T2646 Kyōgyōshinshō On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment

The sixth clarification by the Buddhist is: KåΩyapa (incarnated as Lao-tzu) was born in the fire/hare year214 of the reign of Emperor Huan and died in the water/horse year215 of the reign of Emperor Ching. Although he is said to have died in the time of Confucius, he did not live during the reign of Chich'ang (Emperor Wen). The Tamer of Beings (¸åkyamuni) was born in the wood/tiger year216 of the reign of Emperor Chao and died in the water/monkey year217 of the reign of Emperor Mu. He was the heir of ¸uddhodana and appeared before Emperor Chuang.

A person of illumination says: Confucius went to the kingdom of Chou, where he met Lao-tan (Lao-tzu) and asked him about propriety. This is recorded in detail in the Record of History. As to whether he was the teacher of Emperor Wen, there is no authentic evidence. He appeared at the end of the Chou dynasty; this can be found in the records, but that he flourished at the beginning of the Chou dynasty lacks evidence in the historical documents.…

The seventh "di›erence" presented by the non-Buddhist says:

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Lao-tzu was born during the Chou dynasty and, later in life, went into the desert. It is not known what became of him or where he died. ¸åkyamuni was born in the western land (India) and ended his life near the Ajitavat∆ River. [When he died] his disciples beat their chests in sorrow and a multitude of barbarian natives cried bitterly. The seventh clarification by the Buddhist says: Lao-tzu was born at Lai-hsiang and buried at Huai-li. The details of this are known in the account of Ch'in-i's call of condolence, in which Lao-tzu is criticized for making people believe that he was "a hermit who hides himself in heaven. " Gautama

was born in the palace and died under the [twin] Ωåla trees. This became known in China during the reign of Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty and is recorded in a writing treasured in the imperial archives of Lan-t'ai. A person of illumination says: It is stated in the "Inner Section" of the Book of Chuang-tzu:

When Lao-tan (Lao-tzu) died, Ch'in-i went to mourn him. He cried three times and then left the room. Lao-tzu's disciples were puzzled and asked, "Were you not the master's

friend?" Ch'in-i replied,

"When I went in, I saw young

people mourning for Lao-tzu as if they had lost their father, and old people mourning for him as if they had lost their son. In ancient times, people spoke of 'a hermit who hides himself in heaven.

' At first, I thought that Lao-tzu was

exactly that type of person, but now I do not think so. "

"Hide" means to withdraw; "heaven" means escape from bondage; "form" refers to the body. This passage means that at first Ch'in-i thought that Lao-tzu was a hermit who hid himself from worldly bondage, but now he sees that he was wrong. Ah, Lao-tzu sought to win people's sympathy by words of flattery; hence, he could not escape death. This means that he is not my friend.…

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The above are the ten clarifications of the Buddhist in reply to the ten di›erences set forth by the non-Buddhist. The non-Buddhist asserts that the first di›erence is about left and right in the manner of birth; the Buddhist replies that from the time of birth there is a distinction of superior and inferior.

The Buddhist clarifies the matter: The custom of wearing clothes with the left side under the right is maintained by barbarians. In China, commands from the "right" are respected. So it is stated in the Spring and Autumn Annals: The prime minister receives no imperial commands, but the assistant ministers receive them. Is this not on the left (i.e., wrong)?

The Record of History states:

Lin Hsiang-ju's contributions were great and his position was to the right of Lien-p'o. This made Lien-p'o feel humiliated.

It also states:

Prime Minister Chang-i placed [the envoy from] Ch'in on the right and Wei on the left. Prime Minister Hsi-shou placed Han on the right and Wei on the left. This is because the left side is not suitable. The Book of Rites says:

"Left-sided" people who form groups and start riots shall be killed.

Does this not indicate that the right is superior and the left is inferior?

(Kao shih chüan):

Huang Fu-mi says in his Biographies of Eminent Hermits Lao-tzu was a physiognomist in the state of Ch'u. He had 323

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his house to the north of the Wo River, and studied under Ch'ang-ts'ung-tzu. When Ch'ang-tzu became ill, Li-erh (Lao-tzu) went to inquire after him.

Again, Chi-k'ang says:

Li-erh studied the arts of the nine hermits under Chüantzu. When I examine various books, including one by T'aishih-kung, I cannot find any record that Lao-tzu was born from his mother's left side. Since there is no authentic source of information, this assertion is clearly unreliable. As we all know, wielding a lance or moving a brush [with the right hand] is the first step in the martial or literary arts. It is just as the five ethers and three luminous bodies are the beginning of yin and yang. In the teaching of ¸åkyamuni, one turns to the right; this corresponds with human activities. The "left-hand" path of Chang-ling contradicts the law of heaven. ¸åkyamuni awakened compassion based on the realization of emptiness and responded to the needs of sentient beings. This shows how he manifested himself in this world.… ¸åkyamuni stood aloof from heaven and earth as the most revered one. His distinguished virtue was adored by all in the three worlds and the six realms.… The non-Buddhist remarks:

Lao-tzu set an example of filial piety and loyalty, thereby saving the world and the people. He was a paragon of compassion and love. Therefore, his teaching has been long transmitted without being altered by any of the hundred kings. His profound influence has benefited many generations, showing no sign of deviation for a myriad ages. Thus, his teaching has served as a standard, whether in ruling a kingdom or regulating the family. In ¸åkyamuni's teaching, righteousness is discarded and parents are abandoned; benevolence and filial piety 324

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are not adopted. King AjåtaΩatru killed his father, but it is declared that he did not commit any o›ense. Devadatta wounded his cousin [¸åkyamuni] with an arrow, but we do not hear of any punishment imposed on him. If ordinary people are guided by [teachings such as] these, evil multiplies. If [¸åkyamuni's] teaching becomes a standard, how can good be produced? This is the tenth "di›erence" showing that Lao-tzu's teaching conforms to the Way and ¸åkyamuni's teaching contradicts it. The clarification of the Buddhist says: [According to the Taoist teaching,] righteousness is lower than the Way, propriety arises from lack of loyalty and sincerity, small benevolence is despised as the conduct of mean women, and great filial piety is practiced only by the rich. In addition, to laugh and sing at the occasion of bereavement is not the custom of the Chinese, and to beat trays at funerals is not the manner of the Chinese. [When Yüan-jang's mother died, he rode astride the co‡n and sang. When Tzu-sang died, Tzu-kung made a call of condolence; Tzu-sang's four children looked at each other and laughed. Confucius was at the funeral, and laughed. When Chuang-tzu's wife died he beat the tray and sang.]

Therefore, the virtue of filial piety is taught to instruct such people, for it is intended for them to respect their parents. Also, the virtue of loyalty is taught to them in order to have them respect their king. It is through the profound benevolence of the wise ruler that the teaching of such virtues spread to all countries; it is through the great filial piety of the sacred king that the benevolent ruling reaches throughout the four seas.

The Buddhist sutras say:

Since the subject of mental activity transmigrates in the six realms, there is no being that has not been one's father or mother. Since beings change their abodes in the three 325

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worlds of birth and death, who can distinguish friends from enemies?

It is also stated:

With the eye of wisdom covered over by ignorance, people come and go in birth and death. While repeating comings and goings, they commit various acts through which they become each other's parents and children. Enemies often become friends, and friends often become enemies. Hereupon, Buddhist mendicants abandon the secular world and turn toward the true. They regard all beings as equal to their parents and relatives. They discard worldly prosperity and seek the Way. They treat all beings as their parents. [They universally practice the right mind and look upon others as equal to their parents.]

Taoism esteems serene emptiness but you place greater importance on love. The law is to be enforced equally but you discriminate between friends and enemies. Is this not unreasonable? It is recorded in history books that rivalry for power results in abandoning one's parents; Duke Hua of Ch'i and Emperor Mu of Ch'u are examples of this. Is it not a mistake to slander the [Great Sage] (¸åkyamuni) on these grounds? Here ends the tenth point clarifying that Taoism is inferior [to Buddhism].… The two emperors (Fou Hsi and Nu Wa) ruled the land and transformed the people with their virtue. [The Sutra on the Four Continents Surrounding Sumeru (Hsü mi ssu yü ching) says: "Bodhisattva Responding-to-Voice appeared as Fou Hsi, and Bodhisattva Auspicious appeared as Nu Wa. "]

The three sages set forth their teachings [in the Sutra on the Questions of Bodhisattva Emptiness-Tranquility (K'ung chi so wen ching)]: "KåΩyapa appeared as Lao-tzu, Bodhisattva Må√avaka appeared as Confucius, and Bodhisattva Pure Light appeared as Yen-hui"] and expounded the Way in the 326

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period of defilement. The Yellow Emperor and Lao-tzu enthusiastically expounded the teaching of "returning to oneness by emptying one's self.

" The Duke of Chou and Confucius

promoted study of the arts of poetry, composition, propriety, and music. Manifesting the virtue of modesty and maintaining simple and sincere disposition are steps to sagehood. The three kinds of awe and the five constant virtues are causes for birth in human and heavenly realms. These teachings are in tacit agreement with the Buddhist truth but they are not correct and exhaustive discussions of it. It is like asking a deaf mute the way; he may be able to show you the direction but cannot tell the exact distance. It is also like asking a rabbit or a horse about crossing the river; it can tell you how to cross it but does not know its depth.

These examples show that the Yin and Chou dynasties were not fit for the spread of ¸åkyamuni's teaching. It is like a child unable to look directly at blazing flames or dazzling light, or like a coward unable to listen well to the shuddering sound of a sudden clap of thunder. Thereupon, on seeing rivers and ponds swelling, Emperor Chao became fearful of the birth of a divine being (¸åkyamuni). On seeing clouds and a rainbow change color, the queen of Emperor Mu rejoiced at the [Great Sage's] death. [The Chou Dynasty Record of Miraculous Events says: On the eighth day of the fourth month, in the twentyfourth year of the reign of Emperor Chou, all rivers and springs swelled and over flowed. On the fifteenth day of the second month, in the fifty-second year of the reign of Emperor Mu, violent winds arose; trees were blown down, the sky darkened with black clouds, and a ghastly white rainbow appeared.] Such being the case, how could the teaching be received across the rivers of the Pamirs? How could the sincere pursuit of the Dharma cross the Himalayas? The Vimalak∆rti[-nirdeΩa]-s¥tra says,

"It is the fault of the blind, not the fault of the sun or the moon.

" If a thorough investigation were to be made, it would harm your nature of "Chaos.

" [The Buddhist truth] is

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beyond your understanding.

This is the first point disclosing your blindness. The second point of the Buddhist concerning the construction of statues and pagodas: From the time of Emperor Ming of the Han dynasty to the end of the Ch'i and Liang dynasties, more than two hundred people, including kings, nobles, o‡cials, and monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen (i.e., the four groups of Buddhists), sensed the presence of the most sacred being, though invisible, and saw a miraculous light with their own eyes. Some saw the impression of the Buddha's foot on Mount Wan and a brilliant Buddha image on the waters of Hu-tu; others saw the [Buddha's] image appearing like the full moon at the foot of Mount Ch'ing-t'ai and a stupa outside the Yungmen gate. Emperor Nan-p'ing perceived an auspicious image, and Emperor Wen-hsüan received a sacred tooth relic in his dream. Emperor Hsiao succeeded in casting a golden image of the Buddha at the first attempt, while the Emperor of Sung tried to cast one four times without success. There are a number of such examples—too many to mention them all. How can you overlook these miraculous signs even with your blind eyes? There is no virtue that is not contained—this is nieh-p'an (nirvana). There is no place that is not reached—this is put'i (bodhi). There is nothing that wisdom does not pervade— this is fo-t'o (Buddha). These Chinese words represent Sanskrit terms. If expressed in these two languages, "Buddha" is

clearly to be entrusted in. How do you explain this? Fo-t'o is translated as ta-chueh ("great awakening") in Chinese. Put'i is translated as ta-tao ("Great Way"). Nieh-p'an is translated as wu-wei ("non-action"). Although you tread the earth of enlightenment all day, you do not know that the Great Way is a di›erent name for enlightenment. Although you receive your bodily form from the great awakening, you do not know that "great awakening" is a translation of "Buddha. "

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Chuang-chou (Chuang-tzu) says:

After you have the great awakening, you will realize a great dream.

Kuo[-hsiang] says in his commentary:

Awakening refers to a sage. The reason is that those who have distress in their hearts are all dreaming. The commentary also says:

Confucius and Tzu-yu were not able to reach the true understanding beyond words; hence, theirs was not the great awakening.

A man of virtue says: "The teaching of Confucius does not go beyond this.

"

Nirvana, which is tranquility and illumination, cannot be known by consciousness or wisdom. Words fail to reach it, and mental activity ceases to function [trying to grasp it]. Hence, one forgets words to describe it. The Dharma body is possessed of the three virtues and four excellent qualities; it is tranquil and free of obstacles. Hence, it is described as "liberation. " This means that through true understanding one attains cessation of troubles. Although Confucius was a sage, he cannot compare with the Buddha in spiritual accomplishments. I say this, for Liu-hsiang's Two Records of Antiquity (Liu-hsiang ku) states:

One hundred fifty years after Buddhist sutras were transmitted to China, Lao-tzu composed the Five Thousandcharacter Discourse (Tao te ching). Both Chou (Chuang-tzu) and Lao-tzu, no doubt, read Buddhist sutras. In their words and teachings evidence for this is found here and there. We should ponder on this.… The Sutra on Mindfulness of the Right Dharma says: 329

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If people do not observe the precepts, gods will decrease and asuras will increase. Good dragons will lose their power and evil dragons will gain in power. When evil dragons have power, they will cause frost and hail to fall from the sky and violent winds and torrential rain will occur out of season. Then the five kinds of crops will not yield good harvest, epidemics will arise one after another, and the people will starve and kill each other. If people observe the precepts, gods will grow in majestic glory, asuras will decrease, evil dragons will lose their power, and good dragons will gain in power. When good dragons have power, wind and rain will come at the right time and the four seasons will be harmonious. The nourishing rain will fall, bringing abundant crops. People will be at peace, and arms will cease to be used. Epidemics will not occur.…

A man of virtue says: The Taoist says in the Book of Hidden Truth of the Great Heaven (Yin shu) and the Book of Supreme Truth (Wu shang chen shu): "The Lord of the supreme Great Way rules in the Great Gossamer Net Heaven, which is infinitely vast and of fifty-five layers, on Mount Jade Capital, where there is a seven-jeweled stage, golden floor, and jade desk. Attended by hermit youths and hermit ladies, he dwells outside the Thirty-two Heavens and the three worlds. "

The Chart of the Five Divine Peaks (Shen-ch'üan wu yüeh t''u) reads: "The Celestial Honored One of the Great Way governs at T'ai-hsüan-tu (Capital of Great Profundity), located in the province of Jade Light, the prefecture of Golden Truth, the district of Heavenly Protection, the county of Primordial Illumination, the village of Settled Aspiration. No calamities infiltrate there.

"

The Scripture of Spirits (Ling shu ching) has this to say: "Great Gossamer Net Heaven lies at the top of the heavens in 555,555 layers.

"

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The Chart of the Five Divine Peaks says: "'Tu' means capital. The highest Lord of Gods (Lao-tzu), the supreme Great Way, the Way of Ways, remaining in tranquility, dwells in the Capital of Great Profundity.

"

The Inner Sound of the Heavens (Chu t'ien nei yin) says: "Gods, together with hermits, beat drums in the storied palace. They have an audience with the Lord of the Way at the Jade Capital and entertain him.

"

If we examine the Catalog of Taoist Scriptures (Tao chiao mu lu) dedicated to the emperor by the Taoist, we find that all people say,

"According to Lu Hsiu-ching, a man of the Sung, there are one thousand two hundred and twenty-eight volumes.

" They did not originally include miscellaneous works and the writings of So-and-so "tzu.

" Now the Taoist lists two

thousand forty volumes. Among them are many titles taken from the Catalog of Literature of the Book of Han (Han shui wen chih); eight hundred and eighty-four are arbitrarily listed as Taoist scriptures.…

Upon investigation, we find that T'ao-shu was Fan-li. He intimately served Kou-chien, the king of Yüeh. The king and all his ministers were taken prisoners by the kingdom of Wu, and had to eat excrement and drink urine; they su›ered untold misery. Further, Fan-li's son was murdered by the kingdom of Ch'i. If his father possessed the art of transforming one's body, why could he not transform himself and escape? In the Record of the Creation of Heaven and Earth (Tsao li t'ien ti chi) it is recorded,

"Lao-tzu was conceived in the

womb of the consort of Emperor Yu.

" That is to say, Lao-tzu

was Emperor Yu's child. It also says,

"His position was an

o‡cial in the O‡ce of Archives.

" This shows that he was

Emperor Yu's retainer. The Scripture on Converting the Barbarians (Hua hu ching) says, "Lao-tzu was Tung-fang Shuo

of the Han dynasty.

" If this is so, since Emperor Yu was killed by the western barbarians, why did Lao-tzu not, out of love for him, give him a divine amulet to save his life?… 642a

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We have referred to Lu Hsiu-ching's catalog; there is no authentic text. It is amazing that there are so many errors. Hsiu-ching's catalog was obviously fraudulent. Hsüan Tukuan's Catalog (Hsüan tu lu) [based on it] is the worst of all fakes.

