Vol. 4, Issue 3 (September 2024)

Jodo Shinshu International
A Buddhist Quarterly
Volume 4, Issue 3
2024
Open Hands of the Tathagata

MISSION STATEMENT
Sharing with the world the deep and humbling joy of awakening to
Amida Buddha’s Universal Aspiration that enables each and every
person to live a spiritually fulfilled life.
ABOUT THE MISSION STATEMENT
This mission statement was articulated to convey a number of overarching
themes and goals that this founding committee wanted to share with its readers
through this quarterly journal. By introducing first-hand accounts of people
who have experienced the warmth of Amida Buddha’s embracing Compassion,
readers can be inspired by the message of Shinran Shonin, the founder of Jodo
Shinshu Buddhism.
Through these religious experiences and accounts from people around the
world, it is our hope to spread the message of Amida Buddha’s Great Aspiration
for all beings—despite race, color, creed, or any other divisions among us—to
awaken to a life of spiritual fulfillment. When we awaken to this message of
Amida’s universal embracement, each person can live in the here and now,
with a sense of profound self-reflection, joy, and hope that will lead one to live
in deepest gratitude for the Buddha’s benevolence.
We are excited to be a part of a movement that will spread a message of
unity and hope through Amida Buddha’s universal solidarity.
Namo Amida Butsu.

Volume 4, Issue 3, Published September 2024
Jodo Shinshu
International
A Buddhist Quarterly
IN THIS ISSUE
6 How Buddha-Dharma Resolves our Evil Karma (Part I)
Rev. Seikan Fukuma
9 Unconditional Freedom: Excerpt from Songs of Light
Rev. George Gatenby
10 Shin Buddhism Today and the Road Ahead (Part Four)
Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji & Rev. John Paraskevopoulos

Jodo Shinshu International is published quarterly by the
Jodo Shinshu International Office, a not-for-profit religious
corporation.
Volume 4, Issue 3.
Content copyright © 2024 Jodo Shinshu International Office.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without written permission.
Editors-in-Chief: Rev. Kodo Umezu, Rev. Ai Hironaka
Committee: Rev. Yuika Hasebe, Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji,
Rev. John Paraskevopoulos
Contributors: Rev. Seikan Fukuma, Rev. George Gatenby,
Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji, Rev. John Paraskevopoulos.
Calligraphy: Minako Kamuro
Design & Layout: Travis Suzaka
Printing: Kousaisha, Tokyo, Japan
Support: Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara, Madeline Kubo
Image Sources: Upsplash
Jodo Shinshu International Office
1710 Octavia Street, San Francisco, CA 94109, USA
www.jsinternational.org
EXPLANATION OF CALLIGRAPHY
I pass my unmanageable mind into
The open hands of the Tathagata.
Kai Wariko
This passage, which was written sometime in
1950, is in the latter portion of a collection of
notes by Ms. Kai that is called Kusakago. When
read in full context, one can gain insight into the
personality of Ms. Kai.
For something as vitally important as
birth [in the Pure Land], which requires no
calculation by ordinary beings, if we were
simply able to entrust ourselves and rely only
on and revere the Vow of Tathagata [as the
teaching of Shinran Shonin tells us], then it
(our birth in the Pure Land) would be assured.
Sadly, however, we ordinary beings always keep
unpleasant, gloomy issues locked up deep in our
hearts, and it can be said that not only do we
ourselves suffer, but we also cause the Tathagata
to cry. But, when we come to understand
that even if we were to keep wallowing in our
sorrow, nothing can be done about it, then for
the first time we are able to hear the voice [of
the Tathagata] calling out to us, “You are okay,
just as you are.” In return we respond, “Ahh…I
see… Then I will avail myself of your kind
offer and turn everything over to you. It will be
my pleasure to place myself at your disposal.”
(Excerpt from the Hongwanji Shuppansha publication Daijō, June 2004.)
