My OperaHonen and Shinran
Sunday, February 4, 2007 10:16:01 PM
This past month we paid tribute to Great Master Honen and Great Master Shinran. The pair of them recognized their foolishness and so gave themselves names like Honen the fool and Stubble headed Shinran. In keeping with their own views of themselves perhaps it is more appropriate for me to say that we paid tribute to two foolish beings of wayward passion.
Whatever we call them, however they saw themselves, they are truly religious giants.
I've learned so much from reading and talking about their struggles and insights. The most important was the moment of crisis reached through following a self-power approach to Buddhism.
They abandoned the religious institutions in a search for salvation. Salvation for someone who can't keep the precepts, who can't achieve the three pillars of Buddhism. What is the answer for someone who has sinned? We are all sinners and we continue to sin time and time again. What can we do, as skin bags of karma to save ourselves from falling into hell.
Both Honen and Shinran were living in turbulent times. Life was brief and one was closer to death. A good description of life, is there is life amidst death.
Honen searched and searched for an answer, and surprisingly found it in writings by Shan Tao. Shan Tao wrote that the way to salvation was to recite the Name at least ten times with a sincere heart. Honen took this to mean salvation was ours at the point of death. We would be assured rebirth into the Pureland.
Easy.
Shinran really took to this teaching and took it one step further. He said that the moment amida breaks through to us and causes us to recite the nembutsu we are reborn into the Pureland. Grace happens and once seen and received transformation happens at once.
It is faith that lies behind the Nembutsu that is more important.
Very easy.
The Pureland path is one of relying on other power. We are dependent on others around us, not just the environment but people.
Honen and Shinran, teaching Pureland, but living completely different lives. Honen never married, Shinran did.
Honen never had children, Shinran had six.
Both are accepted by Amida Nyorai.
Both were men of great faith.
Both are revered for their teachings and their legacy can be found in the Pureland Schools in Japan.
Anyone can have faith and anyone can recite Namo amida Bu.
It's so simple and yet so difficult.
Whatever we call them, however they saw themselves, they are truly religious giants.
I've learned so much from reading and talking about their struggles and insights. The most important was the moment of crisis reached through following a self-power approach to Buddhism.
They abandoned the religious institutions in a search for salvation. Salvation for someone who can't keep the precepts, who can't achieve the three pillars of Buddhism. What is the answer for someone who has sinned? We are all sinners and we continue to sin time and time again. What can we do, as skin bags of karma to save ourselves from falling into hell.
Both Honen and Shinran were living in turbulent times. Life was brief and one was closer to death. A good description of life, is there is life amidst death.
Honen searched and searched for an answer, and surprisingly found it in writings by Shan Tao. Shan Tao wrote that the way to salvation was to recite the Name at least ten times with a sincere heart. Honen took this to mean salvation was ours at the point of death. We would be assured rebirth into the Pureland.
Easy.
Shinran really took to this teaching and took it one step further. He said that the moment amida breaks through to us and causes us to recite the nembutsu we are reborn into the Pureland. Grace happens and once seen and received transformation happens at once.
It is faith that lies behind the Nembutsu that is more important.
Very easy.
The Pureland path is one of relying on other power. We are dependent on others around us, not just the environment but people.
Honen and Shinran, teaching Pureland, but living completely different lives. Honen never married, Shinran did.
Honen never had children, Shinran had six.
Both are accepted by Amida Nyorai.
Both were men of great faith.
Both are revered for their teachings and their legacy can be found in the Pureland Schools in Japan.
Anyone can have faith and anyone can recite Namo amida Bu.
It's so simple and yet so difficult.
