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In his Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path, Takamaro Shigaraki examines Shin Buddhism anew as a practical path of spiritual growth and self-transformation, challenging assessments of the tradition as a passive religion of mere faith. Shigaraki presents the core themes of the Shin Buddhist path in fresh, engaging, down-to-earth language, considering each frankly from both secular and religious perspectives. Shigaraki discloses a nondual Pure Land that finds philosophical kinship with Zen but has been little discussed in the West. With its unassuming language and insights drawn from a life of practice, Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path dispels the fog of misconception that has shrouded Western appreciation of Shin traditions to reveal the limitless light of Amida Buddha that reaches all.
- Sales Rank: #886104 in eBooks
- Published on: 2013-02-18
- Released on: 2013-02-18
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
"Professor Shigaraki ties the doctrine and practice of True Pure Land Buddhism to the broader Mahayana Buddhist tradition, thereby creating a book that will be of interest both to Buddhist practitioners of all denominations and scholars of modern Japanese Buddhism." (Richard M. Jaffe, Duke university)
"Offers a significant perspective for the expanding interfaith dialogue between Buddhism and the diverse world of contemporary spiritual movements." (Alfred Bloom, Emeritus Professor, University of Hawaii)
"A must read." (Kenneth Kenshin Tanaka, Musashino University and International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies)
"Shigaraki's fresh perspective on Shinran's teachings is bound to spark renewed interest in Pure Land Buddhism." (Tricycle)
About the Author
Takamaro Shigaraki is a Buddhist priest and scholar, recognized as one of the leading Shin Buddhist thinkers in the world today. His innovative approach to traditional Shin Buddhist ideas via comparative religious scholarship and rational analysis has made him a cause celebre in the Shin Buddhist world. He has served as president of Ryukoku University, one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious universities, where he received his PhD in literary studies and is a Professor Emeritus of Shin Buddhist studies. Dr. Shigaraki has also served as Chairman of the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, the largest Shin Buddhist organization in the world.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Part Two
Shinjin
Chapter One
The Idea of Shin in Buddhism
We will now consider the meaning of shinjin in Shin Buddhism. Please understand that my approach to shinjin is somewhat different from the interpretations found in traditional doctrinal studies. I believe, however, that what I am about to present reflects the true, inner reality of shinjin, as it was taught to us by Shinran.
When I last visited Berkeley twenty years ago, I participated in many study sessions with Shin Buddhist ministers in America. At that time, the following discussion took place. It seems that at Buddhist temples the Japanese word “shin” was almost always translated as “faith,” as in “I put my faith in Amida Buddha.” One minister mentioned that he was troubled about this, for he did not know how to answer a question that had been put to him by a member. The question was this: “Christianity teaches people to have faith in God. At this temple, we are instructed to put our faith in Amida Buddha. So what is the difference between Christianity and Shin Buddhism? Is it just that we have different objects of faith?” The minister wondered how best to answer this question. At that time, I responded by saying that I had many problems with translating shinjin in Shin Buddhism as “faith.” I mentioned that shinjin, as explained by Shinran, is quite different from the “faith” found in most religions. I would now like to discuss that difference.
Belief and Faith
Secular Notions of Shin: Belief
Before talking about the content of shin in Buddhism, I would like to consider other kinds of shin. Generally, when the word shin is used in the realm of human relationships, it corresponds to the English word “belief” (shin’yo or shinrai in Japanese). In addition, there is a form of shin that corresponds to the notion of “faith” (shinko in Japanese) in religions generally. In this sense, shin means that one places one’s faith in an absolute God. I believe that there are differences between the secular notion of belief and this religious concept of faith.
Both secular belief and religious faith presume a relationship between a subject and an object. They are objective forms of shin, since they involve a subject that believes (or has faith) and an object which is believed (or in which one has faith). On this point, belief and faith are similar. However, there are differences between secular belief and religious faith. The first difference is that belief takes as its object something in the secular world, while faith takes as its object something transcendental and eternal. Secular belief is concerned with some object within this world, whereas religious faith is directed toward an object that transcends this world.
Another difference is that secular belief can occur only if one has a certain degree of proof. For instance, we can believe in our companion, such as a spouse or a friend, because our longstanding relationship gives us definite proof that we can trust that person. On the other hand, we are not very likely to leave a bag filled with money in the care of a person whom we have just met for the first time—because we do not know whether we can believe in that person or not, since we do not have any proof allowing us to trust that person. Here is another example. Most of us are willing to board airplanes or ships, even though accidents sometimes occur on both of them. This is because we know that even though many airplanes go aloft, they seldom crash, and ships almost never sink. Taking this knowledge as evidence, we board them in the belief that everything will (probably) be all right.
This kind of proof always involves an issue of probability. In some cases the probabilities may be extremely cruel, as when we are told that we have an illness that is likely incurable and we will be able to return to health only by the slimmest of chances. On the other hand, we might be told that we need not worry about an illness, for we will almost certainly become well again. The “proof” upon which we base our beliefs is really just a matter of probability. Still, we cling to any kind of evidence that will allow us to believe that everything will probably be okay. That means, however, that there will also be times when persons or things, which we had believed in,
betray our trust.
In order to live as human beings in this world we have to believe in a range of people and things. Yet our world can also be a world of tears when those in whom we had believed prove untrustworthy. This is the kind of life that we human beings all live.
All of this is captured in the secular meaning of shin, or belief.
