Pure Land Bound: Reservation Confirmed”
As the temperature continues to drop, we are now entering the full depth of the Canadian winter. Many people have told me, “Toronto winters are truly cold.” Having never experienced winter in Toronto, I find myself holding both excitement and a bit of worry, wondering, “Just how cold will it be?” I already have my down jacket and snow boots prepared, so now I am simply waiting for winter to arrive.
This month, as I was thinking about what to share, I began reading various Buddhist texts.
Among them, what naturally caught my attention once again were the “wasan”—the hymns composed by Shinran Shonin. In Japan, when ministers deliver a Dharma talk, it is customary to choose a “go-san-dai,” a kind of title or theme for the Dharma talk. Many ministers select their theme from these “wasan”.
The “wasan” are Shinran Shonin’s poetic expressions of his deep gratitude for Amida Buddha’s great compassion and working.
It is said that he composed a total of 293 hymns, especially in the collection known as the “Sanjo Wasan”.
Here, I would like to introduce one “wasan” that has long remained in my heart:
The ocean of birth-and-death, of painful existence, has no bound;
Only by the ship of Amida’s universal Vow
Can we, who have long been drowning,
Unfailingly be brought across it.
In other words:
“The ocean of delusion and suffering extends endlessly. Having long sunk within this vast sea, it is only the ship of Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow that takes us aboard and unfailingly carries us across to the Pure Land.”
Even if our present life seems comfortable and is going according to plan, we all experience loss, conflict, and parting from those dear to us.
Ultimately, we must all face the end of this life. Because life does not go the way we wish, Shinran Shonin
described it as a “vast ocean of suffering.”
Within this metaphor, we—ordinary beings—are compared to stones sinking in the sea.
No matter how hard a stone struggles, it cannot float on its own.
A stone remains a stone, no matter how much effort it exerts.
So how, then, can a stone float?
One way is for the stone to be placed on a ship.
If a stone is placed upon a ship, it can float on the ocean without changing what it is.
In the same way, although we cannot rise above the ocean of suffering through our own power, we are lifted onto the ship by another power—the working of Amida Buddha—and carried safely across, just as we are.
The ship (Amida) lifts the stone (us) exactly as we are.
Therefore, we are not required to transform ourselves into something special.
Amida Buddha is not a Buddha who commands us to “train yourself and become a good person.” Rather, Amida guides us to birth in the Pure Land as we are, through the great ship of the Primal Vow.
This is the essence of Jodo Shinshu.
When I reflect on this “wasan”, I feel as though I have already been given a “reservation” on the ship bound for the Pure Land.
When this life ends, I do not need to wander or fear what comes next.
Through Amida’s working, my destination has already been settled as the Pure Land—as if a cruise journey to the Pure Land is already waiting for me.
In Jodo Shinshu, we do not speak of reincarnation, but if I were to express it simply, my next birth—through Amida’s compassionate working—will be in the Pure Land.
There is no uncertainty or wandering; we are brought there without fail.
Shinran Shonin conveys this assuredness through this “wasan”.
When I think in this way, the feeling of “What will become of me in the future?” becomes a little lighter.
Amida’s compassionate working offers me a deep sense of peace.
We are those who have already entrusted our destination to the great ship of Amida’s Primal Vow. Living in the light of this assurance, even while still in confusion and suffering, our hearts are quietly supported.
Through this “wasan”, may we each be reminded again of Amida Buddha’s compassionate working.
In Gassho,
Rev. Hikaru Sugiura
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