What follows is a continuation of last month’s Dharma Talk in which Shoma was taken by the associate minister to the room where the Gomonshu sat waiting:
Shoma Understands Shinjin
Shoma looked calm, entering the room nonchalantly. Because he lacked manners, he didn’t bow to the Gomonshu in reverence, but instead plopped down in front of him on the tatami mat, crossing his legs. They had the following conversation:
Gomonshu: Was it you who tugged on my sleeve?
Shoma: Yeah, it was me.
Gomonshu: What were you thinking about when you did so?
Shoma: Ah…that even wearing such a beautiful red robe, you can’t escape hell by wearing it. That’s why I asked if you were prepared to die.
Shoma: Oh, yeah! I have received it.
Gomonshu: Since you say so, explain to me briefly what your state of mind is after gaining Shinjin?
Shoma: It is nothing at all.
Gomonshu: Ah…then with that you are prepared for your afterlife?
Shoma: I don’t know anything about it.
Gomonshu: Without knowing, do you think you will attain birth in the Pure Land?
Shoma: If you want to know that, you should ask my boss.
Gomonshu: Who is your boss?
Shoma: It is Amida Buddha who is enshrined in the hondo. It’s not up to me to decide whether I can attain birth in the Pure Land or not. No sense asking me about it!
Gomonshu: Well, that’s beautifully said! You are right. Our birth in the Pure Land is definitely possible only because of the work of Amida Buddha. It is not by our own calculation. So, it really is none of our business. You are truly an honest man. Let us be brothers. Please join me in a drink!
The Gomonshu praised Shoma for his deep understanding of Shinjin. He asked the servants to bring sake and he himself poured some for Shoma. They had a great time exchanging cups of sake. Because he was so loved by Gomonshu, Shoma was permitted to see him whenever he visited Kyoto. He was even given the Buddhist name Shaku Sho-Ma, which means “the Buddha’s disciple who sees through Right Truth.”
Shoma Called Myokonin (Superior Nembutsu Follower)
This anecdote explains why Shoma was called Myokonin and why many stories about him have accumulated in Jodo Shinshu over a long time. Shoma did not know much about culture nor the world. He lacked manners, was illiterate and couldn’t even count money. But that his words and deeds have been passed down to us is evidence of his true devotion and virtue. He was a person who had received the wisdom of Buddha.
Shoma Understands the Primal Vow
In the letters of Gobunsho of Rennyo Shonin, there is a saying that goes:
“Those who are not concerned about their afterlife are considered ignorant, even though they may be well-versed in eighty-thousand Dharma teachings. Those who have resolved the matter of the afterlife are described as wise, even if they are illiterate laymen or laywomen.”
It is those who are exactly like Shoma that Rennyo Shonin calls people of wisdom.
What I was very impressed by in the conversation between Gomonshu and Shoma was Shoma’s response to the question, “Explain to me briefly your state of mind after gaining Shinjin.” Shoma answered, “It’s nothing at all.” This is indeed the most important point in their conversation. It makes us realize Shoma’s deep understanding of the Primal Vow.
The phrase, “It is nothing at all,” seems on the surface just an elusive answer, but there isn’t a more wonderful nor firm an expression in the teaching of Other Power.
Receiving the Buddha’s Vow Is Shinjin
In religious faith, it is generally easy for all people to understand the expression, “I believe strongly without doubt.” But unfortunately, no matter how hard we try, we are unable to be totally rid of our distrust and doubts so that we can have a faithful mind.
Sakyamuni Buddha explained that doubt is one cause of a troubled mind. He teaches us that, because we are unable to cast away our selfishness that causes a doubtful mind, we are always suffering. And because both faith and doubt are linked in our minds, we lack the strength to believe in anything absolutely.
Amida Buddha completely understands our selfishness and doubt. That is why his sincere wish is that we simply depend on Amida Buddha’s inconceivable power. We shouldn’t believe in Amida Buddha with an unreliable mind. Rather we should discard both our faith and our doubt. When we begin to understand how incapable we are on our own power, then we can begin to open our minds and hearts to receiving Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow. To simply receive the Buddha’s Vow is called Shinjin, the entrusting mind. Thus, by using the phrase, “It’s nothing at all,” Shoma teaches us what it means to gain Shinjin. It is just like a kitten being carried by its mother whom it trusts completely with a profound sense of security. It is precisely the world where we give up trusting our powerless self.
To take the tonsure (symbolically shave one’s head) is a commitment to live with the Primal Vow of Amida Buddha as one’s spiritual support, free of self-centeredness and arrogance. Shoma, who received the rite of the razor from Gomonshu, was a true Nembutsu follower who had already transcended the mind of calculation and was embraced by the great vow of Amida Buddha.
In Gassho,
Rev. Yushi Mukojima