Introduction
I am very glad to see you again and to meet those of you I am meeting today for the first time. Last April I was appointed as the head of the Institute for Shin Buddhist Studies in Kyoto. Although my position has changed, I myself have not changed and have not made much progress.
Lifestyle of Nembutsu Practitioner
I will continue to talk about what I spoke about last year. The theme is the lifestyle of Nembutsu practitioners. Last year I visited here after the event of September 11th. This year, it is now right before America’s "show-down with Iraq." In this environment we need to define what it is to be a Nembutsu practitioner. Shinran himself was challenged by social upheaval and sought the way within it. I would like to introduce two statements Shinran made in his letters:
"An evidence of long years of living the Nembutsu and aspiring for spiritual rebirth may be seen in changing the heart that had been bad to the heart that is close and warm to friends and fellow-practitioners; this would be the evidence of rejecting the world."
Another statement is:
"When disturbances arise in society, let us live the life of Nembutsu together, deeply trusting the Nembutsu and firmly embracing prayers (for peace in the world) in our hearts."
I would like to talk about living the life of Nembutsu while firmly embracing prayers for peace in the world. To live as a Nembutsu practitioner means to convert our worldviews. At least once in our life it is necessary to change or flip over our common values or perception. For instance, Rev. Rijin Yasuda said that the teaching is something that works upon a person and converts him or her completely. What he means is that the teaching changes one’s worldview. Changing one’s worldview means changing one’s lifestyle and changing one’s associates. Shinran expressed it saying, "I am neither a monk nor a layperson." In this sentence, "neither…nor" means "going against" our common ordinary values and being "contrary to" our beliefs. There is a statement in the Tannisho, Chapter 3:
"Worldly people always say that even evil persons will attain spiritual rebirth, how much more so the good ones. Their statement may sound reasonable at first glance, but it goes against the intent of the Primal Vow or Other Power."
Here the words, "going against" are being used. The words, "neither…nor" also mean to give up or to abandon set ideas. For example, when we try to live in accordance to the truth, we have to completely give up ourselves. Our giving up (Dannen) has to be thoroughgoing. This is the proposition that I would like to make in my presentation today.
When Shinran was still alive, certain evidences of Nembutsu practice could be seen. The Kyogyoshinsho describes the event of a petition made by Kofukuji, which tried to ban the Nembutsu teaching; Shinran and Honen were seen as people creating social disturbances. They were told to cease sharing the Nembutsu teachings. The Nembutsu teachings were persecuted and the government tried to ban them. But what kind of teachings are we talking about? Was the government trying to ban the chanting of Nembutsu because it was noisy? The Nembutsu, at that time, must have brought a unique lifestyle for the practitioners, which was different from the ordinary way of living. Also during the time of Rennyo, the same kinds of evidence of Nembutsu practitice could be observed. For instance, Rennyo wrote in his letters (3-10) that some Nembutsu practitioners at that time criticized other religions, and opposed the rulers. What is important to know is that the practitioners at that time had completely converted their ordinary way of thinking and had awakened to the dignity of life through the teachings, and therefore, these things happened. I would like to say that the Nembutsu we chant today is different from that chanted in Shinran’s time. It was not a chant to console, rather it was more dynamic and expressive. I wish you could see such an aspect of the Nembutsu.
Ethics (Rinri)
I would like to talk about the ethics and morals from the Jodoshinshu point of view through learning the Vows of Six Spiritual Penetrations. Although it is often said that Jodoshinshu ministers are ministers in name only, and do not keep the precepts, Shinran’s words of "neither monk nor lay person" indicate his precepts. In Dharmakara’s Forty-eight Vows, the Six Vows from the Fifth to Tenth Vows describe Six Spiritual Penetrations, or "roku jintsu." The word, "jin" means mind, and mind means spirituality in Buddhism. When we talk about "mind," it sounds like individual matters, but when we talk about "spirituality," it includes historical and social consciousness. Rev. Manshi Kiyozawa interpreted "Shinjin" as "Spiritualism." It is important for the Nembutsu practitioner to have historical consciousness and social responsibility. It is not necessary to be very strict or serious when we talk about religion. "Sense" or "feeling" is more important than being serious about religion. We can talk about this "sense" through the Six Vows.