[Exhortation to Take Refuge

in the Buddha]

It is also stated in the same work:

The Great [Nirvana] Sutra states:

There are ninety-six paths; only the single path of the Buddha is the right path. The other ninety-five are all non-Buddhist paths (i.e., the ninety-five wrong paths). I (Emperor Wu) have discarded the non-Buddhist paths and taken refuge in the Tathågata. If there are lords who make the same vow, they should each awaken the bodhimind. Lao-tzu, the Duke of Chou, Confucius, and others guided people as disciples of the Tathågata, but they were originally in the wrong. They taught only worldly good, unable to bring people beyond the state of ordinary beings to sagehood. Lords, ministers, nobles, kings, and their families should turn from false paths and follow the true one, abandon wrong paths and enter the right one. It is stated in the Buddhist scripture, the Discourse on the Establishment of Truth (Ch'eng shih lun):

To follow non-Buddhist paths with great reverence and follow the Buddha-Dharma with little reverence is a wrong view. If your reverence for both is equal, your acts are neutral, neither good nor evil. To serve the Buddha with strong resolution and to serve Lao-tzu with little concern is pure faith.

"Pure" means thoroughly

pure, within and without, with complete extinction of 332

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defile mentsand delusion.

"Faith" is to believe in the right and reject the wrong; hence, such people are called the Buddha's disciples of pure faith. Others are all wrongviewed; they cannot be called persons of pure faith.… Give up the wrong teaching of Lao-tzu and enter the true teaching of the Dharma.

The Master of Kuang-ming Temple says:218 The Buddhas of the zenith, countless as the sands of the Ganges River,

Extend their tongues for the sake of the beings of this Sahå world

Who commit the ten evil acts and the five grave o›enses, entertain much doubt, and slander the Dharma, Believe in wrong paths, serve spirits, o›er food to gods and devils,

Who, with delusory thoughts, seek benevolence and benefits,

Only to find that misfortune and calamities increase more and more,

Or who, lying in bed with sickness for many years, Become deaf and blind, have broken legs and paralyzed hands—

Those who serve gods and yet receive such retributions— Why do they not abandon such beliefs and practice mindfulness of Amida?

It is stated in T'ien-t'ai's Steps to the Dharma Realm (Fa-chieh tz'u ti):

The first is to take refuge in the Buddha. The [Nirvana] Sutra says:

Those who take refuge in the Buddha should never again take refuge in various non-Buddhist gods. 333

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It also says:

Those who take refuge in the Buddha will not fall into evil realms.

The second [step] is to take refuge in the Dharma. It is said,

"Take refuge in and practice what the Great Sage taught, whether his teachings or theoretical principles. "

The third is to take refuge in the Sangha. It is said, "The

mind takes refuge in the company of those who have renounced the world and follow the right practice of the three vehicles.

" The same sutra says:

One never again takes refuge in non-Buddhist paths. Master Tz'u-yün says:

In India, methods of worship are compiled in the Vedas, and in China they are found in the Book of Rites. They do not lead to liberation from the world. From the perspective of the true, they are provisional means to guide the people of the world. [Hungry Ghosts]

Master Che-kwan of Koryo says:219

Hungry ghosts are called pretas in Sanskrit. Their places of habitation are found in various realms. Hungry ghosts with much merit become spirits of mountains and forests or of graveyards. Those without merit dwell in filthy places, receive no food or drink, and are constantly whipped. Forced to dam up rivers and oceans, they su›er immeasurable pain. Those who harbor flattery and deception in their hearts and have committed the five grave o›enses and the ten evil acts that belong to the lowest degree of karmic evil receive the recompense of this state of existence. Master Shen-chih comments on this:220

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Concerning the realm of hungry ghosts,

"hungry" means constantly starving, and "ghost" means that which returns. According to the Book of Shih (Shih-tzu), in ancient times a dead person was called "one who has returned. " Also heavenly

spirits are called spiritual beings, and earth spirits are called earth-gods.… In form, they resemble human beings or they are like beasts. The mind that is not honest is described as "flattery" and "deception.

"

Master Tai-chih says:221

"Spirits" refers to spiritual beings. They all belong to the four realms of the gods, the asuras, the hungry ghosts, and hell. [Devils' Disturbances]

Master Chieh-tu says:222

Devils are classified in evil realms.

The Discourse on Cessation and Contemplation, in the section on devils' activities, says:

Second, I will clarify the way devils appear: Whether they belong to the upper or lower class, they are called devils. When we look into the details of their di›erences, we find that there are no more than three kinds: 1) spirits that irritate practitioners, 2) spirits that seduce practitioners at fixed hours, and 3) devil spirits. The ways these three kinds of devils appear vary.

Genshin, based on the Discourse on Cessation and Contemplation, says:223 Devils obstruct enlightenment by taking advantage of practitioners' evil passions. Spirits cause illness and deprive them of the root of life.

The Confucian Analects says:

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Chi-lu asked,

"Should we worship spirits?"

Confucius said,

"You should not worship spirits. Why

should people worship them?"

[Epilogue]

When I humbly contemplate matters, I find that in the various teachings of the path of sages, both practice and enlightenment have long become unrealizable, and the true teaching of the Pure Land Way is now flourishing as the sure way to enlightenment. Despite this fact, monks of various temples, being blind in discerning the teachings, are unable to distinguish true from provisional ways. Confucian scholars in the capital, confused about practices, cannot tell the di›erence between right and wrong paths. Thus, the scholar-monks of Køfukuji Temple presented a petition to the retired emperor [Gotoba-in] (Takanari) in the first part of the second month in the fire/hare year of the Jøgen era224 during the reign of Emperor [Tsuchimikado-in] (Tamehito). Lords and vassals who opposed the Dharma and justice bore indignation and resentment [to the Nembutsu teaching]. Thus, Master Genk¥, the great founder who promulgated the true teaching of the Pure Land Way, and a number of his followers were, without proper investigation of their crimes, indiscriminately sentenced to death or, deprived of their priesthood, exiled under criminals' names. I was one of them. Hence, I am neither priest nor layman, and so I took "Toku" as my surname. Master Genk¥ and his disciples spent five years in exile in remote provinces. On the seventeenth day of the eleventh month in the first year of Kenryaku, the metal/sheep year,

225 during the reign of Emperor

[Sado-no-in] (Morinari), Master Genk¥ was pardoned by imperial order and returned to the capital. After that he lived at Øtani, north of Toribeno at the western foot of Higashiyama, Kyoto. In the second year of Kenryaku, he passed away at the hour of the horse (midday) of the twenty-fifth day of the first month. At his death, there appeared incalculable miraculous signs, as stated in his biography. 336

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I, Gutoku Shinran, disciple of ¸åkyamuni, abandoned sundry practices and took refuge in the Primal Vow in the first year of Kennin, the metal/rooster year.

226 In the wood/ox year of the

Genky¥ era,

227 with the master's kind permission, I copied his Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow. In the same year, on the fourth day of the middle part of the fourth month, the master in his own hand inscribed my copy with the title inside,

"Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow,

" and the words,

"Namu amida butsu: The fundamental act for the attainment of birth is the Nembutsu, " and

also my new name,

"Shakk¥, disciple of ¸åkyamuni.

" On the same

day, I borrowed the master's portrait and copied it. In the same second year [of Genky¥], on the ninth day of the latter part of the seventh intercalary month, the master inscribed my copy of the portrait with "Namu amida butsu" and with this passage of the true teaching: "If, when I become a Buddha, all sentient beings in the ten directions who call my Name even ten times fail to be born in my land, may I not attain perfect enlightenment. This Buddha, having attained Buddhahood, now dwells in the Pure Land. You should know that his weighty vows are not in vain. Sentient beings who call his Name will unfailingly attain birth. " On the same day,

he also wrote on the portrait my new name, [Zenshin,] to which my former name "Shakk¥" was changed according to a revelation in a dream. The master was then seventy-three years old. The Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow was compiled at the request of the chancellor, the ordained layman (Lord Tsukinowa Kanezane, Buddhist name Enshø). The essentials of the true teaching of the Pure Land Way and the profound doctrine of the Nembutsu are contained in it. Those who read it can easily understand. It is indeed an incomparable and supreme collection of fine passages, an unsurpassed and profound scripture. Out of the thousands of people who received his teaching, personally or otherwise, over many days and years, very few were allowed to read and copy this book. 337

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Nevertheless, I was allowed to copy it and also make a copy of Genk¥'s portrait. This is the benefit of the exclusive practice of the act of right assurance; this is a sure proof of my future attainment of birth. With tears of sorrow and joy, I have noted the above story.

What a joy it is that I place my mind in the ground of the Buddha's Universal Vow and let my thoughts flow into the sea of the inconceivable Dharma! I deeply acknowledge the Tathågata's compassion and appreciate the master's benevolence in instructing me. As my joy increases, my feeling of indebtedness deepens. Hereupon, I have collected the essentials of the true teaching, and have gleaned important passages of the Pure Land Way. I think only of the Buddha's deep benevolence, and do not concern myself with people's abuse. May those who read this attain joyful faith of the Vow-Power, either by the cause of faithful acceptance of the teaching or by the condition of doubt and abuse, and realize the supreme fruition in the Land of Peace and Provision. It is stated in the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss:

I have collected true words so that they may help others practice the way for birth. For my wish is that those who have attained birth may lead those who come after them and those who aspire for birth may follow their predecessors, thus following one after another endlessly and uninterruptedly until the boundless sea of birth and death is exhausted. For this reason, priests and laypeople of the last age should respectfully accept this teaching in faith. This one should bear in mind.

A verse in the Garland Sutra says:

When people see a bodhisattva

Perform various practices,

Some give rise to good thoughts and others conceive 338

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evil thoughts;

But the bodhisattva embraces them both. End of Chapter VI: Revealing the Transformed Buddhas and Lands

Obscuring the light and mixing with the dust is the beginning of establishing contact with beings; Attaining Buddhahood and manifesting the eight major events shows the end of the Buddha's mission. 339

Back Matters

Notes

1 In the Commentary on the Larger Sutra (Wu liang shou ching lien i shu wen tsan).

2 Shinran's note says: Also known as the Larger Sutra on Amida and the Sutra on the Twenty-four Vows. 3 This description should read: Sutra on the Lotus of Compassion, fascicle three,

"Chapter on Giving Predictions to Bodhisattvas. "

4 Discourse on the Ten Stages (DaΩabh¥mika-vibhå≈å), into the First Stage.

"

"Chapter on Entry

5 Refers to Någårjuna's Provision for Bodhi (Bodhi-saµbhåra*). 6 In the Discourse on the Ten Stages, the First Stage.

"

"Chapter on the Specific Features of 7 In the Discourse on the Ten Stages, First Stage.

"

"Chapter on the Purification of the 8 In the Discourse on the Ten Stages, "Chapter on the Easy Practice. "

9 In the Discourse on the Pure Land (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-upadeΩa*). 10 Part of the Chinese term for "condensed form. "

11 In the Discourse on the Pure Land. 12 In the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss (An le chi). 13 The Commentary on the Perfection of Great Wisdom Sutra (Mahåprajñå påramitå-upadeΩa*). 14 In the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss. 15 In the Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss. 16 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land (Wang sheng li tsan chieh). 17 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 18 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 341

Notes

19 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 20 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 21 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra (Hsüan i fen). 22 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 23 In the Method of Contemplation of Amida Buddha (Kuan nien fa men). 24 In the Method of Contemplation of Amida Buddha. 25 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi (Pan chou tsan). 26 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 27 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 28 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 29 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 30 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 31 In the Larger Sutra.

32 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 33 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 34 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 35 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 36 The Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (Mahå yåna -Ωraddhotpåda-Ωåstra*). 37 In the Commentary on the Amida Sutra (A mi t'o ching i shu) by Master Yüan-chao.

38 In his Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra (Kuan ching shu). 39 In his Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 40 In his Discourse on the Nembutsu Samådhi, the King of Jewels (Nien fo san mei pao wang lun).

41 Refers to the Larger Sutra.

42 In Någårjuna's Discourse on the Ten Stages, Practice.

"

"Chapter on the Easy

43 In the Commentary on Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land (Wang sheng lun chu).

44 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 342

Notes

45 In the Shorter Pure Land Liturgy of the Nembutsu Chant in Five Stages (Wu hui fa shih tsan).

46 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good (San shan i). 47 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 48 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 49 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 50 The Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 51 The Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 52 The Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 53 The Commentary on Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land. 54 In the Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra. 55 This phrase appears in Shan-tao's Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 56 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

57 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on Virtuous King.

"

58 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on Expounding the Dharma like a Lion. "

59 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on Expounding the Dharma like a Lion. "

60 The Garland Sutra (Avataµsaka-s¥tra), Di‡culties.

"

"Chapter on Clarification of

61 In the phrase "ocean of the One Vehicle" mentioned above; see note 55.

62 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 63 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 64 In the Larger Sutra.

65 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life (Sukhåvat∆ vy¥ha-s¥tra). 66 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good (Ting shan i). 67 In the passage that says,

"Amida's transcendent powers are unhindered; they work everywhere according to one's wishes. "

68 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part (Hsü fen i). 69 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 343

Notes

70 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 71 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 72 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

73 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

74 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 75 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Lion's Roar. "

76 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

77 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

78 The Garland Sutra, version.

"Chapter on Entry into the Dharma Realm, " Chin

79 The Garland Sutra, T'ang version. 80 The Garland Sutra, sion.

"Chapter on BhadraΩr∆ Bodhisattva, " T'ang ver-81 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 82 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 83 The Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 84 The Commentary on the Introductory Part. 85 The Commentary on the Meditative Good. 86 In the Commentary on the Amida Sutra. 87 In Chieh-tu's Notes for Memory (Wen ch'ih chi) to the Commentary on the Amida Sutra. 88 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 89 In the Larger Sutra. 90 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 91 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

92 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 93 In the phrase, "having heard the Name. "

94 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 95 Quoted above from Shan-tao's work, the Commentary on the Meditative Good (see note 66). 344

Notes

96 The full title of this sutra is: Sutra on the Way of Salvation of Humans by Amida, the Perfectly Enlightened One, That Transcends All Buddhas, translated by Tripi†aka Master Chih-ch'ien. 97 In the Sutra on the Immeasurably Pure and Equal Enlightenment (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-s¥tra).

98 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on the Lion's Roar. "

99 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 100 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 101 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 102 In the Contemplation Sutra. 103 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 104 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 105 In the Method of Contemplation of Amida Buddha. 106 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part. 107 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 108 In the Collection of Passages on the Pure Land Teaching (Lun shu ching t'u wen).

109 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 110 Quoted by Tsung-hsiao in his Collection of Passages on the Land of Bliss.

111 Quoted by Tsung-hsiao in his Collection of Passages on the Land of Bliss.

112 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 113 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy (Fa shih tsan). 114 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 115 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on What the Multitudes Heard. "

116 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 117 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on Actual Illnesses. "

118 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

119 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

120 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on KåΩyapa.

"

345

Notes

121 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 122 The ¸¥raçgama Samådhi Sutra, fascicle one. 123 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 124 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 125 In the Ten Causes of Birth (Øjøj¥in). 126 The Sutra on the Ten Wheels of K≈itigarbha (DaΩacakra-k≈itigarbhas¥tra*). 127 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 128 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 129 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 130 In the Larger Sutra. 131 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Four Aspects. "

132 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Four Dependables. "

133 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

134 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

135 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Virtuous King. "

136 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Virtuous King. "

137 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Virtuous King. "

138 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

139 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

140 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Sacred Practice. "

141 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

142 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on KåΩyapa. "

143 In the Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Lion's Roar. "

144 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 145 In the Commentary on the Introductory Section. 146 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 147 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 148 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 346

Notes

149 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 150 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 151 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on KåΩyapa.

"

152 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on KåΩyapa.

"

153 Quoted in Fei-hsi's Discourse on the Nembutsu Samådhi, the King of Jewels.

154 The Sutra on the Way of Salvation of Humans by Amida, the Perfectly Enlightened One, That Transcends All Buddhas. 155 The Sutra on the Immeasurably Pure and Equal Enlightenment. 156 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 157 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 158 The passage quoted here is, in fact, in the "Chapter on Giving Predictions to Bodhisattvas. "

159 In the Larger Sutra.

160 In the Teaching Assembly of the Tathågata of Infinite Life. 161 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 162 In Kyeong-heung's Commentary on the Larger Sutra. 163 The Discourse Clearing Doubts about the Pure Land Teaching (Shih ching t'u ch'ün i lun).

164 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 165 In the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 166 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part. 167 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part. 168 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 169 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part. 170 In the Commentary on the Introductory Part. 171 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 172 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 173 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 174 In the Method of Contemplation of Amida Buddha. 347

Notes

175 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 176 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 177 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 178 the Essential Meaning of the Contemplation Sutra. 179 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 180 The Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 181 The Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 182 In the Commentary on the Meditative Good. 183 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 184 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 185 In the Commentary on the Non-meditative Good. 186 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 187 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 188 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 189 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 190 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land; this is quoted in Chih-sheng's Collection of Liturgical Passages from Various Scriptures. 191 The Commentary on the Amida Sutra. 192 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on KåΩyapa.

"

193 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on KåΩyapa.

