Troubled sleep
Posted: March 17, 2008 | Author: Doug | Filed under: Buddhism, Jodo Shinshu, Literature, Religion | 14 Comments »The dead are too much with us.
–Roger Zelazny, Isle of the Dead
I went to bed early last night, but had a lot of troubled sleep and bad dreams: dreams about losing people I love, and then further dreams of despair and fear. Baby was kicking around in the bed again, so I woke up earlier than intended, and laid in bed brooding before I decided to get up at 3:51am.
It’s interesting that I should quote from Zelazny’s book Isle of the Dead. I pulled it out from the bookshelf last night, but I can’t recall why. It’s one of my favorite Zelazny books of all times, and deals a lot with regret, and coming to terms with one’s own mortality. The main character, Francis Sandow, has lived 1,100 years and is immensely wealthy in the far future, but the longer he lives, the more he comes to fear his own death, even with all of his money and power to protect him. The end of the book is really gripping as Sandow must confront people he thought dead, but were brought back to torment him (and be tormented themselves).
As I brooded, and later woke up, I thought about religion again, and stood before little Amida Buddha altar in our house, and recited the nembutsu for a while. It’s been weeks since I did this, but with all the thoughts above running through my mind, as well as thoughts on my life thus far and how little time is left, it seemed only the right thing to do.
Namuamidabu
P.S. Recently finished another Zelazny book: Dilvish the Damned. It was the first of two books, and read like a mix of D&D, Conan and good Zelazny action. A lighter read than Isle of the Dead, but quite fun.
Hello, this blog is about my life as a father, Buddhist and Japanophile. Any useful information I can pass along will hopefully make the 
I have a question. If you can’t answer or prefer not to, that’s ok.
In christainity, if a person has a life crisis such as a serious illness in the family, etc. they pray to God forhelp. “God, please cure my child of cancer”.
Is there anything like that in Buddhism, specifically Shin Buddhism. Maybe praying to a god in a time of crisis will not do anything. Maybe God does not here these pleas. But it is also nice to feel that there is something you can do such as praying to God to cure your child.
Thank you for your time.
Hi Jon,
That’s an excellent question, and helps highlight some differences between Christianity and Jodo Shinshu.
In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (Shin Buddhism), Amida Buddha’s efforts to help beings is reflected in a kind of monergism where Amida is leading beings to Enlightenment (reflected as the Pure Land), regardless of what they do or don’t do. D.T.Suzuki made a good point in that there’s nothing you can add or take away from Amida’s power. So, when we realize this, we recite the nembutsu in gratitude.
Jodo Shinshu takes a strong stance with regard to karma and such. A lot of Buddhist sects do offer what’s called “petitionary prayer”, or talismans or amulets to help lay people, but Shinran eschewed this in light of the view that people are largely helpless against the tide of their own karma. Of course, in day-to-day life, we still have free-will, but it’s within the larger framework of past karma, etc, etc.
However, as Shinran taught, we who are tossed about in the ocean of life-and-death, can take refuge in Amida. This is a pure sense of trust, not a ritual so much, that Amida will lead us out of this “ocean”. As stated above, when one first takes refuge, it’s done. Amida takes over from there, and through good or bad one is lead to the Pure Land.
Now, in my case, the reason why I posted this was because lately I’ve had a deep sense of doubt toward Jodo Shinshu itself, so I have been intentionally not saying the nembutsu at all. However, after a bad night’s sleep, and some troubling things on my mind, I just decided in spite of these doubts to get up and recite the nembutsu. I am not sure exactly why, just seemed the right thing. Perhaps Amida really is leading me, in spite of my stubborness, or perhaps it’s just old habits.
At this point, I don’t know. We’ll just see I guess.
Thank you for your response. It actually was very helpful. Sorry for all the questions but the several books I have read, although interesting and somewhat informative, have not been extremely helpful in answering some of these questions.
