December 3, 2013 Mr. Daisetz Suzuki's admiration towards pious ultrafine Shin-sect Buddhist laypersons (妙好人（myohkohnin）in Japanese)
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki wrote in the foreword of his book titled "Pious ultrafine Shin-sect Buddhist laypersons(妙好人（myohkohnin）in Japanese)" (hereinafter referred to as "myohkohnin") as follows:
So far there have been written many biographies of myohkohnin, but none of studies of myohkohnin,that is to say, each biography mainly describes the activities of its myohkohnin but there is no book in which the hero's religious experience and perception is its main subject in relation to the words and poems expressed by him. Activity is the outer product of the inner feeling and perception.Therefore it is important to describe activity indeed, but it must not be neglected to scrutinize what feeling and perception exists behind the words and poems expressed by him in view of the absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA.
It owes very much to Mr. Daisetz Suzuki that myohkohnin has become admired like nowadays. He says as follows in the penultimate section of the book except for its appendix:
I am deeply impressed how deep, how strong,and how fine his absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA is, after having read 8 note books of poems authored by Saichi (myohkohninn Mr. Asahara,Saichi)
I cannot but admire this illiterate layperson in the country side, being deeply moved how absolutely he relies on the AMIDA BUDDHA, and how freely and exuberantly he express his spiritual feeling and perception. I heartily wish I myself and other persons reached such a standpoint, then the world would be absolutely peaceful. Nonetheless I cannot but wish he had been able to come out of his own satisfaction and had tried to share such absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA with other persons. In order to achieve this goal he should have had to foster intelligence. Spiritual intuition is vital itself. Without it, intelligence and emotion would not become legitimate. However intuition alone will seldom lead to its active side and social life side. He should have made good use of his absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA in his dayly life with other persons and should have tried to lead them to his standpoint.
And a little afterwards and in the last section of the book he concludes as follows:
We earnestly require the Shin-sect Buddhists to reflect on themselves considering the present circumstances. If they want to return to the pure land of the actual life, they should not stay in the pure land with the AMIDA BUDDHA. They should turn round and plunge into the pure land of the actual life. This is my criticism of the Buddhists in general, but I especially request that the shin-sect Buddhists enter into perfect state of absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA while living their real life with other persons. In general, religion is conservative in itself, but it should not always be so. Present world situations cannot afford such conservativeness. I cannot but perceive how great mission Buddhism has, considering the role of Japan in the world and in view of the direction the world is progressing to. Not confining the almighty AMIDA BUDDHA to only ourselves, we have to try to share the AMIDA BUDDHA with the whole mankind by all means. This is the mission of our Buddhists.
This was written by Mr. Daisetz Suzuki in 1948, but it perfectly applies to the present world situation. Endless quagmire wars between Judaism and Moslem and between Christianity and Moslem,increasingly escalating world climate temperature (that is to say, not recognizing satisfaction, following the economical growth supremacy dogma, relying on the debts from the future generation), etc. I think these problems will be solved only by Oriental philosophies like Buddhism, Hinduism,etc. We Buddhists have to achieve this goal, exerting ourselves.
We have to be inspired by this mission.
Mr. Shohkin Furuta (Buddhist scholar) who had studied under Mr. Daisetz Suzuki for a long time and served as the representative of Matsugaoka Bunko (publishig company) (which was the place of Mr. Daisetz Suzuki's activities) after his death, writes in the expository comment of the above-mentioned book as follows:
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki was a free Buddhist who did not belong to any Buddhist sect, and another reason why he thought much of myohkohnin will be related to the fact that they were free Buddhists, staying outside the Shin-sect Buddhist scholar world. As far as Shin-sect Buddhist scholars are concerned he knew that they criticize his view of the pure land in the Shin-sect Buddhism insisting that it is influenced by his Zen-sect Buddhism . Nevertheless he perceived that Zen-sect Buddhism and Shin-sect Buddhism come from the same source and the enlightening experience is much the same in both sects. Therefore sometimes he refused the theory of Shin-sect Buddhist scholars. And another example of his deep view of Buddhism is that he introduced the Zen of Zen Master Bankei which is deviated from the traditional Rinzai Zen.
