent Dharma, that they have not been able to escape from the burning house.

Chapter I

What then are these two kinds? One is called the Holy Path and the other is called Rebirth in the Pure Land. In these days it is difficult to attain Enlightenment through the Holy Path. One reason for this is that the Great Enlightened One's passing has now receded far into the distant past. Another is that the ultimate principle is profound, while human understanding is shallow. That is why it is stated in the Candragarbha Sutra that "In the Period of the Dharma's Decadence, after I [Sakyamuni] will have passed away, even though countless sentient beings should begin to practice and cultivate the Way, not a single one of them will attain the goal." Now we are in the Age of the Dharma's Decadence, that is, the evil world of the Five Defilements. The Gateway of the Pure Land is the only one through which we can pass to Enlightenment. Thus it is stated in the Larger Sutra that "If there should be a single sentient being who, even having committed evil deeds throughout life, recites my Name ten times without interruption as death draws near, and yet fails to be reborn in my Pure Land, then may I never attain Enlightenment." Further, no one among all sentient beings is able to weigh his own spiritual abilities. From the Mahayana point of view, no one has yet contemplated Suchness, the true reality, or Emptiness, the most fundamental principle. From the Hinayana point of view, one must enter into the Path of Insight and the Path of Practice, then one must work one's way up through the Stage of the Anagamin to that of the Arhat, severing the Five Bonds of the Lower World of Desires and leaving behind the Five Bonds of the Higher Worlds of Form and Formlessness. Until now, however, neither monk nor layperson has ever been able to reach these goals. True, there are those who enjoy the benefit of being born as human or heavenly beings. But this benefit is achieved only by having practiced the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtues. Now, however, even those who continue to observe these precepts and virtues are very rare. 8

The Two Gateways

When, on the other hand we consider people's evil doings and sinful deeds, are they not raging everywhere like storm winds and lashing rains? It is because of these things that the many Buddhas, in their immense compassion, urge us to take refuge in the Pure Land. For even though someone has done evil all his life, if only he is able to practice the Nembutsu continually, attentively, and single-mindedly, then all obstacles will spontaneously disappear and he will certainly attain Rebirth in the Pure Land. Why, indeed, do men fail to take heed of these things? And why are they not determined to forsake this world for the Pure Land? My own opinion, after quietly pondering these matters, is that the manner of officially presenting the Buddha's teachings differs somewhat among the various schools. To begin with the Idealist school, we see that it divides the lifetime teachings of the Buddha into the Three Periods: (1) the period when he affirmed the reality of phenomenal things, (2) the period when he declared phenomenal things to be "empty" of reality, and (3) the period when he taught the Middle Way, which transcends these two opposites. The Emptiness school divides the lifetime teachings of the Buddha into two canons: one for the Bodhisattva and one for the Sravaka. The Hua-yen school formulated the Five Teachings embracing the whole of the Buddha's message: the Hinayana, the Beginning, the Final, the Sudden, and the Perfect Teaching. The Lotus [or T'ien-t'ai] school formulated the Four Teachings and the Five Flavors, embracing the whole of the Buddhist teaching. The Four Teachings are those of the Hinayana Canon and the Common, Particular, and Perfect Teachings. The Five Flavors are those of milk, cream, butter, cheese and ghee. The Shingon [or Mantra] school formulated the Two Teachings, which encompass the whole of Buddhism. They are the Exoteric and Esoteric Teachings. Regarding the Pure Land school now under discussion, we see that it has—if we rely on the Dhyana Master Tao-ch'o—set up the Two Gateways encompassing the whole of the Buddha's message: the Gateway of the Holy Path and the Gateway of the Pure Land. 9

Chapter I

Someone might ask, "The names of the eight or nine schools— Kegon (Hua-yen), Tendai (T'ien-t'ai) and so on—have long been officially recognized, but I have never heard the group of Pure Land devotees officially designated as a 'school.' Therefore what proof can you offer to justify your references to the 'Pure Land school'?" In answer to such a query, I would say that there is more than one testimony justifying the appellation "Pure Land school." In Yiian-hsiao's The Light Heart in the Way of Peace and Bliss it is stated that, "The Pure Land school was originally meant to save ordinary men and, at the same time, it is also for Holy Men." Furthermore, in Tz'u-en's The Essentials for Rebirth in the Western Paradise it is stated, "We rely on this school alone." And yet again in Chia-ts'ai's Treatise on the Pure Land it is stated that, "This particular school is, I believe, the essential Way." Such being the testimonies, there should be no room for doubt. My present concern, however, is not to discuss the foundations of the various schools. Rather, turning to the Pure Land school, I shall briefly clarify the matter of the Two Gateways. One of these is the Gateway of the Holy Path and the other is the Gateway of the Pure Land.

First, the Gateway of the Holy Path is divided into two parts: one is the Mahayana and the other is the Hinayana. The Mahayana is further divided into the Exoteric and Esoteric, as well as the Provisional and the Real. In the Collection of assages on the Land of Peace and Bliss only the Exoteric and the Provisional Teachings of the Mahayana are treated. Hence, the Holy Path Teachings refer to the circuitous or "gradual" forms of practice, which require many kalpas. From this we can infer that the Holy Path Teachings also include the Esoteric and the Real. It follows then that the teachings of all eight contemporary schools—the Shingon, Busshin, Tendai, Kegon, Sanron, Hosso, Jiron, and Shoron—are also included in the Holy Path. We ought to be aware of this. Next, the Hinayana is the Way for the Sravaka and the Pratyekabuddha as explained in the Hinayana sutras, monastic rules (vinaya), and sastras. It is the way of realizing the truth by cutting off deluding passions, thereby attaining the ranks of Holy 10

The Two Gateways

Men and realizing spiritual fruition. Hence, we can infer here as before that the Holy Path also includes the Realist, the Satyasiddhi, and the various Vinaya schools.

Generally speaking, then, the main purport of the Gateway of the Holy Path, whether Mahayana or Hinayana, concerns practicing the Way of the Four Vehicles and attaining the fruit of the Four Vehicles while in this Saha world. In speaking of the Four Vehicles, we are referring to the Three Vehicles with the addition of the Buddha Vehicle. Turning next to the Gateway of Rebirth in the Pure Land, we find that here too there are two teachings. First, there are those that directly expound Rebirth in the Pure Land. Second, there are those teachings that only incidentally expound this Rebirth. The first one—"those teachings that directly expound Rebirth in the Pure Land"—is set forth in the so-called "three sutras and one sastra." The first of these is the Sutra of mmeasurable Life, the second is the Meditation Sutra, and the third is the Amida Sutra. The "one sastra" is the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land by Vasubandhu. The "three sutras" are also called the "Threefold Sutra of the Pure Land."

