Namu Amida Butsu

This work is especially dedicated to Zuiken Saizo Inagaki, who sheds light on the pristine and original teachings of Jodo Shinshu (Shin Buddhism) for many people, including myself. I regard him as my soul teacher and I am very much influenced by his words and thoughts, which are deeply imbued with the Wisdom of Compassion of Amida Buddha. I read most of his writings available in Chinese language and I wish to share some of his golden words in this blog in English. Rev. George Gatenby and Mr. Gabriel Schlaefer have been kindly and untiringly assisting me to edit the translated essays so that they are readable and true to the intent of Sensei. May all partake of the wisdom of Shinshu teaching and be overpowered by the light of Amida Buddha.

Namu Amida Butsu!

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Unit 10: The Gate of Death

At the gate of death,
In the midst of the pitch darkness,
How inconceivable that the call of Amida is heard!

Whatever arises in your mind is of no use at all when you are dying. And because everything is about to change, in the end, when you are breathing your last in the space between one and two minutes, your vision will go black and the pitch darkness will surround you. What will emerge at that moment? If Namo Amida Butsu suddenly appears, you don’t have to worry anymore. Speaking of “pitch darkness,” this phrase refers to now, the present moment; in fact, now, in the present moment, everyone is living in “pitch darkness.”

A couple of days ago, I paid a visit to an elderly person, Mr. 原武夫, a heart disease patient at Rokunoi of Gifu Prefecture. This man experienced death three times; his vision was a total blackout in those moments. Before that, he had also told his son, “I really won’t make it this time.” When his vision darkened, and he was about to breathe his last, all of a sudden this saying emerged: “How great the Vow-Power is!” He could not help but feel joyful and happy, and thought, “If I die like this, I will be born in the Pure Land; if I do not die and am revived, I must tell my children and family about this.” As it turned out, he was revived. He experienced this situation three times.

“How great the Vow-Power is!”

When fellow traveller Mrs. 市原房 at Sasocho was near death, before her vision actually faded, she imagined that her sight was turning off. I visited her; I still remember it was on the 4thof February. When I paid her a visit, she said to me, “The future after death is pitch dark. What am I to do, Sensei?” Right then, without thinking, I said, “Night is dark, and the road is not seen. At that moment, Amida offers His hand to guide me. How great the Vow-Power is!” At this, she smiled knowingly. It was the first time in my life that I had uttered that Dharma-pada.

“How great the Vow-Power is!” This Dharma-pada escaped my lips at that moment. However, I have no idea how this Dharma-pada spread. From the fact that a similar verse was spoken by Mr. 原武夫 at the Rokunoi of Gifu Prefecture, I believe that it must have become widely known to many people.

“Night is dark, and the road is not seen. At that moment, Amida offers His hand to guide me. How great the Vow-Power is!”

This saying, “How great the Vow-Power is!” sprang up incessantly in the pitch darkness on his deathbed. When I visited him, he kept sharing this experience with me. After that incident, this originally introverted and quiet man, upon returning from the jaws of death, never failed to recount his experience to his family, neighbours, and whoever else came for a visit. “How great the Vow-Power is!”

You all might as well try to imagine that now is the time of death and say, “Night is dark, and the road is not seen. At that moment, Amida offers His hand to guide me. How great the Vow-Power is!”

Fellow traveller Mrs. 市原房also taught me a wonderful lesson; many people have been saved because of her words. This truthful saying is as follows: “One grain of elixir transforms iron into gold; one word of truth transforms evil karma into good” (Kyogyoshinsho, Chapter on Practice).

Just to hear and go home with this one saying is also a good harvest. “How great the Vow-Power is!” This Vow-Power is none other than Namo Amida Butsu.

“The pitch darkness is so hard to come by. Only then was it made known to me that I am absolutely empty.”

The emergence of the pitch darkness is something very hard to come by. Why is this? Because we live our daily lives miserably, and our minds are deluded by secular matters; so we pass our lives absent-mindedly.

Only on your deathbed, when the pitch darkness emerges, will you realize your own value correctly. The things that you have heard, remember, your thoughts, the good as well as the bad things you do, the money you have amassed, and so on, will all become useless and disappear into thin air.

Why is the emergence of the pitch darkness at the present moment so invaluable? It is because you will then realize the true value of this bombu that is “me.” Do you all know your own value? Because you have not yet come upon the moment of death, you cannot possibly comprehend it. I myself have chanced upon this moment when I was at the age of30, and again at 53, when the doctor announced that my life could not be saved. You all might as well imagine a time when you will be abandoned by the doctor for being incurable.