"

194 The Nirvana Sutra,

"Chapter on the Virtuous King. "

195 The Garland Sutra,

"Chapter on Entry into the Dharma Realm. "

196 The Garland Sutra,

"Chapter on Entry into the Dharma Realm. "

197 In the Hymns on the Pratyutpanna Samådhi. 198 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 199 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 200 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 201 In the Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land. 202 In the Collection of Passages on the Land of Bliss. 348

Notes

203 Should read: "two thousand one hundred and seventy-three years. "

204 Should read: "six hundred and seventy-three years. "

205 Should read: "fifty-third year, " 949 B.C.E. 206 801 C.E. 207 609 B.C.E. 208 801 C.E. 209 In the Nirvana Sutra. 210 The Four-Part Vinaya (Dharmaguptaka-vinaya). 211 The Nirvana Sutra, "Chapter on the Nature of Tathågata. "

212 The bodhi of the Ωråvaka, the pratyekabuddha, and the bodhisattva. 213 In the Garland Sutra, "Chapter on the Ten Stages. "

214 714 B.C.E. 215 519 B.C.E. 216 1027 B.C.E. 217 949 B.C.E. 218 In the Hymns of the Nembutsu Liturgy. 219 In T'ien-t'ai's Discourse on the Fourfold Teachings (T'ien t'ai ssu chiao i).

220 In his Commentary on T'ien-t'ai's Discourse on the Fourfold Teachings (T'ien t'ai ssu chiao i chi chieh). 221 In the New Notes to the Commentary on the Ullambana Sutra (Yü lan p'en ching shu hsin chi). 222 In the Subsidiary Discourse on the Contemplation Sutra (Kuan ching fou hsin lun). 223 In the Collection of Essential Passages Concerning Birth. 224 1207 C.E. 225 1211 C.E. 226 1201 C.E. 227 1205 C.E. 349

Glossary

Abhijit: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to four stars in Aquarius. See also twenty-eight constellations.

accommodated body: One of the three bodies of the Buddha; the manifestation of a transformed body of a Buddha in correspondence with the beings to be saved. See also three bodies of the Buddha.

act of right assurance: The fourth of the five right acts established by Shantao; it is to recite Amida's Name singlemindedly. See also Amida; Name; Shan-tao.

adamantine mind or adamantine faith: Faith of the Other-Power; since this quality is in essence Amida's wisdom and compassion, it is indestructible, hence,

"adamantine.

" See also faith of the Other-Power.

agada: A medicine with miraculous healing power, or a medicine for deathlessness. Ågamas: A body of scriptures containing the early teachings of the Buddha. Age of the Decadent Dharma: The period of ten thousand years following the Age of the Semblance Dharma, in which only the teaching of the Buddha exists but correct practice is no longer possible. See also Age of the Semblance Dharma; five five hundred-year periods; three ages of the Dharma.

Age of the Extinct Dharma: The age that follows the Age of the Decadent Dharma; in this period the Buddha-Dharma becomes completely extinct. This period lasts for a very long time until the next Buddha appears in the world. See also Age of the Decadent Dharma; three ages of the Dharma.

Age of the Right Dharma: The period of five hundred years after the Buddha's passing into nirvana, in which his teaching is properly practiced and enlightenment can be attained. See also five five hundred-year periods; three ages of the Dharma.

351

Glossary

Age of the Semblance Dharma: The period of a thousand years following the Age of the Right Dharma, in which the Buddha's teaching is practiced but enlightenment is no longer possible. See also Age of the Right Dharma; five five hundred-year periods; three ages of the Dharma. aggregates. See five aggregates.

AjåtaΩatru ("Unborn Enemy"): The son of King Bimbisåra and Queen Vaideh∆; he imprisoned his father and left him to die in jail, thus usurping the throne of Magadha. He also imprisoned his mother. Later he repented his evil act and became a disciple of the Buddha. See also Bimbisåra; Magadha; Vaideh∆.

Ajita ("Unconquerable"): The name of a bodhisattva identified with Maitreya. See also Maitreya.

Ajitavat∆: A river in Central India; the Buddha passed into nirvana on the western side of this river.

åmalaka: The name of a plant bearing edible fruits, which are also used for medicinal purposes.

Amida: The name of the Buddha who dwells in the Pure Land, from the Sanskrit amita ("infinite"), which stands for Amitåbha ("Infinite Light") and Amitåyus ("Infinite Life"). Amida is one of the most popular Buddhas and is mentioned in more than two hundred sutras, of which the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Larger Sutra) is the most important, as one of the canonical texts of Pure Land Buddhism in China and Japan. According to this sutra, Amida was previously a king; when he met the Buddha LokeΩvararåja, he wished to himself become a Buddha. He then renounced the world and became a mendicant called Dharmåkara. Dharmåkara made Forty-eight Vows and performed various bodhisattva practices to fulfill them. After many eons his vows were fulfilled and he became the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life—Amida. His land is called Sukhåvat∆, "the land of utmost bliss,

" also known as the Pure Land and the

Western Paradise. For purposes of meditative practice, the Pure Land sutras describe Amida's land as being in the west. As Amida promised in the Eighteenth Vow, those who have joyful faith and recite his Name, a practice called the Nembutsu, are assured of rebirth in the Pure Land. Amida is a transcendent Buddha, as contrasted to a historical Buddha, and is generally regarded as a recompensed-body Buddha. The tradition of Buddhism centering around Amida arose in India and further developed in China and Japan. Amida is thus the principal Buddha in the Jødo, Shin, and other Pure Land schools. In Esoteric Buddhism, Amida is one of the five Buddhas that dwell in the five cardinal directions. See also 352

Glossary

Dharmåkara; Eighteenth Vow; Esoteric Buddhism; Forty-eight Vows; Jødo Shinsh¥; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Pure Land school; Shin school; Larger Sutra; three bodies of the Buddha.

Amida Sutra (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-s¥tra): The Chinese translation of this text by Kumåraj∆va has been used as one of the three basic canonical texts of Pure Land Buddhism; the title of the Sanskrit text is Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha, "Glorious Adornment of Sukhåvat∆" ("land of bliss") (See The Smaller Sutra on Amitåyus, in The Three Pure Land Sutras, Revised Second Edition, translated by INAGAKIHisao, Numata Center, 2003.) The Amida Sutra briefly describes blissful aspects of the Pure Land (Sukhåvat∆) and mentions that innumerable Buddhas of the six directions praise Amida's virtue and testify to the truth of this sutra. It then explains that one who holds fast to Amida's Name (i.e., recitation of the Nembutsu) will be born in his land. It is also referred to as the Smaller Sutra or the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life. See also Amida; Amida Sutra; Kumåraj∆va; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Pure Land school.

Ånanda ("Happiness" or "Joy"): A cousin of the Buddha who was his close disciple and personal attendant, and who was renowned for his ability to recite all of the Buddha's sermons from memory.

Açga-Magadha: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Anurådhå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to four stars in Scorpio. See also twenty-eight constellations.

anuttara-samyak-saµbodhi: Highest, perfect enlightenment. See also bodhi. Aparagodån∆ya: One of the four great continents that lie in the four directions around Mount Sumeru; this continent lies to the west of Mount Sumeru; it is round, its inhabitants enjoy a lifespan of five hundred years, and cows are used as currency there. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru.

Ara√emi ("Not disputing"): The name of the king mentioned in the Sutra of the Lotus of Compassion; he made fifty-two vows and became the Buddha of Immeasurable Life. See also Samudrare√u.

Årdrå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to eight stars in Orion. See also twenty-eight constellations.

arhat ("one who is worthy" of o›erings): A saint who has completely eradicated evil passions and attained liberation from the cycle of birth and death (samsara); arhatship is the highest of the four stages of spiritual attain-353

Glossary

ment in the Hinayana; when capitalized, the term is also one of the ten epithets of a Buddha. See also Hinayana; samsara.

Åryadeva (ca. third century): Disciple of Någårjuna and author of the Hundred-verse Discourse (¸ata-Ωåstra*), a foundational text of the Three Discourse school. See also Någårjuna; Mådhyamika school; Three Discourse school. ÅΩle≈å: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to eight stars in Hydra. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Assaka: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

asura: A kind of evil spirit that is constantly engaged in warring against the Hindu gods. In Buddhism, they became one of the eight kinds of superhuman beings that protect Buddhism. asura castle: Refers to the four asura kings' castles that exist under the sea on the four sides of Mount Sumeru. See also Mount Sumeru. asura's harp: A harp possessed by asuras which produces music without anyone playing it. See also asura. AΩvagho≈a: A great exponent of the Mahayana who flourished in the first century C.E.; the author of an epic poem on the life of the Buddha, the Buddha-carita, and the probable author of the Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana. See also Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana; Mahayana.

AΩvin∆: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to three stars in Aries. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Auspicious Kalpa: The present cosmic period, in which a thousand Buddhas are believed to appear in the world. See also kalpa.

Auspicious Name: Amida's Name that contains immeasurable virtues capable of removing all karmic evils. See also Amida.

auxiliary acts: Of the five right acts, the first three and the last are called auxiliary; the fourth, exclusive recitation of Amida's Name, is called "the act of right assurance.

" See also act of right assurance; Amida; five

right acts.

avaivartika: The stage of non-retrogression. See also bodhisattva stages. AvalokiteΩvara ("Lord of beholding [people of the world]"): The name of a 354

Glossary

great bodhisattva who represents Amida's great compassion. Amida often appears in a triad with AvalokiteΩvara on his left and Mahåsthåmapråpta on his right. See also Amida; bodhisattva; Mahåsthåmapråpta. Avant∆: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Av∆ci hell: The hell of interminable pain and su›ering; those who have committed the five grave o›enses and abused the Dharma are consigned to this hell. See also five grave o›enses; hell.

Bhallika. See Trapu≈a.

Bhara√∆: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to the Musca Borealis. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Bimbisåra: The fifth king of the ¸aiΩnåga dynasty in Magadha and a follower of the Buddha. In his later years he was imprisoned by his son AjåtaΩatru and died in confinement. See also AjåtaΩatru; Magadha. birth and death. See samsara.

birth beneath the twin Ωåla trees: A form of birth in the Transformed Land attained by followers of the Nineteenth Vow; the "twin Ωåla trees" is the place where ¸åkyamuni entered nirvana. See also Nineteenth Vow; nirvana; ¸åkyamuni; Transformed Land; twin Ωåla trees. Bob-wi: A seventh-century Korean master of the Consciousness Only school and the author of the Commentary on the Larger Sutra (lost). See also Consciousness Only school.

bodhi: Enlightenment; the state of the highest perfection of wisdom; the state of undefiled purity and eternal bliss. See also three kinds of bodhi. bodhi-mind (bodhicitta): The bodhisattva's aspiration to attain enlightenment (bodhi) and save other beings from su›ering. See also bodhi; bodhisattva. Bodhiruci: An Indian monk who was invited to Ch'ang-an, China, in 693; he produced translations of fifty-three scriptures, including Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land, and is said to have converted the Chinese monk-scholar T'an-luan to Pure Land Buddhism. See also Discourse on the Pure Land; Pure Land school; T'an-luan; Vasubandhu. bodhisattva: In the Mahayana, one who has made vows to attain enlightenment and save su›ering beings through embarking on a course of practice known as the six perfections (påramitås), which requires an immensely long period of time to complete. One who has accomplished the bodhi-355

Glossary

sattva practices and completed the ten bodhisattva stages is a Buddha. See also bodhisattva stages; Mahayana; six perfections. bodhisattva-pi†aka: The body of Mahayana teachings of the bodhisattva path. See also Mahayana.

bodhisattva stages: The spiritual stages that must be accomplished by a bodhisattva who has awakened aspiration for enlightenment (bodhicitta) and made vows, culminating in the attainment of Buddhahood. Ten stages were established in Indian Buddhism; Chinese Buddhists later developed a system of fifty-two stages. In these stages, one is expected to perform various practices for innumerable eons over many lifetimes. See also bodhicitta; bodhisattva; fifty-two stages; ten stages. bodhi tree: The tree under which a Buddha attains enlightenment. borderland: A figurative expression for the Transformed Land. See also Transformed Land. Brahmå: Originally, the creator god in Hinduism, incorporated into Buddhism as a tutelary god.

Brahmå Heaven: One of the heavens of the world of form. See also three worlds.

Buddha-contemplation samådhi: Concentration of the mind in order to visualize Buddhas, especially Amida. See also Amida; samådhi. Buddhahood: The state of being a Buddha; the goal of the bodhisattva path. Buddha land: A cosmic world or realm in which a particular Buddha dwells. Buddha-nature: The potentiality of becoming a Buddha; the essential nature of the Buddha.

Buddha of Infinite Life: Refers to Amida Buddha; infinite life is one of his two major attributes, along with infinite light. See also Amida. Buddha of Infinite Light: Refers to Amida Buddha; infinite light is one of his two major attributes, along with infinite life. See also Amida. Buddha vehicle: The Mahayana teaching that enables all beings to attain Buddhahood. See also Mahayana.

burning house: A metaphor from the Lotus Sutra that refers to the three realms of transmigration. See also Lotus Sutra; three realms of transmigration. 356

Glossary

campaka: A fragrant tree.

capital of tranquility and non-action: Refers to Amida's Pure Land which is the state of nirvana free of disturbances by evil passions and delusions. See also Amida; evil passions; nirvana; Pure Land.

Cet∆: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Chang-lun: A military o‡cer at the time of Kao Tsung in the Southern Sung dynasty; in his later years he built a hall in his residence where he practiced the Nembutsu with his family. See also Nembutsu. Ch'an school (Japan, Zen): A major Mahayana school that teaches exclusive practice of meditation as its soteriological path; the word ch'anis a transliteration of the Sanskrit dhyåna (meditation). According to tradition, one day when the Buddha was with an assembly of disciples on Mount G®dhrak¥†a (Vulture Peak) in India, he lifted up a flower that had been o›ered to him by a god. None among his disciples understood the meaning of this gesture except MahåkåΩyapa, who indicated his realization by smiling. The Buddha then proclaimed that he would transmit directly to MahåkåΩyapa the essence of Buddhism. Thus the Ch'an school, unlike other Buddhist schools, does not rely on a specific set of scriptural texts for its doctrinal basis but instead on "the transmission outside the scriptures, " the direct teaching and transmission of the mystic truth of Ch'an from master to disciple. From MahåkåΩyapa the tradition was transmitted to his disciple, then to the latter's disciple, and so on, in India until the twenty-eighth patriarch, Bodhidharma, brought Ch'an to China in 529. After an interview with Emperor Wu-ti, Bodhi dharma went to live on Mount Sung, where he meditated day and night, finally transmitting the tradition to his successor Hui-k'o, the second patriarch of the Ch'an school in China. Ch'an flourished remarkably in China after the sixth patriarch Hui-neng, developing into several subschools. From the eighth century on it was introduced into Japan, where it is known as the Zen school. The two major Zen schools, Rinzai and Søtø, were brought to Japan by Eisai in 1191 and Døgen in 1227, respectively. A third school, the Øbaku, was established in 1654. According to Ch'an (Zen), Buddhas and their lands are not established outside of one's mind. Practitioners are encouraged to realize Buddhahood directly through the concentrated practice of meditation, using meditative techniques designed to help them transcend ordinary dualistic thought, such as meditating on køans, paradoxical conundrums that cannot be grasped by logical or conceptual means, often in the form of anecdotes of past masters.

Chapter on the Universal Gate" of the Lotus Sutra: This chapter explains 357

Glossary

that AvalokiteΩvara manifests thirty-three incarnations to save su›ering beings. See also AvalokiteΩvara; Lotus Sutra.

Che-kwan: A Korean T'ien-t'ai monk of the mid-tenth century, author of T'ien-t'ai's Discourse on the Fourfold Teachings (T'ien t'ai ssu chiao i). At the request of the king of Wu-yueh, he brought T'ien-t'ai scriptures to China, which had been lost there due to war. See also T'ien-t'ai school. Chia-hsiang: An alternative name for the Chinese monk Chi-tsang, so called because he lived at the Chia-hsiang Temple. See also Chi-tsang. Chieh-tu (ca. twelfth century): A master of the Vinaya school and a disciple of Yüan-chao; he was a devoted practitioner of Pure Land Buddhism. See also Pure Land school; Vinaya school; Yüan-chao. Chih-i (538-597): The third patriarch of the T'ien-t'ai school, popularly known as Master T'ien-t'ai or Master Chih-che. The author of many works, he is regarded as the founder of the T'ien-t'ai school due to his great contribution to the systematization of its teachings. See also T'ient'ai school. Chih-sheng: A Vinaya master of the T'ang dynasty; well known as the compiler of the K'ai-yüan Era Catalog of Scriptures (K'ai yüan shih chiao lu). See also Vinaya school.

chin bird: A poisonous bird that feeds on snakes; its green feathers, when soaked in wine, are used to create poison.

Ch'ing-wen: A T'ien-t'ai master of the Sung dynasty. See also T'ien-t'ai school.

