Buddhism. This term, to our Western minds, generally conjures up pictures of meditation in a faraway orient land. The term has been accepted and embraced by most new age circles, as chanting and meditation are generally believed to be the “gist” of this pre-Christian philosophy. A trek to the religious section of any bookstore will bring you to the same conclusion: Zen Buddhism. While Zen is an important aspect of any Buddhist practice, why has this particular sect had the most success in America?
Zen, as beautiful as it is, might be the least esoteric and certainly the least “spiritually” focused Buddhist tradition that the East has to offer. Yet, to the average Western individual, it might as well be the only practice that believers adhere to. In some cases, it seems that any and all traces of eastern specific spirituality or the religious aspects of the Buddhist tradition have been omitted and subsequently presented to the Western audience.
Would it be surprising, then, to learn that there is a sect of Buddhism that focuses on spiritual salvation through the help of an external deity? Would it be shocking to learn that the Buddhist cosmology consists of gods, devas, heavens, worlds, etc.? In Pure Land Buddhism, this is exactly what we find. Pure Land Buddhism (also known as Jodo-Shinshu or Shin for short) is the largest Buddhist tradition in Japan. This faith focuses on a particular Buddha some might not be familiar with: Amida Buddha. The central idea is that by chanting the Nembutsu (Namu*Amida*Butsu), Amida Buddha will “save” the chanter and allow him or her to be born in his Pure Land and eventually reach enlightenment, or nirvana. But we are getting ahead of ourselves here, so let us start at the beginning.
The historical Buddha of our time, Shakyamuni Siddhartha Gautama, delivered many teachings to his early sangha, or community. In time, these written teachings would come to be known as “sutras.” Of these sutras, three were to become known as the “Pure Land Sutras.” The amazing story of these particular sutras deal with a king from long ago, five kalpas to be exact (the length of an entire universe from conception to destruction). In this Kalpa, fifty-two Buddha’s appeared in succession. The fifty-third to appear was called Lokeshvararaja Buddha. It is said that this Buddha was so sincere and compassionate in his words and action that it caused the king to renounce his throne and embark upon the spiritual path. When this happened, the once-king became known as Dharmakara Bodhisattva. After eons and eons of focused and intense spiritual practice, Dharmakara made a series of forty-eight vows. Each of these vows would eventually define Pure Land practice, and five of these deal directly with the cultivation and origination of his future literal Pure Land. But it is the eighteenth vow that the tradition is truly focused on.
When I attain buddhahood, if all sentient beings in the ten directions, who aspire in all sincerity and faith to be born in my land and think of me even ten times, are not born there, then may I not attain supreme enlightenment.
It is said that the compassion and positive karma obtained by Bodhisattva Dharmakara was so immense that it literally created a pure space around him, so large that it would be able to house every single sentient being that simply chanted his name, or thought of him with mindfulness. Upon fulfilling these vows, Dharmakara became known as Amida Buddha. Since the once king has now achieved Buddhahood, his salvation of sentient beings is assured. These sutras existed for many years in circulation in India and China, but for whatever reason failed to capture the attention of the masses. It was not until many years later, in the late 1100’s in Japan, that a monk named Honen cemented the fate of the Pure Land tradition in Asia.
Buddhism in Japan before Honen was a drastically different culture than we see now. Generally speaking, obtaining Buddhahood or enlightenment in this life was reserved for the imperial elite with countless free hours to cultivate meditation through Zen. Lay Buddhist’s best hope for enlightenment, who were too busy working and sustaining a livelihood to possibly meditate for as long as a monk, was to amass large quantities of good karma by donating to the local clergy through food, clothes, or monetary means. By doing this, it was thought that in an individual’s next life they would be reborn as a monk, and from there reach enlightenment. Yet Honen had a different idea. A revolutionary idea. The compassion of the Buddha, Honen taught, was not reserved for the elite. It was for every person, everywhere. Eventually his teaching said that all one needed to reach nirvana in this life was to chant the Nembutsu, Namu*Amida*Butsu (literally “fully relying on the faith of Amida Buddha). This new idea caught on relatively quickly and, as one might predict, this did not sit well with the established elite. It was said that by only relying on Amida Buddha he was committing heresy against the Kami (nature spirits of the indigenous Japanese religion of Shinto) and the established Buddhist temples and practices of the day. Subsequently, this resulted in Honen’s exile from his home in Kyoto and a ban on the Nembutsu itself, but it was too little too late. The Nembutsu had left an undeniable impression amongst his disciples in Kyoto. In 1211 the Nembutsu ban was lifted, and Honen was allowed to come back to Kyoto.
