English
The first is worldly goodness, which includes good actions in general, such as filial piety, respect for elders, loyalty, faithfulness, etc. The second is the goodness of SiU or morality, in which there are differences between the priesthood and the laity. In short, however, all that do not oppose the general rule of reproving wickedness and exhorting to the practice of virtue are included in this goodness. The third is the goodness of practice, which includes that of the four Satyas or truths and the six Paramitas or perfections. Besides these all other pure and good actions such as the reading and recital of the Maha- 106 JO-BO-SHU. yana-siitra?, persuading others to hear the Law, and thirteen kinds of goodness to be practised by fixed thought are comprised in this. Towards the end of the Sutra Buddha says: ^Let not one's voice cease, but ten times complete the thought, and re[)eat Namo'mitabhaya Buddhaya (Na-mu-a-mi-da-butsu), or adoration to Amitabha Buddha.' This practice is the most excellent of all. Buddha teaclies us in his doctrine the truth of cause and effect from his right wisdom and under- standing. Bad seed produces bad fruit-, and good seed produces good fruit, just as red pepper is pungent and sugar-cane sweet according to their own seeds. This is quite natural. No one doubts about it. Therefore the Sutra is quite true when it says that the right cause of the three kinds of goodness gains the right fruit of nine different stages in the Pure Land Sukhavati. Depending on the three Sutras above mentioned, there were three patriarchs in India, who preactied the doctrine of the Pure Land. They were Asva- ghosha (Me-myo), Nagarf/una (Ryii-ju) and Vasu- bandhu (Se-shin), who were born in India six, seven and nine hundred years after Buddlia respectively. In China, E-on (died 416 A. D.) of the Shin dy- nasty, Don-ran (d. 542) of the Gi dynastj^, and Do- shaku and Zen-do (both lived about 600-650) of the To (T'ang) dynasty chiefly taught this doctrine. JO-DO-SHXJ. 107 Especially Zen-do used Lis wliole power for the Kwan-mu-ryo-jii-kyo, and wrote a new commentary on it in four volumes. He understood thoroughly the thought of Buddha, and ckarly explained the text. In this way, he really excelled his predecessors, such as Jo-yo, Ten-dai, Ka-jo and others. He said himself that he had laid a rule for all ages. This is not at all an exaggsration. Afterwards Hossho went to Mount Go-dai, where he worshipped ]Ma;7^usri, and wrote a numher of verses, oollectivttly called Go-e~san, or S'erses for five assemblies.' Another teacher named Sho-ko is said to have seen light coming out from the books left by Zen-do in the temple of Haku-ba-ji, or Svhite horse temple.' All these were the benefits left by Zen-do after his death. During his life-time, the influence of his teaching was so great that the most people abstained from fi^^h or flesh and the market meat of the capital was not sold much. This is the reason why he is generally considered as the greatest master of this doctrine in China. About five centuries after Zen-do, in 1133 A. D., a boy was born in the Urnma family of the province of Mimasaka in Japan. This boy's name was Sei- shi-n]aru. In his ninth year, he was converted by his father's dying words, and when he was fourteen years old, he went up to mount Hi-ei where in the following year, he shaved his head and receiv- 108 JO-DO-SHtJ. ed the precepts. Then his name was changed to Gen-kii. In his eighteenth year he retired to kuroda- ni, and five times read through the five thousand volumes of the Tripifeka. He did this for the pur- pose of finding out the way for the ordinary and ignorant people of the present day to escape from misery. Taking this opportunity he studied Zen- do's commentary ah'eady alluded to. He repeated his examination altogether eight times. At last he noticed a passage in it, heginning with the words 'Chief! 