Someone may ask whether or not there are any other instances where the phrase "Threefold Sutra" can be found. The answer is that it has appeared more than once. One such instance is the Threefold Lotus Sutra in which the three sutras are the Sutra of Infinite Meaning, the Lotus Sutra, and the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra. A second instance is the Threefold Mahavairocana Sutra, namely, the Mahavairocana Sutra, the Diamond Crown Sutra, and the Sutra of Excellent Accomplishment. A third example is the Threefold Sutra for the Peace and Protection of the State: the Lotus Sutra, the Benevolent King Sutra, and the Golden Light Sutra. A fourth is the Threefold Sutra of Maitreya: the Sutra of Maitreya's Ascending Birth, the Sutra of Maitreya's Descending Birth, and the Sutra on Maitreya's Becoming a Buddha. Here we are concerned only with the Threefold Sutra about Amida, which I call the Threefold Sutra of the Pure Land. It is the scripture upon which the Pure Land teaching is properly based. 11

Chapter I

Next, "teachings that only incidentally expound Rebirth in the Pure Land" are the sutras that expound Rebirth in the Pure Land, such as the Garland Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Wish-fulfilling Dharani Sutra, the Dharani Sutra on the Most August One, and others. They also include treatises such as the Awakening of aith, the Treatise on the Precious Nature, the Treatise Explaining the Ten Stages, the Compendium of the Mahayana, and similar works that expound Rebirth in the Pure Land.

Now the reason why Tao-ch'o, in his Collection, set up the distinction between the Two Gateways of the Holy Path and the Pure Land was to teach people to reject the Gateway of the Holy Path in favor of entering the Gateway of the Pure Land. There are two reasons for this preference: one is that the passing away of the Great Enlightened One has now receded far into the distant past, and the other is that the ultimate principle is profound while man's understanding is shallow.

Tao-ch'o is not the only one in the Pure Land school who set up this distinction of the Two Gateways. T'an-luan, T'ien-t'ai, Chiats'ai, Tz'u-en, and many other teachers all have the same view. To begin with Dharma Master T'an-luan, we see that he stated in his Commentary on the Treatise on Rebirth in the Pure Land: Let us reverently reflect on what the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said in his Treatise Explaining the Ten Stages. He declared that there are two paths by which the Bodhisattvas may seek the Stage of Non-Retrogression: one is the Way of Difficult Practice and the other is the Way of Easy Practice. The Way of Difficult Practice is a way of trying to reach the Stage of Non-Retrogression in an Age of the Five Defilements when no Buddha dwells in the world. This is difficult to do. This difficulty takes many forms and I should like to mention a few of them to exemplify what I mean. First there is the merely apparent good of non-Buddhist teachers who bring confusion into the true Dharma of the Bodhisattva. Second there is the self-interest involved in the Sravaka's discipline, which interferes with great compassion. 12

The Two Gateways

Third, there is the evil done without reflection, which destroys the excellent virtues of others. Fourth, there is the result of good deeds based on deluded thinking, which corrupts pure and undefiled practice. Fifth, there is the holding on to self power alone and not taking hold of Other Power. These are things everywhere to be seen. To follow this Way of Difficult Practice is like travelling overland on foot: it is very painful and hard.

The Way of Easy Practice is to desire Rebirth in the Pure Land only by means of faith in the Buddha. Being thus carried along by the power of the Buddha's Vows, we shall be able to attain Rebirth in the Pure Land. The Buddha's power will sustain us and enable us to enter into the company of those who have attained the Stage of Genuine Assurance of the Mahayana. This is the Stage of Non-Retrogression. It is like taking passage on a ship and sailing over the sea: it is very pleasant.

In this context, the Way of Difficult Practice is the Gateway of the Holy Path, and the Way of Easy Practice is the Gateway of the Pure Land. Difficult Practice as distinct from Easy Practice and Holy Path as distinct from Pure Land; the words differ but the meaning is actually the same. The Masters T'ien-t'ai and Chiats'ai share the same view. We surely ought to be aware of this. Again, as is stated in The Essentials for Rebirth in the Western Paradise:

As I reverently reflect on the matter, it is clear that Sakyamuni appeared at an opportune time and benefitted all those who were karmically related to him. He extended his teaching to accommodate people's different natures and thus watered all the people with the dew of the Dharma. Those who met the Holy Teacher personally were each led toward Enlightenment along one of the Ways of the Three Vehicles. He encouraged those whose goodness was slight and who were negligent in proper karmic practice to take 2b

Chapter I

refuge in the Pure Land. Anyone who engages in this practice will be reborn in that Land by meditating exclusively on Amida and turning over the merits of all his good deeds toward Rebirth. Amida, in his Original Vow, resolved to ferry beings from this Saha world to the other shore. All those engaging in this practice—who at best continue it for the whole of their lives, but who at least think of Amida ten times when they are on the verge of death—will certainly attain Rebirth. Again, in the postscript to the same work it is said: If we carefully reflect, we will realize that we have been born near the end of the Age of the Semblance of the Dharma, long after the Holy One's passing. Although we are acquainted with the Way of the Three Vehicles, we cannot attain Enlightenment through it. Both men and cLevas are filled with the agitation and unrest of the deluding passions. Those whose wisdom is great and whose hearts are opened wide in compassion may be able to abide long in samsara, practicing the Way. But the foolish and those whose practice lacks depth will probably sink into the dark realms of inferior states of being. We should by all means, therefore, remove ourselves far from this Saha world and let our hearts dwell in the Pure Realm.

In this passage, the "Three Vehicles" refers to the Gateway of the Holy Path, and the "Pure Realm," the Gateway of the Pure Land. As for "Three Vehicles" as distinct from "Pure Realm" and "Holy Path" as distinct from "Pure Land"—these phrases differ in name but their meaning is actually the same.

He who would learn of the Pure Land school should first of all understand the import of the above passages. Even though a man may have previously studied the Gateway of the Holy Path, if he feels an inclination toward the Gateway of the Pure Land, he should set aside the Holy Path and take refuge in the Pure Land. An example of one who did this was the Dharma Master T'an-luan, who abandoned his lecturing on the Four Treatises and wholeheartedly 14

The Two Gateways

sought the shelter of the Pure Land. The Dhyâna Master Tao-ch'o abandoned his manifold activities in studying and teaching theMrvana Sutra and began to propagate the practice of the Pure Land of the West exclusively. Such was the case with the wise and learned masters of old. Why, then, should we foolish men in the Age of the Dharma's Decadence fail to follow their example? Someone may raise the following question. The various schools and sects of the Holy Path each have their own direct line of master-disciple transmission of the Dharma. In the case of the T'ient'ai school, for example, the genealogy is from Hui-wen to Nan-yüeh, to T'ien-t'ai, to Chang-an, to Chih-wei, to Hui-wei, to Hsiian-lang, to Chan-jan. In the case of the Shingon school, the successive transmission is from Mahâvairocana Tathâgata to Vajrasattva, to Nâgârjuna, to Nâgabodhi, to Vajrabodhi, to Amoghavajra. Likewise, each of the many remaining schools has its own "artery" through which its transmission flows. Is there any such artery of successive teachers in the Pure Land school?

