With reverence, I remain I have written this on the 17th day, 3rd month, 6th year of Bunmei (1474CE)
The essence of the Doctrine as taught by Shinran Shonin of our school is the placement of initial importance on the Faith of the Other Power. It is clearly seen (both in the Sutras and the commentaries by the patriarchs of our sect) that the most important rebirth into the Land of Bliss (that is to come) becomes truly doubtful unless a person thoroughly experiences this Faith of the Other-Power. Therefore, relative to the desire of being reborn in the True Land of Recompense upon understanding of what is meant by Faith of the Other-Power, I wish to inquire - what attitude should I hold deep in my heart and what type of person must I be to be reborn in this Land of Bliss? Not knowing the essentials, I humbly ask to be taught so that I may receive this steadfast Faith through careful listening. In answer, I reply: By "Faith of the Other-Power," as taught by our sect, means to simply place reliance on Amida Tathágata with a singleness of heart without the necessity to be gravely concerned over the depths of one's own evil nature. It means to firmly believe that it is through the inconceivable power of the Vow that evil men encumbered with the Ten Major Evils and the Five Cardinal Sins, and even people inherent of the Five Obstacles and the Three Reliance’s will all receive deliverance. If, at the very instant of the awakening of Faith, there is not even a speck of doubt in the Primal Vow, Tathágata graciously recognizes this awakening and simultaneously equates the evil-laden heart of the faithful and His own Pure Heart as one and the same. This is what is meant by the union into one of the Heart of Buddha and the heart of the unenlightened being. Accordingly, such a person is embraced within the Bright Universal Light of Amida Tathágata and is to exist throughout the balance of his life within this Light of Amida. Then, when one's life comes to its end, he is immediately reborn in the True Land of Recompense. Therefore, (pertaining to the point of how best to express the sense of gratitude felt for this sacred and blessed Great Compassion of Amida) one simply should recite the Nembutsu day and night to express this sense of gratitude to Amida Tathágata. The essence of the foregoing is the doctrine of the awakening of Faith and the acquisition in everyday life of the cause for rebirth into the Pure Land as taught by our sect. Thus, no great effort is needed to place total reliance on Amida. Simple as it is to receive the Faith of the Other-Power, it is simpler yet to become a Buddha and be reborn in the Land of Bliss. Oh, the sacredness of the Primal Vow of Buddha! Oh, the sacredness of the Faith of the Other-Power! There is not even the slightest doubt where our next rebirth is concerned! However, there are several points of caution pertaining to one's conduct in day-to-day life while living within this framework of Faith. Firstly, relative to the various guardian deities and Buddhas, they are all expedients to persuade sentient beings to receive this very same Faith of the Other-Power and towards this purpose they have appeared as the varied and many deities and Buddhas. Therefore, inasmuch as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas all originate and stem from the one great aspect of the body of Amida Tathágata, all of them become included, simultaneously, with our complete reliance on Namu Amida Butsu. Thus, we should always regard all the many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas with respect. Further, there is another important point that should be kept in mind. One should never assume an attitude of unconcern or disrespect towards government officials of the local and district areas with that idea that you are beyond the mundane world because you are an individual that has received the Faith of the Other-Power and worship the Dharma. You should dispatch all your civic responsibilities with whole-hearted willingness! Those who understand well the foregoing are cited especially as those with the exemplary conduct of the followers of the Nembutsu who have received Faith and wish to be reborn in the Pure Land. In other words, these are the people who place a high value on the Dharma and the laws of the land and who guard both well.
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