The Teaching of Zuiken The Teaching of ZuikenIn the True Pure Land Sect, much stress is laid upon Practice-and-Faith (Gyo-Shin), and concerning this problem, many books have been written. As regards Practice-and-Faith, there are two kinds: (1) the True Practice-and-Faith, and (2) the Temporary Practice-and-Faith. The Temporary Practice-and-Faith is described in the 19th and the 20th Vows. The Temporary Practice-and-Faith is expounded explicitly and in detail in the Amitayus-dhyana Sutra and the Smaller Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra. It was preached through the Buddha's skilful device for the sake of such people as are not yet fully matured to hear the True Practice-and-Faith. If they should reach maturity to hear and believe in the True Practice-and-Faith, the Temporary Practice-and-Faith would accordingly be forsaken. At the same time, to preach the Temporary Practice-and-Faith is to let the people know more clearly the True Practice-and-Faith or the spirit of the Original Vow.
The truth of the Shin Sect is manifested in the 18th Vow. Having examined carefully the factors of the 18th Vow, Shinran-Shonin developed it into the True Five Vows (Gogan) as we have already stated in the preceding chapter. They are the 11th, the 12th, the 13th, the 17th and the 18th Vows. The 11th is the
Vow of Realization of Final Enlightenment
: the 12th is the
Vow of the Infinite Light
: the 13th is the
Vow of the Eternal Life
: the 17th is the
Vow of His Names Being Praised by All Buddhas
: and the 18th is the
Vow of True Faith
. These Five Vows are included in the
Vow of True Faith
.
As stated before, Shinran-Shonin, taking up these Five Vows, composed the Kyo-Gyo-Shin-Sho. The Kyo (True Teaching) comes from the Larger Sukhavati-vyuha Sutra: the Gyo (True Practice) comes from the 17th Vow: the Shin (True Faith) comes from the 18th Vow: the Sho (Final Enlightenment or Attainment) comes from the 11th Vow: and the Shin-Butsu-do (The True Buddha and the True Pure Land) comes from the 12th Vow and the 13th Vow, for the substance (tai) or the Pure Land is Infinite Light and Eternal Life, and Amitabha is the Buddha of Light-and-Life. Light denotes His supreme Wisdom and Life represents His Infinite Love. Light-and-Life is identical with His Sacred Name. And the Keshin-do (The Temporary Buddha and the Temporary Land) comes from the 19th and the 20th Vows, and it has branched (detached) from the Shin-Butsu-do. And indeed the Keshin-do is the temporary virtue or activity of His supreme Enlightenment. Of these six kinds of teachings (Six Laws) the most important is Practice-and-Faith. Practice and Faith are inseparable and are identical with each other. They are the cause of being born in the True Pure Land; therefore the students of the True Pure Land Sect devote themselves to the study of Practice-and-Faith, spending years labour.
The 18th Vow reads as follows:
O Bhagavat (Lokesvararaja, or Sejizai-O-Butsu), if when I (Bodhisattva Dharmakara, or Hozo-Bosatsu) have obtained the highest and most perfect knowledge (Buddhahood, Shogaku), if those beings who are in the ten quarters should believe (Faith-with-Joy, or Shingyo) in me with Serene Thoughts (Shishin, accepting Buddha's Truth and Sincerity), and should wish to be born in my country (with a Fervent Aspiration, or Yokusho), and should have ten time or even once thought of me (or repeated my Name) (Naishi-Junen), - if they should not be born there, then may I not attain to the highest and most perfect knowledge: barring only those beings who have committed the Five Deadly Sins (Gogyaku-zai) and who have spoken evil of the good Law (or of those sages who have the good Law) (Hiho-Shobo).
In this Vow Buddha Amitabha requires of us to have only
Serene Thought(Shishin; accepting Buddha's Truth and Sincerity,
Pure Faith(Shin-gyo), and
Fervent Aspiration of Rebirth(Yokusho) and
Ten-to-One Times Recitation of the Sacred Name(Naishi-Junen).
