Fuggedaboutit!

(Translation: Forget about it…New York slang)

This post is dedicated to Elise, who like me, discovered why religious debates, even among other Buddhists are fraught with peril. I wanted to cheer her up, and by coincidence I found a great quotation posted by Stephen, now Rev. Hodo of Jodo Shu Buddhism. This is a quotation of Honen in the famous biography, the gyōjōezu (行状画図) or “Illustrations of [Master Honen's] conduct”, posted online here. The Gyojo Ezu was composed after Honen passed away, but contains a priceless collection of sayings attributed to Honen, which are helpful since Honen left very few writings. The quote that Stephen highlighted in particular is found here:

It’s hard even for the Buddha [Amitabha], with all his power, to reach those people who stand adamantly against us. How much less influence are we likely to have upon them! So don’t waste your time in disputing with them. Instead, go to the Pure Land as soon as you can, and then come back to this world of birth-and-death to work for the liberation of all beings, including those who do riot yet believe, and who abuse us.

This also reminds me of a quote by Dogen of Soto Zen that I recently found in the shōbōgenzō zuimonki (正法眼蔵随聞記) or “Record of Things Heard From the Treasury of the Eye of the True Teaching”:

People who truly follow the Way would do well to conceal the fact that they are Buddhists. (V, 3)

I still have to learn this last point. :p

Namu Amida Butsu

P.S. Big thanks to Stephen, Rev. Hodo.

P.P.S. The Shobogenzo Zuimonki should not be confused with the main text Dogen wrote, the Shobogenzo. The Zuimonki is recorded informal sayings by Dogen, recorded by a disciple, while the real Shobogenzo is a long, long treatise written by Dogen in classical Chinese.