Honen died in 1212, but not before composing one of the central pieces of literature in the entire movement: The Ichimai-kishōmon, or the One-Sheet Document:
“In China and Japan, many Buddhist masters and scholars understand that the nembutsu is to meditate deeply on Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. However, I do not understand the nembutsu in this way. Reciting the nembutsu does not come from studying and understanding its meaning. There is no other reason or cause by which we can utterly believe in attaining birth in the Pure Land than the nembutsu itself. Reciting the nembutsu and believing in birth in the Pure Land naturally gives rise to the three minds (sanjin) and the four modes of practice (shishu). If I am withholding any deeper knowledge beyond simple recitation of the nembutsu, then may I lose sight of the compassion of Shakyamuni and Amida Buddha and slip through the embrace of Amida’s original vow. Even if those who believe in the nembutsu study the teaching which Shakyamuni taught his whole life, they should not put on any airs and should sincerely practice the nembutsu, just as an illiterate fool, a nun or one who is ignorant of Buddhism. I hereby authorize this document with my hand print. The Jodo Shu way of the established mind (anjin) is completely imparted here. I, Genku, have no other teaching than this. In order to prevent misinterpretation after my passing away, I make this final testament.”
Now, let us put this into context. In pre-Honen Buddhist philosophy, and according to the version of Buddhism most readily available in the West, Buddhism was a cultivation throughout ones entire life of meditation and practice, and the eventuality of enlightenment was put squarely on the shoulders of the individual practitioner. This is all fine and good, but the truth is that human beings, in our carnal bodies, are inherently flawed and ignorant. If one committed more negative karmic producing actions than positive, for instance, the chance of nirvana was non-existent until ones next life, IF one was even lucky enough to be reborn in human form again. Not to mention, the amount of time and meditation it took to achieve this status in life left hardly any time to be a productive member of society. The inclusion of Honen’s Nembutsu suddenly made it possible for everyone to achieve enlightenment, in this life. It was a spiritual revolution in the fullest sense of the word. Belief in Amida Buddha meant accepting that human beings, as flawed as we are, have almost no chance of finding enlightenment on our own. It was a way of reaching outward and relying on the compassion of the universe to help guide us on our spiritual quest. This turned Buddhism upside down, and eventually became the dominant sect in Japan. Why, then, do we not see this Buddhism in America?
For the most part, and there are few exceptions, the divinity and spirituality of Buddhism has been stripped from American publications. There is no definitive answer as to why this came to be, but it is believed by the author that Zen meditation and chanting is a much easier pill to swallow in a predominately Christian nation than the idea of another being offering salvation other than the son of God. Pure Land is just one example of a more spiritually enhanced and esoteric Buddhism, as there is Shingon, Nicheren, Tiantai, Tantra, among many more. In Buddhist mythology, there exists worldviews of such beauty it would put some of our more well-known myths to shame. It just takes a little bit of research, and with this research, we are given the responsibility to spread the knowledge of this spiritual truth. The scope of the history of this beautiful tradition is too broad for this brief article, and individual research on this topic is strongly urged. To begin with, here is a recommended reading list:
The Pure Land Sutras
Buddha of Infinite Light: The Teachings of Shin Buddhism, the Japanese Way of Wisdom and Compassion- By D.T. Suzuki
The Promise of Amida Buddha- Honen’s Path to Bliss. – Translated by Joji Atone & Yoko Hayashi
Ocean: An introduction to Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism in America. By Kenneth K. Tanaka
Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble into Gold. By Taitetsu Unno
River of Fire, River of Water. By Taietsu Unno
Buddhism of the Heart: Reflections on Shin Buddhism and Inner Togetherness. By Jeff Wilson
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