The Fifth Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country do not know their past lives and the events of at least billions of aeons, I will not obtain enlightenment."
This Vow is known as "The Vow of Wisdom Penetrating to the Past Lives." The past lives do not mean past lives as in fate. Hence, I do not exist right now as a result of fate but because I am meant to be here. It is because of the historical and social context, which conditions us to be who we are right now. That is to say that the reason I am here is because of the historical and social context. To know our past lives is to be connected to past history. If we do not make an effort to connect to history, then we cannot continue towards the history of the future. In Japan right now, there are political issues of abductions by North Korea. Because North Korea abducted Japanese people, Japan has gotten angry. However, Japan has forgotten what Japan had done to North Korea. By truly understanding past history, we can realize that our lives are interdependent. Because of this event, some Koreans living in Japan have been attacked. In order to prevent these tragedies, we really need to understand our history. To know our past lives, is to understand our historical and social context. The same thing is happening in America. After the event of September 11th, Middle Eastern people have been mistreated or criticized. The reason why this is happening is obviously because of the lack of understanding of historical and social context. Such historical and social responsibility is called "karma since time immemorial" in Buddhism. This karma since time immemorial means to understand the historical significance of our lives.
One example given is Rev. Rijin Yasuda’s house burning down. It burned down due to a neighbor’s fire. He said, "I did not set fire to my house, and neither did anyone else, but I am responsible for the fact that the house burned down." Likewise, we often talk about responsibility for war, but what is the basis of thinking about the responsibility of war for those who were born after the war? Weisdecker, who was the president of Germany, talked about Germany’s responsibility for the war. He said that even those who were born after the war need to take responsibility for the war. What he said is that if we do not face the past, we are blinded in our present lives. These examples indicate what karma since time immemorial is in Buddhism. Someone said that being a religious person is to be fully responsible for his or her existence. It’s not responsibility in terms of who burned the house, or whose house was burned. What is the responsibility of the fact that the house burned down? It sounds like a Zen Koan, but if we truly understand this, we can understand what spiritual penetration to the past lives is.
The Sixth Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country do not gain clairvoyance to see the countries of billions of awakened ones at least, I will not obtain enlightenment."
Now I would like to talk about the second of the six spiritual penetrations, which is called "The Vow of Wisdom Penetrating Clairvoyance." This is the second quality of the Nembutsu practitioner’s lifestyle. A true Buddhist is said to be able to see what others cannot see. It does not mean, however, that they can see what is behind the wall. It means to see what truly needs to be seen. We as humans cannot see what truly needs to be seen. There is the following passage in the Meditation Sutra:
"You are but an ordinary person: the quality of your mind is feeble and inferior. You have not as yet obtained clairvoyance and cannot perceive what is at a distance."
It is said, "Unable to obtain clairvoyance" because we can see things only through our own filter. We have our own perspectives, which prevent us from seeing what truly needs to be seen. We see only what we want to see and what others show us. At the same time, we tend to believe only what we see. There are expressions such as "good judge of people," "read between the lines," and "insight penetrating to the back of paper." They indicate the penetration or vision to see the essence of things.
The Seventh Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country do not gain clairaudience to hear and retain the teachings of billions of awakened ones at least, I will not obtain enlightenment."
This Vow, the Vow of Wisdom Penetrating Clairaudience, is to hear what needs to be heard, which is very important in the Jodoshinshu tradition. For instance, there are passages in the Kyogyoshinsho such as:
"The word ‘hear’ in the passage from the sutra means that sentient beings, having heard how the Buddha’s vow arose---its origin and fulfillment---are altogether free of doubt. This is to ‘hear.’"
"Extraordinary words do not find entrance into the ears of the ordinary."
Listening to Buddhist teachings is to hear extraordinary words. If we have the attitude of the ordinary, it is difficult to hear the words of extraordinary teachings. In all Buddhist traditions, hearing is the very first stage of following the Buddhist way. When hearing is truly fulfilled, transmission is true. Even though the teachings are true, if the information is not transmitted, it is useless. Hearing also means developing a relationship. Even if there were a lot of people talking, if there is no listener, the teaching would not be relayed. For the listener, hearing is to transform oneself. If the listener does not have the desire to change, then there would be no reason for discussion. It is not the number of people that determines the transmission of information. Even though there are many people here, if there is no desire to change oneself, it is as though one were speaking to oneself. Thus, speaking means listening at the same time. A Christian theologian, Karl Barth, said:
"It is ironic that most of our conversations and listening, whether it is a dialogue between you and I, or mutual talking and listening, has nothing to do with nurturing our own humanity."
