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Rev. William Masuda
by the largeness of its congregation nor on the
greatness of its temporal authority. The flourishment
of a temple is based on even one person who has
awakened to absolute faith (shinjin).
- -- Rennyo Shonin
The focus on Rennyo Shonin's affirmation of the single individual, who has awakened to absolute faith is often overlooked and, at times, dismissed in the course of the many busy activities and programs at the temple. The collective busyness is often a carryover from the busy, sometimes frenetic, life of many of the congregants and minister. The involvement of the majority often takes precedence in organizing different events to keep the temple institution active and solvent - financially, socially, culturally, and religiously. Still, in the midst of our busy modern life, Rennyo Shonin's affirmation of the spirituality of the individual person rings in a loud and refreshing way.
I am reminded of the Rev. Tetsuo Unno's notes of a personal experience he shared some years ago:
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Once the eminent Soto Zen priest, Reirin Yamada, invited me to deliver a keynote sermon at what was announced as the "North American Zen Jr. YBA Conference". (approximate title). Looking from the altar at the opening service I noticed only fifteen or so delegates present in the large Hondo. I felt embarrassed for Zen master Yamada, perhaps the pre-eminent priest in the Soto Zen hierarchy.
When introduced, however, he strode to the center of the altar and faced the fifteen delegates squarely and said, "You will not understand what I'm about to say in Japanese, but I will talk briefly anyway. In China there is a saying 'ikki tosen', which means 'one man on horseback is worth a thousand foot soldiers.' This means that if all of you truly understand Buddhism, you will all be worth 1,000 delegates. And this conference will have been attended by 15,000 delegates.'" (Spoken at Zenshuji Soto Mission in Los Angeles, 1965).
Shinran Shonin also in our Pure Land path to enlightenment taught and illuminated Amida Buddha's Vow of great wisdom and compassion for the spiritual liberation and emancipation of all living beings. Amida Buddha's Vow is realized when each person truly hears the dharma and awakens to the living transformative power in the Vow. This awakening is embodied in the name and recitation of Namu Amida Butsu - the union of self and Buddha in the act of absolute faith. Shinran Shonin expresses this intimate union as "When I deeply contemplate Amida Buddha's Vow which was fulfilled five kalpas ago, I realize it is for myself, Shinran, alone. This affirmation of the single one of absolute faith in the term, "alone" is not at the exclusion of others on the dharma path, but the affirmation of each person emerges out of Amida Buddha's Vow of universal liberation of all beings as they truly are.
The spiritual life of Shinran Shonin and each person walking the unimpeded path of Amida Buddha's Vow is like one man on horseback who is worth a thousand foot soldiers. Each person of faith awakened absolutely affirms the meaning and value of Amida Buddha's universal spiritual liberation for all beings. Each person as the single individual person of absolute faith manifests this awakening with boundless joy and inexpressible gratitude to all living beings. The calling of Namu Amida Butsu now becomes the deepest expression of humility and clarity of one's boundless interconnectedness with all beings and with life itself.
The goal and response of a Jodo Shinshu Buddhist temple to its Sangha is to truly nurture and bring to fruition the awakening of faith in Amida Buddha's Vow to each person who shares in its spiritual and religious life, no matter what its state of affairs and conditions may be.