Rennyo Shonin Goichidaiki-kikigaki
"Thus I have Heard from Rennyo Shonin"

translation with notes
by Zuio Hisao Inagaki

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Section 3 (61-90)

(61) Offerings given by the Buddha:
　　Zenshu said, "When I make offerings to the Shonin, I do it as if they were my own. How shameful!" When asked why, he said, "They are the things given by the Buddha but I offer them to the Shonin as if there were my own gift. My role is only to pass the Buddha's gift over to the Shonin. How shameful I am to make these offerings as if they were my own."
　　[Note] Zenshu: The Buddhist name of Shimotsuma Koshu 下間光宗; the 　third son of Shimotsuma Gen'ei 下間玄英; the Shimotsuma family was an 　　　influential Shinshu family that was closely associated with the Honganji for many generations.

(62) Kazue of Gunke Village in Settu Province:
　　A man named Kazue lived in Gunke Village in Settu Province. Since he recited the nembutsu incessantly, he used to cut himself while shaving. He recited the nembutsu forgetting that he was shaving. He said, "It seems that people of the world cannot say the nembutsu even for a short while unless they move their mouths intentionally. How shameful!"
　　[Note] Kazue of Gunke Village: The founder of Myoenji Temple in Settsu 　Province in the pesent-day Takatsuki City.

(63) Hear the Buddha-Dharma well when young:
A man of the Buddha-Dharma said, "Hear the Buddha-Dharma well when young. When you grow old, you will find walking difficult and also get sleepy (when hearing the Dharma). Therefore, hear the Buddha-Dharma well when young.

(64) Arranging the mind:
　　"(The Tathagata) arranges our minds," so it is said. "Arranging our minds" means that (the Tathagata), leaving our minds as they stand, adds a good mind to them. It does not mean that he removes our (defiled) minds and fills them with the Buddha-wisdom.

(65) To save yourself:
　　Nothing is dearer to you than your wife and children. It would be a shame if you could not guide them into the Buddha-Dharma. Be that as it may, if they lack stored good from previous lives, there is nothing you can do about them. Should you not save yourself in the first place?

(66) Do not be too much absorbed in secular matters:
　　Kyomonbo said, "If you are too much absorbed in secular matters without having shinjin, hell comes closer to you day by day. When the result of too much absorption in secular matters becomes evident, you will find hell nearby. From outside, you cannot tell whether one has shinjin or not. Don't assume that you live long; instead, think that you have only this day to live. This is the advice of an adept of Shin Buddhism from of old."

(67)　Making a vow once:
　　"Once you have made a vow, it will become your lifelong vow. Once you have established a disciplinary rule for yourself, it will be with you for life. The reason is that if you die as soon as you have made a vow, it becomes your vow for life."
[Note] This is believed to be Rennyo's remark recorded by Kyomonbo, Dosai's nephew who studied under Rennyo and transmitted his sayings to Rennyo's sons.

(68) Kakunyo's poem:
　　"Don't forget that you have only today to live.
Otherwise, your desires will increase more and more."
　　　[Note] According to the Bokieshi 慕帰絵詞 (Pictures and Passages in Memory and Adoration), Fasc. 5, Kakunyo's poems were compiled as the Kansoshu 閑窓集 (Collection of Poems Composed by the Leisurey Window), now lost .

(69) A pictorial image is preferred to the Name:
　　In other schools, a pictorial image is preferred to the Name; a wooden statue is preferred to a pictorial image. In our school, a pictorial image is preferred to a wooden statue; the Name is preferred to a pictorial image.
　　[Note] In Jodoshinshu, the Name is used as the object of 　　　　　　　veneration. It is usually the six-character Name, Namo Amida Butsu, but three other Names are also used: 1) Kimyo Jinjippo Mugeko Nyorai (ten-character Name), 2) Namo Fukashigiko Nyorai (nine-character Name), and 3) Namo Fukashigiko Butsu (eight-character Name).

