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Therefore its faitli and practice have for their only object to follow the ' Otlier Power of the Original Prayer ' (Hon-gwan-ta-riki), and to go to be born in the Pure Land of the Buddha. The Original Prayer is the eighteenth of his forty-eight prayers, which is as follows: — 'If any of living beings of the ten regions, who have believed in me with true thoughts and desire to be born in my country, and have even to ten times repeated the thought (of my name), should not be born there, then may I not obtain the perfect knowledge.' This Original Prayer sprang from his gerat com- passinate desire, which longed to deliver living beings from suffering. With this Original Prayer, he practised good actions during many kalpas, intend- ing to bring his stock of merits to maturity for the sake of other living beings. All his actions, speeches and thoughts were always pure and true, so that he accomylished his great compasionate desire. It is also called the great and wide wisdom of Buddha. This Praver and Practice excelled those of all other 12G SHIN-SHXJ. Biiddhas. The state of Buddha which is the fruit of such a cause is called Amida, or Amitabha and Amitayus, that is, 'Immeasurable Light' and ' Immeasurable Life. It also means the perfection and unlimitedness of wisdom and compassion. Therefore he can take hold of the faithful beings within his own light and let them go to be born in his Pure Land. This is called the ' Other Power of the Original Prayer.' The creed of the sect is explained as the believing thought which follows the Original Prayer, and is in correspondence with the wisdom of Buddha. This is the same as the therefold faith enumerated in the Original Prayer, namely, 1. the true thought, 2. the belief, and 3. the desire to be born in the Pure Land. Though these are reckoned as three, the substance is only one, that is called the ' believing thought,' or the ' one thought.' If we examine our own heart, it is far from being pure and true, being bad and despicable, false and hypocritical. How can we cut off all our passions and reach Nirva?za by our own power ! How can we also form the threefold ftiith ! Therefore knowing the inability of our own power, we should believe simply in the vicarious Power of the Original Prayer. If we do so, we are in corre- spondence with the wisdom of Buddha and share his great compassion, just as the water of rivers becomes salt as soon as it enters the sea. For this reason, SHIN-SHU. 127 this is called the faith in the 'Other Power '(Ta- riki). If we dwell in such a faith, our practice follows spontaneously, as we feel thankful for the favour of Buddha, remember his mercy, and repeat his name. This is the 'repetition of the thought (of Buddha's name) only ten times,' as spoken in the Original Prayer. It does, of course, not limit to the number ten, so that the words Nai-shi, or 'even to' are added. There will be some who may repeat the name of Buddha for the whole life, while walking, dwelling, sitting or lying down. Some may, how- ever, do the Nembutsii, or 'remembrance of Buddha' only once before they die. Whether often or not, our practice of repeating Buddha's name cert:iinly follows our faith. This is explained as we can con- stantly practise Buddha's compassion, because we share the great merciful heart of Buddha. Again this Nem-butsu does not only mean to invocate Buddha's name, but the body and thought are also in correspondence with it, and not separated from the Buddha's mercy. This is not the action of the 'self power' of ignorant people. It is therefore called the practice of the ' Other Power ' (Ta-riki-no-ki-gyo). This faith and practice are easy of attainment by auy one. Accordingly the general Buddhistic rules of * becoming homeless, and free from worldly desires, in order to attain to Buddhahood,' are not considered as 128 ISHIN-SHU. essential in this sect. Consequently even the priests of the sect are allowed to marry and eat flesh and fish, while those of all other Buddhist sects are strictly prohibited from doing so. Those who belong to this sect are recommended to keep to their occupation properly, and to discharge their duty, so as to be able to live in harmony. They should also cultivate their persons and regulate their families. They sould keep order and obey the laws of the o;overnment, and do the best for the sake of the country. Buddha says in the Great Sutra ( i. e. the larger Sukhavativyuha ) : ^ You should separate your- selves from all evil, and select and practise what is good, thinking and cansidedng well.' The followers of this sect are already in correspondence with the Original Prayer of Amitabha Buddha, so that they are also in harmony with the instruction of /S'alq^a- muni, and the general teaching on morality. This is the Sa?7zvrtti-satya (Zoku-tai), or truth by general consent, a part of the doctrine of this sect, which has reference to the distinction of good and evil in conduct in this world. Now, as to the Paramartha-satya (Shin-dai), or 'true truth,' which refers to ths distinction of belief and doubt in the mind, what benefits do the believers derive by their putting faith in Buddha.'^ In the present life, they become the members of the Sam- yaktva-rasi (Sho-jo-ju), or ^mass of absolute truth.' SHiN-SHU. 129 In the next life they attain to Nirvana (Metsu-do). In the first place, the mass of absolute truth means the class of beings who will certainly be born in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, and attain to Nirva;2a there in the next life. They are taken hold of within the light of Amitabha Buddha, joyful in heart, practising always the great compassion of Buddha, and suffer transmigration no more. There- fore they are called Avaivartikas (Fu-tai-ten), or * those who never return again.' They derive this benefit at the moment of their putting faith in Buddha. In the second place, to attain to Nirvmia means to join the state of enlightenment of Amitabha Bud- dha, as soon as they are born in his Pure Land The cause of their going there, is to receive the great mercy and w-isdom of Buddlm; so that they can most assuredly attain to the state of Buddha (or NirviVia), in which both the mercy and wisdom are full and perfect. The cause and effect are quite natural in- deed. Those who belong to several schools of the Holy Path have to practise the three trainings of the liigher morality, thought and learning, with their own power, and destroy all hunman passions, in order to attain to Nirva?ia. Those of the other schools of the doctrine of the Pure Land are said to attain to Buddhahood, having practised good works for a long time in the Pure Land, where they are born 130 SHlN-SHU. •from here. But in the True sect, the difference is explained by the term 0-jo-soku-jo-butsu, or Agoing to be born (in the Pure Land) is becoming Buddha,' That is to say, when the believers abandon the impure body of the present life (i. e. die) and are born in that Pure Land, they at once accomplish the highest and most excellent fruit of Nirva?za. This is because they simply rely upon the Other Power of the Original Prayer. In this sect; neither spells nor supplications to Buddhas or other objects w^orshipped are employed for avoiding misfortunes, because misfortunes are ori- ginated either in the far causes of previous exisstences, or in those of the present life. The latter kind of causes should be carefully avoided ; so that the be- lievers in this doctrine, following Buddha's instruction, may become free from the present causes of misfor- tunes. But the far causes, having been originated in previous existences, cannot be stopped. As to the past, reproof is useless; but the future may be provid- ed against. This is the reason why anything like a spell is not at all used in this sect. Moreover the principle of Buddhism is to obtain release from the state of transmis^ration and enter that of Nirva?ia. Then, no happiness or misfortune. of this world can desturl) the thoughts of the believers. But when they turn their thoughts towards the good of others, the peace of the world should of course be desired by SHIN-SHU. 131 them. If so, they should do notliing hnt follow the instruction of Buddha ASTdcyamuni. Then there will .follow ultimately such benefits as the world Mng harmonious, the country prosperous, and the people peaceful. 132 CHAPTEK XII. The Nichi-roQ-shti, or Niclii-ren sect. T. A history of the sect. (a) The origin of the establishment of the sect.