Chapter 19.
Nembutsu -- Myokonin
In order to strengthen a holistic understanding of the
Nembutsu as a way of life, it is appropriate to again consult the
history of Shin tradition and view in terms of their impact on our own
attitudes towards existence, the remarkable group of Shin Buddhists who
are called myokonin, or "wonderfully good people."
Every existential faith produces an ideal type who
embodies the true tendencies of a religion. In Christianity there is the
saint, in Islam the Sufi mystic, in Judaism the hasid, in Taoism the
sage, in Hinduism the acharya, mahatma, in Buddhism the arhat and
bodhisattva, and in Buddhist history in Japan, the bosatsu and hijiri.
If it is to have profound influence, religion must be expressed in
personality, not merely in theory, as each of the foregoing -- and, in
Shin Buddhism, the myokonin -- does.
In recent years myokonin have been brought to the
forefront of Shinshu religious life, and considerations of its nature
and meaning, by Dr. Daisetsu Suzuki, who gave us insight into their
attitudes in such writings as "The Myokonin" and "Sayings
of a Modern Tariki Mystic" in his "A Miscellany on Shin Buddhism,"
his "Kono Mama (I am that I am) on Saichi" and
"Translations from Saichi's Journal" in "Mysticism: Christian
and Buddhist." In addition, several articles on the subject have appeared
in the American Buddhist: "Portrait of a Myokonin, Genza" in
October 1971; "Shoma of Sanuki Province," by Rev. Jitsuen
Kakehashi, in March 1972; and "Myokonin -- an Aspect of Faith,"
by Rev. Tsunoda, in November, 1972.
The term "myokonin" became more prominent in the Edo
period (1600-1868) with the production of "Myokoninden" -- a collection of
biographies of myokonin based on the teachings of Shinran and Honen,
which originated during the later years of the Tokugawa period. Stories
of farmers, merchants, and samurai as myokonin and their unlettered,
simple manifestation of faith were used to stimulate people to emulate
their virtues. Politically, this was promoted to encourage in others the
myokonin sense of acceptance and compliance. Many stories support the
feudal order, and meet certain problems such as the rise of new
religions, pursuit of worldly benefits among peasants, and unethical
behavior in the Shin order. In our 20th century, D.T. Suzuki and
Teramoto Eitatsu described the myokonin Saichi to show spiritual
self-awareness. The contemporary biographies of myokonin like Saichi
emphasize their inner religious consciousness. In the Shin tradition,
there are two contending views of their significance: the one that they
are not typical of religious life and are heretical; the other that they
are the elemental and pure expressions of Shinshu.
Through their self-introspection, the myokonin
perceived within themselves the activity of the great life power based
on Jinen honi, the "truth that becomes so by itself," of which
Shinran wrote in the last years of his life. According to Dr. Suzuki,
the term "myoko" refers to the wondrous beauty of the lotus flower which
became a symbol for spiritually developed human persons. Few comparable
terms such as this are found in Buddhism, although Honen had said that
faith could not be attained "unless one became like an unlettered
nun," (Amanyudo).
Undo Gido has analyzed the variety of types and three
major forms of myokonin. In the form of religious consciousness they
share internal joy and their joyful appearance is a form of external
propagation. In their lifestyle, the myokonin may range from an egoless
form, a wisdom form, a self-reflection form, to a unifying form. In
personality, the myokonin may have a severe form, a gentle form, an
argumentative form, or a wisdom (sagacious) form. In relation to the
society of their times, myokonin have appeared in various stances. They
appeared first within the Clan-Shogunate system, then at the end of the
Shogunate and in the Restoration period, and next within the system of
Imperial Absolutism of Meiji and Taisho. Today, they are to be discerned
within modern democratic society. Such distinctions represent an attempt
to see the myokonin in relation to their progressive or conservative
ethical orientation resulting from their religious views. [1]
It remains a problem whether the myokonin's
characteristic passivity resulting from deep religious experience is
simply compliance or a form of resistance. Social analysis does not
determine this in the hundreds of individuals whose actions and
attitudes speak eloquently of the potentialities in Shin faith to
produce such "wonderfully good people." As Rev. Tsunoda notes:
"In the lives of these people we find many such related
incidents - in which the emotions are ranked as far superior to the
intellect. Faith to them is how you feel in your heart and how that
feeling is manifested outwardly -- in acts of rejoicing, crying,
laughing, etc." [2]
While the myokonin may appear sentimental and
emotional, what is at issue is the involvement of their whole being in
their faith and how that faith flowed out when stimulated by the
situation in which they found themselves.