(70) Condense ten into one:
　　At the Northern Hall of the Head Temple [in Yamashina], Rennyo Shonin said to Hokyo-bo, "In dealing with anything, I make it a rule to consider the capacity of a person and give him one tenth of what I need to tell him, so that it will be easier for him to get to the point. The person in question, however, does not understand this."
　　The Shonin nowadays writes shorter letters. He remarks, "In my advanced age, I easily get tired of listening to others' talk and fail to catch what they say. So I only write down what is important which everyone can understand with ease."
　　[Note] According to the Yamashina renshoki 山科連署記 (Jointly Signed Record at Yamashina), compiled by eight of Rennyo's disciples in the year of his passing, Rennyo wrote his letters after cutting down the contents to the minimum.

(71) The basis of shinjin is the Name:
　　When young, Hoin Ken'en was living in Futamata. Many followers came to the temple to ask Rennyo to paint a number of small-size Myogo. At that time, the Shonin asked them, "Have each of you attained shinjin?"
Ken'en said, "I have been told, 'The basis of shinjin is the Name.' In connection with this, I remember what I heard when I was young."
　　　[Note] Ken'en was Rennyo's sixteenth son (1468-1514). When young, he lived at the Honsenji Temple in Futamata in Kaga Province (the present-day Fukui Prefecture). Later, he founded the Honsenji at Wakamatsu and became the leader of the Shin followers in Kaga Province.

(72) Hyugaya and Ryomyo
　　Rennyo Shonin is said to have remarked, "Hyugaya of Sakai was a wealthy man possessed of 300,000 kan. He died but I fear that he did not become a Buddha. Ryomyo of Yamato Province was hardly able to buy a hemp garment but will become a Buddha after death.
　　　[Note] Hyugaya was the store name of a wealthy man who lived in Sakai.
　　　Kan is a unit of currency; one kan is equivalent to a thousand mon; one mon is the smallest unit of currency..
　　　Ryomyo was a Shin follower in Yamato Province (present-day Nara Prefecture).

(73) One wishes to hear something special
　　Hossho of Kyuhoji Village asked Rennyo Shonin, "I understand that only by entrusting myself to Amida with singleness of heart, can my birth in the Pure Land become certain. Is this correct?"
　　Someone sitting beside him commented, "What you are saying is nothing unusual. Why don't you ask some other question?"
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "That is exactly where you are wrong. What is wrong with you is that you want to hear and know something unusual. After having acquired shinjin, you should speak your mind over and over as Hossho does."
　　　[Note] Hossho of Kyuhoji Village: Rennyo's disciple when he was dwelling at the Jiganji 慈願寺Temple in the Kawachi Province (present-day Osaka Prefecture).

(74) Lip service
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "Those who confess that they are lacking shinjin are honest. I am grieved to see some who speak as if they had shinjin and then equivocate about it pass their life in vain."

(75) Amida Buddha's direct exposition
　　The school founded by Shinran Shonin is based on Amida Tathagata's direct exposition. Hence, it is stated in a Letter, "In the words of Amida Tathagata...."
　　　[Note] The Letter here referred to is the ninth letter in the fourth collection.

(76) The one who teaches entrusting to Amida
　　Rennyo Shonin said to Hokyo-bo, "Do you know the one who taught you entrusting to Amida?"
　　Hokyo-bo Junsei replied, "No, I don't know, Shonin."
The Shonin said, "I will teach you who it was. It is customary in the world that when a blacksmith or a carpenter teaches some technique, he expects a fee. What I am going to teach you is a matter of great importance. Bring something as the fee. Then I will teach you."
　　"Certainly; anything you say, Shonin," replied Junsei.
　　The Shonin continued, "The person who taught this is Amida Tathagata. Amida Tathagata teaches us to entrust ourselves to Him."

(77) To become a Buddha is an extraordinary thing:
　　Hokyo-bo said to Rennyo Shonin, "The Myogo you have painted has been destroyed by fire but it has become six Buddhas. How extraordinary!"
　　The Shonin remarked, "It is nothing extraordinary. Since the Buddha (that the Name represents) has become a Buddha, it is nothing extraordinary. What is extraordinary is that an evil bombu becomes a Buddha through a single thought of entrusting to Amida."
　　　[Note] Rennyo's close disciple; also Junsei 順誓; 1421-1510. He founded the Enshoji 円照寺 Temple in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

(78) Don't forget divine provisions:
　　"Since, morning and evening, everything is provided for us by Amida Tathagata and Shinran Shonin, we should deeply acknowledge these divine provisions," so says Rennyo Shonin from time to time.