General Religious Notions of Shin: Faith
In many religious forms of shin, by contrast, people place their faith in an absolute being or in the transcendent. Here, the object of their faith is something that is eternal and transcends this world. This kind of faith takes as its object something that is eternal and ultimate, whether we call it “God,” “Buddha,” or something else. Moreover, this kind of faith is independent of rational or “objective” proof. Does God exist or not? Do heaven and hell exist, or do they not? There is nothing that can confirm or deny any of these matters in an objective way. There is no way to prove or disprove them with logic or observation alone. At the same time, it is impossible to prove that they do not exist. Such matters transcend human judgment and cognition. When, in spite of that, people still acknowledge the existence or reality of such things, they are exercising this kind of religious faith.
“We must surrender our intellect in order to have faith.” “Because it makes no sense, we have to put our faith in it.” “Faith is a gamble.” Such expressions point to the structure in which this kind of generic, religious faith arises: by eliminating all intellectual functioning, people offer unquestioning endorsement to the object of their faith, and gamble upon something for which there can be no certainty.
Buddhist Notions of Shin
Shin as Prasada
The nature of shin in Buddhism is quite different from the secular form of shin (belief) and the religious form of shin (faith).
A number of Sanskrit terms serve as the basis for the word shin in Buddhism. One of them is prasada, which in the Pure Land sutras is used to denote entrusting (shin-jiru in Japanese) in Amida Buddha. This term means, among other things, “purity,” “joy,” and “clarity.” It has been translated into Chinese as shojo or chojo (purity), joshin (pure trust), shingyo (entrusting with joy), and shinjin.
I recall hearing this explanation from a teacher during my student days: Deep within the mountains there exists a pond. The water in that pond is perfectly clean and pure. The surface of the pond, moreover, is so calm and tranquil that it is just like a mirror. The state of the water in that pond, said my teacher, is what is meant by prasada.
In the Sanskrit version of the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, the word prasada-citta appears in the passage on the Primal Vow to express entrusting in Amida Buddha. Citta means “heart and mind.” That is, one’s heart and mind becomes pure and one realizes joy. In Buddhism, citta also refers to fundamental human consciousness. It points to the deepest and most basic level of an individual human being’s subjectivity. Stated further, it may be said that this heart and mind is identical with the life of each and every person. Therefore, prasada-citta means that one’s mind—one’s fundamental personal subjectivity or human life—becomes pure and clear, and one realizes joy.
In the Chinese translation of the Larger Sutra, the Primal Vow teaches sentient beings to “entrust with joy” (shingyo) in Amida Buddha. Shingyo is a translation of prasada. Since prasada means that one’s heart and mind becomes pure and one realizes joy, it was translated as “entrust with joy.” A later passage in the Larger Sutra clarifies the meaning of the Primal Vow by using another phrase, “realize shinjin and joy” (shinjin kangi). This is another expression for “entrust with joy” (shingyo). Shinjin is equivalent to shin (entrust) and kangi is the same as gyo (joy). Hence, both are Chinese translations of the original term prasada. We can see that entrusting in Amida Buddha refers to a state of mind, prasada-citta, in which one’s heart and mind become pure and serene, giving rise to great joy.
Shinjin is Non-dualistic and Subjective
I think that you can see that the Buddhist notion of shin means something quite different from either belief in the secular sense or faith in the generic religious sense.
The first difference between them is that shinjin in Shinran’s teaching of Shin Buddhism does not refer to a dualistic frame of mind in which we take something as the object of our belief or faith. Prasada, or shinjin, signifies a state in which our own hearts and minds become pure, and we attain great joy. This form of shin is completely non-dualistic and subjective in nature. It does not imply that we must do something vis-à-vis some object.
Shinjin as the Experience of Awakening
The second difference between shin and the notions of secular belief and religious faith is that the realm of prasada, or shinjin, transcends this secular world. Expressing this in terms of Buddhist doctrine, shinjin is equivalent to the state of samadhi in which one visualizes the Buddha. It points to the experienc...
Most helpful customer reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
A Beautifully Written Book - Recommend For All Shin Buddhist Practioners
By Mari-Clare
I bought this book for my spouse, he has been carrying it with him and reading it since he eagerly got it out of the wrapping. He and I both have a very substantial library - many Buddhist books and periodicals make up one wall - and he has said of this particular book: "So many Shin Buddhist books I have are like Masters Theses; THIS is like a PhD!".
Highly recommend for all levels of practitioners - even if you are not ready for it yet, you will be so happy to have it when you are!
5 glowing stars!
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful.
This book is the real deal!
By Antti Kuukka
This book is highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the Nembutsu teaching of Shinran and Honen. Professor Shigaraki masterfully explains the teaching in such a way that a modern 21st century human being can understand and ACCEPT it!
He makes it clear that Jodo Shinshu is a true Buddhist path and not the "believe in Amida, go to heaven" teaching many are led to believe. Shinjin is nothing like believing in Jesus, it is a true Buddhist awakening experience.
I am extremely grateful to Professor Shigaraki for this book.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
Simply The Best
By C. Marbutt
Professor Shigaraki is an outstanding figure and deservedly so. Though his viewpoints are unapologetically modern he connects these viewpoints with the early writings of the founder of Shin Buddhism, Shinran. While Shigaraki skills as a scholar and a researcher are beyond critique, he also writes with the humility of a fellow traveler and the beauty of a poet. Given how many writers still make factual errors in regards to Pure Land Buddhism, I would consider this one of the must haves for anyone interested not just in Shin Buddhism but Buddhism as a whole.
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