Lastly here I introduce one poem by myohkohnin Saichi," Hey,Saichi. please tell me what 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' is."Yes, there is neither 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' nor 'jiriki (refer to the footnote 2)'. The goal is in ourselves,innermost behind our own bodies and minds,ready for us to take at any moment."
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki would give his hearty ovation to Mr. Saichi, because the poem is of his own perceiving, too. Coincidently the book "Poems of myohkohnin Saichi" written by him was issued as one of his posthumous works one year after his death.
I was taught as to how to meditate by Zen Master Mr. Sohen Nakagawa and he said I had only to meditate by NENBUTSU, if I was Shin-sect Buddhist. And I have been practicing it and it has been paying off. And a near-by autoritative Shin-sect priest taught me what gensohekoh (refer to the footnote 3) is. Therefore I am practicing Zen and Nenbutsu. I heartily appreciate the above-mentioned Mr. Furuta Shohkin's expository comment and Mr. Saichi's poem." Hey,Saichi. please tell me what 'tariki' is."Yes, there is neither 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' nor 'jiriki (refer to the footnote 2)'. There the goal is in ourselves,innermost behind our own bodies and minds,ready for us to take at any moment." I am still far away from what Mr. Daisetz Suzuki was, but I can perceive what Shin-sect Buddhism seeks is much the same as what Zen-sect Buddhism does.
Footnote
1. tariki（他力 in Japanese）: It means one's own effort to achieve enlightenment by wholely relying on AMIDA BUDDHA.
2. jiriki（自力 in Japanese）: It means one's own effort to achieve enlightenment by ascetic practices.
3. gensohekoh (還相回向 in Japanese）:it means to spread Buddhism returning to the turbid actual world after attaining the pureland (enlightenment).
NAMUAMIDABUTSU NAMUAMIDABUTSU
I thank AMIDA BUDDHA and SHAKA BUDDHA and vow to spread Buddhism.
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki wrote in the foreword of his book titled "Pious ultrafine Shin-sect Buddhist laypersons(妙好人（myohkohnin）in Japanese)" (hereinafter referred to as "myohkohnin") as follows:
So far there have been written many biographies of myohkohnin, but none of studies of myohkohnin,that is to say, each biography mainly describes the activities of its myohkohnin but there is no book in which the hero's religious experience and perception is its main subject in relation to the words and poems expressed by him. Activity is the outer product of the inner feeling and perception.Therefore it is important to describe activity indeed, but it must not be neglected to scrutinize what feeling and perception exists behind the words and poems expressed by him in view of the absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA.
It owes very much to Mr. Daisetz Suzuki that myohkohnin has become admired like nowadays. He says as follows in the penultimate section of the book except for its appendix:
I am deeply impressed how deep, how strong,and how fine his absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA is, after having read 8 note books of poems authored by Saichi (myohkohninn Mr. Asahara,Saichi)
I cannot but admire this illiterate layperson in the country side, being deeply moved how absolutely he relies on the AMIDA BUDDHA, and how freely and exuberantly he express his spiritual feeling and perception. I heartily wish I myself and other persons reached such a standpoint, then the world would be absolutely peaceful. Nonetheless I cannot but wish he had been able to come out of his own satisfaction and had tried to share such absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA with other persons. In order to achieve this goal he should have had to foster intelligence. Spiritual intuition is vital itself. Without it, intelligence and emotion would not become legitimate. However intuition alone will seldom lead to its active side and social life side. He should have made good use of his absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA in his dayly life with other persons and should have tried to lead them to his standpoint.