(79) "Chew but not swallow":
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "There is a saying, 'One should be told to chew but not to swallow.' Even though you have wives and children and eat fish and chickens, thus burdened with the hindrance of karmic evils, you should not behave as you will."
　　　[Note] The meaning of this saying is that one should bite and chew the food well and not swallow it whole.

(80) The Buddha-Dharma is the teaching of non-ego:
　　"The Buddha-Dharma is the teaching of non-ego," says Rennyo Shonin. He continues, "Even a fraction of ego should not be involved in the dealings of life. Nobody thinks that he is wrong. This is what Shinran Shonin cautions us against in strong terms."
　　This school teaches the Other-Power. Egoistic pursuits should be avoided by all means. Non-ego was often taught by the former abbot, too.
　　　[Note] The former abbot refers to Jitsunyo 実如; he was the ninth abbot of the Honganji.

(81)　Asking questions is beneficial
　　"It will do you good if you ask your teacher questions even about something you know well, so it is said. How wonderful is the statement that asking questions even about something you are familiar with is beneficial." So said Rennyo Shonin.
　　He continued, "How much more wonderful it is to ask questions about something you do not know!"
　　　[Note] "So it is said": This is a remark in the Jodo kenmonshu 浄土見聞集 (What I have learnt about the Pure Land Teaching) ascribed to Zonkaku 存覚.

(82) "Intention to sell"
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "When people hear the Dharma, most of them do not think it is for their own sake. They are likely to have the intention of remembering even one Dharma phrase and 'selling' it to other people.

(83) Give heed to Amida's unseen protection
　　Amida Tathagata is clearly aware of the minds of those who entrust themselves to Him. So keep your mind responsive to Amida. That is to say, give heed to His unseen protection with a sense of reverent awe.

(84) The teaching transmitted in this school
　　The former abbot said, "The teaching transmitted from Rennyo Shonin is nothing special. There is nothing to be said apart from the one-thought of entrusting to Amida. I really know nothing else. I give you my word on that."
　　　[Note] The former abbot: Jitsunyo Shonin 実如上人, the eighth son of Rennyo and the ninth chief abbot (monshu) of the Honganji Temple.

(85) The proof of bombu's birth in the Pure Land
　　He also said, "Concerning bombu's birth in the Pure Land, if they should not become Buddhas with a single thought of entrusting to Amida, I could present any amount of proof to the contrary. The proof is Namo amida butsu. Buddhas of the ten quarters are the witnesses.

(86) Say something:
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "Say something, will you? Those who say nothing are to be feared." Also, "Whether you have shinjin or not, just say something." Further, "If you say something, what you have in mind will show. Accordingly, you will be corrected by others. So just say something."

(87) Correct chanting in the services:
　　Rennyo Shoshin said, "You think that you can perform Buddhist services without correct knowledge of notations. Your chanting is not good at all." He used to reprimand Kyoshin-bo on that account.
　　In this connection, Rennyo Shonin stated, "Those who are completely wrong should not be blamed for being wrong. They simply lack correct judgement and, so, they are not in the wrong. What is wrong is that those who are familiar with the teaching and the proper manner should act wrongly."

(88) Dip the basket in the water:
　　A man spoke his mind, saying, "My mind is like pouring water into a basket.When I listen to the Buddha-Dharma in the hall, I am filled with a grateful and reverential feeling. When I leave there, however, I revert to my old mind."
　　This was Rennyo Shonin's admonition, "Put you basket into the water. Keep your body soaked in the water of Dharma." He continued, "You go wrong when shinjin is lacking. What the master refers to as wrong is lack of shinjin."

(89) Read the scriptures over and over:
　　When you read the scriptures, there is no use just passing your eyes over them. Rennyo Shonin advised, "Make a point of reading the scriptures over and over." Also, "There is a saying, 'If you read a passage a hundred times, its meaning becomes clear by itself.' Remember this. The passages of the scriptures should be understood as they are. After that, you can refer to the master's personal instructions and orally transmitted teaching. Arbitrary interpretations should never be applied.

(90) Other-Power shinjin:
　　Rennyo Shonin said, "There will be no mistake if you read the scriptures in the light of Other-Power shinjin."

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