He hit the nail on the head regarding the basic principal of how to speak and listen. Words are tools for communication, for developing true human relationships. Shinran had a similar objective. Using an excerpt from the Nirvana Sutra, he said:
"Having accepted these six divisions of scripture, they uphold, recite, and expound them solely for the sake of disputation, for the sake of defeating others, for the sake of gain and profit, or for some ulterior motive. Hence this is termed, imperfect realization of hearing."
Some people do not listen to the teachings at all, and yet worry about how others listen to them. In Japan, the ministers do not listen to other ministers’ talks but encourage everyone to listen to them. They also ask speakers to use easier terms. Such an attitude is a reflective of their unwillingness to listen to Dharma talks. I hope things do not become this way in Hawaii.
Penetrating clairvoyance and clairaudience are very important in the modern world. Today, massive information is being transmitted throughout the world at the same time. Years have passed since such a term as "information-oriented society" became in use. In order to prevent tendencies to produce mass communication or information fascism, penetrating clairvoyance and clairaudience are especially important.
A German writer, Hans Magnus Enzensberger, wrote a book titled, Bewustsein Indusstrie, about forty years ago. In this book he is saying that all information industries play a great role in strengthening the present ruling structures. Government or authority manipulates the information that we get from mass media; therefore, this information is not meant to change society. Information from mass media emphasizes how we can live our lives based on convenience rather than by seeing and listening to essential things. I have said before that mass media is a product of ego, and is made by the sender of the information and the receiver of the information. The mass media of each country has its own unique role, as does Japanese mass media. However, it is said that 99% of the media throughout the world is based on America’s interests. For instance, what bothers me when watching TV here is the words, "Showdown Iraq." If we live everyday hearing such information, it is natural for us to think that war is imminent. The mass media of each country relays messages supporting their own political concerns. After watching TV here in Hawaii, I feel that I agree with the American mentality that America is the world’s police. Although I have been here only a few days, I feel the difference in mass communication. Therefore, I feel that it is important to have eyes to see what needs to be seen, and ears to hear what needs to be heard.
Humans are known to be inherently capable of making mistakes. The Buddhist term, "Bombu" (foolish beings), means human beings make mistakes for sure. It does not mean that people, except for myself, make mistakes. The word expresses recognition of the fact that each of us makes mistakes. Hence, the same things can be said for the media in Japan, Iraq, America, etc. They make mistakes in sending information. What is important for us is to have eyes and ears to grasp the essence. For example, when I was in Japan, almost everyday, I saw the news of Matsui Hideki, who recently joined the New York Yankees. So, I thought that he was a hotshot in American major league baseball. But here in Hawaii, it is not so. Yesterday when I read the newspaper, there was a very tiny article that Matsui made his first home run. (Maybe he is a hotshot.) In Japan, the media talks about North Korea’s abduction and nuclear weapons. Each county has its own concerns, so the information is different. If we do not have the critical/spiritual eye or ear, we just believe everything in the mass media. We need to question our sense of justice because it is derived from information we get from mass media. Those who send information are also bombu. It is absolutely impossible for those who always make mistakes to send right information. It is very important to remember this fact alone.
The Larger Sutra explains the importance of having the penetrating clairvoyance and clairaudience as follows:
"Now that Buddha has compassionately revealed the great way, our ears and eyes are clearly opened, and we are delivered from delusion forever."
Maybe this has something to do with education. What does one do if there is a discrepancy between that which we learn in school and in the temple? What happens if there is a discrepancy between the teachings at the temple and information from media? What is the basis for our judgment? That is the time when the quality of our Nembutsu is questioned. If people merely follow the majority or power, the prohibition of Nembutsu, which happened at the time of Shinran, would never have taken place. In such context, I can say that any one of us has instinct to feel what is right, but at the same time, it is very difficult to continue to be sincere about that feeling. In closing, I will repeat again that because of the present times and social situation, penetrating clairvoyance and clairaudience are needed.
