- Lamp for the Latter Ages 2
what is jiriki really? this is something which has been bugging me for quite some time now. usually when jiriki, or self-power is referred to it's through the lens of practice. entrusting to Amida means the whole-sale abandoning of practice and instead placing firm faith in and reliance upon all the merit generated by Dharmakara towards the establishment of a Pure Land for all sentient beings. nothing doing, it's all been done.
the problem i have with this approach is i can't help but feel it places emphasis on the wrong point. we should ask ourselves why Shinran Shonin encouraged an abandoning of practice - ultimately, what it boils down to is not the external form of practice itself per se, but the intent behind such an act. entrusting isn't really about abandoning practice, it's about abandoning reliance on the ego-ridden self to bring about enlightenment. whether your practice is zazen, ngondro or riding a unicycle backwards through Times Square singing yankee doodle dandy really shouldn't matter, what should is the letting go of a goal-orientated fixation.
the thing is, i see people getting into all kinds of knots and tangles, beating themselves up because of the way jiriki is approached. someone who wants to add recitation of the Heart Sutra to their daily otsutome shouldn't feel that it doing so they're somehow a failing nembutsu-sha. personally, at the beginning of my path i had a close affiliation to and affection for Arya Tara and i still enjoy reciting the 21 Praises now and then. the temple i attend offers meditation classes. are we somehow failing because we're doing something other than chanting the nembutsu and reciting the traditional liturgy? of course not!
i'm wary of saying that all the various traditions are essentially the same as Jodo Shinshu, certainly there are valid differences to be acknowledged and appreciated but here's the thing, i'll say it quietly - actually, i don't think there is such a thing as jiriki as far as genuine Dharma practice goes. because the act we all do, each and every school, going for refuge - isn't that the ultimate abandonment of reliance on our own efforts, a renunciation of ours and the worlds petty hang-ups, desires and attachments and instead an entrusting to something greater?
focussing on practice to encapsulate the teaching of tariki over jiriki just doesn't make sense to me. for sure, ego is a tricky thing and will arise time and time again even as we tell ourselves we are resting in the midst of effortless action. but regardless of whether we have anything concrete we can label as practice or not, the calculating mind will not let up. and looking back to the quote we came in on, doesn't it appear that intention rather than practice in itself is what's emphasised (effort to attain birth)?
initially i thought this feeling contrary to orthodox opinion, but in searching for references to clarify the 'orthodox' now i'm not so sure...perhaps a further clarification addressing the matter directly can be taken from the seven forms of deep entrusting provided in fascicle two of Gotuku's Notes, Shinran clarifies the fifth - To entrust oneself to the Buddha's words alone and rely decidedly on the practice [of the nembutsu] - with three kinds of guidance -
Practicers "abandon what the Buddha brings them to abandon."rather than worry about whether practice somehow disqualifies us from the Pure Land, wouldn't it make more sense to reflect deeply on this?
Practicers "practice what the Buddha brings them to practice."
Practicers "leave what the Buddha brings them to leave.
namu amida butsu
"actually, i don't think there is such a thing as jiriki as far as genuine Dharma practice goes."
ReplyDeleteDear Dharma brother Jon, Objectively what you have written about the non-duality of traiki and jiriki is true, especially from the stand-point of absolute truth (dharmakaya as suchness). However from the stand-point of subjective, religious experience jiriki is a reality and is very important. When Shinran Shonin says "abandon what the Buddha brings us to abandon" he isn't saying 'figure out what the Buddha wants' - he is saying when your own intentions, ideas, direction come to an impasse here is the Buddha-way ... remember Genshin's words "Delusion is the nature of ordinary beings. Apart from delusion, there is no mind in us."? Without meeting the reality of jiriki then tariki cannot appear.
I agree wholeheartedly that the self/other power teaching is often conveyed poorly, to the extent that people become confused and distressed, but this is precisely because of it being approached in an objective manner rather than as an aspect of faith experience.
The other thing missing from your analysis is that the difference between tariki and jiriki isn't just about 'direction' of intention but also about its 'structure'. As it says in the 'Gaikemon', when we encounter the reality of jiriki our heart-mind is purified and becomes single and focused, rather than scattered. Again this relates to the way the jiriki/tariki teaching has become overly objectified in our tradition.
hi Kyoshin, thanks for the valuable comments. i wrote this one slightly off-the-cuff and perhaps that comes through in reading. i absolutely agree jiriki is a reality, i don't wish to deny that at all, basically all i'm trying to say in my own clumsy way is that it has less to do with practice and more to do with hakarai.