They were also individuals who, standing in the stream
of history and confronting the problems of their existence, achieved a
deeper subjective awareness of the true nature of their lives. They
fulfil the principle of Shinran and that of Kierkegaard: "Truth is
subjectivity." This awareness permitted them to find meaning
despite conditions in their lives and times of political powerlessness
and economic poverty. Although they have been criticized for their
social acquiescence and compliance to the demands of a despotic social
order, it has been pointed out by some scholars that their compliance
was not the unconscious subservience of the typical individual, but a
compliance founded in a deeper perspective of their relations to
reality. They conformed, but they were not slaves of the order. In fact,
they had an inner autonomy that transcended the social order.
According to Dr. Suzuki, the myokonin do not allow
abstract theory and cares in the mind to obstruct faith, and they rely
on the Other Power which flows in despite the existence of
"84,000" passions. Saichi declares:
"I may be in possession of 84,000 evil passions,
And Amida too is 84,000 --
This is the meaning of oneness of Namu-amida-butsu." [3]
Myokonin tend to have no social status. They appear in
villages, in market places, in a variety of occupations. Since Pure Land
Buddhism, including Shinshu, was persecuted in the post Kamakura period
in Japan, they tended to adopt a passive attitude. This tendency gained
strength from the idea of being a defiled person of the last age,
inferior and low in potential. The attitudes which they expressed were
Arigatai -- thankfulness, Mottainai -- unworthiness, and katejikenai
-- gratitude. Such attitudes, under social or political stress, were
generally non-resistant and harmless.
Most characteristic of the
myokonin is their attitude of absolute acceptance despite any evil or
danger, and their ability within such difficult, threatening
circumstances, to express joy and gratitude. Such was possible because
of the unification in their person of the Shinshu experience of faith --
the simultaneity and spontaneity of gratitude and repentance. Theirs was
an inner trans-ethical conversion that realized the unity of Buddha and
being (Ki-ho-ittai). The awareness of this transforming, permeating
sense of oneness and interdependence as expressed in the Nembutsu is
indicated in their free and uninhibited life attitude -- an attitude
that goes beyond social compliance and social ethic, that roots in
Nature -- Jinen. There develops in these myokonin an inner autonomy
resulting from the self-denial which opens them to the relation with the
absolute dharma. The theological bases of their religious outlook
consist of the principles of the Unity of Buddha and Beings (Bonbutsuittai,
Kihoittai) and the concept of Jinenhoni, naturalness, stressed by
Shinran (truth becoming so by itself). The subtle non-dual-duality of
their Shin consciousness is succinctly expressed by Saichi:
"How wretched!
What is it that makes up my heart?
It is no other than my own filled with infinitude of guilt,
Into which the two syllables na-mu have come,
And by these syllables infinitude of guilt is borne,
It is Amida who bears infinitude of guilt.
The oneness of the ki and the ho --
'Namu-amida-butsu!'" [4]
In more emotional terms, Saichi exclaims:
"My joy!
How beyond thought!
Self and Amida and the Namu-Amida-Butsu.
How fine!
The whole world and vastness of space is Buddha!
And I am in it --
'Namu-amida-butsu!'" [5]
"My heart and Oya-sama --
We have just one heart
Of Namu-amida-butsu" [6]
While contemporary critics may view these
characteristics as socially irrelevant because of the conformity they
produce, as we consider the models we need for dealing with our modern
problems, we must not overlook the religious basis of the myokonin and
its relation to their lives. Suzuki asks whether, granted that such
attitudes are good for individual existence, are they good for
collective life? Passivity, to a robber, also has social implications. A
society is made of individuals, but we must strive to produce people who
do not become robbers and for this kind of development, the Pure Land
understanding of life needs cultivation. The importance of such an
understanding embodied in the myokonin yields the meaning of Tariki --
Other Power -- as the foundation of social life as well as for the
individual lives which make up society. The myokonin, like Shinran,
express a deep sense of personal imperfection and sinfulness. Mrs. Mori,
a myokonin, conveys this:
"Though in parental relationship with Amida,
I cannot help from time to time
Being bothered with evil thought.