Thus, after the great upheaval of passing my
unmanageable mind into the open hands of the
Tathagata, as my father would put it, “…truly,
I am assured immeasurably [of my birth in the
Pure Land].”
As it is impossible for me to be anything
other than myself as I flounder about, when I
come to hear the Tathagata calling out to me,
“You are okay, just as you are,” that is the first
time I realize that I cannot help but be someone
with an unmanageable mind and am enabled to
see my [true] self, free from any embellishment.
Therefore, there is nothing else that I can do
but say, “Yes, I will avail myself of your kind
offer and turn everything over to you. It will be
my pleasure to place myself at your disposal,”
and turn myself over to the open hands of the
Tathagata.
When I come to awaken to this, I find that
even long before the thought of placing myself
in the care of the Tathagata, my unmanageable
self has already been grasped by the Tathagata’s
light of wisdom and compassion.
“Truly, I am assured immeasurably.”

The hot summer is now over, and the busiest time of the year for
farmers is about to end. How fast time flies! Rennyo Shōnin, the
Eighth Patriarch of the Hongwanji, who was always so much in
touch with his feelings, once wrote:
Toshi Yoshida. Heirinji Temple Bell. Woodblock print. 1951.
HOW BUDDHA-DHARMA
RESOLVES OUR EVIL KARMA
(Part One)
Rev. Seikan Fukuma
Edited adaptation from Monshin: Hearing/Faith (Los Angeles: The Nembutsu Press, 1983)
Autumn has passed and so has spring. The long year already
seems like yesterday, and I have aged before having realized
it. I enjoyed playing with the flowers, birds, wind, and moon
(living with nature). I also experienced suffering, happiness,
luxury, ecstasy, and sadness. But I have no specific memory
of the past, so I just pass the time idly (year after year). I
sorrow when I see how white my hair has become.
These words strike a deep chord in my heart. I cannot fully
express my gratitude towards the founder of Buddha-dharma,
and to the many people who have helped me along the way. How
grateful I am to have been taught to recite Namu Amida Butsu and
to centre my life around it!
In the evening that gradually approaches,
The temple bell rings.
While enveloped in the agony of the world,
The temple bell rings...
Listen and heed, oh brethren,
The temple bell that is ringing...
Today’s happiness and gratitude are expressed by
The ringing of the temple bell...
The 17th National Convention of the Buddhist Federation
of Women was recently held in Chicago. Approximately 600
delegates attended. This carefully planned event went very
smoothly, and I’m sure it was quite meaningful to all those who
were present.
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REV. SEIKAN FUKUMA
Seeing this large group of women in attendance, I felt
there was nothing that nembutsu couldn’t achieve if we
could always be united like this. I thought of Kakunyo who
said: “The ‘exclusive practice of the proper way’ comes to
flourish only through the ‘thought power’ of our followers.”
As part of the conference activities, we visited the
Buddhist temples in Toronto and New York. I saw how the
nembutsu’s tiny seed—planted so long ago—had grown
and how its flowers were blooming.
At the New York Buddhist Temple, the minister
greeted us with a smile and said: “Thank you for coming
to visit us. Unfortunately, we were unable to prepare a
reception, nor do we have any gifts for you. On the other
hand, we have a wealth of nembutsu, so please take as
much as you want!”
Tears came to my eyes when I heard this. Wherever
we went, it was tada nembutsu (“just the nembutsu”); the
precious Name conferred on us by the Buddha, which was
more than able to satisfy me.
Many people have been bed-ridden for long periods
of time because of illness, and have suffered greatly as
a result. Many more are troubled by family problems.
But the suffering and agony of others do not seem very
important to us because we look at them ‘objectively’ (from
the side, so to speak). When they happen to us, though,
there is nothing of greater concern.
Buddha-dharma is often referred to as “the way to
overcome suffering”, and so I would like to spend some
time considering how this is possible.