The Eighth Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country do not gain telepathy to know the thoughts of the beings in the countries of billions of awakened ones at least, I will not obtain enlightenment."
This Vow is "Wisdom Penetrating the Minds of All Beings." Although this spiritual penetration is understood as "knowing the minds of others," it does not mean that we can read what others are thinking of. It indicates the principle of our yearning for a life that is interconnected with everyone, or for a true sense of kindness. In Buddhism, we speak of compassion (jihi) along with joy (ki) and detachment (sha). They are called Four Immeasurable Minds (shimuryo shin) and are very important for us to live interconnectedly. I would like to pay special attention to the word, karuna (hi), which means sharing of pain, or groaning together. Karuna is very important because by sharing the pain and groaning together, we can be truly interconnected. Mr. Yoshiaki Ishida says:
"If there were as many people who can share my pain as the number of my scars, the burden would be lifted, even though severe reality would not change."
We have been taught that feeling sad is not good. Instead, joy and happiness are encouraged. However, leading truly interconnected lives is not possible without sharing sadness. Nowadays, I think we have avoided sorrow and failed to fully express our sadness. Throughout the time of war, sorrow was rejected in many countries. Whenever a war breaks out, there are casualties and deaths. During World War II, when the ashes were sent back to Japan from the battlefield, those deaths were looked upon as valorous. Instead of being sad, the government encouraged the victims’ families to have pride and honor because their son or husband died for the country. If you cried over a family member’s death, you were criticized as being anti-patriotic. I think that this atmosphere was also shared in America during the time of Vietnam War, even though the accusation against anti-patriotism was not extreme. Justification for defending the country brings about this system in which we cannot be truly sad and mourn over someone’s death. If we are unable to express our feelings, we try to adjust our justifications and talk about justice (i.e., justice for war). After all, justifying war and rejecting sadness are similar events.
In Japan, there has been the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese people. Some of these Japanese were abducted 24 or 25 years ago and finally returned to Japan recently. Their families formed a group of victims, one member of which said that they were not saddened by this event but was very angry at North Korea. Self-assertion and justice seem to be expressed in anger, instead of sorrow. Speaking of abductions, Japan abducted a lot of Koreans before and during World War II. Japan abducted even her own people. For example, there was a law to isolate leprosy patients, which was banned a few years ago. However, for the ninety years up to that time, Japanese people isolated and subjected those with leprosy to terrible living conditions. If the family members of those who were abducted by North Korea could freely express sorrow, they would pay attention to the suffering of the leprosy patients, or to the suffering of the Chinese, and others who had been abducted by the Japanese government. However, if we insist that we are the victims and claim justice, we cannot be interconnected; thus, our sense of inter-connectedness falls apart. Fighting between Justice and Evil generates disruption, as did the remark by President Bush on the "Axis of evil," Iraq, Iran, and North Korea.
At this time, I would like to remind you of what I said last year. So-called American Justice, or Bush’s justice, is based on the majority, money and military power, which has been prevalent in society and is about to take over Iraq. Democracy is defined as the rule of the majority of people; yet, true democracy is supposed to have respect for the minority. How can we find the essence of religion or ethics where money, power and majority form the idea of justice? The idea of justice is linked to the concept of winning. In this atmosphere, there is no room to recognize pain and sorrow. In reality, war is such a tragedy and has to be understood by our feeling and sense of pain and sorrow. Shinran said in his letter:
"Evidence of long years of living the Nembutsu and aspiring for spiritual rebirth may be seen in changing the heart that had been bad to the heart that is close and warm to fiends and fellow-practitioners; this would be the evidence of rejecting the world."
Based on this, I would like to be engaged in questioning our true human relations.
The Ninth Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country do not gain the spiritual legs to traverse the countries of billions of awakened ones at least, I will not obtain enlightenment."
