PACIFIC WORLD - The Institute of Buddhist Studies

Fugen: Rennyo’s Theory on Amida’s Name 225kihø ittai in the Anjin ketsujø shø as the oneness of the Buddha’s mind andthe mind of ordinary beings.In another passage, the Anjin ketsujø shø states, “The Buddha’s virtues,from the beginning, have been fulfilled within the existence ofsentient beings, in the oneness of practitioner and dharma.” 22 Here, theconcept of kihø ittai is discussed as the oneness of sentient beings andAmida Buddha ( !=shø-butsu ittai).The Anjin ketsujø shø understands that kihø ittai has already beenaccomplished in the essence of Dharma ( !=hottai jøju). Accordingto the text, Amida Buddha has already fulfilled the aspiration ( gan) andpractice ( gyø) for the sake of sentient beings ten kalpa-s ago andaccomplished the true awakening ( =shøgaku) by staking his Buddhahoodon the birth of all sentient beings. 23 Therefore, the accomplishment ofAmida Buddha’s true awakening and the attainment of sentient beings’birth in the Pure Land are to be accomplished simultaneously. There is nobirth of sentient beings without Amida Buddha’s accomplishment of thetrue awakening. There is no true awakening of Amida Buddha withoutsentient beings’ birth in the Pure Land. The birth of sentient beings (ki) andAmida Buddha’s true awakening (hø), therefore, have already been accomplishedtogether as one essence ( ittai). This relationship is calledkihø ittai in the Anjin ketsujø shø. The oneness of the essence of sentientbeings’ birth and Amida’s awakening as kihø ittai, which is the essence ofthe fruition of Amida’s true awakening, is embodied in the Name of AmidaBuddha, which is manifested as the Namu-Amidabutsu of kihø ittai.Hence, there is no birth of sentient beings without Amida Buddha’saccomplishment of the true awakening, and there is no true awakening ofAmida Buddha without sentient beings’ birth in the Pure Land.Then why are the minds of sentient beings still in the state of delusion?The Anjin ketsujø shø explains this problem as follows.The bhik≈u Dharmåkara, who vowed not to attain Buddhahoodunless all sentient beings are born into his land, has alreadybeen Buddha for ten kalpa-s. [Nevertheless,] to this day we havebeen foolishly ignorant of the birth that has already been fulfilledon the part of Buddha (buttai) and have been aimlesslytransmigrating [in samsara]. 24Sentient beings’ delusion depends on whether practitioners know or donot know of the simultaneous attainment of their birth and Amida’s trueawakening ( !"#$% øjø shøgaku døji kujø) accomplished tenkalpa-s ago. Rennyo, however, never mentions this theory of the simultaneousattainment of sentient beings’ birth in his writings, nor does hediscuss the concept of kihø ittai as Amida Buddha himself or as Amida’strue awakening itself.