How shameful indeed! Namu-amida-butsu!
How hard I try not to cherish them!"
"Looking at my evil self
I realize what a deplorable thing it is.
Truly an old hag, this disgusting ego!
But she is ever with Oya who refused to part with her.
How grateful indeed! Namu-amida-butsu!" [7]
As it had earlier for Shinran, this deep awareness of
their own limitations and weakness -- forced upon them through the
complexities of their lives -- became the revelation of the abiding
compassion of the Buddha to myokonin like Saichi and Mrs. Mori. They
believed that this awareness was itself the illumination of Amida's
light and the guarantee of their ultimate attainment. In that
confidence, fears and anxieties for the outcome of their lives melted
away, and they gave themselves over to joy and praise and even an
intimacy with the Buddha, whom they regarded as Oya-sama (parent).
Saichi expressed the parental sense of Amida which Oya-sama
indicates:
"Amida is my Oya-sama,
I am child of Amida;
Let me rejoice in Oya-sama,
in 'Namu-amida-butsu,'
The 'Namu-amida-butsu' belongs to child as well as to Oya-sama;
By this is known the mutual relationship (between Three and me)."
[8]
We should not miss the importance of their sense of
personal evilnesss for it marks as much a comment and judgment on their
age as it does an indication of their own inner life. As with Shinran,
they internalized the corruption of their age and understood their own
complicity in that corruption. Thus despite their apparent compliance to
contemporary social demand, they point to a deeper level for judging and
relating to life and those about them. Despite the unity of this world
and the Pure Land experienced by the myokonin, they did recognize its
evils:
"How dreadful!
This world known as shaba
Is where we endlessly commit all kinds of karma.
How thankful!
All this is turned into (the work of)
the Pure Land --- Unintermittently!" [9]
Perhaps the best way to approach the unique
perspective of the myokonin is to give a few examples of the type of
response they might make to situations. Shoma of Sanuki manifests the
type of intimacy the myokonin felt with Buddha. On one occasion, when he
went to the temple, he decided to take a nap and so he fell asleep
before the altar of Amida. When worshippers came in they scolded him,
declaring he was disrespectful. Shoma retorted, "You are the ones
who should be ashamed. I am in my father's home and when I am with my
father, isn't it only natural that I relax? You are the ones who are
acting as strangers to Amida."
Numerous such tales are told of Shoma, who is said to
have resembled a modern hippie, since he worked at odd jobs and was
itinerant. His intelligence is attested by the fact that he memorized
the Shoshinge of Shinran and the Gobunsho of Rennyo. He detested
superficial religion, the memorization of texts without comprehension of
them. Among the most striking of Shoma's encounters is the time he
worked in a bathhouse and was called upon to wash a magistrate's back.
While doing so, Shoma commented, "Taking (from others) to eat,
you've gotten fat." He slapped the magistrate on the back and
added, "Don't forget your indebtedness!" Everyone thought
Shoma would receive severe punishment because samurai could kill members
of the lower class without penalty. Later the magistrate summoned Shoma,
whom the village leader advised to offer a strong apology in order to
save his life. However, rather than exacting retribution by taking
Shoma's life, the magistrate said to the myokonin, "You're honest.
Now leave." So, in his own way, Shoma commented on the character of
life in the Japan of his time through his own direct and free
expression.
An interesting comment on religion comes from another
story of Shoma. On one occasion Shoma was assistant in a temple. He had
to carry in the sutras for a service sponsored by a rich supporter. When
they were entering the house, the priest told Shoma, "You enter
from the kitchen entrance." Shoma replied, "That's where you
should enter." In this instance, Shoma was remarking on the
assumption of status of the priest merely because he wore the kesa,
while Shoma, even though carrying the sacred books themselves, was
regarded as a lower person. It was Shoma's way of noting that all are
equal before the Buddha. This went even to the point of bowing to a dog.
When questioned on that occasion by a priest, Shoma replied they, too,
were objects of Amida's Vow.
The myokonin, Genza, expresses the seriousness of
faith in his custom of helping people to attain serene faith. Though of
advanced age, he would go out on cold mornings against the advice of his
family. He would reply to their admonitions:
"I fully appreciate your worry over me, but I must
remind you that I am going over for the most important matter in life.
