Reflecting & Shinjin
Good morning, my dharma talk today is on two topics, reflecting and Shinjin.
You know, I love the feeling after chanting. Each morning at my condominium, I chant.
When I drive in my car, I chant along with the Hongwanji CD to Shoshinge, sometimes
Sofu version, sometimes Gyofu version. I know how chanting makes me feel. I am
going to ask now, how does chanting make you feel? How do you feel after this morning’s chanting?
(Responses from the congregation were: relaxed, calm & refreshed.)
Good, good, because that leads me to my first topic, reflecting. In order for me to get ready to reflect, I need to feel relaxed, calm & refreshed.
There are many ways to feel relaxed, refreshed and calm. Awalk in the park, preferably by a babbling brook, listening to the birds, meditation where you count your breath in & out. When I was in Chicago many years ago for the Eastern Buddhist League conference, Rev. Ogui, then Bishop Ogui, taught us walking meditation.
Why do I mention all these things? They are all and many others that I have not mentioned ways that you may know, they are all means to get us relaxed, refreshed and calm and then in a proper frame of mind to reflect.
When I was in Berkeley, California, at the end of March, we had a presentation by Professor Kenneth Tanaka, author of “Ocean”. He spoke about ”The Dimensions of True Realization, Self Actualization
And Outward Engagement in Shinran’s Shinjin, a project being carried out by Buddhist Scholars in Japan”. From thatpresentation, I am only borrowing this diagram.
(See Attached diagram)
For me and this is just my opinion on this diagram, it illustrates a path for us Jodo Shinshu followers. We are there at the bottom within our ‘Daily Lives’ and a part of our society. When we become a “Seeker” , the first step is ‘Reflecting upon ourselves. Then, if we continue in our studies , our journey of discovery, perhaps, one day, we “receive” Shinjin from Amida Buddha. Note that we ‘receive” from Amida we do not “acquire” Shinjin through our own efforts. This is why it is called “Other Power”.
Which then invites the question, why do we come to this Temple? Why do we call ourselves Jodo Shinshu followers? For me , it all starts right here with reflecting. (go to the bottom of the diagram)
Thirty four years ago, my family converted from Christianity to Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
Why?
It started with this little Buddhist ditty that I will paraphrase:
In order To know Buddhism, one must know oneself,
In order To know oneself, one must forget oneself,
To forget oneself is to know Buddhism.
I love this kind of Buddhist thinking. I love reflecting on these words. How about you?
Each of us today is a fellow practicer, we are somewhere on the path. Are you a seeker? Do you come to the Temple to grow? Or, do you come just because, just because? It doesn’t matter, we are all part of this wonderful Sangha, this community of Jodo Shinshu followers.
Another lesson from Berkeley, Rev. Henry Adams, talked about “Ondobo Ondogyo”, which translates as fellow practicer, a term which I mentioned earlier. We are all “ Ondobo Ondogyo, right from the Gomonshu, the head of Hongwanji, to the Bishops in the U.S, and Canada, to all the Ministers, to
each one of us, we are fellow travellers on the path. And here we are together in worship, a Sangha.
So, reflecting , where does it take us in Jodo Shinshu? Today my dharma talk leads to my second topic, Shinjin.
The best lead in that I can quote is from “The Tradition of Shinran Shonin” in Japanese this is Shonin Ichiryu.
From the second paragraph I read:
“ The state we thus attain is described as” with wakening of a single thought of entrusting, we join those who are in the Ranks of the truly settled.”
Do you know how profound this statement is? Shinjin, that one thought moment of entrusting propels us instantly into the ranks of the truly settled.
Ranks of the truly settled in the difficult path such as Theravada Buddhism requires many lifetimes before one becomes awakened like Shakyamuni Buddha. The length of time is often described in”kalpas” which is a very very long period of time.
In Pure Land Buddhism such as Jodo Shinshu we jump, we soar, we rocket in the ranks of the truly settled through Shinjin, the one thought moment of entrusting.
WOW! No wonder our path is called the easy Path. It is, especially in comparison to kalpas of striving through many lifetimes.
However, Shinjin is still not so easy.
From Shoshinge, verse 7 & 8 , I read;
“When the one thought-moment of joy arises,
Nirvana is attained without severing blind passions;
When ignorant and wise, even grave offenders and slanderers
of the Dharma, all alike and turn and enter SHINJIN,
They are like waters that, on entering the ocean,
Become one in taste with it.
The light of compassion that grasps us illumines and protects
us always,
The darkness of our ignorance is already broken through;
Still the clouds and mists of greed and desire, anger and hatred,
Cover as always the sky of true and real SHINJIN.”
Look how inclusive Shinran Shonin is “ Ignorant and wise, even grave offenders and slanderers of the the Dharma. “ Everyone, everyone is included.
Also, “ the darkness of our ignorance is already broken through”.
We are receiving this compassion all the time , even though we don’t realize it. The biggest hurdle to realizing SHINJIN is ourselves. We have to get past our egocentric creation that we call ourselves to realize SHINJIN.
But note, the words, “ Still the clouds and mists of greed and desire, anger and hatred, Cover as always the sky of true and real SHINJIN.
In other words, Shinjin is always there, available to any of us who can “ awaken with a single thought of entrusting”.
My own experiences of what I call SHINJIN usually occur in the middle of the night when I take my first bathroom break. Those under 60 don’t know this phenomenon, but trust me, it will happen. So, sometimes not always, I cannot get back to sleep. I will then sit up and do a counting my breath meditation, and then I will walk around my condominium and bow to all the Buddhas. When I lay down in bed, sometimes I just drift off to bed. Other times I will continue to ponder and think. Finally, after what seems like many long minutes, when I quit striving and get out of my own way, I feel this wonderful feeling of peace and acceptance. I feel the compassion of Amida, I feel joyful. Then I fall into a very deep peaceful sleep. This is what I call my personal experience with SHINJIN. Occasionally, just occasionally during the day, if I am in astate of awareness, I catch a momentary glimpses of this same feeling. I am told by my Senseis that this experience is quite common among JS followers.
So, reflecting gets us to that grounded , peaceful and centred feeling, where if we have that single thought of entrusting, we may experience SHINJIN.
Gassho.
Dennis Madokoro,
TBC Minister Assistant