MURYOKO
'Infinite Light'
Journal of Shin Buddhism
John Paraskevopoulos
Certainty
Our present age is marked by sense of unease and anxiety. Despite the prevailing cynicism in our society with respect to authority figures and traditional teachings, there remains, nevertheless, a hunger for moral certainties and for sure guidance in the midst of the manifold perplexities that assail modern man.
In their quest for these certainties, people are often led to extremes and end up adopting views and opinions that are 'black and white'. Whether this is in relation to ethics, politics or even religious beliefs, one is often struck by the rigidity and myopia with which certain views are entertained. It is as if the only way to provide a rock-solid perspective on our contemporary problems is to adhere to monolithic positions that are immutable, thus guaranteeing their authority. Needless to say, such attitudes invariably lead to the exacerbation of the very problems they seek to address and only serve to foster intolerance, prejudice and, ultimately, unhappiness.
The Buddha cautioned his followers in relation to 'views' and warned that they could ensnare us if we were not capable of a higher perspective from which the relativity of all views could be recognised. The Buddha's counsel in relation to this problem is also intimately related to his teachings on impermanency and non-attachment. Everything is subject to change and transformation. This maxim extends not only to the natural world including our very bodies but to the realm of thought and feeling. Nothing in this world is permanently fixed and so we should remain open, supple and flexible in relation to all facets of our experience. We should bend when bending is required and we should stand firm as long as it is appropriate to do so. Such judgements require wisdom and discernment and this is what the Buddha's teaching helps us to cultivate.
Does this mean that we should give up believing in anything because it may change or be shown to be wrong over time ? Does it mean that there are no certainties at all ? To think in this way would be another example of an extreme view and one should be cautioned against it for it is all too easy to fall into this trap as well. Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shin school of Mahayana Buddhism, once said that all things were false ('lies and gibberish') except the Nembutsu. What did he mean by such a strange and provocative statement ?
At first, it is difficult to understand the implications of this rather severe dismissal of many of the truths and certainties we hold dear. One can only begin to grasp it when we one begins to be awakened to that which Shinran describes as that which is 'true and real'. From that perspective, everything else must necessarily seem false and distorted. Well, one might ask, what is this 'privileged' perspective and how do I get it ? In fact, how do I know that even this is reliable ?
The first thing to recognize is that no amount of mere 'conceptual' argument is going to satisfy anyone. What is called for is a deeper realization than that which can be provided by our five sense and our ordinary modes of reflection. The deeper this realization, the deeper the conviction that accompanies it. The Nembutsu is the vehicle through which such an awareness can become possible. How is this so ? Because it is not human in origin. Simply put, it is the Mind of the Buddha of Infinite Light (Amida), with all that that implies, as it manifests itself in our ordinary, benighted minds. This seems inconceivable but it has been confirmed countless times in the experience of sincere seekers over thousands of years. The arising of the Buddha-Mind is brought about by having one's thoughts absorbed in Amida by reciting His Name (Namu Amida Butsu) which is none other than the form taken by the Buddha in order to enter our hearts and illuminating them with His boundless wisdom and compassion. This experience is known as shinjin.
The result of such a transformation having taken place is that we are no longer subject, or in thrall to, conventional mundane views of the world. We are no longer trapped in limited, one-dimensional, attitudes which disfigure our lives and cause us untold misery. Although we may still be subject to prejudices and confusion in our everyday lives, we become conscious of these limitations in our outlook and are thereby wary of investing them with an importance that is absolute.
The experience of shinjin is a very joyous one because it liberates us from the prison of everyday 'views' and opinions. It creates a spiritual climate where we can 'taste' the Dharma and be freed, once and for all, from the blind alleys of fundamentalism and fanaticism. We feel joy because we become awakened to the truth which finally enables us to see things as they are.