The factors (1), and (2) and (3) can be condensed into One Mind (Isshin) which denotes Shin (True Faith), and the (4) denotes Gyo (Practice), that is, the essential factors of the 18th Vow can be summarised into
Practice-and-Faith
.
Shinran-Shonin, transcending his own narrow-self and immersing himself deeply into the Wisdom and Mercy of the Vow, thought that the
Ten-to-One Times Recitation of the Sacred Name
(Naishi-Junen) (The Nembutsu) is not the Practice that is performed by the self-effort out of man's own narrow-self. He thought that the Nembutsu of the 18th Vow is nothing else than the self-manifestation (or self-revelation) of the Power (or Vow) of Amitabha through the mouths of sentient beings. He thought that
Ten-to-One Times Repetition of the Name
can be called the
True Practice
because the Nembutsu (the Repetition) is but the Power of Amitabha.
As regards the Gyo (Practice or Nembutsu), the power of Amitabha is manifested in the 17th Vow more in detail through the Sacred Name. It reads as follows:
O Bhagavat, if immeasurable and innumerable blessed Buddhas in the immeasurable Buddha countries do not glorify (or recite) my Name, after I have obtained Bodhi (Enlightenment): if they do not preach my fame and proclaim my praise, and utter it together, then may I not obtain the highest and most perfect knowledge.
His Vows were answered, and the Sacred Name (Namu-Amida-Butsu) of Amitabha is, in innumerable countries, glorified, and His fame has spread in myriads of worlds, wherever sentient beings are. All beings in the ten regions who have heard this most virtuous Sacred Name are joyful with exceeding joy. His Vow is to save sinners through the Power of the Sacred Name, in which His wisdom, mercy and power abide eternally.
In the natural world, a thing and its name are different. For instance, however loudly we may repeat the names of food, our appetite will never be satisfied, or however often we may cry out the names of liquids, our thirst will never be quenched. The names of warriors, however fear-inspiring they may be, have no power to beat the enemies, and the names of their arms can never vanquish the foe.
In Buddhism the names of Buddhas and the names of Bodhisattvas have the same compassionate power to fill all beings that hear with joy, and to arouse faith in their hearts unto salvation. Nevertheless in the spiritual world all things cannot be conceived with physical laws or material observations. The name of a deity is considered as powerful as the deity himself.
The True Pure Land Sect teaches that the Sacred Name is Amitabha Himself, and at the same time it denotes His wisdom, mercy and power: the accumulation of His merits. His Name is the realisation of His Vow; His Name is His Vow, and those who wish to be born in that Buddha country and glorify the Holy Name shall enter the Pure Land according to His Vow.
To call on (or to recite) His Name is to glorify His power, Light and Life. It is to praise His virtues. Buddha's virtues can dispel the darkness of the sinful. The Sacred Name that is glorified in the 17th Vow is the Practice or the substance of Practice, and it is nothing less than the true Faith: and Faith, the essence of which is the Name, alone can lead us to that Buddha country of Amitabha. Nowhere is there such a religion of the Sacred Name as Amitabha's.
Buddha Amitabha revealed Himself to all beings in the form of
Namu-Amida-Butsu
-the Sacred Name, and His power (or the power of His Vow) is in activity in the form of Nembutsu. The Sacred Name is the Law of Salvation, which appeared as the compensation for His Vow-and-Practice (Gan gyo). Therefore the Name is Amitabha Himself. And the power of His Name is the power of His Vow: it is the Power of His Love. Therefore it is never separated from all beings. As the shadow follows a thing, so His Love follows, covers and permeates all beings. His Love which is eternal appears in the forms of His Vow, Name, Buddha and Sutras. It manifests itself as Teaching, Practice, Faith, Attainment and His Land of Bliss and Happiness.