ANother question is what happens to young children or babies or others who are unable to recite the nembustsu? What happens if they pass away prematurely before they can recite the nembutsu?
Thank you again.
Yeah, Jodo Shinshu books are really hit or miss. If you happen to have the right question for the right book, you’ll get a good answer. Otherwise, it will just confuse things.
Anyways, my answer to your question probably won’t be very good. There are some online ministers at e-sangha.com who can answer better, but my guess would be that children or babies who die before they can recite the nembutsu will be subject to birth-and-death according to their karma. In other words, they won’t be born in the Pure Land….yet.
Ultimately, it’s thought in Jodo Shinshu (in keeping with teachings from the Lotus Sutra) that all beings will be reborn there sooner or later. So there’s hope, even if not in this life. The question is not if, but when. Shinran, like Shakyamuni Buddha, taught that all beings were are mothers, fathers, siblings and children at some point, in some rebirth, so when you think of it that way, it helps put perspective on the matter.
Hope that helps.
P.S. One of the best books on Pure Land Buddhism is “Raft from the Other Shore” by Sho-on Hattori. It’s a fairly comprehensive, scholarly (but not too scholarly) overview of Honen’s views on Pure Land Buddhism, which by extension is shared by Shinran as well.
Hi Jon,
Can I add something to what Gerald has already said?
In every single Buddhist country you visit you will find people praying to Buddha to help with specific problems and griefs in exactly the same way as Christians pray to God.
In fact, one of the most popular times to visit the temple in East Asia is just before exam season when temples are packed with mothers and grandmothers praying and making offerings for their children’s success and good grades.
Although we live in Korea right now, my Japanese girlfriend (who comes from the JDSS tradition through all four grandparents) tells me this happens in JDSS temples as much as any other. I certainly know it also happens in Thailand where I spent many years.
So, yes, pray away. It seems to me that it’s only the western Buddhists who – for some reason I don’t understand – want to deny this part of the religion.
As for babies – there is no concept of original sin in Buddhism. There is Karmic debt of course, but then the child may have burnt that out just by being born. We don’t know and can’t say. I’d assume a baby would go straight to the Pure Land.
It’s also possible, of course, to transfer merit to someone else – I guess you could also say the nembutsu on behalf of someone else but that’s just a guess and I suspect I’m wrong!
Anyway, I hope some of this helps.
With metta,
Marcus
Marcus, Jon: regarding petitionary prayer and such, I would suggest looking at the English websites for temples such as Tsukiji Hongwanji or Nishi Hongwanji, which do state that there is no petitionary prayer; karma is karma. Also I happen to pick up the English copy of the Jodo Shinshu handbook (printed in Japan, translated into English), which states the same.
My wife is also Japanese, and follows JDSS, but generally does not pray for things. When she is scared or upset, she does pray to Amida, but in the sense of taking refuge, not to gain anything. The difference is subtle, but it’s there. Praying because you want to make things better won’t work, but praying to Amida as a means of reliance (omakase in Japanese) is perfectly normal in JDSS. It’s why we take refuge in Amida in the first place: we feel powerless.
Now, understand I don’t necessarily agree nor disagree with orthodox Jodo Shinshu teachings, I am simply conveying them as has been taught to me by both Western and Japanese sources. It’s best to thoroughly understand a teaching, inside and out, before you criticize it.
Hi Gerald,
You say: “It’s best to thoroughly understand a teaching, inside and out, before you criticize it” and I agree with you. I certainly don’t think I’ve criticised any teachings here!
If you read books about Buddhism in Thailand for example (I lived in Thailand for years and was married to a Thai for seven years) you’ll read that Thais don’t practice petitionary prayer too. But just go to any temple. Talk to Thai people. They ask Buddha for help in the lottery or for the numbers to the lottery to come to them in a dream. And outside the temple there are lines of lottery ticket sellers.
In the Bangkok City Shrine there is a Buddha that you lift. First you make a prayer, if you can then lift the Buddha, it’ll be granted. If not, it won’t. I could go on and on. And yet all the books say that there is no petitionary prayer! The Buddhist books ignore or belittle the actual activity of real Buddhists.