ReplyDelete"Without meeting the reality of jiriki then tariki cannot appear."
absolutely, and this easily overlooked and forgotten. it comes back to,as you say, faith-experience...we can't try to jump over or skip it somehow, that only mires us in further.
i just worry sometimes through various postings on the odd blog here and there that there are nembutsu-sha feeling they've failed or somehow betrayed the teachings because they enjoy chanting the Heart Sutra or feel an affinity towards Kannon Bosatsu.
hey, here's a thought - perhaps you could blog here on the same matter, expand on your comments and add your insight? it would be most welcome and beneficial *prod, prod, hint, hint* :)
Reading your post, i reflect that i have also struggled with this issue, so id like to offer up a Saichi poem, which co-incedently has been on my mind:
ReplyDeleteIn other power, there is no self power, no other power.
All is other power. Namu Amida Butsu, Namu Amida Butsu
hi Ant, that poem was very much on my mind while i wrote this! i think the thing to remember is Saichi wrote this as someone who had deep faith. as such, i believe Kyoshin's comment applies well here - "from the standpoint of absolute truth" - perhaps we can not grasp the heart of Saichi's words unless we too have experienced this faith?
ReplyDeleteAs I said above, I agree with your overall point. It's a sad fact that the jiriki/tariki paradigm has become a much misunderstood teaching and even an obstacle to many people. However I think that the cause and solution to this lie in the sphere of transmission rather than teaching. A myriad factors, many mere historical chance rather than anyone's failings, have led to a gradual forgetting of the importance of genuine master-disciple relationships and authentic sangha interaction.
ReplyDeleteWithout true spiritual encounter we can't awaken to the two-fold reality of our karmic situation and the working of the Dharma. We need that meeting with someone who is transparent to the Original Vow to be able to discover, like the myokonin Genza, 'I am a fake'.
I think in the recent past I would have just applauded your post outright, but on reflection I think that moving the jiriki/tariki paradigm into the background is dangerous in so far as it is a crucial element of Shinran Shonin's teaching and also because it means that we are approaching the problem in the same way as those who have fallen foul of it. In other words to downplay jiriki/tariki is to treat it just as objectively as the people who are hung up on it, whereas what we really need to do is bring it back into the framework of subjective, faith-experience.
The heart of awakening in Shinshu lies in the inward recognition that our own lives are coloured through and through by jiriki, all the way down, infinitely, but at the same time they are totally tariki. In other words the receiving of Amida's pure heart-mind is something that comes within a feeling of utter contrition that our selfishness has the capacity to do that ... to utterly stain every aspect of what is actualy pure grace or gift. Shinran Shonin wasn't just being provocative or metaphorical or self-flagellating in viewing himself as guilty of committing the five gravest offenses. It was a profound insight into his existential reality. But ... in that moment of recognition, the burden of karma is lifted or melted into pure joy and peace and settledness of heart.
Sensei has written about the Saichi poem Ant quotes above:
""The whole of the first three lines could easily have been written by a religious philosopher, fot it is simply the result of Saichi's reflection on his experience of Other Power. However, as D.T. Suzuki pointed out to me with the deepest insight, "The essence of the poem lies in the last line: 'Namu-amida-butsu, Namu-amida-butsu.' Having enjoyed giving expression to his own personal experience, Saichi is simpy returning to Amida Buddha by pronoucing the nembutsu ... This is the living expression of Other Power working through the poet. (p.71 'Great Living', Kemmyo Taira Sato, ASBC, due late 2010)
A lot of people try to dissolve their doubts about jiriki and tariki (self-power and other-power) by citing this poem, but haven't even had an actual experience of the truth Saichi is talking about, let alone come to naturally pronouncing the Name in gratitude. This is not to attribute fault, it is again a symptom of the situation in the tradition. In the age of the internet the teaching has in many cases become detached from the transmission itself so that the words become mysterious objects that people argue over like dinosaur fossils. "Does this bit go here?"
A shorter comment!
ReplyDeletehi Kyoshin, yes i would agree that encounter with a spiritual friend and teacher is paramount for so many reasons - one of which bearing witness to the reality of the vow and of our own karmic nature, seeing this face-to-face brings the teachings out of the intellectual sphere and fresh into reality.
ReplyDeletei'm not sure that in suggesting jiriki has less to do with practice than is usually emphasised is somehow downplaying it's importance though. of course it is a vital part of the teaching yes, and i would suggest that it is unavoidable once honest introspection and reflection occurs. i guess this is all part of the subjective experience.
perhaps it's me but i don't think we're really disagreeing...if anything i'm wording myself clumsily and you're clarifying and clearing up any misconceptions my blatherings may lead to by adding important, even vital points i have missed.
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ReplyDeleteI think maybe I've been projecting my situation; reflecting on my own recent misunderstanding (thinking that jiriki/tariki needs to be downplayed) onto what you have written.
ReplyDeleteIt was that line "i don't think there is such a thing as jiriki as far as genuine Dharma practice goes." as I would put it pretty much the other way around because I feel that we can't really take refuge truly without becoming aware of jiriki.
However you also wrote "regardless of whether we have anything concrete we can label as practice or not, the calculating mind will not let up" which I think says this very thing and is spot on.