Chi-tsang (549-623). A Chinese monk who systematized the doctrine of the Three Discourse school by writing the Essentials of the Three Discourses (San lun hsüan i). See also Chia-hsiang; Three Discourse school. Citrå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to Spica and three stars in Virgo. See also twenty-eight constellations. Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow (Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Sh¥; translated by Morris J. Augustine and KONDØ Tesshø, Numata Center, 1997): An important Pure Land text composed by Hønen in 1198 at the request of the chancellor, Fujiwara Kanezane. The text justifies the Nembutsu as the most e›ective method of salvation, and its appearance marked the independence of the Jødo school, the Japanese school of Pure Land Buddhism. See also Hønen;Jødo Shinsh¥; Nembutsu; Pure Land school.

358

Glossary

Collection of Passages on the Land of Peace and Bliss (An le chi): An important Pure Land text written by Tao-ch'o based mainly on the Contemplation Sutra. See also Contemplation Sutra; Pure Land school; Taoch'o. Commentary on the Larger Sutra (Wu liang shou ching lien i shu wen tsan): A work by Kyeong-heung, a Korean monk of the latter half of the seventh century, who was originally a scholar of the Consciousness Only school. See also Kyeong-heung; Consciousness Only school.

Commentary on Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land (Wang sheng lun chu): T'an-luan's principal work and the foundation for the later development of Pure Land Buddhism, this text was especially valued by Shinran. See also Pure Land school; Shinran; T'an-luan; Vasubandhu. Confucianism: An ethical, religious system of China originating in the teaching of Confucius; it centers around filial duty and emphasizes the virtues of benevolence and propriety. More specifically, Confucianism teaches the five constant virtues to be followed by all people: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and sincerity. The original individualistic ethical ideal developed into a political one; Confucius sought to establish the norm of ethics for the king. His influence was so great that the number of his disciples is said to have been three thousand. After his death, Confucian sanctuaries were built throughout China and its teachings spread far and wide in China and beyond—Confucianism formed the basic ethical norm of Korea, Vietnam, and Japan. See also Confucius. Confucius (ca. 551-479 B.C.E.): Chinese philosopher and political scientist, author of the Analects (Lun-yü); his teachings formed the basis of Confucianism. Born in a poor family in the state of Lu in Shan-tung province, initially he was a minor public servant but his extensive knowledge of the Chinese classics led him into a career as the founder of a private institute and then as a political advisor to Lu and other kingdoms. While traveling throughout the country, he preached his ideal of moral political philosophy to various leaders. His moral teaching, centering on humanistic principles and filial duty, spread widely in Chinese society and became a dominant school of thought known as Confucianism. See also Confucianism.

Consciousness Only school: A philosophical and psychological school of Mahayana Buddhism founded in the fourth century by Vasubandhu, which developed out of the Yogåcåra tradition. The Chinese Tripi†aka master Hsüan-tsang transmitted the teaching to China, where it thrived as the Fa-hsiang school. It was then transmitted to Japan, where it was known as the Hossø school, and became popular as one of the six schools of 359

Glossary

Buddhism in the Nara period. See also Hossø school; Hsüan-tsang; Tripi†aka master; Vasubandhu; Yogåcåra.

contemplation. See samådhi.

contemplation of impurity: A meditative practice in which the meditator perceives through contemplation (samådhi) that all that he is attached to is impure, and thus his clinging and greed are removed. See also samådhi.

contemplation of the true Buddha body: The ninth of the thirteen contemplations (samådhis) in the Contemplation Sutra, which shows how to visualize Amida's true body. See also Amida; Contemplation Sutra; samådhi.

Contemplation Sutra (Amitåyurdhyåna-s¥tra*): Also called the Sutra on Visualization of the Buddha of Infinite Life, one of the three major Pure Land sutras, translated into Chinese by KålayaΩas in the period 424-442. (See The Sutra on Contemplation of Amitåyus, in The Three Pure Land Sutras, Revised Second Edition, translated by INAGAKI Hisao, Numata Center, 2003.) The sutra begins with a tragic event involving King Bimbisåra and Queen Vaideh∆. When Vaideh∆ requested the Buddha to teach her the way of salvation, he showed her various Buddha lands. She particularly wanted to be born in Amida's Pure Land, so ¸åkyamuni presented thirteen contemplations and nine levels of non-meditative good as the way of attaining birth there. See also Amida; Bimbisåra; KålayaΩas; non-meditative good; Pure Land; ¸åkyamuni; Vaideh∆. cosmic period (kalpa): A period of cosmic change, of which there are four major changes: 1) the creation of the universe; 2) the continued existence of the universe; 3) the destruction of the universe; and 4) the complete annihilation of the universe. In the second period, human lifespan is at first immeasurable but gradually decreases until it reaches ten years; then it gradually increases until it reaches eighty thousand years, from which it decreases until it reaches ten years. The present period is that of declining lifespan, especially the worst period when human lifespan is between a hundred and ten years and the five defilements are very strong. See also five defilements; kalpa.

cow-headed sandalwood (goΩ∆r≈a-candana): The most fragrant sandalwood produced in the region of Mount GoΩ∆r≈a ("cow head") in India. crosswise going-out: Refers to the provisional Pure Land teachings corresponding to the Nineteenth and Twentieth Vows, which lead practitioners to the Transformed Land. See also crosswise transcendence; Nineteenth Vow; Pure Land school; Transformed Land; Twentieth Vow. 360

Glossary

crosswise transcendence: Refers to the true Pure Land teaching corresponding to the Eighteenth Vow. See also crosswise going-out, Eighteenth Vow; Pure Land school.

dåna-påramitå ("perfection of giving"): One of the six perfections (påramitås). See also six perfections.

Darkness-Free: Daughter of the devil king Påp∆yas. See also Påp∆yas. definitely assured stage: The stage in which one is assured of attaining enlightenment; same as the stage of non-retrogression. See also boshisattva stages; stage of non-retrogression.

deva: A god, commonly used to refer a Hindu deity. The realm of the devas is one of the six realms of samsara. See also six realms; three good realms. Devadatta ("God-given"): A cousin of the Buddha who became his disciple but later tried to murder him and assume leadership of the sangha. Devadatta incited Prince AjåtaΩatru to kill his father, King Bimbisåra, and usurp the throne. See also AjåtaΩatru; Bimbisåra. devils of the five aggregates: Refers to the five aggregates, or constituent elements of one's existence. The aggregates often cause hindrances to the practice of Buddhism; hence, they are called devils. See also five aggregates; four kinds of devils.

Dhani≈†hå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to a star in Aquarius and two stars in Pegasus. See also twenty-eight constellations. Dhanus: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Sagittarius. dhåra√∆: A mystic phrase, spell, or incantation.

dharma: Any phenomenon, thing, element, or attribute; the elements that make up the perceived phenomenal world.

Dharma: The truth, law; the teachings of the Buddha. Dharma base: The basic principle of all dharmas; equivalent to Dharmanature. See also Dharma-nature. Dharma body. See three bodies of the Buddha.

Dharma-body bodhisattva: A bodhisattva who has realized the Dharma body. Dharma body of equality: The body of the Buddha or bodhisattva who has realized the truth of universal equality, or nondiscrimination. 361

Glossary

Dharma body of non-action: The Buddha's Dharma body, which is completely tranquil like nirvana but, at the same time, is capable of displaying all kinds of pure altruistic activity. See also Dharma body. Dharma gate: A teaching, a method of guiding beings to liberation. Dharmåkara ("Store of the Dharma"): The name of the bodhisattva who made the Forty-eight Vows and became Amida. See also Amida; Fortyeight Vows. Dharma King: Refers to the Buddha.

Dharmak≈ema (385-433): An Indian monk who came to China via Kucha and Tun-huang in 412 and produced translations of the Nirvana Sutra, the Sutra of Golden Splendor, and other texts. See also Nirvana Sutra. Dharma-nature: The essential nature of all that exists; same as true suchness and the Dharma body. See also Dharma body; true suchness. Dharma realm: The sphere of ultimate reality; objects of mental conception in general; the entire universe. See also ultimate reality. Dh®tarå≈†ra: One of the four great heavenly kings, the guardian god of the East. See also four great heavenly kings.

D∆paçkara ("Making Light"): The name of a past Buddha. Discourse on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana (MahåyånaΩraddhot påda-Ωåstra*): An important work in the Mahayana ascribed to AΩvagho≈a; it first gives an ontological explanation of one's existence in relation to ultimate reality and ends with a discussion of soteriological methods, including birth in the Pure Land. See also AΩvagho≈a; Mahayana; Pure Land. Discourse on the Pure Land (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-upadeΩa*): Also referred to as the Discourse on the Sutra of the Buddha of Infinite Life, an important work by Vasubandhu, translated into Chinese by Bodhiruci. The author first presents the "Verses of Aspiration in the Pure Land, " and then sets

forth the Pure Land practice in the form of the five mindful practices by way of explaining the verses. He describes in detail the seventeen glorious features of the Pure Land, the eight virtues of Amida, and the four transcendent activities of the bodhisattvas dwelling in the Pure Land. Vasubandhu's profession of faith in Amida,

"with singleness of

mind, I take refuge in the Tathågata of unhindered light shining throughout the ten directions, " forms the essential ideal of Shin Buddhism. See

also Amida; Bodhiruci; five mindful practices; Pure Land; Shin school; Vasubandhu.

362

Glossary

Discourse on the Ten Stages (DaΩabh¥mika-vibhå≈å): Någårjuna's commentary on the Sutra on the Ten Stages, which is part of the Garland Sutra. In Kumåraj∆va's Chinese translation of the text, Någårjuna's exposition begins with the first stage and ends halfway through the second stage. Of the thirty-five chapters, the ninth chapter,

"Easy Practice,

" has been

widely used as one of the canonical texts of Pure Land Buddhism in China and Japan. In this chapter Någårjuna presents the recitation of the names of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas as an easy and e›ective way of reaching the stage of non-retrogression and also professes his devotion to Amida. See also Amida; Garland Sutra; Ku måra j∆va; Någårjuna; Pure Land school; stage of non-retrogression; Sutra on the Ten Stages; ten stages.

dragonflower tree: The type of tree under which Maitreya will attain Buddhahood when he descends to earth from the Tu≈ita Heaven. See also Maitreya; Tu≈ita Heaven.

dust-motes' kalpas:Kalpas as numerous as all the dust particles of the universe. See also kalpa. eight aspects (of the Buddha's activity): The eight glorious features of Amida's merit explained by Vasubandhu in his Discourse on the Pure Land: 1) the seat; 2) physical glory; 3) speech; 4) mental activity; 5) congregation; 6) sovereign power; 7) lordship; and 8) unfailing sustenance. See also Amida; Discourse on the Pure Land; Vasubandhu.

eight directions: The four cardinal points of north, south, east, and west and the four intermediate directions.

eighteen special qualities: The characteristics of a Buddha: 1) absence of imperfections of the body; 2) clear speech in guiding beings to enlightenment; 3) perfect concentration; 4) nondiscriminative thought; 5) possessing a perfectly settled mind; 6) knowing and accepting all dharmas; 7) limitless resolve to save sentient beings; 8) unceasing e›ort to save sentient beings; 9) spiritual correspondence with all other Buddhas; 10) omniscience; 11) complete liberation from all bonds; 12) complete knowledge of all aspects of liberation; 13) manifesting excellent physical forms to guide sentient beings to salvation; 14) employing subtle words to teach sentient beings; 15) pure mental acts to teach sentient beings and remove their ignorance and passions; 16) complete knowledge of the past lives of all beings; 17) complete knowledge of all future events; and 18) complete knowledge of all events in the present life.

Eighteenth Vow: The most important of all the Forty-eight Vows made by Dharmåkara, this vow promises that those who have sincere joyful faith and recite Amida's Name will attain birth in the Pure Land: "If, when 363

Glossary

I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions who sincerely and joyfully entrust themselves to me, desire to be born in my land, and call my Name even ten times should not be born there, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

" The phrase "call my Name

even ten times (i.e., ten recitations of the Nembutsu) is the traditional reading long established in Pure Land Buddhism in China and Japan, although the literal meaning of this phrase is "think of me even ten times" (see the BDK edition of The Larger Sutra on Amitåyus in The Three Pure Land Sutras, Revised Second Edition, translated by INAGAKI Hisao, Numata Center, 2003, p. 16). There are two other vows that assure beings of birth in the Pure Land, the Nineteenth and Twentieth, but in Shinran's interpretation the joyful faith presented in the Eighteenth Vow is the pure faith of Other-Power, not mixed with practitioners' selfpower calculations, and so it is the cause of birth in the True Recompensed Land. The implications of this vow are fully explained in Chapter III, "Revealing the True Faith,

" in the Kyøgyøshinshø. See also Amida; Dharmåkara; Forty-eight Vows; Name; Nineteenth Vow; Other-Power; Pure Land; self-power; Shinran; store of merit and wisdom; True Recompensed Land; Twentieth Vow.

eight events: The eight major events that all Buddhas who appear in this world must experience: 1) descending from the Tu≈ita Heaven; 2) being conceived in the mother's womb; 3) birth; 4) renunciation of the world; 5) defeating devils; 6) enlightenment; 7) preaching the Dharma; and 8) passing into nirvana.

eight excellent qualities: The water of the ponds in the Pure Land has these eight qualities: it is pure, cool, smooth, sweet, moistening, comforting, thirst-quenching, and nourishing. See also Pure Land. eight kinds of impure possessions: Monastics are not allowed to own the following: 1) land, houses, gardens, and forests; 2) vegetables and plants; 3) grains; 4) male or female servants; 5) domestic animals; 6) money and treasures; 7) ivory carvings; and 8) pots and kettles. eight kinds of medical arts: The methods for curing 1) physical illness, 2) eye diseases, 3) womb diseases, 4) children's illnesses, 5) scabs, 6) poisonings, 7) wrong thoughts; and 8) possession of knowledge of astrology. eight rules of respectful attitude: The eight special rules to be observed by nuns toward monks: 1) a nun, regardless of seniority, must pay respect to a monk, regardless of his age or standing; 2) a nun should not rebuke a monk; 3) a nun must not criticize a monk who has committed a fault; 4) a female novice must receive the full precepts from a monk; 5) a nun who has committed a transgression must repent before the monks; 6) 364

Glossary

nuns must receive instructions from the assembly of monks twice a month; 7) during the summer retreat, nuns should learn the Dharma from monks morning and evening; and 8) after the summer retreat, nuns should follow the monks to observe the ceremony of confession. eight wisdoms: The eight undefiled wisdoms attained by those who have entered sagehood by destroying their evil passions through clear cognition of the Four Noble Truths. See also evil passions; Four Noble Truths. eight worldly concerns: Gain and loss; calumny and praise; flattery and censure; pleasure and pain. Eleventh Vow: One of the Forty-eight Vows made by Dharmåkara, "If, when

I attain Buddhahood, humans and devas in my land should not dwell in the definitely assured stage and unfailingly reach nirvana, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

" Shinran calls this "the vow of unfailing

attainment of nirvana" and "the vow of realization of great nirvana. "

The implications of this vow are fully explained in Chapter IV, "Revealing

the True Enlightenment,

" in the Kyøgyøshinshø. See also Dharmåkara;

Forty-eight Vows; Shinran.

elixir: A material used for alchemy, said to turn iron into gold. embryonic state: Refers to an intermediate state of rebirth attained by Pure Land devotees who cultivate merit by good acts but do not entirely entrust themselves to Amida; they are reborn in lotus buds in the Pure Land and remain there for five hundred years without being able to see or hear the Buddha, Dharma, or Sangha. See also Pure Land. emptiness (Ω¥nyatå): The absence of substantiality of the self and all phenomena (dharmas); what ordinary people think of as truly existent phenomena are empty of inherent substance because all dharmas arise only in dependence on causes and conditions (the law of causality, pra t∆tya samutpåda). Through direct insight into emptiness, enlightened sages are liberated from their attachment to the self and dharmas, thus attaining prajñå (transcendent wisdom). See also law of causality; prajñå. "enduring": The name of an herb said to grow in the Himalayas. enlightenment. See bodhi.

eraöa: A kind of plant that grows in India, which has beautiful red flowers and a strong unpleasant smell. It is said that anyone who eats the fruit of this plant will die of insanity. Often contrasted with candana (sandalwood), which has a sweet scent. 365

Glossary

Esoteric Buddhism: A form of Buddhism that combines Mahayana teachings with ritual and meditative techniques explicated in texts called tantras. Also referred to as Tantric Buddhism or Vajrayana Buddhism; the Japanese branch of Esoteric Buddhism is the Shingon school. See also Shingon school.

essential gate: Specifically, the teaching of the Nineteenth Vow, or the explicit teaching of the Contemplation Sutra. See also Contemplation Sutra; Nineteenth Vow; true gate; Universal Vow.

evil passions (kleΩa): Mental functions that disturb and defile the mind and body. They are considered the cause of transmigration in samsara; by extinguishing them, one becomes an arhat. In the Mahayana, through recognizing the nonsubstantiality of the evil passions, a bodhisattva attains liberation and realizes bodhi. See also arhat; bodhi; bodhisattva; Mahayana; samsara.

Fa-chao: (766-822): A Chinese Pure Land master who disseminated the Nembutsu chant in five di›erent pitches and tones. See also Nembutsu; Pure Land school.

faith of the Other-Power: In Shin Buddhism, faith is endowed by Amida as contrasted with the kind of faith generated by devotees through their own e›orts, which is called "faith of self-power.