I would reply to such a question by pointing out that the Pure Land school does indeed have its own arteries of transmission just like those of the Holy Path. However, in this particular school of the Pure Land there are several differing "houses." These are the houses of the Dharma Master Hui-yüan of Lu-shan, of the Tripitaka Master Tz'u-min, and of Tao-ch'o and Shan-tao. Here we will limit ourselves to the lineage advocated by Tao-ch'o and Shan-tao and discuss its artery of harma transmission. Concerning it, there are two opinions. According to one—found in the Collection of Passages on the Land of eace and Bliss—the succession is as follows: the Tripitaka Master Bodhiruci, the Dharma Master Hui-ch'ung, the Dharma Master Tao-ch'ang, the Dharma Master T'an-luan, the Dhyâna Master Ta-hai, and the Dharma Master Fa-shang. According to the other—found in the biographies of minent masters of oth the T'ang and Sung Dynasties—the succession began with the Tripitaka Master Bodhiruci, who was followed by the Dharma Master T'an-luan, the Dhyâna Master Tao-ch'o, the Dhyâna Master Shan-tao, the Dharma Master Huai-kan, and the Dharma Master Shao-k'ang. 2c

Chapter II

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

Passages That Relate How Master Shan-tao Distinguished between the Two, "Right" and "Miscellaneous," Kinds of ractice, Rejecting the Miscellaneous and Taking Refuge in the Right Shan-tao says in the fourth book of his Commentary on the Meditation Sutra:

As to establishing faith in practice, we should first note that practice is of wo kinds: Right and Miscellaneous. The Right consists in performing only the kinds of discipline derived from the sutras on Rebirth in the Pure Land, hence the name "Right Practices." What disciplines are they? They are: (1) Single-mindedly and wholeheartedly chanting the Meditation Sutra, the Amida Sutra, and the Sutra of Immeasurable Life;

(2) Single-mindedly and wholeheartedly thinking on, contemplating, and remembering the adornments of the two

recompenses in that Land;

(3) When doing reverence is in order, single-mindedly and wholeheartedly doing reverence to that Buddha; (4) When uttering [holy names] is in order, singlemindedly and wholeheartedly uttering the Name of that Buddha;

(5) When giving praises and offerings is in order, singlemindedly and wholeheartedly giving them [to Amida], 17

Chapter II

These are called the Right [Practices], Further, within these Right Practices there are two types. The first is to concentrate single-mindedly and wholeheartedly on the Name of Amida, whether walking or standing still, whether seated or lying down, without considering whether the time involved is long or short and without ceasing even for an instant. This is called the Right Established Act. It is so called because such a practice agrees with the intent of Amida's Vow. Other practices, such as doing reverence to the Buddha and chanting [sutras], are called the Auxiliary Acts. Besides these two—the Right Established and the Auxiliary Practices—all the other good practices are collectively called Miscellaneous Practices.

If we perform the Right and the Auxiliary Practices, our heart always remains intimate with and near [to Amida], and we never cease to remember him. Hence these are called the Incessant. However, when we perform the other Miscellaneous Practices, our concentration is always liable to be broken. Even though we can indeed be reborn by transferring the merit [of such practices to that end], they are called Estranged Miscellaneous Practices.

In my own view this passage has two purposes. The first is to make clear the types of practice proper for Rebirth. The second is to deter-3a mine the advantages and disadvantages of he two kinds of ractice. 1. Types of Practice Proper for Rebirth

As to the first, elucidation of the practices proper for Rebirth, according to Master Shan-tao, the practices leading to Rebirth are many but can be grouped under two major divisions: the Right and the Miscellaneous Practices.

Speaking first of the Right Practices, there are two [ways of elucidating their] import: the "divided" and the "merged." In the first, they are divided into five kinds; later they are merged into two. First, regarding the division into five kinds-18

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

(1) The Right Practice of Sutra-Chanting

(2) The Right Practice of Contemplation

(3) The Right Practice of Doing Reverence

(4) The Right Practice of Uttering the Name

(5) The Right Practice of Giving Praises and Offerings The first, the Right Practice of Sutra-Chanting, is to chant the Meditation Sutra and the other [Pure Land] sutras wholeheartedly; or in the words of the above-quoted passage, "single-mindedly and wholeheartedly chanting the Meditation Sutra, the Amida Sutra, and the Sutra of mmeasurable Life." The second, the Right Practice of Contemplation, is to contemplate the two recompenses— principal and dependent—of that Land wholeheartedly; or as we read in the text above, "single-mindedly and wholeheartedly thinking on, contemplating, and remembering the adornments of the two recompenses." The third, the Right Practice of Doing Reverence, is to do reverence wholeheartedly to Amida Buddha, or as in the text above, "when doing reverence is in order, single-mindedly and wholeheartedly doing reverence to that Buddha." The fourth, the Right Practice of Uttering the Name, is to utter the Name of Amida Buddha wholeheartedly, or as in the words of the text above, "when uttering [holy names] is in order, single-mindedly and wholeheartedly uttering the Name of that Buddha." The fifth, the Right Practice of Giving Praises and Offerings, is to give praises and offerings wholeheartedly to Amida; or as in the text above, "when giving praises and offerings is in order, single-mindedly and wholeheartedly giving them [to Amida]. These are called the Right (Practices)." If e treat "praising" and "making offerings" as two separate acts, then we must speak of "the six kinds of Right Practice." Here these two are joined together and so we speak of "the five kinds of practice."

Next, regarding the two "merged" practices: the Right Act and the Auxiliary Acts. First, the Right Act is uttering the Name, which is the fourth of the above-listed five kinds of Right Practice, namely the Right Established Act. It is as is stated in the above passage: 19

Chapter II

3b To concentrate single-mindedly and wholeheartedly on the Name of Amida, whether walking or standing still, whether seated or lying down, without considering whether the time involved is long or short and without ceasing even for an instant. This is called the Right Established Act. It is so called because such a practice agrees with the intent of mida's Vow. Next, the Auxiliary Acts are the four other kinds of acts, such as sutra-chanting, with the exception of the fourth, uttering (the Name). This is as is stated in the above passage: Other practices, such as doing reverence to the Buddha and chanting [sutras], are called the Auxiliary Acts. It may be asked, "Why, among the five kinds of practice, is only uttering the Name of Amida Buddha called the Right Established Act? I answer that it is because this is in accord with the intent of Amida's Vow. That is to say, uttering the Name of Amida is the practice referred to in the Original Vow of the Buddha. Therefore, the one who is dedicated to this practice is carried forward by the power of Amida's Vow and will certainly attain Rebirth in the Pure Land. The meaning of the Buddha's Original Vow will be made clear below.