Most things you can do-over or make-up in this world, but this matter of
life and death is just one chance, and when this is misunderstood, then
everything is lost for the poor fellow." [10]
Genza even injected humor into his situation. When a
friend commented how difficult it must be to hurry so with his bent
back, he replied, "No, no bother about walking, because as you can
see, my head is already going ahead of me and the only thing to do now
is to see that my legs would go forward in time to keep me from falling
head-on."
Then there is the instance of Seikuro, who was a very
diligent farmer and never missed giving the tribute which officials
demanded, though other farmers fled. In recognition of his dutiful
attitude towards the government, Seikuro received exemption from the
annual tribute and the privilege to take firewood from the manorial
hills. He also was put in charge of the lands. However, he refused on
the basis it would interfere with his religious life. This is an example
that despite compliance with the social order, the myokonin was not its
slave and retained his own existence. In all these instances, the
myokonin not only exemplified a wondrously good person, but also one
embraced by the mystery of goodness, the fully harmonized person in
life. His faith is his being. His being is faith. They represent the
ideal of every age where people confront gaps in their lives:
contradictions between the inner and outer, and the higher and lower in
their being.
Strength of commitment is manifested among other
myokonin such as the case of one Ryoken, a follower of Rennyo. When
there was a temple fire, he rushed in to save the volume on Realization
of the "Kyogyoshinsho" which had been forgotten. In so doing, he died from
the flames, but the book was preserved. In another instance there was
Araki Mataroku, a samurai. He constantly recited the Nembutsu and
received the ridicule of his fellows. When he was counseled to stop, he
pleaded that it came naturally to him and he could not stop. He made a
poem to the effect that though he endures people speaking of the Nembutsu
he voices and strives for prudence toward their criticism, for
himself already his own ragged Nembutsu is unbearable, as the rising
fire is too much for the water. On hearing this, his critics so admired
his sincerity that they stopped their ridicule.
These few examples reveal something of the inner
resolve of the myokonin, a state of mind and heart which formed the
basis of their religious existence. Despite various criticisms and
variation in attitude and action among the myokonin, they point the way
whereby an individual may take a stand in history based on his or her
own felt perception of the ultimate truth of life and the world. It is
no exaggeration to say that the myokonin as spiritual exemplar represent
very significant expressions of faith. They are the mirror in which
Shinshu sees in concrete form the working of Amida's compassion, the
absolute reliance of Amida's Vow.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. The word myokonin, which describes a remarkable
group of Shin Buddhists, literally means:
a) wonderfully good people b) highly enlightened
people c) very learned people 2. For which of the following reasons
was the ideal
of the myokonin promoted during the Edo period? Was it to:
a) encourage people to emulate their virtues b) draw more followers to Jodo
Shinshu c) show that faith was not dependent upon education
3. Which of the following statements regarding the
characteristics of the myokonin is false? They:
a) tend to have no social status b) express gratitude and joy even in the face of danger or
evil c) were so compliant that they became slaves of the social order 4. The lives of the myokonin reflect their realization
of "ki-ho-ittai," which means the:
a) sufferings of human beings b) unity of Buddha and
beings c) the awareness of the 84,000 evil passions
5. Many of the myokonin described their relationship
to the Buddha as that of:
a) teacher and student b) sister and brother c) parent and
child 6. Incidents in the lives of the myokonin show us
that they:
a) showed little strength of commitment b) had no sense of
humor
c) were fully harmonized people
Thought Questions
1. What is your personal impression of those
wonderfully good people called myokonin?
2. Do you think there is a place in 20th century
American society for such wonderfully good people? On a society that
places so much emphasis on assertiveness, self-confidence, and
self-reliance, what impact would someone like a myokonin have?
Bibliography
Suzuki, DT: "Miscellany on Shin Buddhism"
_________, "Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist"
Notes
[1] Shukyo Kenkyu, March 1968 [2]
American Buddhist, Nov. 1972, p. 3 3 D.T. Suzuki,
"Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist," p. 185 [4] Ibid., p.
188 [5] Ibid., p. 177 [6] Ibid., p.
178 [7] D.T. Suzuki, "Miscellany on Shin Buddhism," pp.
73-74 [8] D.T. Suzuki, "Mysticism: Christian and Buddhist," p.
179 [9] Ibid., p. 196
[10] "Portrait of a Myokonin -- Genza," American
Buddhist,
October, 1971. |