" Faith of the Other-Power originates from the Eighteenth Vow and is the true cause for birth in the Pure Land. See also Amida; Eighteenth Vow; Other-Power; Pure Land.

Fa-lin (572-640): A monk well versed in both Buddhist and Taoist teachings, he composed the Treatise Clarifying the True (Pien ch'eng lun) in order to refute Taoist views. See also Taoism.

Fei-hsi: An eighth-century Chinese Ch'an (Zen) master, author of the Treatise on the Nembutsu Samådhi—The King of Treasures (Nien fo san mei pao wang lun). See also Ch'an school.

fifth gate in the phase of "going out": The last of the five results of the five mindful practices, that is, returning to this world of su›ering to save beings. See also five gates; five mindful practices. fifty-two stages: A system popularly used in China and Japan to describe the various stages of spiritual advancement passed through by the Buddhist practitioner, from that of an ordinary, unenlightened person to Buddhahood. The fifty-two stages are as follows: 1) the ten stages of understanding, 2) the ten stages of dwelling, 3) the ten stages of practice, 366

Glossary

4) the ten stages of merit transference, 5) the ten bodhisattva stages (bh¥mis), 6) the rank next to the Buddha, and 7) Buddhahood. See also bodhisattva stages; ten stages.

first fruit (srota-åpatti-phala): The "fruit of entering the stream, " the first

of the four stages of sagehood in the Hinayana. See also Hinayana; stream-winner.

first stage: The first of the ten bodhisattva stages, called the stage of joy; corresponds to the forty-first of the fifty-two stages. See also bodhisattva stages; fifty-two stages; stage of joy; ten stages. five aggregates (pañca-skandha): The five constituent elements of living beings: 1) matter, or form, 2) perception, 3) conception, 4) volition, and 5) consciousness.

five constant virtues: The five Confucian virtues: benevolence, righteousness, propriety, knowledge, and sincerity. See also Confucianism. five defilements: The five marks of a period of general degeneration, consisting of degradation of the 1) kalpa, or eon, 2) views, 3) passions, 4) human condition, and 5) human lifespan.

five desires: The desire for wealth, good food and drink, fame, or sleep; the desires that arise concerning the objects of the five sense perceptions. See also sense objects; sense perceptions.

five Dharma gates: The five kinds of acts of bodhisattvas: acts of body, speech, mind, wisdom, and skillful means. See also bodhisattva. five ethers: Di›erent theories pertain to this concept; according to one, the five ethers are the five elements that create all phenomena, the invisible, the beginning of form, the beginning of all things, the beginning of substance, and the absolute. Another theory explains that they are the five atmospheric influences of rain, good weather, heat, cold, and wind. five evil acts. See five grave o›enses.

five evil realms: The five lower samsaric states of existence through which living beings transmigrate: 1) the realm of heavenly beings (devas), 2) the realm of human beings, and the realms of 3) animals, 4) hungry ghosts, and 5) hell. See also hell; hungry ghost; samsara. five eyes: The five properties of vision possessed by the Buddha, also called the five kinds of perfectly illuminating eyes: 1) the human eye, 2) heavenly eye, 3) the wisdom eye, 4) the Dharma eye, and 5) the Buddha eye. 367

Glossary

five five hundred-year periods: According to the Great Assembly Sutra, the history of Buddhism after the Buddha's death is divided into five five hundred-year periods: 1) in the first period, Buddhist practitioners are able to attain liberation, 2) in the second, they steadfastly practice meditation, 3) in the third, they eagerly listen to the Buddhist teaching, 4) in the fourth, their practice consists of building temples and stupas, and 5) in the fifth, they engage in doctrinal disputes. These periods represent the gradual decline of Buddhist practice and correspond to the Ages of the Right, Semblance, and Decadent Dharma. See also Great Assembly Sutra; three ages of the Dharma.

five gates: The five results of the five mindful practices: 1) the gate of approach; 2) the gate of great assembly; 3) the gate of residence; 4) the gate of the chamber; and 5) the gate of playing in the garden. See also five mindful practices.

five grave o›enses: The most serious o›enses of Buddhist followers, commission of which consigns one to the Av∆ci hell. They are interpreted in slightly di›erent ways in the Hinayana and Mahayana schools. The most commonly used version is that of the Hinayana: 1) killing one's father, 2) killing one's mother, 3) killing an arhat, 4) causing the Buddha's body to bleed, and 5) causing disunity in the Buddhist order (sangha). The Mahayana version, which Shinran presents in Chapter III, "Revealing

the True Faith,

" in the Kyøgyøshinshø, is: 1) destroying stupas, burning sutra repositories, or stealing property belonging to the Three Treasures; 2) slandering the teaching of the three vehicles by saying that it is not the sacred teaching of the Buddha, obstructing and depreciating it, or hiding it; 3) beating and rebuking monks and nuns, whether they observe the precepts, have received no precepts, or have broken the precepts; enumerating their transgressions, confining them, forcing them back into secular life, forcing them to do menial work, levying tax duties on them, or putting them to death; 4) killing one's father, killing one's mother, causing blood to flow from the body of the Buddha, destroying the harmony of the sangha, or killing an arhat; and 5) rejecting the law of causality and constantly performing the ten evil acts throughout one's life. See also arhat; Av∆ci hell; Hinayana; law of causality; Mahayana; Shinran; ten evil acts; Three Treasures; three vehicles. five inconceivables: The teaching that there are five powers that are beyond human understanding: 1) the number of sentient beings, which neither increases nor decreases; 2) karma power; 3) dragons' power to cause rain to fall; 4) meditation power to produce miracles, and 5) the power of the Buddha-Dharma.

five kinds of su›ering: Birth, old age, sickness, and death, and the pain of parting from loved ones.

368

Glossary

five mindful practices: The five practices for attaining birth in the Pure Land, outlined by Vasubandhu in his Discourse on the Pure Land: 1) worshiping Amida, 2) praising his virtue by invoking his Name, 3) aspiring for birth in the Pure Land, 4) practicing contemplation on Amida, the Pure Land, and the bodhisattvas dwelling there, and 5) transferring merit to other sentient beings in order to save them from su›ering. See also Amida; Discourse on the Pure Land; Pure Land; Vasubandhu.

five powers: The five powers obtained by the practice of the five roots of good: 1) the power of firm faith in the Buddha and the Buddha-Dharma; 2) the power of great e›ort; 3) the power of mindfulness; 4) the power of deep concentration; and 5) the power of deep insight into the true nature of reality. See also five roots of good.

five precepts: The five basic precepts undertaken by all Buddhists: not to kill, not to steal, not to commit adultery or engage in sexual misconduct, not to lie, and not to ingest intoxicants.

five right acts: The five acts to be practiced for gaining birth in the Pure Land established by Shan-tao: 1) chanting the three Pure Land sutras, etc.; 2) contemplation of Amida, bodhisattvas, and the Pure Land; 3) worshiping Amida; 4) recitation of Amida's Name (i.e., the Nembutsu); and 5) praising and making o›erings to Amida. See also Amida; Name; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Shan-tao; three Pure Land sutras. five roots of good: The good spiritual elements that lead one to enlightenment: 1) faith in the Three Treasures and the Four Noble Truths; 2) making e›orts to do good; 3) being mindful of the true Dharma; 4) concentration; and 5) insight into the true nature of reality. See also Four Noble Truths; Three Treasures.

Five Thousand-character Discourse: Refers to Lao-tzu's Tao te ching, the fundamental text of Taoism. See also Lao-tzu; Taoism. five vehicles: The teachings for the five kinds of beings—bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas, Ωråvakas, devas, and human beings; also refers generally to these five kinds of beings. See also bodhisattva; deva; pratyekabuddha; Ωråvaka. "flower passage" concerning One Mind: Refers to the first line of Vasubandhu's Verses of Aspiration for Birth (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-upadeΩa-kårikå*): "Worldhonored One, with singleness of mind, I take refuge in the Tathågata of Unhindered Light Shining Throughout the Ten Directions. " Vasu bandhu's profession of singleminded devotion to Amida, i.e., the One Mind, forms the central part of Shinran's concept of faith. See also Amida; One Mind; Shinran; Vasubandhu.

369

Glossary

Forty-eight Vows: The vows made by Dharmåkara; upon their fulfillment he became Amida Buddha. The Forty-eight Vows are fully explicated in the Larger Sutra. See also Amida; Dharmåkara; Larger Sutra. forty special qualities of the Buddhas: According to Någårjuna, Buddhas possess forty special qualities, such as the ability to fly in the air at will and the ability to manifest innumerable transformed bodies. See also Någårjuna. four bases of consciousness: Of the five aggregates, the first four—form, perception, conception, and volition—are the bases of the fifth aggregate, consciousness. See also five aggregates.

four bases of mindfulness: A fourfold practice of mindfulness: 1) contemplating one's body as defiled, 2) contemplating one's perception as painful, 3) contemplating one's mind as impermanent, and 4) contemplating things in general (dharmas) as devoid of fixed selfhood.

four bases of transcendent knowledge: 1) Transcendent knowledge based on the concentration of will, 2) transcendent knowledge based on the concentration of e›ort, 3) transcendent knowledge based on the concentration of thought, and 4) transcendent knowledge based on the concentration of investigation into the principle of reality.

four correct strivings: 1) To strive to eliminate evil that has been done, 2) to strive not to commit evil, 3) to strive to do good, and 4) to strive to increase the good that has been done.

four dependable sages: Originally, the four groups of bodhisattvas mentioned in Chih-i's commentary on the Lotus Sutra; they are 1) bodhisattvas in the ten stages of understanding and in the five preliminary stages, 2) those in the ten stages of dwelling, 3) those in the ten stages of practice and the ten stages of merit transference, and 4) those in the highest ten stages of bodhisattvahood and in the rank next to the Buddha. See also Chih-i; fifty-two stages; Lotus Sutra.

four elements: The four elements that constitute material things (dharmas): 1) the earth element, which represents solidity and supports things; 2) the water element, which moistens and contains things; 3) the fire element, which represents heat and matures things; and 4) the wind element, which represents motion and causes things to grow. four excellent qualities: Nirvana is characterized by these four qualities: eternity, bliss, freedom of action, and purity. See also nirvana. four fearlessnesses: In the Buddha's teaching of the Dharma, these four fearlessnesses represent: 1) confidence that the Buddha thoroughly knows 370

Glossary

all dharmas, 2) confidence that he has exhausted all evil passions, 3) confidence in disclosing the elements that hinder the realization of enlightenment; and 4) fearlessness in expounding the method of liberation. four great continents: The four large land masses of di›erent shapes lying in the ocean around Mount Sumeru, each in one of the cardinal directions. They are: P¥rvavideha to the east, 2) Jambudv∆pa to the south, 3) Aparagodån∆ya to the west, and 4) Uttarakuru to the north. See also Aparagodån∆ya; Jambudv∆pa; P¥rvavideha; Uttarakuru.

four great heavenly kings: The guardian gods of the four directions: 1) Dh®tarå≈†ra in the east, 2) Vir¥∂haka in the south, 3) Vir¥påk≈a in the west, and 4) VaiΩrava√a in the north. They are the kings of the four great continents around Mount Sumeru. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru.

four groups of Buddhists: Monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen. Also called the four groups of disciples.

four kinds of devils: Ordinarily, the following are called "devils": 1) evil passions, 2) the five aggregates, 3) death, and 4) the king of devils (Påp∆yas) in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others. In Chapter VI,

"Revealing the Transformed Buddhas and Lands,

" in the Kyøgyøshinshø, the term refers to the spurious sutras and Vinaya rules expounded by devils, and those who believe in them. See also five aggregates; Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others; Påp∆yas. four kinds of gifts: The prescribed items that may be o›ered to the Buddha: 1) food and drink, 2) clothing, 3) a bed, and 4) medicine. four kinds of nourishment: 1) Food and drink that sustain one's body; 2) pleasant sensations that nourish one's body; 3) volition and desire that sustain one's body; and 4) consciousness that sustains one's body. four kinds of pleasure: According to the Nirvana Sutra, the pleasure of nirvana is distinguished into four kinds: 1) the state of neither pain nor pleasure attained by destruction of all pleasures; 2) the pleasure of tranquility; 3) the pleasure of omniscience; and 4) the pleasure of indestructibility. See also Nirvana Sutra. four kinds of practice: The four practices in Pure Land Buddhism established by Shan-tao: 1) the practice of worshiping Amida and his attendant bodhisattvas; 2) the exclusive practice of reciting the Nembutsu; 3) the uninterrupted practice of the Nembutsu; and 4) the sustained practice of the Nembutsu throughout one's life. See also Amida; Nembutsu; Pure Land school; Shan-tao.

371

Glossary

four kinds of soldiers: 1) Soldiers riding elephants; 2) soldiers riding horses; 3) soldiers riding carts; and 4) infantry.

four major prohibitions: The most serious of all o›enses for monks: 1) sexual intercourse, 2) stealing, 3) killing a person, and 4) lying about one's spiritual attainment. Committing any one of these results in expulsion from the sangha.

four modes of birth: According to Buddhist mythology, the four ways living beings are born in samsara: 1) birth from womb, 2) birth from an egg, 3) birth from moisture, and 4) birth by metamorphosis. four modes of deportment: Walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Four Noble Truths: The basic doctrine of Buddhism: 1) the truth of su›ering, i.e., that life is characterized by su›ering; 2) the truth regarding the cause of su›ering, i.e., that the cause of su›ering is evil passions; 3) the truth regarding the extinction of su›ering, i.e., that nirvana is the state in which all su›ering is extinguished; and 4) the truth regarding the path to nirvana, i.e., that following the Noble Eightfold Path leads beings to nirvana. See also Noble Eightfold Path; evil passions; nirvana. four realms: The four unfortunate realms of transmigration in samsara: the hell realm and the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras. See also samsara; six realms; three realms of transmigration. four reliances: A set of guidelines on how to study the Dharma, taught by the Buddha to his disciples before his parinirvå√a: 1) to rely on the Dharma, not on those who expound it, 2) to rely on the meaning, not merely on the words, 3) to rely on wisdom, not on discriminative mind, and 4) to rely on the sutras that fully disclose the Buddha's true intent, not on those that do not.

four right practices: The four activities of bodhisattvas in the Pure Land, explained by Vasubandhu in his Discourse on the Pure Land: 1) appearing in other lands to teach the Dharma, 2) visiting other Buddhas simultaneously and in a flash of thought, 3) making o›erings to all Buddhas without discriminative thought, and 4) preaching the Dharma as do the Buddhas. See also bodhisattva; Discourse on the Pure Land; Pure Land, Vasubandhu.

four streams: Also called the four violent streams and the four kinds of evil passions, so called because they are the cause of beings' drifting in the ocean of samsara: 1) desire—various evil passions that arise in the world of desire, 2) existence—delusions concerning samsaric existences in the 372

Glossary

worlds of form and non-form, 3) wrong views—wrong views that arise in the three worlds, and 4) ignorance—inveterate ignorance of all sentient beings in the three worlds. See also evil passions; samsara; three worlds. four unhindered wisdoms: 1) Thorough knowledge and command of words and sentences explaining the Dharma; 2) thorough knowledge of the meanings of the teachings; 3) absence of impediment in communicating in various dialects; and 4) absence of impediment in preaching to people according to their capacity.

four virtues: The four virtues that bodhisattvas must possess in order to teach the Dharma: 1) truthfulness, 2) generosity, 3) the ability to remove passions and desires, and 4) wisdom.

four wisdoms: The four kinds of wisdom realized by an enlightened being: 1) great, perfect mirror wisdom, 2) the wisdom of realizing the equality of all things, 3) the wisdom of wondrous observation, and 4) the wisdom of manifesting metamorphoses.

gandharva: A heavenly musician and attendant of Indra that lives on the smell of food; one of the eight kinds of superhuman beings who protect Buddhism.

Garland Sutra (Avataµsaka Sutra): A Mahayana sutra said to have been delivered by the Buddha during the first three weeks of his enlightenment; it describes the mystical state of enlightenment on an unparalleled grand scale. See also Mahayana.

garu∂a: A mythological giant bird said to eat dragons; one of the eight kinds of superhuman beings that protect Buddhism.

Gautama: The family name of Prince Siddhårtha, who became the Buddha; often used to refer to ¸åkyamuni. See also ¸åkyamuni; Siddhårtha. Genk¥. See Hønen.

Genshin (942-1017): A Tendai monk and a great exponent of Pure Land thought; the sixth of the Seven Patriarchs of Shin Buddhism, well known as the author of the Collection of Essential Passages Concerning Birth (Øjøyøsh¥). See also Pure Land school; Seven Patriarchs; Shin school; Tendai school.

great assembly: The assembly of all the bodhisattvas and sages in the Pure Land. See also bodhisattva; Pure Land.