We shall next discuss the Miscellaneous Practices. Above, we read the following words:

Besides these two—the Right Established and the Auxiliary Practices—all the other good practices are collectively called Miscellaneous Practices.

The meaning is this: there being endless numbers of such Miscellaneous Practices, we do not have the time here to discuss them in detail. We now only briefly explain the five kinds of Miscellaneous Practice corresponding to the five kinds of Right Practice: (1) The Miscellaneous Practice of Sutra-Chanting (2) The Miscellaneous Practice of Contemplation (3) The Miscellaneous Practice of Doing Reverence (4) The Miscellaneous Practice of Uttering [Holy Names] 20

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

(5) The Miscellaneous Practice of Giving Praises and Offerings

Regarding the first, the Miscellaneous Practice of Sutra-Chanting, with the exception of the above-mentioned Meditation Sutra and others pertaining to Rebirth in the Pure Land, cherishing and chanting the sutras, whether Mahayana or Hinayana, whether Exoteric or Esoteric, is called the Miscellaneous Practice of Sutra-Chanting. Regarding the second, the Miscellaneous Practice of Contemplation, with the exception of the above-mentioned contemplation of the principal and dependent recompenses in the Land of Supreme Bliss, all practices of contemplation, whether of phenomenal things or of underlying principles, whether pertaining to Mahayana or Hinayana, Exoteric or Esoteric, are called the Miscellaneous Practices of Contemplation.

Regarding the third, the Miscellaneous Practice of Doing Reverence, with the exception of the above-mentioned reverence to Amida, all forms of worshipping and showing reverence to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as to the various divinities, are called the Miscellaneous Practice of Doing Reverence. Regarding the fourth, the Miscellaneous Practice of Littering [Holy Names], with the exception of the above-mentioned practice of uttering the Name of Amida, all forms of the practice of uttering the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as the names of various divinities, are called the Miscellaneous Practice of Uttering [Holy Names].

Regarding the fifth, the Miscellaneous Practice of Giving Praises and Offerings [to Holy Beings], with the exception of the above-mentioned practice of giving praises and offerings to Amida Buddha, all forms of giving praises and offerings to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as to various divinities, are called the Miscellaneous Practice of Giving Praises and Offerings [to Holy Beings]. In addition to these five, there are also countless numbers of other practices, such as charity and observance of the precepts. All of these should be included under the name of Miscellaneous Practice.

2 1

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3c 2. The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Two Kinds of Practice

Next, I will judge the advantages and disadvantages of the two kinds of practice. It is said in the above quotation: If we perform the Right and the Auxiliary Practices, our heart always remains intimate with and near [to Amida], and we never cease to remember him. Hence these are called Incessant. However, when we perform the other Miscellaneous Practices, our concentration is always liable to be broken. Even though we can indeed be reborn by transferring the merit [of such practices to that end], they are called Estranged Miscellaneous Practices.

Considering the merits of these words, we find that with regard to these two—the Right and the Miscellaneous Practices—there are five pairs of contrasts:

(1) The Intimate versus the Estranged

(2) The near versus the far

(3) The Intermittent versus the Incessant (4) Transference of merit versus no transference of merit (5) The Pure versus the Miscellaneous

As regards the first pair, the Intimate versus the Estranged, "Intimate" means that those who perform both the Right and the Auxiliary Practices are brought into exceedingly close intimacy with Amida Buddha. Thus we read in the preceding part [i.e., the third book] of the Commentary.

When sentient beings arouse themselves to practice and always utter with their lips the Name of the Buddha, the Buddha will hear them. When they constantly and reverently bow down to the Buddha, the Buddha will see them. When they continually think of the Buddha in their hearts, the Buddha will know them. When sentient beings remember the Buddha, the Buddha also remembers them. In these 2 2

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

three acts, the Buddha and sentient beings are not separate from each other. Hence, they are called the intimate relation. Next, "Estranged" refers to Miscellaneous Practices. When sentient beings do not call the Buddha, the Buddha does not hear them. When they do not bow down to the Buddha, the Buddha does not see them. When they do not think of the Buddha in their hearts, the Buddha does not know them. When they do not remember the Buddha, the Buddha does not remember them. In these three acts, the Buddha and the sentient beings are separate from each other. Hence, they are called "Estranged Practices." As regards the second pair, the near versus the far, "near" means that those who perform the two—the Right and the Auxiliary-Practices are very near to Amida Buddha. Thus in the preceding part of the Commentary we read:

If sentient beings desire to see the Buddha, he, responding to this desire, will appear before their eyes. Hence, this is called the near relation.

Next, "far" refers to the Miscellaneous Practices. If sentient beings do not desire to see the Buddha, he will respond to this lack of desire and not appear before their eyes. Hence, they are called "far." The meanings of "intimate" and "near" seem to be identical but Shan-tao distinguishes between them. This appears in his Commentary. Therefore, I have quoted these passages here and explained them.

As regards the third pair, the Incessant versus the Intermittent, "Incessant" means that those who perform the two—the Right and Auxiliary—Practices never cease to remember Amida Buddha. Hence, this is called "Incessant."

Next, "Intermittent" means that those who perform Miscellaneous Practices will constantly find their concentration on Amida Buddha broken. That is why it is said, "our concentration is always liable to be broken."

As regards the fourth pair, "no transference of merit" versus "transference of merit," those who perform the two—the Right 23

4a Chapter II

and the Auxiliary—Practices, even though they do not deliberately intend to transfer the merit [of these practices toward attaining Rebirth], will nevertheless see that their practice by its very nature becomes a Rebirth practice. Thus we read in the preceding part of the Commentary:

Now the 'ten utterances of the Buddha's Name' in this Meditation Sutra contain and accomplish the Ten Vows and the Ten Practices. How do they accomplish them? 'Namu' means 'to take refuge.' It also means 'to desire to transfer one's merits.' 'Amida Butsu' is the practice. For this reason, one can surely attain Rebirth [by reciting it].

