27 November 2024
Fall 2024
Keith Snyder
Resident Priest and Managing Director
Nembutsu, in current usage, is the vocalization of the words “namu-amida-butsu.” In Japanese it is sometimes referred to as the rokuji no myōgō, meaning the “six-character Buddha-name.”
The two Chinese characters which make up the word nembutsu are: 1. to hold in mind, and 2. Buddha. So the original meaning was “to hold the Buddha in mind.” In English it is sometimes called Buddha recollection, and it was a type of contemplation on a particular Buddha. In the opening of Shōkū’s Nyōin Gosho he defines nembutsu in the following way:
"Nembutsu is to hold the Buddha in mind. Holding the Buddha in mind is to know the causes and conditioning factors of that Buddha and to hold in mind the [resulting] virtues of the Buddha. This is true nembutsu".
When hearing about nembutsu and the practice of continuous repetition of the name, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that it is a type of mantra, a formula that is supposed to unlock some kind of mysterious spiritual force, or at least a way to effect self-improvement and the realization of the ultimate truth of ones own inherent enlightenment. From the passage above, we can see that to Shōkū, nembutsu was not such a thing. He recognizes that it could be used in such a way, but he makes a clear distinction between that and what he calls the nembutsu of the Contemplation Sutra (観経の念仏).
When we use the word “practice” in discussing the Pure Land Buddhism of Shōkū, it is helpful to think of two categories of practice: 1. the various practices (諸行), and 2. nembutsu (念仏). The various practices are all the conventional practices of Buddhism which are performed in order to advance us in our personal spiritual development, as well as to benefit others. Nembutsu as understood by Shōkū, the nembutsu of the Contemplation Sutra, however, is not a practice in that sense. It is not done to gain anything at all. Rather, it is the abandoning of any attempt to achieve anything. I would hesitate to even call this a “practice.”
Being and becoming. Philosophers use these terms to describe two aspects of existence. “Becoming” denotes change, growth and transformation; “being” is things-as-they are, as they exist. The subtleties of the western metaphysical tradition of philosophy aside, I would like to borrow these two terms as they relate to the various practices vs. nembutsu, or the bodhisattva path vs. complete enlightenment.
The bodhisattva practices the six kinds of practice of the Mahayana (六波羅蜜) for an immeasurably long time to advance along 52 stages of development to eventually take the final step to complete enlightenment (等正覚). This is the becoming aspect of practice. When we do good works and undertake religious disciplines we grow, we change, we transform in some way.
At the same time, it is the fundamental belief of the Mahayana that Enlightenment has been attained, and that this enlightenment is manifest to us in the form of the Sambhogakaya, epitomized in the story of the Buddha of Infinite Life (Amida). And because we are included, thanks to nembutsu, in the benefits of that enlightenment - in other words to birth into the Pure Land - there is nothing left to be done. The serenity of the inherent enlightenment of all things is felt as we let go of striving to attain what is already a reality. This is “being.” It’s a matter of looking at the big picture rather than at the details of the daily struggles of the world.
Now I would like to introduce a metaphor which Shōkū uses to describe what is at the heart of nembutsu as an expression of absolute Other Power (絶対他力). Shōkū uses the term shiraki nembustu (白木念仏) to describe the proper attitude of the one who has entered the Pure Land Gate by abandoning the various practices and turning to the nembutsu of the Contemplation Gate. “Shiraki” means plain, unpainted, unvarnished wood. It represents a nembutsu which is not tainted by any kind of striving for spiritual (or physical) gain. It is not colored by a desire for enlightenment, or the praying for favors, or the achievement of anything. It is not asking for anything at all. It is the nembutsu of letting go of all that. Shōkū compares this to being on ones deathbed without even the strength to utter the words “namu amida-butsu.” Here, as we see in the quotation cited at the top of this talk, there is an emphasis, not on vocalization, but on the mental attitude of the individual. It is the attitude of tariki 他力, reliance on the completion of the vows and practices of the bodhisattva becoming Buddha. It has nothing to do with our trying to do anything.
To experience shiraki nembutsu is to experience anjin (安心), peace of mind. From there we are able to practice any of the practices available to us, but in a way that is not tainted by trying to gain something for ourselves. All merit is turned toward the good of all, toward helping the world and all the struggling people in it.