Great Assembly Sutra (Mahåvaipulyamahåsaµnipåta-s¥tra): A Mahayana 373

Glossary

sutra in which the Buddha explains to other Buddhas and bodhisattvas the Mahayana principles, such as the theory of emptiness. This sutra is also strongly characterized by esotericism. See alsoemptiness; Mahayana. Great Being: A synonym for a bodhisattva mahåsattva. See also mahåsattva. Great Encircling Adamantine Mountain: The outermost mountain range, made of iron, which encircles the universe of the three thousand great thousand worlds, i.e., this world system. See also three thousand great thousand worlds.

great faith: The faith that is awakened by the Other-Power, which is the cause of birth in the Pure Land and attainment of enlightenment. See also joyful faith; Other-Power; Pure Land.

great joy: The joy that attends one's attainment of the faith of the Other-Power. See also joyful faith; Other-Power. great practice: Refers to the practice of reciting the Name of Amida, i.e., the Nembutsu, so called because this act originates from the Seventeenth Vow and contains all the merits and virtues of true suchness; this act constitutes the karmic energy for attaining birth in the Pure Land. See also Amida; Name; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Seventeenth Vow; true suchness. Great Sage: Refers to the Buddha.

great treasure-ocean of merits: Amida's complete merit and virtue. See also Amida.

Great Vehicle. See Mahayana.

Gutoku (literally,

"short-haired ignorant person"): The name assumed by Shinran when he was exiled to northern Japan in 1207. From that time on he called himself "Gutoku Shinran.

" See also Shinran.

har∆tak∆: A kind of plant that grows in India and Southeast Asia; its fruits are bitter and are often used as medicine.

Hastå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to four stars in Corvus. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Heaven of Enjoying Self-created Pleasures (Nirmå√arati): The fifth of the six heavens in the world of desire; so called because the devas dwelling there can freely create objects of pleasure and enjoy them. See also deva; three worlds.

Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others (Para nirmita vaΩa -374

Glossary

vartin): The sixth heaven in the world of desire. See also three worlds. Heaven of Restraining Well (Suyåma or Yåma): The third of the six heavens in the world of desire; so called because the devas dwelling there enjoy pleasure at appropriate times. See also deva; three worlds. Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods (TråyastriµΩa): The second of the six heavens in the world of desire; it is located atop Mount Sumeru and is reigned over by Indra. See also Indra; Mount Sumeru; three worlds. hell (naraka): The lowest state of samsaric existence, where those who have committed the five grave o›enses are reborn and su›er torment for many eons. There are eight scorching hells and eight freezing hells; of these, the Av∆ci hell is the most painful. See also Av∆ci hell; five grave o›enses; four realms; samsara; six realms; three realms of transmigration. Hinayana ("Lesser Vehicle"): A term applied by Mahayana Buddhists to various early schools of Buddhism whose primary soteriological aim is individual salvation. The stages of spiritual attainment in the Hinayana path are those of the stream-winner, once-returner; non-returner, and arhat. The term Theravåda ("Way of the Elders") is more properly used to refer to the Hinayana schools. See also arhat; Mahayana; non-returner; once-returner; stream-winner.

Hønen (1133-1212): The founder of the Japanese Pure Land school (Jødosh¥). He was born in Kume in Mimasaka Province (present-day Okayama Prefecture) and at the age of fifteen went to Mount Hiei, where he studied Tendai doctrine. At forty-three, seeking the way to liberation, he discovered the writings of Shan-tao and from that time considered himself a follower of Shan-tao and practiced the Nembutsu exclusively. He left Mount Hiei and lived in Yoshimizu, where he propagated the Nembutsu among people from all walks of life. In 1198, he composed the Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Sh¥ (Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow), which marked the founding of the Japanese Pure Land School. In 1206, his school was persecuted by the authorities and he was exiled to Tosa in Shikoku, but was pardoned in 1211 and returned to Kyoto, where he died the following year. See also Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow; Jødo school; Nembutsu; Pure Land school; Shan-tao; Tendai school.

Hossø school: A school of Japanese Buddhism, a continuation of the Chinese Fa-hsiang school, which was based on the Yogåcåra school. See also Consciousness Only school; Yogåcåra school. Hsüan-tsang (600-664): A Chinese Tripi†aka master who traveled to India 375

Glossary

via Central Asia; he reached the Nålanda Monastery in the kingdom of Magadha in 630, where he studied Consciousness Only doctrine intensively under ¸∆labhadra for five years. Hsüan-tsang returned to China in 645, bringing with him six hundred and fifty-seven Sanskrit Buddhist texts, relics of the Buddha, etc. Under the patronage of the emperor, and with the assistance of other monk-scholars, he translated seventyfive scriptures into Chinese, including the Prajñåpåramitå sutras, Abhi dharma and Yogåcåra texts, as well as the basic text of the Fa-hsiang, or Hossø, school. At the request of Emperor T'ai-tsung, he wrote a wellknown account of his travels, The Great T'ang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions (translated by Li Rongxi; Numata Center, 1996). See also Consciousness Only school; Hossø school; Magadha; Prajñåpåramitå sutras; Tripi†aka master.

hungry ghost (preta): Beings who inhabit one of the three lower realms of the six realms of existence; they su›er the torment of insatiable hunger. See also six realms.

icchantika: One who has no stock of good roots and thus no possibility of attaining Buddhahood.

imperfect faith: Not accepting the entire Buddhist teachings; also, believing in the Buddha-Dharma but not accepting that there are practitioners who have realized it.

imperfect hearing: Not accepting the entire Buddhist teachings; also, chanting sutras only for impure reasons, in order to gain fame and profit, etc. incomprehensible birth: The mode of birth in the Transformed Land which followers of the Twentieth Vow attain. See also birth beneath the twin Ωåla trees; inconceivable birth; Transformed Land; Twentieth Vow. inconceivable birth: The mode of birth in the True Recompensed Land which followers of the Eighteenth Vow attain. See also birth beneath the twin Ωåla trees; Eighteenth Vow; incomprehensible birth; True Recompensed Land.

Indra: The lord god of the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, the second of the six heavens in the world of desire. Originally a Hindu deity, in Buddhism Indra is considered to be a god who protects Buddhism and its followers. See also Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods; three worlds. Infinitely Enlightened One: An epithet for Amida. See also Amida. insight into the non-arising of all dharmas (anutpattika-dharma-kŌnti): A higher spiritual awakening in which one recognizes that no phenomenon 376

Glossary

(dharma) really arises or perishes; insight into emptiness. See also dharma; emptiness.

Jambudv∆pa: In Buddhist cosmology, the triangular continent situated to the south of Mount Sumeru, corresponding to the Indian subcontinent; the name derives from the word jambu (mango) because this continent is said to produce a good deal of this fruit. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru.

Jamb¥nada gold: A type of purplish-tinged gold said to be produced in the river that runs through the mango groves of the northern part of Jambudv∆pa. See also Jambudv∆pa. J∆vaka: A famous physician and the son of King Bimbisåra's younger brother; said to have cured the Buddha's illness. See also Bimbisåra. Jødo: The Pure Land of a Buddha, especially Amida's Pure Land. In the Mahayana many Buddhas' lands, established as the result of the vows of the Buddhas when they were bodhisattvas, are conceived of as existing beyond the realms of samsara. These Buddha lands can be visualized through prescribed methods of contemplation and are also o›ered as places of habitation for bodhisattvas and sentient beings who seek to practice the Way and realize enlightenment. When the term is used without further specification, it means Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; bodhisattva; Buddha land; Mahayana; Pure Land; samsara. Jødo Shinsh¥: A Japanese Buddhist school founded by Shinran; popularly called Shin Buddhism or the Shin school. It o›ers a way of salvation for all human beings, regardless of their spiritual capacity, by enabling them to attain birth in Amida's Pure Land through faith of the Other-Power, accompanied by the practice of the Nembutsu. Though he is popularly credited with establishing this school, Shinran did not claim to be the founder but professed that he was simply following the teachings of his predecessors, known as the Seven Patriarchs. Shinran's doctrinal system centering around absolute trust in Amida's salvific power is explicated in the Kyøgyøshinshø. The date of the foundation of this school is popularly given as 1224, when this work is believed to have been completed in a draft stage. This school is the largest religious denomination in Japan. See also Amida; faith of the Other-Power; Nembutsu; Other-Power; Pure Land; Pure Land school; Seven Patriarchs; Shinran; Shin school.

Jødosh¥: A Japanese Buddhist school founded by Hønen (or Genk¥) in 1175 based on the teaching of Shan-tao that the exclusive practice of the Nembutsu promised in Amida's Vow is the cause of birth in the Pure 377

Glossary

Land. He declared the independence of a Pure Land school totally dedicated to the Nembutsu, which came to be known as Jødosh¥. Hønen began to spread the Nembutsu teaching at his hermitage in Kyoto; soon many people came to listen to his teaching. From among numerous scriptures, he chose as the basic canonical texts the following: 1) the Larger Sutra, 2) the Contemplation Sutra, 3) the Amida Sutra, and 4) Vasubandhu's Discourse on the Pure Land. The essential teaching of this school is explicated in Hønen's Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow (composed in 1198). After Hønen's death, the Jødo school was divided into four subschools: 1) the Chinzei, founded by Benchø; 2) the Seizan, founded by Shøk¥; 3) the Chørakuji, founded by Ry¥kan; and 4) the Kuhonji, founded by Chøsai. Apart from those, there were two other branches, one started by Køsai and the other by Shinran. Shinran's Jødo Shinsh¥ has attained remarkable development and gained a dominant position among all the Pure Land schools. See also Amida; Amida Sutra; Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu Chosen in the Original Vow; Contemplation Sutra; Discourse on the Pure Land; Hønen; Jødo Shinsh¥; Larger Sutra; Nembutsu; Shan-tao. joyful faith: Faith of the Other-Power originating from the Eighteenth Vow; the entrusting and joyful heart endowed to us by Amida, which is the cause of birth in the Pure Land. See also Amida; Eighteenth Vow; faith of the Other-Power; Pure Land.

Jye≈†hå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to Antares and two stars in Scorpio. See also twenty-eight constellations. Jyot∆rasa: A hermit said to have lived near the Himalayas. kålaka tree: A kind of plant, resembling a persimmon tree, which bears poisonous fruit. KålayaΩas: A monk from Central Asia, who traveled to China in the early Yüan-chia era (424-453) and translated two sutras, including the Contemplation Sutra. See also Contemplation Sutra. Kålika: A hermit.

kalpa: An eon, an immensely long period of time; its length is metaphorically explained, for instance, as the period required for one to empty a castle full of poppy seeds by taking away one seed every three years. Kalpa is also a period of great cosmic change. See also cosmic period. Kamboja: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

378

Glossary

Kanakamuni: The fifth of the seven past Buddhas. See also seven past Buddhas.

Kanyå: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponding to Virgo. Kao-yü (d. 742): A famous Chinese monk said to have recited the Nembutsu five thousand times a day and to have chanted the Amida Sutra three hundred thousand times during his life. See also Amida Sutra; Nembutsu. Kapilavastu: The capital city of the ¸åkya clan in northeast India, where ¸åkyamuni was born; in his later years it was occupied by the Kosala clan. See also ¸åkyamuni.

karåla worm: ("black worm"): A type of worm that during birth tears through its mother's body.

Karka†aka: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Cancer. karma ("action"): Any action of body, speech, or mind (thought), which may be either morally good, bad, or neutral. The concept of karma is connected with the Buddhist theory of transmigration, since most actions create either a positive or negative seed in one's consciousness that leads to birth in samsara. See also samsara.

karma-consciousness: The basic consciousness that stores all one's karmic seeds and gives rise to existence in the next life. KåΩ∆: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

KåΩyapa: The sixth of the seven past Buddhas and the third of the one thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa. See also Auspicious Kalpa; seven past Buddhas.

ka†ap¥tana: A foul-smelling and deformed spirit; those of the warrior caste (k≈aitrya) who have committed unworthy acts are said to be reborn as spirits of this type and undergo the same su›ering as hungry ghosts (pretas). See also hungry ghost.

KauΩåmb∆: One of the sixteen kingdoms that flourished at the time of the Buddha; King Udayana of this kingdom was a patron of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

KauΩika Indra: The name of the god Indra when he was reborn as a human. See also Indra.

379

Glossary

Kegon school: A school of Japanese Buddhism, corresponding to the Chinese Hua-yen school; both schools are based on the teachings of theGarland Sutra. See also Garland Sutra.

Khalatiya: A mountain near the Himalayas.

Kharo≈†∆: One of the former incarnations of ¸åkyamuni. Born at the beginning of the Auspicious Kalpa to a widowed queen who had intercourse with an ass, he was abandoned but was raised by a female råk≈asa and later became a hermit. See also Auspicious Kalpa; råk≈asa; ¸åkyamuni. kiµnara: A god of music, one of the eight kinds of superhuman beings that protect Buddhism.

king of devils: An epithet for Påp∆yas, said to dwell in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others. See also Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others; Påp∆yas. Kosala: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

ko†i: A large unit of measurement, said to equal ten million. Krakucchanda: The fifth of the seven past Buddhas and the second of the one thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa; according to the D∆gha Nikåya, one of the early Buddhist texts in the Pali Canon, he was born in the country called "Peace,

" when the lifespan of human beings was

thirty thousand years in duration, and attained Buddhahood under an u∂umbara tree. See also Auspicious Kalpa; Pali Canon; seven past Buddhas; u∂umbara.

K®ttikå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to Pleiades. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Kumåraj∆va (344-413): A Buddhist monk-scholar and translator. Born of an Indian father and Kuchan mother, who was the sister of a king of Kucha, he entered monkhood at seven and studied both the Mahayana and Hinayana in northwest India and elsewhere. Invited to Chang-an in 401, he translated thirty-five sutras and discourses, including the Prajñåpåramitå sutras, the Lotus Sutra, and the Amida Sutra. He also lectured on the Mådhyamika discourses and laid the foundation of the Three Discourse school. It is said that he had three thousand disciples, of who four, including Seng-chao, are especially famous. See also Amida Sutra; Lotus Sutra; Mådhyamika school; Prajñåpåramitå sutras; Sengchao; Three Discourse school. 380

Glossary

Kumbha: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Aquarius. kumbhå√∂a: A type of demon that is under the command of the Four Heavenly Kings; it is believed to consume human vital energy. See also four great heavenly kings.

Kuru: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Kyeong-heung: A Korean monk of the latter half of the seventh century who was a follower of the Consciousness Only school; the author of many works, including the Commentary on the Larger Sutra. See also Commentary on the Larger Sutra; Consciousness Only school. Land of Bliss: Refers to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land. Land of Immeasurable Light: Refers to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land.

Land of Peace and Bliss: Refers to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land.

Land of Peace and Provision: Refers to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land.

Land of Recompense: Another term for the True Recompensed Land, the Buddha land rewarded to Amida upon fulfillment of his vows and practice; specifically, Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land; True Recompensed Land. Land of Utmost Bliss: Refers to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land.

Lao-tzu ("Old Master"): A contemporary of Confucius, looked upon as the founder of Taoism; said to be the author of the Tao te Ching, the foundational text of Taoism. See also Taoism. Larger Sutra: Commonly abbreviated name for the Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life (Sukhåvat∆vy¥ha-s¥tra), also called the Larger Sutra on the Buddha of Infinite Life;the most important of the three Pure Land sutras, in which Amida's vows and the Pure Land are fully recounted and the way of salvation through faith and the Nembutsu is presented.(See The Larger Sutra on Amitåyus, in The Three Pure Land Sutras, Revised Second Edition, translated by INAGAKI Hisao, Numata Center, 2003.) See also Amida; Nembutsu; Pure Land; three Pure Land sutras. 381

Glossary

law of causality (prat∆tyasamutpåda): The Buddhist doctrine of dependent co-arising which says that all phenomena (dharmas) arise in relation to causes and conditions and in turn are the causes and conditions for the arising of other phenomena. Nothing exists independently of its causes and conditions. See also twelve causations.

Lei T'zu-tsung (386-448): A Chinese monk who was a member of the White Lotus Society and practiced the Nembutsu samådhi. See also Nembutsu samådhi; White Lotus Society.

li: A Chinese measure of length equal to three hundred sixty paces, or about one thousand eight hundred and ninety feet; often used to translate the Indian unit of measurement, yojana. See also yojana. Liu Ch'eng-chih (352-410): A Chinese monk who was well versed in Taoism and other philosophies; together with Lei T'zu-tsung he joined the White Lotus Society and practiced the Nembutsu samådhi. See also Nembutsu samådhi; White Lotus Society.

Liu Tzu-hou (772-819): A Chinese Buddhist scholar of the T'ang dynasty. LokeΩvararåja ("World-sovereign King"): The name of a Buddha; the teacher of Dharmåkara Bodhisattva. See also Dharmåkara.

Lord Preacher of this Sahå world: Refers to ¸åkyamuni, who is responsible for guiding people in the Sahå world, which consists of Mount Sumeru at the center and the four continents that surround it. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru; Sahå world.