Next, "transference of merit" means that those who perform the Miscellaneous Practices can make them serve as sufficient cause for Rebirth only when they intend their merits to be transferred [to this end]. When they do not intend merit-transference, then their practice does not become sufficient cause for Rebirth. That is why it is said, "Even though we can indeed be reborn by transferring the merit [of such practices to that end] ..." As regards the fifth pair, the Pure versus the Miscellaneous, "Pure" refers to the performance of the two—the Right Established and the Auxiliary—Practices, which are the Pure Practices leading to Rebirth in the Land of Supreme Bliss. Next, the Miscellaneous Practices are not practices leading directly to the Land of Supreme Bliss. They are common to those beings who [seek rebirth as] human and heavenly beings, who [follow] the Three Vehicles or who [seek rebirth in other] Pure Lands of the ten directions. Therefore they are called "Miscellaneous." Hence practitioners longing for the Western Land should necessarily cast aside the Miscellaneous and perform the Right Practice. It may be asked whether evidence for this understanding of the Pure and the Miscellaneous Practices can be found in the sutras and treatises. The answer is that there is more than one instance in the sutras, Vinayas, and treatises of both Mahayana and Hinayana in which the Two Gateways of Pure and Miscellaneous Practices 24

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

are distinguished. The Mahayana establishes the "miscellaneous storehouse" among the eight storehouses. It should be understood that seven of these eight are pure, and one miscellaneous. The Hinayana sets up the Miscellaneous Agama as one of the four Agamas. It should be understood that three of them are pure and one is miscellaneous. In the [Four-Part] Vinaya, twenty sections are established to explain practice in accord with the precepts. Among these, the first nineteen are pure and the last one is miscellaneous. In an [.Abhidharma] treatise, eight sections are distinguished to explain the nature and aspects of various dharmas. The first seven are pure and the last is miscellaneous. In the various collections of wise and holy men's biographies from the T'ang and Sung dynasties, we read that the virtuous conduct of the noble monks is explained under the ten headings. Of these, the first nine are pure and the last is miscellaneous. Furthermore, in A Collection of assages on the Profound Meaning of the Mahayana there are five groups of Dharma gateways, of which the first four are pure and the last is miscellaneous. Further, not only in the Exoteric Teachings but also in the Esoteric Teachings there are pure and miscellaneous Dharmas. It is stated in the Records of the Lines of the Dharma Transmission [by the Master Saicho] of the Tendai school:

The first is the record of the Matrix Realm Mandala line of transmission.

The second is the record of the Diamond Realm Mandala line of transmission.

The third is the record of the Miscellaneous Mandala line of transmission.

The first two are pure and the last is miscellaneous. The cases in which the pure-versus-miscellaneous mode of classification is employed are many. Here I have briefly presented only a few of them. It should be noted that, in their various contexts, the significations of pure and miscellaneous are not fixed. In the light of this, the intention of the Master Shan-tao in the above passage was to discuss 25

Chapter II

4b the pure and miscellaneous with regard to Pure Land practice. The notion of the pure versus miscellaneous is not limited to canonical Buddhist writings. Very many examples are also found in non-Buddhist sources. In order to avoid unnecessary tedium, I shall not treat these here.

Shan-tao is not the only master who divides practices for Rebirth in the Pure Land into two kinds. According to the view of the Dhyana Master Tao-ch'o, practices for Rebirth [in the Pure Land] are many but are grouped in two categories: (1) Rebirth through the Nembutsu and (2) Rebirth through the myriad practices. Next, according to the view of the Dhyana Master Huai-kan, practices for Rebirth in the Pure Land are also many but are grouped in two categories: (1) Rebirth through the Nembutsu and (2) Rebirth through the various practices. (Eishin makes the same division.) These three masters have indeed made a very appropriate interpretation when each sets up two kinds of practice to group practices for Rebirth. Other masters did not make such a division. Practitioners should certainly take note of this fact. It is stated in the Hymns in Praise of Rebirth: If people practice the Nembutsu continuously in the abovementioned manner until the end of their lives, then ten out of ten practitioners will attain Rebirth, and a hundred out of a hundred will attain Rebirth. Why is this so? It is because this practice keeps away other miscellaneous karmic conditions and enables one to achieve right mindfulness. It is because it accords with the intent of the Buddha's Original Vow. It is also because it does not contradict the teaching. Further, it is because it is in accord with the Buddha's words. As for those who choose to cast aside the whole-hearted practice and perform Miscellaneous Practices, it is rare for even one or two out of a hundred, or even four or five out of a thousand, to attain Rebirth. Why? It is because their practice is disturbed by miscellaneous karmic conditions and so they lose Right Mindfulness. It is because their practices do not accord with the Buddha's Original Vow. It is because 26

The Right and Miscellaneous Practices

they differ from the Teaching. It is because they are not in accord with the Buddha's words. It is because these people do not keep their minds continually fixed [on Amida Buddha]. It is because their concentration is broken. It is because they do not really have a sincere desire to transfer their merits toward Rebirth. It is because the passions of greed, anger, and wrong views arise and disrupt [their concentration on Amida], It is because they lack repentance and contrite hearts. Moreover, it is because they do not remember this Buddha continually to repay their indebtedness to him. It is because pride arises in their hearts and, though they engage in practice, they always have a desire for fame and self-benefit. It is because their hearts are filled with attachment to their fellow practitioners and teachers. It is because they seek miscellaneous karmic conditions and so they create hindrances for themselves and others in the performance of the Right Practices for Rebirth. Why do I make these assertions? It is because I have myself recently seen and heard that everywhere practitioners, whether monks or laity, differ from one another in understanding and practice and in particular with regard to the wholehearted and Miscellaneous Practices. Only people who concentrate their minds on their practice will attain Rebirth, ten people out of ten. As for people who perform Miscellaneous Practices and so fail to attain sincerity of heart, not even one out of a thousand will be reborn. The advantages and disadvantages of these two practices have already been stated above.

It is my desire that those wishing to be reborn should carefully weigh their own capacities. Those who already in this lifetime desire Rebirth in the Land should unfailingly exert themselves in the performance of this practice, whether moving or standing still, whether sitting or lying down; they should conquer their own egos and should never cease practicing, day and night, until the end of their lives. 27

Chapter II

To practice this way all through life may appear to be somewhat painful, but when life comes to an end, the very next moment they will be reborn into that Land, where they will continue to enjoy the bliss of unconditioned [nirvana] throughout the length of eternal kalpas. Until they attain Buddhahood, they will never again have to pass through the cycles of birth and death. Is this not a joyful thing? One should take careful note of it.