And a little afterwards and in the last section of the book he concludes as follows:
We earnestly require the Shin-sect Buddhists to reflect on themselves considering the present circumstances. If they want to return to the pure land of the actual life, they should not stay in the pure land with the AMIDA BUDDHA. They should turn round and plunge into the pure land of the actual life. This is my criticism of the Buddhists in general, but I especially request that the shin-sect Buddhists enter into perfect state of absolute reliance on the AMIDA BUDDHA while living their real life with other persons. In general, religion is conservative in itself, but it should not always be so. Present world situations cannot afford such conservativeness. I cannot but perceive how great mission Buddhism has, considering the role of Japan in the world and in view of the direction the world is progressing to. Not confining the almighty AMIDA BUDDHA to only ourselves, we have to try to share the AMIDA BUDDHA with the whole mankind by all means. This is the mission of our Buddhists.
This was written by Mr. Daisetz Suzuki in 1948, but it perfectly applies to the present world situation. Endless quagmire wars between Judaism and Moslem and between Christianity and Moslem,increasingly escalating world climate temperature (that is to say, not recognizing satisfaction, following the economical growth supremacy dogma, relying on the debts from the future generation), etc. I think these problems will be solved only by Oriental philosophies like Buddhism, Hinduism,etc. We Buddhists have to achieve this goal, exerting ourselves.
We have to be inspired by this mission.
Mr. Shohkin Furuta (Buddhist scholar) who had studied under Mr. Daisetz Suzuki for a long time and served as the representative of Matsugaoka Bunko (publishig company) (which was the place of Mr. Daisetz Suzuki's activities) after his death, writes in the expository comment of the above-mentioned book as follows:
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki was a free Buddhist who did not belong to any Buddhist sect, and another reason why he thought much of myohkohnin will be related to the fact that they were free Buddhists, staying outside the Shin-sect Buddhist scholar world. As far as Shin-sect Buddhist scholars are concerned he knew that they criticize his view of the pure land in the Shin-sect Buddhism insisting that it is influenced by his Zen-sect Buddhism . Nevertheless he perceived that Zen-sect Buddhism and Shin-sect Buddhism come from the same source and the enlightening experience is much the same in both sects. Therefore sometimes he refused the theory of Shin-sect Buddhist scholars. And another example of his deep view of Buddhism is that he introduced the Zen of Zen Master Bankei which is deviated from the traditional Rinzai Zen.
Lastly here I introduce one poem by myohkohnin Saichi," Hey,Saichi. please tell me what 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' is."Yes, there is neither 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' nor 'jiriki (refer to the footnote 2)'. The goal is in ourselves,innermost behind our own bodies and minds,ready for us to take at any moment."
Mr. Daisetz Suzuki would give his hearty ovation to Mr. Saichi, because the poem is of his own perceiving, too. Coincidently the book "Poems of myohkohnin Saichi" written by him was issued as one of his posthumous works one year after his death.
I was taught as to how to meditate by Zen Master Mr. Sohen Nakagawa and he said I had only to meditate by NENBUTSU, if I was Shin-sect Buddhist. And I have been practicing it and it has been paying off. And a near-by autoritative Shin-sect priest taught me what gensohekoh (refer to the footnote 3) is. Therefore I am practicing Zen and Nenbutsu. I heartily appreciate the above-mentioned Mr. Furuta Shohkin's expository comment and Mr. Saichi's poem." Hey,Saichi. please tell me what 'tariki' is."Yes, there is neither 'tariki (refer to the footnote 1)' nor 'jiriki (refer to the footnote 2)'. There the goal is in ourselves,innermost behind our own bodies and minds,ready for us to take at any moment." I am still far away from what Mr. Daisetz Suzuki was, but I can perceive what Shin-sect Buddhism seeks is much the same as what Zen-sect Buddhism does.
Footnote
1. tariki（他力 in Japanese）: It means one's own effort to achieve enlightenment by wholely relying on AMIDA BUDDHA.
2. jiriki（自力 in Japanese）: It means one's own effort to achieve enlightenment by ascetic practices.
3. gensohekoh (還相回向 in Japanese）:it means to spread Buddhism returning to the turbid actual world after attaining the pureland (enlightenment).
NAMUAMIDABUTSU NAMUAMIDABUTSU
I thank AMIDA BUDDHA and SHAKA BUDDHA and vow to spread Buddhism.