Lotus-store world: Originally, Vairocana's Buddha land; also used to refer to Amida's Pure Land. See also Amida; Pure Land; Vairocana. Lotus Sutra: The popular, abbreviated name for the Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma (Saddharmapu√∂ar∆ka-s¥tra). (See BDK edition, The Lotus Sutra, translated by KUBO Tsugunari and YUYAMA Akira, Numata Center, 1993); one of the most important Mahayana sutras in East Asian Buddhism, it presents the One-Vehicle teaching; the T'ient'ai (Tendai) and Nichiren schools were established on the basis of this sutra. See also Mahayana; Nichiren school; One Vehicle; T'ien-t'ai school. Mådhyamika school: "The School of the Middle"; along with the Yogåcåra school, one of the two principal Mahayana philosophical schools in India. Based on Någårjuna's Discourse on the Middle (Madhyamaka-kårikå), this school emphasizes the emptiness of all apparently existing phenomena. The truth of the middle way lies in the fact that things are neither existent 382

Glossary

nor nonexistent. The Mådhyamika discourses were translated into Chinese by Kumåraj∆va, and served as the foundational texts of the Three Discourse school (Sanlun school), which was transmitted to Japan where it was known as the Sanron school. See also emptiness; Kumåra j∆va; Någårjuna; Three Discourse school; Yogåcåra school. Magadha: A kingdom in northern India at the time of ¸åkyamuni Buddha. Maghå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to nine stars in Hydra. See also twenty-eight constellations.

mahåparinirvå√a: Great, complete nirvana, usually a description of the nirvana of the Buddha. See also nirvana. mahåsattva ("great being"): Synonym for a bodhisattva. Mahåsthåmapråpta ("Possessed of Great Power"): One of the two bodhisattvas attending Amida; he represents Amida's wisdom. See also Amida. Mahayana: ("Great Vehicle'): One of the two major schools of Buddhism, along with the Hinayana. The Mahayana aims at bringing all sentient beings to Buddhahood. Followers of the Mahayana are called bodhisattvas. At the outset of their careers, they make vows to save all beings, and in order to realize them they cultivate wisdom and accumulate merits. When their vows are fulfilled, they become Buddhas. Although historical evidence shows that the Mahayana arose a few centuries after the Buddha's passing, Mahayanists believe that the essential part of the Mahayana teaching was revealed by the Buddha through some transcendental means such as samådhi. The development of the Mahayana resulted in a great outpouring of Buddhist literature, including the Garland Sutra, the Prajñåpåramitå ("Perfection of Wisdom") sutras, the Nirvana Sutra, and other sutras such as the three Pure Land sutras. The Mahayana is the primary form of Buddhism practiced in northern Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea, and Japan. See also bodhisattva; Garland Sutra; Hinayana; Nirvana Sutra; Prajñåpåramitå sutras; three Pure Land sutras. mahoraga: A type of supernatural being said to have the body of a human and the head of a snake; a god of music; one of the eight kinds of superhuman beings that protect Buddhism. Maitreya ("Friendly One"): A bodhisattva of the highest stage, who is now dwelling in the Tu≈ita Heaven; after the end of his life there he will appear in this world to become the next Buddha. See also bodhisattva; ten stages; Tu≈ita Heaven.

383

Glossary

Makara: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Capricorn. Malla: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

ma√∂a: The most refined of the four products derived from cow's milk; used as a metaphor for the supreme teaching of the Buddha. måndårava: A beautiful and fragrant flower, its name translates as "heavenly wonderful flower.

"

ma√i-gem: A precious gem of a globular shape with a short pointed top, called the "wish-fulfilling gem.

"

MañjuΩr∆ ("Beauty and Glory"): The name of a bodhisattva who represents the wisdom and enlightenment of all Buddhas; often portrayed mounted on a lion, attending ¸åkyamuni.

mantra: A verbal formula, charm, or incantation.

Master of Kuang-ming Temple. See Shan-tao.

Master of Shuryøgon-in: Refers to Genshin, who lived in the hall of this name on Mount Hiei. See also Genshin.

meditative good: One of two kinds of practice presented in the Contemplation Sutra for attaining birth in the Pure Land, along with the practice of non-meditative good. Concerning the practice of meditative good, the sutra presents thirteen contemplations centering on Amida as a method of attaining birth in the Pure Land. See also Amida; Contemplation Sutra; non-meditative good; Pure Land.

merit transference: Generally, the term refers to transferring the merit one has accumulated to another; transferring one's merit in order to attain Buddhahood; or bodhisattvas' transference of merit to sentient beings to save them. In Shin Buddhism, the term refers specifically to Amida's transference of his merit to sentient beings to enable them to attain birth in the Pure Land. See also Amida; bodhisattva; Pure Land; Shin school.

Me≈a: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Aries. middle and lower sages of the two vehicles: Pratyekabuddhas and Ωråvakas. See also pratyekabuddha; Ωråvaka; two vehicles.

middling and inferior vehicles: The vehicles of the pratyekabuddha and the Ωråvaka, respectively. See also pratyekabuddha; Ωråvaka; two vehicles. 384

Glossary

M∆na: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Pisces. Mithuna: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Gemini. Moon Matrix: The name of a bodhisattva.

Mount Laçkå: The mountain in Sri Lanka where the Laçkåvatåra Sutra was delivered.

Mount Sumeru: In Buddhist cosmology, the highest mountain rising from the center of the world; it has four sides, is narrowest in the center, and is surrounded by eight mountain ranges; in the ocean between the seventh and eighth of these ranges are the four great continents inhabited by human beings. See also four great continents.

M®ga-Ωirå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to three stars in Orion. See also twenty-eight constellations.

M¥la: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to nine stars in Scorpio. See also twenty-eight constellations.

Någårjuna: An influential exponent of Mahayana Buddhism, who lived around the second or third century C.E. He is regarded as the founder of eight Mahayana schools, and revered especially as the founder of the Mådhyamika (Middle Way) school. In the Shin Buddhist tradition, he is considered the first of the Seven Patriarchs; his Discourse on the Ten Stages, especially the "Chapter on Easy Path,

" is one of the canonical

texts of Pure Land Buddhism. See also Discourse on the Ten Stages; Mådhyamika school; Mahayana; Pure Land school; Seven Patriarchs; Shin school; Three Discourse school.

Name: Amida's Name; in Shin Buddhism the Name is believed to perform Amida's salvific activity; hence, the term does not refer to the figure of Amida but to the phrase "Namu amida butsu,

" which signifies devotees'

taking refuge in Amida Buddha and indicates the unity of Amida and those to be saved. See also Amida; Shin school.

Namu amida butsu: Literally,

"I take refuge in Amida Buddha.

" Recitation

of this phrase is the practice of the Nembutsu. See also Name; Nembutsu. naraka. See hell.

naturalness: The state of things as they really are, suchness; ultimate truth or ultimate reality. Also refers to the working of Amida's Vow-Power, which is beyond all human understanding. See also Amida; suchness; ultimate reality; Vow-Power.

385

Glossary

nayuta: A large unit of numerical measurement, said to be equal to ten million or one hundred billion.

Nembutsu: Literally,

"thinking of or remembering the Buddha"; meditation on the Buddha; more popularly, the term refers to the recitation of Amida's Name, repetition of the phrase "Namu amida butsu" as a nonmeditative devotional practice. See also Amida; Name; Namu amida butsu.

Nembutsu samådhi: Concentration (samådhi) on Amida's Name through repeated recitation of it; the term also refers to contemplation of Amida's physical manifestations. See also Amida; Nembutsu; samådhi. Nichiren school: A sect of Japanese Buddhism founded in the thirteenth century by the monk Nichiren (1222-1282). Its teachings are based on extolling the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra above all other teachings. The central practice advocated in this school is the recitation of the title of the Lotus Sutra,

"Namu myøhø renge kyo.

" See also Lotus Sutra.

nine classes. See nine grades of aspirants.

nine grades of aspirants: In the Contemplation Sutra, aspirants for the Pure Land are divided into nine types according to their varied devotional practices; there are three main classes, highest, middle, and lowest; each of these three classes is further divided into three levels of highest, middle, and lowest. See also Contemplation Sutra; Pure Land. Nineteenth Vow: The nineteenth of the Forty-eight Vows made by Dharmåkara, who became Amida Buddha upon their fulfillment: "If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings in the lands of the ten directions who awaken aspiration for enlightenment, do various meritorious deeds, and sincerely desire to be born in my land, should not, at their death, see me appear before them surrounded by a multitude of sages, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

" Shinran calls this "the vow of performing meritorious acts,

" "the vow of Amida's appearance at one's death to guide one to birth in the Pure Land,

" "the vow of Amida's coming to receive the aspirant, "

and "the vow of sincere mind and aspiration.

" The Forty-eight vows are

explicated in the Larger Sutra. See also Amida; Dharmåkara; essential gate; Forty-eight Vows; Larger Sutra;Pure Land; Shinran; store of merit. ninety-five wrong paths: The ninety-five kinds of wrong (i.e., non-Buddhist) teachings that were in existence at the time of the Buddha. nirvana: Liberation from samsara, a state in which all evil passions are extinguished and the highest wisdom attained; bodhi, enlightenment. See also bodhi; evil passions; samsara.

386

Glossary

Nirvana Sutra: A sutra delivered by the Buddha before entering parinirvå√a. There are two versions, Hinayana and Mahayana. The Hinayana version, extant in Pali and Chinese, first gives an account of the Buddha's last days, beginning with his departure from Rajag®ha and ending in his parinirvå√a at KuΩinagara, and goes on to describe how his body was cremated and that his relics (Ωar∆ras) were distributed among eight kingdoms; this version also expounds part of the Buddha's teaching. The Mahayana version is extant in Tibetan and Chinese, and partially in Sanskrit. There are four Chinese versions: 1) the "Northern" text of forty fascicles, 2) the text in six fascicles, 3) the text in two fascicles, and 4) a revised text of thirty-six fascicles, called the "Southern" text. Many important Mahayana ideas are comprised in the Mahayana versions of the sutra, such as 1) the eternal presence of the Buddha's body (the Dharma body), 2) all beings have Buddha-nature, and 3) even icchantikas can become Buddhas. The sutra also contains a detailed account of AjåtaΩatru's tribulations and his attainment of liberation. Shinran held this sutra in high esteem and extensively quotes from it in the Kyøgyøshinshø. See also AjåtaΩatru; Buddha-nature; Hinayana; icchantika; Mahayana; parinirvå√a; Shinran; three bodies of the Buddha.

Noble Eightfold Path: The eight aspects of practice for attaining nirvana, as taught by the Buddha in the fourth of the Four Noble Truths: 1) right view; 2) right thought; 3) right speech; 4) right action; 5) right livelihood; 6) right e›ort; 7) right mindfulness; and 8) right meditation. See also Four Noble Truths.

nonduality: Ultimate reality, in which one perceives no dualistic existences, such as birth and death, samsara and nirvana. See also ultimate reality. nondual mind: Nondiscriminative mind; the mind that perceives things as they are beyond the duality of subject and object.

non-human: Devas, dragons, demigods, and other supernatural beings. non-meditative good: One of the two types of practice for attaining birth in the Pure Land presented in the Contemplation Sutra, along with the practice of meditative good. The nine kinds of non-meditative good are presented in relation to the nine grades of aspirants. See also Contemplation Sutra; meditative good; nine grades of aspirants; Pure Land. non-practice: The practice of the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land or those in or above the eighth stage; these bodhisattvas perform practices in accord with true suchness and so they are not at all attached to their actions. See also bodhisattva; Pure Land; ten stages; true suchness. 387

Glossary

non-returner (anågåmin): The third of the four stages of spiritual attainment in the Hinayana; one who has attained this stage is no longer subject to rebirth in the world of desire. See also Hinayana; three worlds. not definitely established: Said of those who follow the Twentieth Vow and practice the Nembutsu with self-power, who will be born in the Transformed Land. See also Nembutsu; rightly established stage; self-power; Transformed Land; Twentieth Vow; wrongly established stage. once-returner (sak®dågåmin): The second of the four stages of spiritual attainment in the Hinayana; one who has attained this state is subject to rebirth only once in each of the human and the heavenly realms of the three worlds before attaining nirvana. See also Hinayana; nirvana; three worlds.

One Buddha Vehicle of the Vow: In Shin Buddhism, the absolute one way of attaining Buddhahood for all beings based on Amida's Vows. See also One Vehicle of the Universal Vow.

"one-child" stage: Originally, refers to the stage of a bodhisattva who looks upon all sentient beings as his/her only child; this spiritual state is equated with Buddha-nature. See also bodhisattva; bodhisattva stages; Buddha-nature.

one Dharma principle: The ultimate, undi›erentiated, and all-inclusive reality principle; same as true suchness. See also true suchness. One Mind: Exclusive devotion to Amida, professed by Vasubandhu in the opening verse of his Discourse on the Pure Land; Shinran took this as the faith of the Other-Power; in Chapter III,

"Revealing the True Faith"

in the Kyøgyøshinshø, he discusses the relationship between the One Mind and the three minds in the three Pure Land sutras and concludes that they are implicitly the same in meaning. See also Amida; Contemplation Sutra; Discourse on the Pure Land; faith of the Other-Power; Larger Sutra; Shinran; three Pure Land sutras; Vasubandhu. One Mind in the Amida Sutra: The phrases in the Amida Sutra, "hold fast

[to the Name]" and "holds fast to his Name…with a concentrated and undistracted mind,

" are interpreted by Shinran as indicating the One

Mind with which aspirants recite the Name in order to attain birth in the Pure Land. In its implicit meaning, this mind is the same as the faith of the Other-Power. See also Amida Sutra; faith of the Other-Power; Name; One Mind; Pure Land; Shinran.

One Mind of Other-Power: Faith of the Other-Power that is the cause of one's birth in the Pure Land. See also faith of the Other-Power; Pure Land. 388

Glossary

One Most Honored in Heaven: An epithet for the Buddha. Oneness: Absolute oneness; the essential nature of all that exists; same as true suchness. See also true suchness.

One Vehicle: The teaching that carries all beings to enlightenment; another term for the Mahayana. See also Mahayana.

One Vehicle of the Universal Vow: The teaching that leads all beings to Buddhahood; Amida's law of salvation based on the Primal Vow. See also Amida; One Buddha Vehicle of the Vow; Primal Vow. Other-Power: The power originating from Amida's Primal Vow. See also Amida; faith of the Other-Power; Primal Vow.

other shore: The other side of the ocean of samsara, i.e., nirvana. See also nirvana; samsara.

Pali Canon: The earliest compilation of Buddhist texts, compiled in the fifthfourth centuries B.C.E. and recorded in writing at the beginning of the first century C.E.It consists of the the Sutra-pi†aka, the Vinaya-pi†aka, and the Abhidharma-pi†aka, i.e., Tripi†aka. See also Tripi†aka. Pañcåla: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Påp∆yas: The king of the devils, who abides in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others. See also Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestations by Others. parable of two rivers and a white path: In this parable of the Shin Buddhist path, Shan-tao employs the metaphors of "water" and "fire" to refer to greed and anger, respectively. See also Shan-tao.

påramitås. See six perfections.

pårijåta: A fragrant tree said to grow in the palace of Indra. See also Indra. parinirvå√a: Complete nirvana, commonly used to describe the nirvana of the Buddha. See also nirvana.

path of di‡cult practice: One of the two kinds of practice distinguished by Någårjuna in his Discourse on the Ten Stages, along with the path of easy practice; this is the bodhisattva practice that involves painstaking e›ort for a long period of time. See also bodhisattva; Discourse on the Ten Stages; Någårjuna; path of easy practice.

389

Glossary

path of easy practice: One of the two kinds of practice distinguished by Någårjuna in his Discourse on the Ten Stages, along with the path of di‡cult practice; in this path one concentrates on recitation of the names of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, especially Amida's Name, with sincere faith, thereby quickly reaching the stage of non-retrogression. See also bodhisattva; Discourse on the Ten Stages; Någårjuna; path of di‡cult practice; stage of non-retrogression.

path of insight: The stage of a bodhisattva in which one destroys all passions and delusions; equated with the stage of joy. See also stage of joy; ten stages.

path of sages: The way of attaining enlightenment through one's own power,or self-power, in this world; one of the two paths to enlightenment, along with the Pure Land path, distinguished by Tao-ch'o. See also Pure Land path; self-power; Tao-ch'o.

perfections. See six perfections.

Perfectly Enlightened One: An epithet for the Buddha. person of illumination: One who has mastered the deepest teaching of Buddhism; also an epithet for a bodhisattva. See also bodhisattva. person of pure karmic perfection: One who has accomplished the pure meritorious acts; refers to Amida. See also Amida. phase of going forth: One of the two phases of Amida's merit transference through which aspirants travel the path to enlightenment (bodhi). In this phase, Shinran distinguishes four aspects of approach: 1) learning the essentials of the Larger Sutra, 2) accepting the Name and practicing the Nembutsu, 3) entrusting oneself to Amida wholeheartedly and attaining pure joyful faith, and 4) attaining bodhi. See also Amida; bodhi; joyful faith; Larger Sutra; merit transference; Name; Nembutsu; phase of returning; Shinran.

phase of returning: One of the two phases of Amida's merit transference. After one is born in the Pure Land and realizes enlightenment (bodhi) in the phase of going forth, one returns to the realms of samsara to save other sentient beings. This altruistic activity of a bodhisattva is made possible by Amida through his Twenty-second Vow. See also Amida; bodhi; bodhisattva; merit transference; phase of going forth; Pure Land; samsara; Twenty-second Vow.

piΩåca: A fierce-looking spirit similar to a råk≈asa. See also råk≈asa. 390

Glossary

pi†aka: Literally,

"basket.

" Refers to a collection or body of scriptures. See also bodhisattva-pi†aka; Tripi†aka.

Planet of Eclipse. See Råhu.