I believe that anyone who reads these words ought to cast aside the Miscellaneous and take up the Exclusive Practice. Why should anyone cast aside the Exclusive and Right Practice, by which a hundred out of a hundred attain Rebirth, and stubbornly cling to the Miscellaneous Practices, by which not even one out of a thousand attains Rebirth? Practitioners ought seriously to ponder this. 28

Chapter III

The Original Vow

The Passage Concerning Amida Tathagata's Original Vow, Which Promised Rebirth Not for Other Practices but for the Nembutsu Only

It is said in the first volume of the Sutra of mmeasurable Life: If, upon my attainment of Buddhahood, all sentient beings in the ten directions who, aspiring in all sincerity and faith to be born in my Land, utter my Name [lit. "Think (of me)"] even ten times are not reborn there, then may I not attain Supreme Enlightenment.

This passage as it appears in the Dharma Gate of Contemplation reads as follows:

If, when I become a Buddha, all sentient beings in all the ten directions, who desire to be born in my Land and utter my Name at least ten times, are not reborn there through the power of my Vow, then may I not attain Supreme Enlightenment. The same passage is again quoted in the Hymns in Praise of Rebirth as follows:

Chapter III

If, when I become a Buddha, all sentient beings in all the ten directions who utter my Name at least ten times are not reborn, then may I not attain Supreme Enlightenment. That Buddha is at present in his Land, having already attained Buddhahood. Therefore we should surely realize that the weighty promise of the Original Vow was not made in vain: If sentient beings recite the Nembutsu, they will certainly attain Rebirth.

My explanation is that each one of all the Buddhas made two kinds of Vows: general and special. The general ones are known as the four universal vows. The special ones are those such as the five hundred great vows of Sakyamuni and the twelve superior vows of the Tathagata Bhaisajyaguru. The Forty-eight Vows now under consideration are the special Vows of Amida. It may be asked, "When and under what Buddha's guidance did the Tathagata Amida make these Vows?" In answer I would quote the Sutra of Immeasurable Life:

The Buddha said to Ananda, "In the distant past, very long, immeasurable, unthinkable, and uncountable kalpas ago, the Tathagata Dlpankara came into the world and taught anti emancipated countless sentient beings, enabling them all to achieve the Buddha Way. Then he entered nirvana. Next there came into the world a Tathagata named Pratapavat, and so on, and the next Tathagata was called Lokendra. "These Buddhas, fifty-three in all, having passed away, another Buddha by the name of Lokesvararaja came into the world. At that time, there lived a king. When he heard the Buddha's explanation of the Dharma, his heart was filled with joy, and an aspiration for the Unsurpassable Supreme Enlightenment was awakened in his mind. Leaving his country and abandoning the throne, he took up the ascetic practice of a Sramana and called himself Dharmakara. He surpassed all others in ability and intelligence and went to the Tathagata Lokesvararaja . . .

The Original Vow

"Then the Buddha Lokesvararaja described to him in detail the good and the evil aspects of human and heavenly beings in the Lands of twenty-one billion Buddhas and also the coarse and refined aspects of those Lands. Then in accordance with Dharmakara's request, he actually showed them all to him. Having heard the discourse of the Buddha on the magnificent Pure Lands and having seen them all, the Bhiksu Dharmakara made his unsurpassable and truly admirable Vows. His heart being quiet and tranquil and his will unattached, no one in all the world could equal him. For five kalpas he pondered the pure practices needed in order to establish a superior Buddha Land, and he made them his own."

Ananda then asked the Buddha, "How long was the Buddha's life span in that [Lokesvararaja's] Land?" The Buddha answered, "That Buddha's life span was forty-two kalpas. Eventually, the Bhiksu Dharmakara succeeded in making his own the pure practices through which the twenty-one billion Buddhas established their refined Lands." In the Larger Amida Sutra we read:

The Buddha then chose from among the good and evil hu- man and heavenly beings living in the twenty-one billion Buddha Lands, and also chose from among the pleasant and unpleasant features of those Lands. Then he chose the Vows [that accorded with] the desires of his heart. When Lokesvararaja Buddha (also referred to here as Sovereign King of the World) finished his exposition, Dharmakara (also referred to here as Dharma Storehouse) concentrated his mind so intensely that he attained the vision of divine beings. With this penetrating sight he himself saw all the good and the evil aspects of human and heavenly beings and also the pleasant and the unpleasant features of the twenty-one billion Buddha Lands. Then he himself chose the Vows [which accorded with] the desires of his own heart. It is thus that he made the Twenty-four 5a

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Vows. (The same account is also found in the Sutra of Universal Enlightenment.)

"Chose" in the above passage means "take up some thing while rejecting other things." This means that he [Dharmakara] rejected the evil aspects of the human and heavenly beings in the twentyone billion Buddha Lands and took up their good aspects; he rejected the unpleasant features of these Lands and took up the pleasant ones. This is the meaning of "choose" in the Larger Amida Sutra. In the context of the Two-Volume Sutra [i.e. the Sutra of Immeasurable Life] there is also the notion of "choose"; that is to say, it is found in the passage above, ". . .succeeded in making his own the pure practices through which the twenty-one billion Buddhas established their refined Lands." "Choose" and "make his own" are two different forms but their meaning is the same. It follows then that he rejected the impure practices and took up the pure ones. With reference to the above-mentioned choosing from among the good and the evil aspects of human and heavenly beings and among the coarse and the refined features of the Lands, the same interpretation applies. We should know this from the above explanation.

Now, the meaning of "to choose" and "to make one's own" will be briefly discussed in relation to each of the Forty-eight Vows. The first Vow was that none of the Three Evil Realms should be present. Among the twenty-one billion Buddha Lands [which Dharmakara saw] there were some where these Three Evil Realms existed and some where they did not. Dharmakara chose to reject the coarse and inferior Lands where the Three Evil Realms existed and chose to make his own the good and refined Lands where they did not. Hence the word "choose."

The second Vow was that no one would return to the Evil Realms. Even though in some of the many Buddha Lands the Three Evil Realms do not exist, still the human and heavenly beings there, after their lives are over, leave those Lands and return to the Three Evil Realms. On the other hand, there are other Lands 32

The Original Vow

from which there is no returning to the Evil Realms. Dharmakara chose to reject the coarse and inferior Lands from which we would return to the Evil Realms and chose to make his own the good and refined Lands from which there is no returning to the Evil Realms. Hence the word "choose."

The third Vow was that everyone should be of golden color. In the Buddha Lands there are some wherein both yellow and white human and divine beings live together. There are also Buddha Lands wherein all beings are of a pure golden color. Thus, Dharmakara chose to reject the coarse and inferior Lands in which there existed yellow and white beings, and he chose to make his own the good and refined Lands where the color of all beings is pure gold. Hence the word "choose."