Suffering and agony take many forms, and express
themselves differently for all of us. There is the widespread
dissatisfaction that arises when we cannot get what we
want, and then there is a much deeper spiritual pain.
Furthermore, I believe that human distress can
generally be divided into two additional types: shallow
and deep. For example, there is the anguish that arises
from being unable to earn enough money to meet our
everyday needs, enduring a chronic illness, experiencing
domestic conflicts, or the discontent that’s felt when things
don’t go as we wish.
Suffering that results from illness is due to a
malfunction of our bodies, so we must rely on medical
science for treatment. Family problems require sitting
down patiently with those concerned and becoming
reconciled. And, of course, financial difficulties are often
surmounted by recourse to sound economic management.
And yet, many use Buddha-dharma to free themselves
from illness, to attain a happy home life, or to succeed in
business. This is an absolute perversion of the teaching.
Buddha-dharma does not tell us that “Everything’s
fine as long as I get what’s due to me.” It is not a teaching
that aims to satisfy our ego. Rather, its purpose is to
remind us that trying to fulfill our selfish desires is
precisely the problem.
These examples might be considered as suffering in
the ‘shallow’ sense of the term; in other words, this is its
‘observable’ form.
Then what is ‘deep’ suffering? It is that which arises
when we ask: “Why did ‘I’ have this illness?” “Why did ‘I’
fail in business?” And again, “Why did ‘I’ have to be born
in such a world of suffering?”
Moreover, it comes when we wonder: “Why must
I part from those I love?” “Why must I associate with
people I dislike, or those with whom I have little in
common?” “Why must I live in a world where everyone is
jealous of the success of others?”
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FEATURED ARTICLE - HOW BUDDHA-DHARMA RESOLVES OUR EVIL KARMA
Deep suffering also strikes us when we think as
follows: “Even if I have food, clothing, and a place to live
sufficient to my needs, how long can they last? No matter
how much I covet life, I can never escape my confrontation
with the great barrier that we know as death.”
This is the fundamental crisis that we all eventually
have to face. It’s not just a matter of having to be separated
from loved ones, or losing them when they pass away.
In fact, this is but the problem of “me” myself—parting
from the feet that have served me so well, parting from
my hands and, indeed, from my very body. Yet, this isn’t
something that affects me only in the distant future.
Deep suffering and agony afflict us when we
contemplate this life that must be lived, despite how much
hardship or misfortune is encountered; and also when
we reflect on our inescapable demise, regardless of how
desperately we wish to avoid it.
We frequently say: “All beings must die at least once,”
or “It’s all over when we die,” thus giving the impression
that we have come to terms with our mortality, but do
such statements actually resolve the problem of birth and
death?
While we tend to consider only superficial suffering
(which is readily apparent), we must, more importantly,
pay careful attention to the mind that lies behind the
observable ‘stage performance’ of our lives.
Becoming solely engrossed with shallow suffering is
very much like trying to put out a blaze by extinguishing
the sparks only. But sparks cannot be put out without first
dousing the fire itself. This is the focus of Shinran Shōnin’s
teaching.
Some complain that Buddha-dharma is difficult, but this
is said by those who put all their energy into stamping out
sparks rather than smothering the flames that caused them.
The torments that stoke the fires in our heart lie deep
within us, which is why it’s extremely difficult to become
aware of them. Deep suffering is found behind the stage
where the shallow suffering is being performed.
Shinran clearly saw how this great inferno arises
within us. The cause of the fire, he said, is our bonnō, our
“blind passions and carnal desires.” In a broader sense,
it is our karma that fuels these cravings. We suffer, not
only in the present, but also in the future because of
unwholesome actions from the past.
Unfortunately, many of us do not feel the immediate
hurt caused by this “evil karma,” but the apparent absence
of symptoms—on the surface of our lives—doesn’t mean
that the roots of the disease aren’t thriving way down
within us. The harmful acts stemming from our ego,
for which we are completely responsible, is precisely
what Buddha-dharma seeks to illuminate and subdue.
