Pure Land Buddhism and Antinomianism, part 2

In the past, I wrote about the Pure Land Buddhist stance toward “licensed evil” or antinomianism, whereby one is saved so they do not have to account for the rest of their behavior. During Honen’s time, this did come up with a number of disciples, particularly Kōsai and his “single-nembutsu” teaching. Honen sternly rebuked followers who felt they could indulge in sensual delights because they had already been saved by Amida Buddha, but recently I found a similar rebuke from Shinran, Honen’s disciple and founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism:

You must not do what should not be done, think what should not be thought, or say what should not be said, thinking you can be born in the Pure Land regardless of it…But the person who purposefully thinks and does what he or she should not, saying that it is permissible because of the Buddha’s [Amida Buddha's] wondrous Vow to save the foolish being, does not truly desire to reject the world, nor does such a one consciously feel himself a being of karmic evil.

Lamp for the Latter Ages (Mattoshō) #19

In other words, what Shinran is trying to say is that if a Pure Land Buddhist thinks they can indulge in whatever they want because of Amida Buddha’s Vow to save all beings, then such a person has not really renounced the world of impermanence yet, nor have they realized the weight of their own karma. Pure Land Buddhism, like all Buddhism, is about letting go of the world of impermanence and realizing Enlightenment, not an opportunity for self-indulgence. Honen taught repeatedly that one should strive as much as they can to effect birth in the Pure Land, and so this one should continue moving forward with a sense of relaxed determination. Amida Buddha leads all being to Enlightenment, but one must still follow his footsteps.

Namuamidabu