The fourth Vow was that there should be no differentiation between beauty and ugliness. Among the many Buddha Lands there are some wherein human and divine beings are unequal with respect to beauty or ugliness of face and form. There are other Buddha Lands whose inhabitants have one and the same physical appearance and there is no distinction with respect to their beauty or ugliness. Thus Dharmakara chose to reject the coarse and inferior lands where beauty and ugliness are unequal and chose to make his own the good and refined lands where such inequality does not exist. Hence the word "choose." [Proceeding in the same manner] one comes to the Eighteenth Vow concerning Rebirth through the Nembutsu. Among these many Buddha Lands there are some wherein Rebirth is attained through the practices of almsgiving. Again, there are some wherein Rebirth comes through observance of the precepts. In other Lands, the practice for Rebirth is patience; in others it is zeal, and in others it is meditation. Again, in other lands, the Rebirth practices is Prajna—that is, knowledge of the supreme reality. There are also lands wherein Rebirth comes through the Bodhi mind, in others through the six acts of mindfulness, in others by chanting sutras, and again in others by dharanl recitation. Further, there are lands wherein Rebirth is attained by performing various practices 33

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such as erecting stupas and making images of the Buddha, offering food to Sramanas, being dutiful to parents, and venerating teachers and elders. Also there are lands wherein Rebirth is obtained by the wholehearted recitation of the names of the Buddhas of those Lands.

To conclude that a certain practice is thus allotted for Rebirth in the land of a certain Buddha is a superficial interpretation. However, if we reconsider the matter, it is clear that it is not the definitive one. In certain Buddha Lands Rebirth is obtained by many practices, while in many others it is obtained by a single practice common to all. In this way, we find that the practices for Rebirth are of many different kinds. It is not possible to discuss them all in detail.

Here [in the Eighteenth Vow], he [Dharmakara] chose to cast aside various practices, such as the above-mentioned almsgiving, observance of the precepts, and lastly filial piety, and chose to make his own the wholehearted recitation of the Buddha's Name. Hence the word "choose."

I have above briefly discussed the notion of "to choose" in five of the Vows. Its meaning is as shown above. The meaning of "to choose" in the remaining Vows can accurately be deduced from this. It may be asked, "It seems reasonable that he [Dharmakara] should in this way have chosen to cast aside the coarse and inferior and take up the good and refined elements in all his Vows; but why did he, in the Eighteenth Vow, choose to cast aside all other practices and take up the Nembutsu alone? Why did he make his Original Vow of Rebirth [only to those who practice it]?" I would answer by saying that although the Buddha's Holy Intention is difficult to fathom and impossible to understand fully, it may best be interpreted with the aid of the following two notions: (1) superior versus inferior and (2) difficult versus easy. Firstly, as regards superior versus inferior, the Nembutsu is superior and the other practices are inferior. This is because the Name is the container into which all of [Amida's] uncountable virtues have flowed. That is to say, in the Name are contained all the merits and virtues of Amida's inner Enlightenment, such as the 34

The Original Vow

four wisdoms, the three bodies, the ten powers, and the four fearlessnesses. Also contained in it are all the merits and virtues from which his outward activities flow, such as the major and minor bodily characteristics, the emanations of light, the preaching of the Dharma, and the granting of benefits to sentient beings. For these reasons, the merits and virtues of the Name are incomparably "superior." The other practices are not the same as this; each one of them is only good for producing a limited portion of merit and virtue. For this reason, they are called "inferior." Let me offer the metaphor of an ordinary house to explain this. The name "house" includes all of ts constituent elements: the ridgepole, the rafters, the beams, the pillars, and so on, but none of the names—"ridgepole," "rafter," and so on—can denote the entire "house." From this we see that the merits and virtues of the Buddha's Name are superior to those of all other practices. It is in this sense that Dharmakara cast aside the inferior and took up the superior when he made his Original Vow.

Secondly, as regards difficult versus easy, the Nembutsu is easy to practice while the other practices are difficult to perform. That is why it is said in the Hymns in Praise of Rebirth: It may be asked, "Why are we not urged to practice meditation but urged in a straightforward manner to utter wholeheartedly the Name?" In answer, I say that this is because the karmic bonds of sentient beings are heavy, the objects of meditation subtle, their minds desultory, their attention wavering, and their spirits jumping about, and so it is difficult for them to succeed in meditation. For this reason, the Great Holy One, moved with pity, straightforwardly encouraged them to utter the Name wholeheartedly. Since uttering the Name is really easy, we are able to continue this practice and attain Rebirth.

And again, in the Collection on the Essentials for Rebirth we read: It may be asked, "All good practices are meritorious, and each can lead to Rebirth. Why is it that the Gateway of the Nembutsu alone is encouraged?" In answer, I would say that 35

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6a when I now urge everyone to practice the Nembutsu, I do not intend to set aside the various other superior practices. What I mean to say is that the Nembutsu is not difficult to perform for either man or woman, whether highborn or low, whether walking, standing still, sitting, or lying down, and no matter when, where, and under what karmic conditions. And finally, when anyone is on his deathbed and desires to be reborn, no practice is more accessible than the Nembutsu. It is, therefore, clear that since the Nembutsu is easy, it is open to everyone, while the various other practices are not open to all types of people, because they are difficult. Was it not in order to bring all sentient beings without exception to Rebirth that [Dharmakara] in his Original Vow cast aside the difficult practices and chose the easy one?

If the Original Vow had required us to make images of the Buddha and to build stupas, the poor and the destitute would certainly have to give up hope of Rebirth, but the fact is that the rich and the highborn are few, while the poor and the lowborn are exceedingly many. If the Original Vow required us to have wisdom and intelligence, the foolish and the unwise would certainly have to give up hope for Rebirth, but the fact is that the wise are few, and the foolish are very numerous. Again, if the Original Vow required us to hear and read many things, those who have heard and read little would certainly have to give up hope of Rebirth, but the fact is that those who have heard much are few and those who have heard little are very many. Further, if the Original Vow required us to observe the precepts and abide by the rules for monks behavior, those who have broken the precepts and those who have never undertaken them would certainly have to give up hope of Rebirth, but the fact is that those who observe the precepts are few, while those who have broken the precepts are exceedingly many. As for the various other practices, they should be understood in the same way.

We should know that if the Original Vow required us to perform the manifold practices above, then those who are able to attain 36

The Original Vow

Rebirth would be few and those unable to do so would be very many. For this reason, Amida Tathagata, in the distant past when he was the Bhiksu Dharmakara, moved with an impartial compassion and wishing to save all beings universally, did not choose in his Original Vow concerning Rebirth the manifold practices, such as making images of the Buddha and building stupas. He chose the single practice of uttering the Nembutsu in that Original Vow.