3^ remember or repeat the name of Amitabha wnth a whole and undivided heart' (Ts-shin-sen-nen- mi-da-myo-go), etc. Then he at once understood tlie thought of Zen-do, who taught in his work that whoever at any time practises to remember Buddha or calls his name only once, will gain the right effect of going to be born in the Pure Land after death. Gen-ku then abandoned all sorts of practices, which he had hitherto followed for years; and began to repeat the name of Buddlia Amitabha sixty thou- sand times a day. This event occurred in 1175 A.D., when Gen-kti was in his forty- third year. The name of Jo~do-shu or Pare Land sect was first known in Japan in this year. This account is given in the Choku-shu-den, or Life of Gen-ku compiled by Imperial Order, and the Sen-jaku-shu, that is Gen-ku' s own work. Gen-ku was very famous in his life-time. He JO-DO-SHf. 109 became tlie spiritual preceptor of the thr^ Emperors Taka-kura, Go Slura-kawa^ and Go To-ba. After bis death, his biography wa compiled in forty- eight volumes, by Imperial Order. It was copied by three other Emperors Fushi-mi, Go Fushi-mi, and Go Ni-jo. Before Gen-ku, there were eminent priests in Japan, such as I\u-ya, Ei-kwan, and E-shin also called Gen-shin, who all preached this doctrine, but had no successors. Gen-ku had hundreds of disciples. Among them, Sho-ko of Chin-zei and Zenne of Sei-zan were the principal ones. At present there are myriads of monasteries and priests of this sect in the Empire. II. The doctrine of the sect. Do-shaku says in his work, the An-raku-shu, that there are two divij^ions in the tea chin 2: of ASTd^va- CD h. muni, namely, Idahayana (Dai-jo) and Ilinayana (Sho-jo). In the former again, there are two gates, viz., the Holy Path (Sho-do) and the Pure Land (Jo-do). The Ilinayana is the doctrine by which the immediate disciples of Buddha, and those of the period of five hundred years after Buddha, practised the three AS'ikshas (San-gaku) or trainings of Adhi.'^'ihl (Kai) or Miigher morality,' AdhiA'itta (Jo) or Miigher thought,' and Adliipra^/z/a (E) or Miigher learning,' and obtained in their present life the four holy fruits of Srota-apanna, Sakr/d-agamin, Anagamiu, and 110 .TO-DO-SHU. Arhat. Tlie gate of the Maliayana is also the doctrine by which man practises the three trainings above mentioned; and in his present life, lie under- stands the three virtues of Dharma-kaya (Hosshin) or 'spiritual body,' Pra^ila (Han-nya) or ^wisdom,' and Mokslia (Ge-datsn) or ' deliverance.' The man who is able to do this is no ordinary one, but has natural vigour, and is supposed to possess merit produced from good actions performed in a former state of existence. The firmness of this man's liearfc is as hard as a rock, and his fearlessness of any obstacles is like a brave soldier's crashing his enemy. The doctrine which causes man to do so, is called the gate of the Holy Path, and the mm is called one who enters the holy state in this world. Dm-ing fifteen hundred years after Buddha, there were such personages in the world from time to time. The flourishing state of Buddhism at that period and the lives of those eminent priests are to be seen from several compilations of their memoirs. Now, as the present time belongs to the -Latter Day of the Law (Mappo), people become insincere, tlieir covetousnsss and anger daily increase, and their contentions yearly arise. Tlie three trainings already alluded to are the correct causes of deliverance; but if people think them as useless as last year's almanac, when can they complete their deliverance? Gen-ku, therefore, deeply thinking of this, shut up the gate of JO-DO-SHtJ. Ill the Holy Fath aixl opened tliat of the Pure Land. For in the former the effect of deliverance is expected in this world by the three truinings of morality, thought and learning; and in the hitter the great fruit of going to he horn in the Pure Land after death isexpGctel through the sole practice of repeating Buddha's name. Moreover it is not easy to accom- plish the cause and effect of the Holy Path. But those of the doctrine of the Pure Land are both very easy to he completed. This difference is compared with going by land and water in Byu-ju's work. Both the gates of the Holy Path and Pure Land, being the docrine of JMahayana, have the same object to attain to the state of Buddhahood. As the time and people f^r the two gates are not the same, the dotrines are necessarily different, just as one uses a carriage on the land, while another employs a sliip \\])OTL the water.