ABSTRACT
‘The letters’ are those written by Rennyo Shōnin (1415–1499) to his followers. He was one of the greatest teachers of the Shin school of Buddhism; in fact it was he who laid the firm foundation for the modern religious institution known as the Jōdo-Shin Shu, the True Sect of the Pure Land. His letters numbering about eighty-five are preserved and the title Gobunshō or Ofumi, that is, ‘honourable letters’, is given to them. They are generally read before a sermon and quoted as the most authoritative source-documents on the teaching of the Shin school. Saichi states here that when his mind is illumined by these epistles he realises what a miserable creature he is; but when he sees the Buddha-mind as revealed through these illuminating documents of the great teacher, he is assured of the over-whelming immensity of Oya-sama’s love for him and feels grateful for it without measure. Rennyo’s letters serve to bring out both aspects of our religious consciousness: (1) the sense of wickedness and depravity and (2) the feeling of gratitude for being saved from an utterly helpless situation. Here is one of Rennyo’s letters:
145To be established in [Shin] faith means to understand the Eighteenth Vow. 1 To understand the Eighteenth Vow means to understand the frame of mind 2 the ‘Namu-amida-butsu’ sets up in you.
Therefore, when you attain a state of single-mindedness as you utter the ‘Namu’ with absolute trust [in Amida] you perceive the significance of Amida’s Vow which is directed towards awakening a faith-frame in you. For herein we realise what is meant by Amida Nyorai’s ‘turning towards’ 3 us ignorant beings. This is pointed out in the Larger Sūtra of Eternal Life 4 where we read: ‘Amida provides all beings with all the merits’. 5
Thus it follows that with all the evil deeds, with all the evil passions we have been cherishing in our former lives ever since the beginningless past, we are, owing to Amida’s Vow which is beyond comprehension, thoroughly cleansed of them with no residue whatever left; and in consequence of it, we are made to abide with no fear of regression in ‘the order of steadfastness’. 6
This is what is meant by the statement that Nirvana is attainable without destroying the evil passions (klesa). 7
This is the teaching exclusively taken up by our school but you are warned not to talk this way to people of other schools. Let me remind you of this.
With reverence …