The same is true also in Korea where I live now, and – as you know – the same is true in Japan.
So, really, if you don’t petition Buddha then that’s fine. I’m not criticising anyone who doesn’t. But at the same time I’m aware that despite all the books and official websites, most Buddhists – the old ladies who fill the temples with their bowing and chanting – do actually regularly ask the Buddhas for specific things.
Wishing you peace and happiness,
Marcus
I think part of the reason Shinran wasn’t real big on petitionary prayer was partly “theological”, you can’t add or take away anything from Amida, his compassion is so boundless he is already doing what can be done, the laws of karma are immutable etc. etc. etc. but also, the rituals alot of sects used, like lifting the buddha or blessing x/ritual y all had fees attached to them, and sometimes complex and horrible punishments for not performing them. And people take that stuff seriously. My wife is a medical student and much much smarter than me, but she also does not break mirrors, open umbrellas inside, knocks on wood, worries about jinxes, won’t take the lord’s name in vein even in anger even though she is not a christian…. all sorts of little superstitions. It is my understanding one of our presidential candidates, McCain, is the same way. So by make petitionary prayer “un-Shin” it alos makes it harder for Shin ministers to bilk the public by charging them for good luck. Because alot of people are buying.
Or so is my opinion
Because alot of people are buying.
Ha ha ha, this is certainly true. I hate to say it, but one thing that does annoy me is how Jodo Shinshu, like many Buddhist sects in Japan, does run like a business. Joseph, Marcus’s friend, pointed this out recently, and I have to admit he’s right. It’s disgraceful, but what amazes me is how many people (Japanese and Westerners) buy into it.
Of course, in Thailand, people go absolutely nuts over amulets, so it’s not just a Japanese thing either; that’s just what I happen to have noticed more acutely in Japanese Buddhism lately. It’s one of the reasons why I have such doubts toward JDSS, and Japanese Buddhism in general: the ‘funeral business’ argument. The American JDSS temples also run like funeral businesses.
I just wonder, myself, how much pure Buddhism or pure religion really exists. I don’t mean to hijack your blog, but with permission I’d like to muse on that for a moment. Most Catholic Churches, here in the US at least, are more schools than religious institutions. Well, they also hold alot of real estate too. Mosques serve as cultural community centers, like most Hindu or buddhist temples. Many Protestant Churches are simply men and women’s clubs with religious overtones, and don’t get me started on megachurches. In their own country’s Thai, Tibetan, Chinese buddhism is just as compromised as far as I can tell. Islam apologize for the state. Christianity is basically dead in its homeland. And I am not sure it was better in the past. Institutionalized religion is institutionalized. Its hard to get around. In a sense, every religion is a “funeral business”. But its much more too.
For myself, I try to keep my expectations low and hope for the best. I faith in ideas and my values, in my family and friends, not the company I work for or the government I live under. Why should my Church be in column a not column b.
On the other hand it may be that people like me are the reason things are the way they are. Sorry for using up your blog space President Ford.
Fabulous discussion! Thank you Gerald and Erg!
I don’t know enough about JDSS to really comment, but I do think petitionary prayer is a natural response of people when in trouble or distress. And while I can see why it might be invalid theologically, I guess it’ll always be there – and I have no trouble with it at all. I even believe it to be helpful in many ways.
Anyway, enough from me – all I really wanted to say was Thank You!
Metta,
Marcus
I felt this way too, until someone reminded me that no one goes to religion as a perfect person. It’s inherently flawed because the people who come to religion are flawed, hoping to become something better. Thankfully, some do respond to this higher call, and that’s what keeps things going in the right direction.
Marcus: always glad to have you on the blog.
Thank you Gerald!
My response to this discussion on my blog:
http://marcusjournal.blogspot.com/2008/03/wednesday-update-and-prayer-for-joseph.html