Thus, the Dhyana Master Fa-chao writes in his Five Tone Ceremonial Hymns \Aspiring for Rebirth in the Pure Land]. That Buddha made a Universal Vow when he was in the causal stage [of Bodhisattvahood]:

"I shall come to welcome all those who hear my Name and meditate on me.

No distinction will be made between the poor and rich, between the destitute and the noble;

No distinction between those of slight wisdom and those of great talent;

No preference given to those who have heard much and who observe the precepts

Over those who have broken the precepts and those who have deep-rooted karmic sins.

If only they turn their hearts to me and recite many Nembutsus,

Like broken tiles and pebbles turned into gold, [they will attain salvation].

It may be asked, "All the Bodhisattvas have made vows. Some have already fulfilled their vows, while others have not yet done so. I wonder whether or not Dharmakara's Forty-eight Vows have already been fulfilled." I would answer that each of his Vows has been fulfilled. The reason I say so is that already in the World of Supreme Bliss there are none of the Three Evil Realms; we should know that the Vow that there be none of the Three Evil Realms has already been fulfilled. How can we know this? It is said in the 37

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passage regarding the fulfillment of the Vow: "Hell, the realms of hungry ghosts and animals, and the various afflictions do not exist." This is how we know.

Further, humans and devas of that country, after the end of their lives, do not return to the Three Evil Realms. We should know then that the Vow that there would be no returning to the Evil Realms has been fulfilled. How can we know this? It is said in the passage regarding the fulfillment of the Vow: "Further, the Bodhisattvas of that Land will never return to the Evil Realms even up to the time when they become Buddhas." This is how we know. Further, there is no human or deva in the World of Supreme Bliss who does not possess the thirty-two physical characteristics [of a Bodhisattva], We should know that the Vow that everyone would possess the thirty-two physical characteristics has been fulfilled. How do we know this? In the passage regarding the fulfillment of the Vow we read "Those who are born in that Land possess the thirty-two physical characteristics." This is how we know. In the same way, from the first Vow that there should exist none of the Three Evil Realms to the last Vow that one should attain the three Dharma insights, each and every one of the Vows has been fulfilled. Then is there any reason why the Eighteenth Vow concerning Rebirth through the Nembutsu should be the only one not to be fulfilled? It follows then that all who practice the Nembutsu will be reborn.

In the passage regarding the fulfillment of the Vow of Rebirth through the Nembutsu we read:

If sentient beings hear his Name and, rejoicing with believing hearts, think of him even once while single-heartedly transferring their merits in the desire for Rebirth in his Land, then they will attain Rebirth and abide in the State of Non-Retrogression.

In general, it is the Forty-eight Vows that have embellished the Pure Land. The lotus ponds and jewelled palaces would not exist except for the power of the Vows. Why, then, among all those Vows, 38

The Original Vow

should the Vow of Rebirth through the Nembutsu be the only one that we should doubt? Moreover, it is said at the end of each Vow, "If not, may I not attain Supreme Enlightenment." We must note here that ten kalpas have already elapsed since Amida attained Buddhahood and so the Vow to become a Buddha has already been fulfilled. Therefore, we should surely know that none of these Vows was made in vain. This is why Shan-tao says:

The Buddha has attained Buddhahood and is at present dwelling in his World. We should surely know that the weighty promise of the Original Vow was not made in vain. If sentient beings recite the Nembutsu, they will surely be reborn. It may be asked, "In the sutra it says 'think of [me] ten times,' while in [Shan-tao's] interpretations it says 'utter ten times.' How should we understand the meaning of 'think of' and 'utter'?" I should say in answer that "think of" and "utter" are really one thing. How do we know this? The Meditation Sutra, in expounding to the lowest level of the lowest class of beings, says: If we utter "Namu Amida Butsu" with uninterrupted voice while thinking [of him as few as] ten times, then, because we utter the Buddha's Name, with each repetition our sins accumulated during the births and deaths of eight billion kalpas are removed.

Now, according to this passage, it is clear that "utter" means "think of" and "think of" is the same as "utter." Moreover, it is said in the Candragarbha Sutra, "With a great thought [of the Buddha] one sees a great Buddha; with a small thought one sees a small Buddha." Master Huai-kan's interpretation of this is, "'a great thought' means uttering the Nembutsu in a loud voice, and 'a small thought' means uttering the Nembutsu in a soft voice." Thus we know that "think of" is the same as "utter."

It may be asked, "The [Larger] Sutra says 'even [ten times]' while [Shan-tao's] interpretation says 'at least [ten utterances].' How do you explain this difference?" I would reply that "even" 39

Chapter III

6c and "at least" have the same meaning. The word "even" in the sutra is a term which indicates "from many to few." "Many" indicates the upper limit of spending our whole life [in the practice of the Nembutsu], "Few" indicates the lower limit of ten utterances or even one utterance. In the phrase "at least" in [Shan-tao's] interpretation, "least" is a term which contrasts with "most." "At least" means "down to ten utterances, or even one." "Most" means "going to the upper limit, covering one's whole life." There are many examples of passages contrasting "most" and "least." In the Vow to enable us to acquire the supernatural power of knowing our own and others' previous lives it is said:

If, when I have become a Buddha, the men and devas of my Land do not know their own or others' previous lives and the events of at least a hundred thousand kotis of nayutas of kalpas in the past, then may I not attain Supreme Enlightenment. Similarly, the term "at least" is used in each of the other Vows relating to the Five Supernatural Powers and the Vows of Light and Life. In all these cases, it means going from "many" to "few," and "least" stands in opposition to "most." Considering the usage of "at least" as it appears in the above eight Vows, we see that it has the same meaning as "even" in this [Eighteenth] Vow. Therefore, the phrase "at least" which is used here in Shan-tao's interpretation does not differ from that.

Shan-tao's interpretation, however, is not the same as that of other masters. According to these other masters' interpretations, this Vow is taken in a limited sense and called "the Vow of Rebirth through uttering ten Nembutsus." Shan-tao alone interpreted it in a comprehensive sense and called it "the Vow of Rebirth through the Nembutsu." The other masters restricted the meaning of the Vow by calling it "the Vow of Rebirth through uttering ten Nembutsus." Their interpretation is not all-inclusive, for it excludes both the notion of upper limit of the lifelong Nembutsu practice, and that of its lower limit, a single utterance. When Shan-tao 40

The Original Vow

interpreted it in a comprehensive sense and called it "the Vow of Rebirth through the Nembutsu," his interpretation was all-inclusive, for it included both its upper and lower limits: the lifelong and the single Nembutsu.

Nguồn: BDK America — English Tripiṭaka (bdkamerica.org).