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Meeting to Study the 7th letter of the 4th Fascicle of Rennyo Shonin’s Ofumi |
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(14th March 2010 – London Buddhist Society)
Reverend Sato began his talk on Ofumi 4.7 by clarifying the difficult phrase “the virtue of exclusive practice and single-mindedness”. Most of those present already knew that, in the Shin Buddhist teaching, the nembutsu is not said “in conjunction with other practices”, however Rev. Sato pointed out that even if we follow a single-practice our minds may still remain unfocused and “mixed”. Nonetheless this problem cannot be solved by any self-conscious efforts to purify our own minds but only by receiving the “single-mind” of true faith from Amida Tathagata, beyond any calculation, after which the single-minded practice of nembutsu flows forth naturally in gratitude and joy.
Ms. S. C. asked Sensei to say something further about how the mind can become purified and he expressed this by talking about his encounter with the great Buddhist scholar D. T. Suzuki:
“Two months before his sudden death, D. T. Suzuki told me to attend a lecture he was to give at a temple very close to his home. In the course of his talk, he said he was not a politician, nor an economist, nor a scholar, nor a philosopher, nor even a religious thinker. He rejected everything, every title. And so I came to ask myself just where it was this old man stood. For he was now 95 years old. In actual fact, however, the question was aimed far more at myself. I began wondering whether I had not simply been seeking for an outward form which I could depend on. Indeed yes, I had. And I was wrong. Whatever that outward form might be, whether that of scholar or priest, what I was seeking was a title, a worldly state. When I realised this, when I saw there was nothing I could ultimately depend on, I instantly took refuge in the Buddha. Recalling a famous phrase from The Diamond Sutra (Chinese version): "If you find nowhere to dwell it will give rise to the mind (of Enlightenment)," I called the Buddha's name with my whole being. It was a truly wonderful experience that I had during his lecture. My questions were answered and all at once I found a shining new world.”
Returning to the text, a newcomer to the study group, Miss K.S. expressed her feeling that translating the word ‘senju’ as ‘exclusive’ conveyed an unfortunate sectarian atmosphere and, thanks to her helpful input, an interesting discussion of alternative translations followed. No conclusive solution was found but ‘sole’ was agreed as a possibility.
Turning to the second paragraph of the letter Sensei highlighted the fact that in the letters concerning Hōonkō (Shinran Shonin’s Memorial Ceremony), which tend to be very serious in tone, Rennyo Shōnin always uses the term “peaceful awareness” (anjin) in conjunction with the term “past good” (shukuzen). These two terms refer to different affective dimensions of the true faith gifted to us through Amida’s eighteenth Vow.
“Quite paradoxically, the notion of shukuzen (past good) is fully understood only through our awakening to the irredeemable reality of our karmic existence as mu-shukuzen (no past good). At the moment of awakening to ourselves … our present existence as the accumulation of the whole of our past is rediscovered as “good” through our encounter with the Buddha-dharma.” … “The nembutsu of gratitude springs from this peaceful awareness, in which one finds oneself in the embrace of Amida’s boundless compassion.”
Kemmyo-sensei then discussed Rennyo Shōnin’s criticism of priests who ignore the profound significance of Shinran Shonin’s famous words “I have no disciples” (Tannishō 6), and try to control nembutsu followers for their own fame and fortune. Sensei pointed out that a samgha is “in its essence a community of followers of pure faith”. As such authoritarian behaviour on the part of priests is not only undesirable from the perspective of human freedom but is also destructive of the spiritual well-being of the Dharma follower. Sensei also added that an over-emphasis on form, such as attachment to rules and regulations, can be both a cause and a symptom of deviations away from the core concern of our tradition which is the settlement of faith.
The last part of the meeting focused on the third through to sixth articles of the letter. On the third and fourth articles the question was raised as to why Rennyo Shōnin prohibited his followers from talking about their tradition in public places. “Surely this was due to historical factors such as the persecution of nembutsu followers?” asked one Dharma friend. Rev. Sato replied that the most important point, still relevant today, was that it can be harmful to share the Dharma with someone without an awareness of another person’s karmic condition.
Mr J.B. then asked about the fifth and sixth articles of the letter which encourage nembutsu followers to question each other so that they can “attain faith beyond all doubt” and ensure that mistakes don’t “creep in”. How, Mr J.B. asked, can we know what questions we should ask if we are filled with blind passions (bonno)? Mr A.B. suggested that the term “question” need not be understood so formally but can simply mean the act of dialogue with others. He then shared an example of a conversation with a Dharma friend in which a particular “question” or “problem” of faith emerged into his awareness simply through the process of discussion. Rev. Ishii agreed and added that no calculation is required, all that is needed is, in Rennyo Shōnin words, that we simply “Say something” in faith-meetings and encounters.
Namuamidabutsu, Andy
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