This Vow, the Vow of Penetrating Spiritual-Legs, indicates freedom of action, and it literally means the ability to fly to any place. However, in order to have freedom of action, one needs to be spiritually independent. For instance, if you are on tour and given free time, yet do not know the language or customs, you are lost. It is like me staying at a hotel alone here. I am physically free but not spiritually independent. Another example is when someone retires, he is said to be free, but is he really free? On a personal note, on New Year’s Day, I visited my neighbor, who retired recently and has been at home. At that time, he said a year goes by quickly, but each day goes by so slowly. He has nothing to do every day and spends his time watching TV. This is very ironic. Another person who also retired frequently asks his wife to take him wherever she goes. These have been called "Me Too People." I cannot stop wondering why such a thing happens! It is because what truly needs to be done is not known. I tell these people to listen to Shinran’s teachings. However, those people do not and watch TV. It may be hard to figure out what one would like to do when freedom is given. A whole day might pass by just thinking about it. This is an unfulfilling way of life. In this situation, a poem, Undefeated by the Rain, written by Miyazawa Kenji, gives us an idea of spiritual independence. However, please remember that Kenji himself did not become such a person. This poem shows his yearning to be the kind of person he would like to be.
Undefeated by the Rain
Undefeated by the rain
Undefeated by the wind
Undefeated by the snow, or by the summer’s heat
With healthy body
Devoid of greed
Never getting angry
But always smiling quietly
Eating each day four go of rice
Miso and some vegetables
One who in every thing
Gives no thought to himself
Who sees and hears and understands
And then does not forget
Living in a small thatched hut
In the shade of a grove of pines on the plain
Who if in the east a child is sick
Goes to be a nurse
If in the west a mother is weary
Goes carrying a load of grain
If in the south there’s one who’s close to death
Goes and says there is no need to fear
If in the north there are quarrels and fights
Goes to say forget such trifling things
One whose cheeks are wet in time of drought
Who walks bewildered when the summer’s cold
Who’s called a fool by everyone
Never praised
Nowhere claimed
That’s the kind
I want to be"
When thinking of liberation, it has something to do with the next Vow of Spiritual Penetration of Nirvana. Freedom does not mean that we can do whatever we want. By being defined, we obtain true freedom. This morning, we chanted together "The Three Treasures," which is the proclamation of self-identity as a Buddhist. Why do we proclaim to live as Buddhists? It is because we want to obtain spiritual freedom. Yet, some people reject being Christian, Muslim, or Buddhist and think that they are free. Freedom of action in the Vow of Spiritual Penetration of Nirvana means becoming spiritually free through identifying ourselves as Buddhists. By so doing, we can truly encounter people of other faiths, change ourselves, learn about and love each other. Hence, the Ninth Vow is the basis for us to have creativity and develop our thoughts further through identifying ourselves as Buddhists.
The Tenth Vow
"As I aspire for Buddhahood, if the beings in my country cherish any thought of attachment to their bodies, I will not obtain enlightenment."
This Vow, the Vow of Spiritual Penetration of Nirvana, says that by completely exhausting all the blind passions that we have, we become truly free. I would like to interpret it as the Vow of diligence or self-control over life. Self-control over life has various meanings both mentally and physically. Tsurgenyev says something like:
"Tomorrow must be better, tomorrow must be better; people console themselves by so saying."
By rephrasing this, it can be said that we have illusions in the future, regrets in the past, and live only for the moment. I call this "the life of good fun and regret." No matter how long one may live, such a life can be described with two words, "fun" and "regret." These things are well described in the Larger Sutra, which says:
"However, people are shallow and strive for non-urgent things; in the midst of severe evil and pain, they perform tasks to support themselves; whether noble or humble, rich or poor, young or old, man or woman, they worry about wealth. Whether they have or have not, their worries are the same; wandering in sorrow and pain, accumulating various worries, and driven by their own minds, they find no peace."
The sutra says that people cannot control their lives by themselves. Vasubandhu also says:
"Upon contemplating the power of the Buddha’s Primal Vow,
No one who encounters it passes by in vain
It quickly bring to fullness and perfection
The great treasure oceans of virtues."