Po Lo-t'ien (772-846): One of the greatest Chinese Buddhist poets of the T'ang dynasty.

prajñå: Transcendent wisdom; one of the six perfections to be practiced by bodhisattvas. See also bodhisattva; six perfections. Prajñåpåramitå (Perfection of Wisdom) sutras: The name of a large body of important and influential Mahayana sutras expounding the doctrine of emptiness; most are contained in Hsüan-tsang's translation consisting of six hundred fascicles. See also emptiness; Hsüan-tsang; Mahayana. prat∆tyasamutpåda. See law of causality.

pratyekabuddha ("solitary enlightened one"): One of the two kinds of Hinayana sages, along with Ωråvakas, who seek to reach the stage of arhat and attain nirvana. A pratyekabuddha attains emancipation by observing the principle of the law of causality without the guidance of a teacher, and does not teach others. See also arhat; Hinayana; law of causality; nirvana; Ωråvaka.

pratyutpanna samådhi: A practice of concentration (samådhi) in which one visualizes being in the presence of all the Buddhas, attained by concentrating on Amida and reciting his name for a period ranging from a week to three months. This practice, explicated in the Pratyutpanna Samådhi Sutra, has been widely practiced in India, China, and Japan as a method of visualizing Amida. See also Amida; Pratyutpanna Samådhi Sutra; samådhi.

Pratyutpanna Samådhi Sutra: A Mahayana sutra that explicates the practice of this meditative method (translated by Paul Harrison, Numata Center, 1998). See also pratyutpanna samådhi.

Primal Vow: Refers generally to the Forty-eight Vows taken by Dharmåkara, who became Amida on their completion; specifically, the Eighteenth Vow. See also Amida; Dharmåkara; Eighteenth Vow; Forty-eight Vows. provisional "person": Refers to human beings, who are provisional existences composed of the five aggregates and are in essence unsubstantial. Explaining the karmic continuation of personality of the aspirant to be born in the Pure Land, T'an-luan says in the Commentary on Vasubandhu's 391

Glossary

Discourse on the Pure Land,

"The provisional 'person' in this defiled

land and the provisional 'person' in the Pure Land are neither exactly the same nor definitely di›erent.

" See also Commentary on Vasubandhu's

Discourse on the Pure Land; five aggregates; Pure Land; T'an-luan. Punar-vasu: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to Gemini. See also twenty-eight constellations.

pu√∂ar∆ka: A white lotus blossom.

P¥ra√a-kåΩyapa: One of the six masters at the time of the Buddha. See also six masters.

pure karmic act: The pure merit that Amida transfers to aspirants, which is contained in his Name. See also Amida; Name. Pure Land: Generally, any Buddha land; specifically, refers to Sukhåvat∆, ("land of utmost bliss"), the Buddha land in the West reigned over by Amida. See also Amida; Buddha land.

Pure Land path: The system of practice and faith for attaining birth in the Pure Land through the power of Amida's Primal Vow; along with the path of sages, one of the two paths leading to enlightenment. See also Amida; path of sages; Primal Vow; Pure Land. Pure Land school: A school of Mahayana Buddhism founded in the fifth century in China and brought to Japan, where it was established as an independent school by Hønen. The salvific goal of this school centers on attaining rebirth in Amida's Pure Land through faith in Amida and recitation of the Nembutsu. See also Amida; faith of the Other-Power; Hønen; Jødosh¥; Mahayana; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Shin school. pure mind: The undefiled mind of wisdom that bodhisattvas of the eighth or higher stages attain. See also bodhisattva; ten stages. P¥rvå≈ådhå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to four stars in Sagittarius. See also twenty-eight constellations. P¥rva-bhådrapadå: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to two stars in Pegasus. See also twenty-eight constellations. P¥rva-phålgun∆: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to five stars in Hydra. See also twenty-eight constellations. P¥rvavideha: One of the four great continents, it lies to the east of Mount Sumeru. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru. 392

Glossary

Pu≈ya: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to four stars in Cancer. See also twenty-eight constellations.

p¥tana: A type of spirit that attends Dh®tarå≈†ra and protects the eastern direction together with gandharvas. See also Dh®tarå≈†ra; gandharva. Råhu: The name of a fabled planet believed to cause eclipses of the sun and moon.

Råjag®ha: The capital of Magadha at the time of the Buddha; the presentday city of Rajgir. See also Magadha. råk≈asa: A kind of demon possessing supernatural power and said to bewitch and eat humans; one of the classes of demons in Indian mythology that were adopted as guardians of Buddhism.

reality principle of tranquility and equality: From the viewpoint of ultimate reality, all things are absolutely tranquil and free of disturbances of evil passions and delusions. See also evil passions; ultimate reality. realm of neither thought nor non-thought: The highest stage of spiritual attainment within samsara; the highest of the four stages in the world of non-form. See also samsara; three worlds.

realm of sloth and pride: Another name of the Transformed Land; those who are addicted to pleasures while seeking enlightenment are born in this realm and are unable to proceed to the Pure Land. See also Transformed Land.

recompensed body: The body of a Buddha rewarded for his vows and practices; one of the three bodies of the Buddha. See also three bodies of the Buddha. Recompensed Land: The Buddha land rewarded for Amida's vows and practices where those of the true faith of the Eighteenth Vow will be reborn. See also Amida; Eighteenth Vow; True Recompensed Land. Revat∆: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to eight stars in Andromeda and seven stars in Pisces. See alsotwenty-eight constellations. right act. See act of right assurance.

Right Dharma: The Buddha-Dharma; the teaching of truth expounded by the Buddha.

rightly established stage: Said of those who have attained the proper foundation for attaining birth in the Pure Land and realizing nirvana. See also nirvana; not definitely established; Pure Land; wrongly established 393

Glossary

stage.

right practice: Along with sundry practices, one of the two kinds of practice for birth in the Pure Land established by Shan-tao; a set of five devotional acts centering on recitation of Amida's Name. See also Amida; five right acts; Name; Shan-tao; sundry practices.

Rocana: The name of the last of the thousand Buddhas who will appear during the Auspicious Kalpa. See also Auspicious Kalpa. Rohi√∆: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to Hyades and two stars in Taurus. See also twenty-eight constellations. roots of good (kuΩala-m¥la): Meritorious acts, such as the absence of greed, anger, and ignorance (the three poisons), which produce good karmic results. As a provisional method of attaining birth in the Pure Land, the Pure Land sutras encourage planting roots of good. Shinran teaches that the truly meritorious good is comprised in Amida's Name itself. See also Amida; Name; Pure Land; Shinran.

roots of samådhi: The five roots of concentration (samådhi), identical to the five roots of good. See also five roots of good; samådhi. Sacred Name: Refers to Amida's Name. See also Amida; Name. Sage of the Upper Vehicle: Refers to a Buddha.

sages' family: One of the six divisions of the bodhisattva stages; corresponds to the ten stages. See also bodhisattva stages; ten stages. Sahå world: The world system that consists of Mount Sumeru at the center and the four great continents surrounding it; i.e., the world of human beings' existence. See also four great continents; Mount Sumeru. ¸åkyamuni: The historical Buddha, who lived in India in the fifth century B.C.E.and whose life and teachings form the basis for Buddhism. samådhi: A mental state of concentration, focusing the mind on one point; also a transcendent mental state attained by the repeated practice of concentration, such as visualizing a Buddha or Buddha land and realizing emptiness. See also Buddha land; emptiness.

samådhi of moonlight love: A concentrative practice (samådhi) wherein one causes sentient beings to open up their minds of good, just as moonlight causes the blue lotus flowers to bloom; also, this samådhi gives delight to Buddhist practitioners just as the moonlight gives joy to people; 394

Glossary

through this samådhi the Buddha removed AjåtaΩatru's physical and mental su›ering. See also AjåtaΩatru; samådhi.

samådhi of the single practice: The practice of concentration (samådhi) that entails exclusive recitation of the Nembutsu. See also Nembutsu. samådhi of true suchness: The practice of concentration (samådhi) in which one realizes things as they are (i.e., true suchness) without delusory discriminations. samådhi of universal equality: The practice of concentration (samådhi) in which one simultaneously visualizes all the innumerable Buddhas. Samantabhadra ("Universally Gracious"): The name of a great bodhisattva who represents the ultimate principle, meditation, and practice of all Buddhas; also the right-hand attendant of ¸åkyamuni; often portrayed mounted on a white elephant.

samsara: The cycle of birth and death through which beings transmigrate due to karmic causes; the world of su›ering, contrasted with the bliss of nirvana. See also karma; nirvana.

Samudrare√u ("Sea-sand"): A brahman and King Ara√emi's minister, who is mentioned in the Sutra of the Lotus of Compassion; one of the former incarnations of ¸åkyamuni.

samyaksaµbuddha ("perfectly enlightened one"): One of the ten titles of the Buddha.

Sanlun school. See Three Discourse school.

Sanron school. See Three Discourse school.

¸åriputra ("Son of ¸åri"): One of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, well known for his intelligence.

¸ata-bhi≈å: One of the twenty-eight constellations; corresponds to nine stars in Aquarius and one star in Equuleus. See also twenty-eight constellations. selected Primal Vow: In a broad sense, this refers to all Forty-eight Vows of Dharmåkara but specifically to the Eighteenth Vow. See also Dharmåkara; Eighteenth Vow; Forty-eight Vows; Primal Vow. self-power: A practitioner's own spiritual power, in contrast to the Other-Power of Amida. Since one's self-power is limited and defiled by the evil passions and delusion, it cannot bring about higher spiritual states or 395

Glossary

birth in the Pure Land. Shinran teaches us to abandon self-power and entrust ourselves to Amida's Other-Power. See also Amida; evil passions; Other-Power; Pure Land; Shinran.

Seng-chao (384-414): One of the four leading disciples of Kumåraj∆va and the author of many works, he was well versed in the philosophy of emptiness. See also emptiness; Kumåraj∆va. sense bases: The six objects of sensation and perception corresponding to the six sense organs: visual color and form, sound, odor, taste, tactile objects, and mental objects. See also sense consciousnesses; sense organs; sense perceptions.

sense consciousnesses: The consciousnesses corresponding to the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind) and their corresponding objects; the consciousnesses that arise due to visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental perceptions. See also sense bases; sense organs; sense perceptions.

sense organs: The six sense organs of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. See also sense bases; sense consciousnesses; sense perceptions. sense perceptions: The perceptions that correspond to the six sense organs— visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and mental perceptions. See also sense bases; sense consciousnesses; sense organs. seven factors of enlightenment: 1) Distinguishing the correct teaching from wrong teachings; 2) making e›orts to practice the correct teaching; 3) rejoicing in the correct teaching; 4) eliminating torpor and attaining ease and relaxation; 5) being mindful so as to maintain equilibrium of concentration and insight; 6) concentration; and 7) mental detachment from external objects, thereby securing equanimity.

seven holy sages: The seven great teachers who successively transmitted the Dharma after the Buddha's parinirvå√a: MahåkåΩyapa, Ånanda, Upagupta, ¸∆lananda, Utpala, Ox-mouth, and Treasure-god. seven jewels: Gold, silver, beryl, crystal, sapphire, rosy pearl, and cornelian. seven past Buddhas: The seven Buddhas who appeared in this world: 1) VipaΩyin, 2) ¸ikhin, 3) ViΩvabh¥, 4) Krakucchanda, 5) Kanakamuni, 6) KåΩyapa, and 7) ¸åkyamuni.

Seven Patriarchs: The seven masters who especially contributed to the development of Shin Buddhism before Shinran. They are: Någårjuna and Vasubandhu of India; T'an-luan, Tao-ch'o, and Shan-tao of China; and 396

Glossary

Genshin and Hønen of Japan. See also Genshin; Hønen; Någårjuna; Shan-tao; Shinran; Shin school; T'an-luan; Tao-ch'o; Vasubandhu. seventeen aspects of the Pure Land: The seventeen glorious features of the Pure Land as explained by Vasubandhu in his Discourse on the Pure Land.They are: 1) purity, 2) vastness, 3) essential nature, 4) luminous appearance, 5) manifold precious adornments, 6) magnificent illumination, 7) supreme sensations, 8) water, earth, and sky, 9) rain, 10) light, 11) wonderful name, 12) Lord Buddha, 13) kinsmen, 14) nourishment, 15) freedom from a·ictions, 16) gate of the great principle, and 17) fulfillment of all aspirations. See also Discourse on the Pure Land; Pure Land; Vasubandhu. Seventeenth Vow: The seventeenth of the Forty-eight Vows taken by Dharmåkara, who became Amida Buddha upon their fulfillment: "If, when I attain Buddhahood, innumerable Buddhas in the lands of the ten directions should not all praise and glorify my Name, may I not attain perfect enlightenment.

" Chapter II,

"Revealing the True Practice,

" in the Kyøgyøshinshø is based on this vow. Shinran refers to this vow by various names: "the vow that the Name shall be glorified by all the Buddhas, "

"the vow that the Name shall be praised by all the Buddhas, " "the vow

that the Name shall be lauded by all the Buddhas, " "the vow accomplishing the going-forth aspect of merit transference, " and the "vow of

the Nembutsu chosen from among many practices.

" See also Amida;

Dharmåkara; Forty-eight Vows; Name; Nembutsu; Shinran. seven treasures: The seven kinds of precious items possessed by a wheelturning monarch: the wheel (cakra), elephants, horses, gems, excellent ladies, attendants, and generals. See also wheel-turning monarch. Shan-tao (613-681): Also known as the Master of Kuang-ming Temple; disciple of Tao-ch'o, and the fifth of the Seven Patriarchs of Shin Buddhism. He successfully attained visualization of Amida and the Pure Land, and also practiced the Nembutsu many times a day. His four-fascicle Commentary on the Contemplation Sutra (Kuan ching shu) has played an important role in disseminating the Pure Land teaching in China and Japan. See also Amida; Contemplation Sutra; Nembutsu; Pure Land; Seven Patriarchs; Shin school; Tao-ch'o.

Shen-chih (1042-1091): A T'ien-t'ai master. See also Tien-t'ai school. Shin school: Another term for Shin Buddhism and a popular name for the Jødo Shinsh¥ school founded by Shinran. See also Jødo Shinsh¥; Shinran. Shingon school: Japanese school of Esoteric Buddhism founded by the monk K¥kai in the eighth century. See also Esoteric Buddhism. 397

Glossary

Shinran. See Translator's Introduction, pp. xiv-xv. Siddhårtha ("All Objectives Accomplished"): The name of a prince of Magadha in northeast India, who later became ¸åkyamuni ("the sage [muni] of the ¸åkya clan"), i.e., the Buddha. See also ¸åkyamuni. Siµha: One of the twelve astrological houses; corresponds to Leo. single path: The enlightenment of true suchness, and also the path leading to it. See also true suchness.

Ωir∆≈a: An acacia tree.

six kinds of familial relatives: Father, mother, brothers, sisters, wife, and children.

six masters: Six religious teachers in central India at the time of the Buddha— P¥ra√a-kåΩyapa, Maskar∆-goΩål∆putra, Sañjay∆-vaira†∆putra, Ajita keΩakambala, Kakuda-kåtyåyana, and Nirgrantha-jñåtiputra; critical of the orthodox Hindu teachings, they traveled around India expounding their own religio-philosophical views.

six perfections (påramitås): The six types of practices to be perfected by bodhisattvas on the path to Buddhahood. They are: 1) generosity (dåna), 2) observance of the precepts (Ω∆la), 3) patience (k≈ånti), 4) e›ort (v∆rya), 5) meditation (dhyåna), and 6) wisdom (prajñå).

six realms: The six samsaric states of existence into which beings may be born: the realm of hell, the realm of the hungry ghosts, the realm of animals, the realm of humans, the realm of asuras, and the realm of devas. See also asura; deva; hungry ghost; samsara.

six supernatural powers: Six transcendent faculties attributed to a Buddha, bodhisattva, or arhat; they are: 1) the ability to go anywhere at will and to transform oneself or other objects at will, 2) divine eyes capable of seeing anything at any distance, 3) divine ears capable of hearing any sound at any distance, 4) the ability to know others' thoughts, 5) the ability to know one's former lives and the former lives of others, and 6) the ability to destroy all evil passions.

sixteen great kingdoms: The major kingdoms that flourished in India at the time of the Buddha, variously named in di›erent traditions. According to the Great Assembly Sutra quoted by Shinran they are: Açga-Magadha, Vangåmagadha, Avant∆, Cet∆, KåΩ∆, Kosala, Vaµsa, Malla, Kuru, Vajj∆, Pañcåla, S¥rasena, Assaka, Soma, Sorata, and Kamboja. See also Great Assembly Sutra.

398

Glossary

sixty-two views: The sixty-two wrong views held by people at the time of the Buddha.

Smaller Sutra. See Amida Sutra.

Soma: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

Sorata: One of the sixteen great kingdoms in India at the time of the Buddha. See also sixteen great kingdoms.

spirit arising from a corpse: A kind of evil spirit which a devil conjures from a corpse and uses to inflict harm on people.

Ωråvaka ("word-hearer"): Originally, a disciple of the Buddha, one of those who heard him expound the teachings directly; later, the term came to refer to one of the two kinds of Hinayana sages, along with pratyekabuddhas; generally, one who seeks to attain nirvana. See also Hinayana; pratyekabuddha.