Of course, you must not actually die to experience this. Unless your time has come, how could you? Yet you need to encounter such an experience in order to bring about this awareness. How difficult this is!

Truly, by observing the time of death we realize how much we are worth. Our value is “absolutely empty.” Absolutely empty means worthless, not even worth comparing to the wood used for heating bathing water. This is the value of humans (foolish beings or bombu), but it can only be understood when the pitch darkness emerges. If one dies just like that at this moment, one will go to hell. Therefore, we should regard the present time as the pitch-dark moment, and through the Buddha-Dharma we must learn to know our true value. At that juncture, we should behave like fellow traveller Mr. 原武夫. When the pitch darkness confronts us, we do not panic, but greet it with a smile and are born in the Pure Land through “How great the Vow-Power is!” This is most important; it is “win or lose” using real weapons and live ammunition.

Hence we say, “The pitch darkness is so hard to come by. Only then was it made known to me that I am absolutely empty.” To speak of “foolishness” or “karmic evil, deep and heavy” is still far too theoretical. It is “absolutely empty,” for real.

Listen practically for several decades. If you have been asked, “What have you heard so far?” you can’t answer for even one word, can you? If there is someone who can answer this, please tell me anyway, right now. You see, no one dares to answer! If someone tells you, “I have acquired shinjin,” please tell him that “the shinjin you have acquired is false shinjin.” If someone says, “I haven’t heard anything,” then tell him to “please observe the pitch darkness.”

Some people say, “I’ve listened for thirty years, but I have heard nothing.” This is true. Now, if there is someone who says, “I am so grateful for the call of Amida Buddha; I have heard nothing!” this is a “person of true faith.” People who say, “I have listened to the Buddha-Dharma,” “I remember the Buddha-Dharma,” “I know about the Buddha-Dharma,” and “I have acquired shinjin,” the majority of these people are fakes. Are all of you fake, or genuine?

The genuine person of shinjin says, “I am absolutely empty.” This is “real shinjin.” When questioning whether “absolutely empty” can be born in the Pure Land, then “at that moment, Amida offers His hand to guide me. How great the Vow-Power is!” Don’t we have this saying for birth?

“Pass through the gate of death into the arms of the compassionate Parent.”

The phrase “pass through” is very tough. This is the syntax of a Zen book called The Gateless Gate. So-called “the no-gate’s gate,” there is “gate of no-gate”! “When one passes through the gateless gate, one walks freely between heaven and earth.” This sentence is relating “pass through” and “penetrate.”

“Pass through the gate of death into the arms of the compassionate Parent.” Everyone believes that to go to the Pure Land (ojo), one must acquire shinjin, don’t they? Therefore, people think of “acquiring” shinjin. Well, this is not correct. The reality is that we are “carried in the arms of the compassionate Parent to the Pure Land.”

“Hear the origin, cause and effect of the passage declaring the fulfilment of the 18th Vow, and seek no peace of mind apart from this.”

The 18th Vow is the most important vow. The passage declaring the fulfilment of the 18th Vow is the 18th Vow reworded by Shakyamuni Buddha. This passage appears in the second scroll of the Larger Sutra. It reads, “Hear the Name, and realize even one thought-moment of shinjin and joy.”

The intent of this passage is simply, “Oh, hear Namo Amida Butsu alone.” This is Jodo Shinshu.

“What is meant by ‘Hear Namo Amida Butsu alone’?” you ask. “How do I hear?” By being “carried in the arms of the compassionate Parent to the Pure Land.” This is “hearing the Name and having joy in shinjin.” If only you reverently receive this saying, then the 18th Vow of “hearing the Name and having joy in shinjin” has already penetrated your body. Amida Buddha carries me in His arms to the Pure Land.

Oh, we are carried in Amida’s arms to the Pure Land! Isn’t this easy? Apart from this, there is no path to the Pure Land to be sought after. No matter how much you think, how much you seek or inquire, no other way is possible!

The compassionate Parent rushes out from the Pure Land, proclaiming, “Namo Amida Butsu will not let you fall into hell!” He carries me in His arms to the Pure Land, just like that. Apart from this, the more you know, the more likely you are to go to hell, so be very careful.


Zuiken-sama

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