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NAMU AMIDA BUTSU

I take refuge in Amida Buddha

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The entire THREE SUTRAS of Pure Land Buddhism

SUTRA ON CONTEMPLATION OF BUDDHA AMITAYUS

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, or Shin Buddhism, is based upon the teachings and writings of Shinran Shonin (1173-1262) and Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499). Shinran expounded the "True Pure Land Way", or the path whose "practice" is total faith in and reliance upon Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and Life. Amida Buddha must be considered the greatest of all buddhas because He extends salvation from the world of suffering to all who simply take refuge in him and attain that state of settled faith known as "shinjin" or "faith-mind." True Shin Buddhism teaches that there is no concern greater than attaining shinjin, and moreover, that attaining shinjin is the sole objective of the Nembutsu path, reciting "Namu Amida Butsu" (I take refuge in Amida Buddha) singlemindedly and with simple gratitude for the benevolent salvation that we receive in this life with the promise of Buddhahood at the end of this life when we go to the Pure Land (jodo) of Amida Buddha. The Collected Works of Shinran include poems, letters, and his great treatise, KyoGyoShinSho ("Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Attainment"). For a summary of Shinran's teachings, see the Tannisho (link below), a short book composed by his follower Yuienbo with key quotes directly from Shinran. Tannisho represents Jodo Shinshu Buddhism in perhaps its most distilled and yet most simple and accessible form.

Jodo Shinshu Buddhism teaches that faith in Amida Buddha cuts the bonds to our negative karma from the infinite past and into the infinite future. It is the faith behind the Nembutsu that is a person's link to Amida Buddha, who -- the Larger Sutra says -- created a "Pure Land" of infinite positivity and zero negativity where people go after they die, wherein they will realize full enlightenment (nirvana) and buddhahood. Amida Buddha was revealed to the world in three great Mahayana sutras attributed to the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, who lived and taught in India ca. 563-483 BCE. See the links to these sutras above.

The "Three Sutras" of Pure Land Buddhism expound the doctrine of the Pure Land of Amida Buddha, how it was created aeons ago by Dharmakara Bodhisattva, and the way to birth in Amida Buddha's Pure Land. These sutras were all written down about 2,000 years ago, the same time as were the Lotus Sutra, the Flower Garland Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra and the other Mahayana sutras.

These are the Seven Patriarchs of the True Pure Land Way, selected and eulogized by Shinran in his Koso Wasan ("Hymns on the Patriarchs") and in his Shoshinge.

After Shinran, the next major figure in the history of Jodo-shinshu is Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499). Following his death, a selection of several dozen letters written by Rennyo were selected from the 200 or so which survived. These letters form the collection called "Gobunsho" (Nishi Honganji name) or "Ofumi" (Higashi Honganji name). The Shin Buddhist Resource Center is posting English translations of these letters on-line. 32 of Rennyo's letters have been posted so far. Equally interesting are the more informal quotations of Rennyo in the "Goichidaiki Kikigaki", a compilation of thoughts and statements attributed to Rennyo Shonin and those around him during his lifetime. The compilation is considered to be the work of his son Jitsugo (b. 1492) and contains a total of 314 statements in two volumes. Follow this link to read Articles 1-90 of Book 1 of "Goichidaiki Kikigaki."

An anonymous treatise called "On the Attainment of Faith" or Anjin Ketsujo Sho, dating from perhaps 13-14th century Japan, is a text which Rennyo praised highly as a "gold mine" of reflection on Pure Land faith.