Article 80: Never let them learn how to swallow up without chewing.

In this article Rennyo Shonin says that even though Amida Buddha made vows to save us no matter what sin we commit, we should not behave as we please creating deliberately bad karma.
My husband collapsed suddenly at the dinner table on December 12, 1991 and without regaining his consciousness departed to Pure Land for good. Even though I had been constantly taught about “The matter of vital consequence to after-life” at the temple, I couldn’t believe such a thing happened in my life as my husband who had been enjoying a meal in good spirits until a while ago would pass away all of a sudden. It was the end of a life completely the same as the one described in the letter by Rennyo Shonin called “White bones”. My husband taught us the fact that nothing matters but now by showing his own figure dying a sudden death.
I have never chewed on how heavily I was indebted to Buddha and my husband who had been sharing my karmic evil as my partner during his lifetime and eventually had led me to Shogyoji. Instead, I have been swallowing up the great compassion to suit my own convenience. I have made up my mind to go back to the starting point of my faith, to the naivety bestowed on me at the session of introspection, and to keep listening to the Buddha-dharma for the rest of my life.

With palms together.

Article 79: “Harmony within diversity”

In 1996 I was given an opportunity to study abroad and spent two years in London. In a society where people do not speak Japanese I felt solitude and faced the dilemma because I had to act harmoniously with native people while feeling I would sink into oblivion unless I assert myself decisively. In the world where languages were meaningless, I was called keenly to account over my ‘self’. Under those circumstances, for the first time in my life, I became aware of the parental love as well as the wishes that the head priest of Shogyoji and his followers had made on our family. There, a world spread out before me, where neither Japanese nor English existed as it transcended the difference among languages.
The words of “Harmony within Diversity” arose from the innermost prayer of Professor White when he was involving himself with the establishment of Three Wheels. Now the significance of the words is evident more than ever.

With palms together.

Article 78: “A common mortal becomes Buddha; this is nothing less than a wonder. ”

I underwent a session of introspection for the first time in May 2001, which gave me an opportunity to reflect upon myself. I realized that no one but an evil common mortal could do such things as to have distressed his parents who had done everything for him and to have led his own children astray. I saw myself the worst of all the evil common mortals. I was firmly convinced that I should never become a Buddha for the reasons that I, an evil common mortal, didn’t deserve it. However, I came to realize that such an idea didn’t prove my humbleness, but was merely revealing the mind of an evil common mortal to be under the control of self-will. The words by Rennyo Shonin saying “By entrusting himself to Amida Buddha wholeheartedly an evil common mortal becomes Buddha” indicate that Amida Buddha has committed himself to a wonder of “Becoming Buddha” and that is more than we deserve. I would like to express my heartiest appreciation towards Buddha for his great compassion.

With palms together.

September 20, 2002
My appreciation of the utterances of Rennyo Shonin compiled in The Record of Rennyo Shonin’s Sayings and Doings (Rennyo-Shonin-Goichidai-ki-kikigaki) F. E.

Article 77: A cry of penitence, “NA-MU-BUTSU”

In March 1999, before our baby came into world, I underwent a session of introspection for the first time in real earnest. In the session a passage of “Sutra of Praising Parental Love”, saying “If it had not been for your father, you could have never been born, and if it had not been for your mother, you could have never been brought up” impressed me deeply, who used to do nothing but be rebellious against her parents and never lowered her head in front of them. Up to then I believed to have been living all on my own, however, I was led to realize the parental love, which had given birth to me and brought me up. On realizing the fact, nembutsu of penitence came out of me. It became clear to me that simply with the dreadful heart and mouth I had driven not only my parents but even my grandparents to death.
While reading “Rajagrha (Ohsha-Daijo)” written by Daigyoin-sama, I came across the paragraph describing the very moment when Devadatta fell into hell crying out “NA-MU-BUTSU”, as an expression of his repentance for his sin. The paragraph made me think that I also could do nothing but offer nembutsu of penitence wholeheartedly to the people including my late parents, whom I had distressed greatly.

With palms together.

Article 75: “I feel pity for those who have been confused [about their faith] and ended their lives in vain.”

When I was given an opportunity to undergo a course of introspection, my true self came to light. I saw clearly the inmost depths of my self, realizing how I never gave the slightest consideration to my late elder brother and had how I had been totally egoistic and self-centered. At that moment, I could do nothing but pronounce the nembutsu of penitence. I saw my father’s illness as arising from his desire to make me aware of myself as being a person whose evil karma is so deep as to torment my parents, husband and my children. For six months after that I enjoyed going to hospital every morning to visit my father. Despite being bent with old age and growing thinner my mother was nursing her husband devotedly, and my father made us laugh by telling jokes from his sickbed. Through all of this I could finally encounter their parental love which they expressed through their warmth in being together.

With palms together.

Article 74: The significance of faith

This article has taught me that since I attained faith, I don’t need to do anything other than listen to the teaching “Just pray to Amida Buddha single-heartedly for your salvation in the afterlife, and your birth in Pure Land will be assured” and to more and more deeply appreciate this vital teaching of Shin Buddhism.
Out of great compassion, having seen the depth of my karma, the Head Priest performed my marriage ceremony to the successor of K temple.
Since I became aware of my arrogant self-belief that I understood everything and my feelings of resentment, which caused me so much conflict with others, my anger has been transformed into calm and peacefulness through nembutsu. Namuamidabutsu.
At an Eza, the Head Priest shed light into the darkness of my heart by suggesting that faith could be considered more valuable than human life.
I would like to express my deepest gratitude for being given this assignment to read out my appreciation of the utterances of Rennyo Shonin.. The preparatory study for this talk gave me an opportunity to return to the starting point of my faith.

With palm together