He decisively says that if we did not encounter the power of Primal Vow, our lives would pass in vain. Fulfillment of a life is questioned here. Being diligent means conservation. We live in a world of mass production and mass consumption. True conservation has been challenged when there are enough supplies. For instance, we can conserve energy when there is a shortage, but when there is an abundance of energy, how can we conserve? Hence, self-control over life needs to be considered. We can refer to Rennyo Shonin’s lifestyle:
"When you build a house, if it keeps your head dry, that’s all that matters. In all respects, he disliked going beyond one’s means. Regarding clothing, he thought it deplorable to try to wear expensive garments. He always remembered the invisible aid of the spiritual powers of the Buddha-dharma."
"When we use anything (time, energy, etc) for worldly matters, we should feel that it is awful to waste Buddha’s belongings. However, when we use them for Buddha’s Dharma, no matter how much, it is not enough and should be used with gratitude and in repayment for Buddha’s benevolence."
These words encourage us to control our given lives and make us think of how we have used our own time and money.
Conclusion
The Buddhist term, "Monpo" (listening to the Dharma) is such an event, in which there is a difference between before listening and after listening. I would like to introduce you to the life of Ms. Jacqueline, who is a Frenchwoman who used to live in a nunnery. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, she found the Tannisho in the library and read it at one sitting. After reading it, she though that she would never be able to revert to the person she was before having read it. After this event, she saved her money and came to Japan to meet Shinran because she thought that "Uncle Shinran" was still alive. While looking for Shinran, she met someone from our denomination and found out that Shinran had passed away more than seven hundred years ago. Although Jacqueline’s case is extremely dramatic, when listening to the Dharma, it is important for both the speaker and listener to realize something that they were not aware of before, or to experience something unfolding within themselves. That is what I meant by "such an event." Personally, this is my fourth trip to Hawaii, and since I had opportunities to talk with you, I do not have to repeat what I said last year. This is very important because there has been a change within myself.
I am not the kind of person who reads books and studies all the time. I like to learn by having a dialogue with all different kinds of people. Somebody described Shinran’s teaching as being characterized by "uncompromising cooperation." At the time of discussion, I talked about the temporal/provisional state, which offers us a place and time in which different people can meet and be connected. It does not mean to put up with other beings or yield one’s idea to them, because if we were to do so, there would be something uncomfortable left in us. "Uncompromising cooperation" means a cooperation in which something uncomfortable is not left in us. We have a fixed idea that it is impossible to come to terms with others, and therefore, avoid thorough discussion. Today’s system of democracy allows us to talk only for a while and to make a decision by vote. Hence, those who have power, money and supporters make the decisions. However, human beings used to have another way of solving problems. Probably native Hawaiians had such a way. Ainu tribes, the indigenous people living in Hokkaido, had a way to resolve differences called Charange, which was an assembly of representatives of the opposing groups to find a peaceful settlement through thorough discussion. Many other communities in Japan also used to practice it. Hence, it is very important for us to live and regain this skill of cooperation through thorough discussion and understanding.
In this process "shinjin" (awakening of true heart) becomes important. Shinran said that his and Honen’s shinjin are the same; however, Honen’s other disciples said that it could not be because Honen was such a wise man and Shinran was a new comer. This was described in the Tannisho, Chapter 18.
"The Master possesses vast wisdom and learning, so it would be mistaken if I claimed to be the same in those respects, but as far as our spiritual rebirth of shinjin is concerned, there is no difference whatever. The Master’s shinjin and mine are one and the same."
In essence, regardless of the differences of knowledge or talent, spiritual awakening is the same for every one of us. Shinran’s understanding of the sameness of "shinjin" inspired by the workings of Tathagata gives us the basis to understand that, by being spiritually independent, we can be truly interconnected. The theme, "Living together in diversity," also expresses a similar idea. Nembutsu is really exciting and energetic and we need to examine our previous understanding of it.
I was going to talk about the ethics from a Jodoshinshu perspective; however, due to the time constraint, I was unable to do so. The handout you have, "The Five Moral Precepts," deals with the Five Precepts, which was written by Sulak Sivaraksa of Thailand. Please find the time to read it. Just to touch upon the first precept briefly, it is not to kill. The indication is not only that we should not kill, but also that we should not be killed or let someone kill others. Hence, this precept instantly reminds us of war. Being indifferent to war is for us to violate the first precept, even though it is not a direct act. Anyway, I am hoping to talk about his subject some other time.
Thank you very much.