However, it also reveals a wonderful promise that brings
eternal happiness through the Causal Vow of Amida
Buddha, as taught in Jōdo Shinshū. The way in which this
truth becomes available to us is through the name of the
Buddha, Namu Amida Butsu.
I mentioned that we paid a visit to the Toronto
Buddhist Temple. At the entrance to that building, one
will find the following poem:
I went out alone
But returned with another;
How grateful I am!
Namu Amida Butsu accompanied me back!
... Namu Amida Butsu,
Namu Amida Butsu ...
About the Author
Rev. Seikan Fukuma was born in 1928. He
both graduated and received his master’s
degree from Ryukoku University. He has
worked for both Nishi Hongwanji as well
as the Buddhist Churches of America. In
addition to his publications on Buddhism,
he is an accomplished musician and black
belt in Judo.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
UNCONDITIONAL FREEDOM
Excerpt from Songs of Light
Rev. George Gatenby
SHŌZŌMATSU WASAN 115
While persons ignorant of even the characters for ‘good’ and ‘evil’
All possess a sincere mind,
I make a display of knowing the words ‘good’ and ‘evil’;
This is an expression of complete falsity.
The Primal Vow of Amida Buddha acts freely, by itself ( jinen), without any input
from us. To know this is to be free also.
Shinran Shōnin realized complete ‘diamond-like’ shinjin (kongōshin) and joined
the ranks of the ‘truly settled.’ Having entered the Pure Land (unconditioned
Nirvāṇa), he no longer had any need to assert the claims of his ego. He became
spiritually emancipated from the infernal deceptions of his affective and
intellectual life.
To my mind, Shinran arrived at a true state of blessedness and contentment. His
life of turmoil, struggle and strife finally came to full fruition; he thus became
truly human, completely liberated from all pretence and hypocrisy.
This verse, then, signifies for me the ultimate truth of Jōdo Shinshū. It tells us
that if we–unreservedly–take refuge in the Primal Vow, we too will abide in the
stage of the truly settled and find ourselves on the cusp of perfect freedom.
So, our only concern–here and now–is to proclaim Shinran’s teaching for the
benefit of others; so that we may turn our gaze away from ourselves and towards
the only true reality there is: Unhindered Light and Life.
About the Author
Rev. George Gatenby (1943-2021) was born in Sydney. He was ordained as a Jodo Shinshu
minister in 1994 and was the first Australian to receive the rank of kyōshi. His life’s work was
Songs of Light, a complete commentary on Shinran’s hymns.
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INTERVIEW
Shin Buddhism Today and
the Road Ahead
(Part Four)
Q: Your comment about Amida Buddha being the
fundamental essence of our true self is something
I find to be deeply significant. I remember seeing,
on a temple bulletin board in Japan, a sign that
read: “We go to the temple to meet our true
selves.” Of course, this isn’t to be misunderstood
as saying that we are living buddhas in this life
but, rather, that we become truly human when
encountering the world of Dharma. In other
words, we see ourselves for who we really are. If
this message was emphasized far more than it
currently is, I think there would be much more
interest in the teachings of Shinran Shōnin. Do
you think there could be widespread acceptance
of a message such as this? If so, what is keeping us
from seeing things in this way?
Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji & Rev. John Paraskevopoulos
This is the fourth of a six-part interview with Rev. John Paraskevopoulos
from Australia, conducted by Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji in October 2023.
The discussion covers a host of issues facing Shin Buddhism, ranging
from doctrinal questions to the challenges that confront followers as they
attempt to live out their faith.
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REV. DR. TAKASHI MIYAJI & REV. JOHN PARASKEVOPOULOS
There are two important facets to this question. Firstly,
we live in a society that constantly fuels our insatiable
cravings. Indeed, there are many powerful interest groups
in this world that are deeply invested in ensuring that we
never awaken from the oppressive dream of our ego life.
Attempts to make us see the dangers of self-obsession are
often criticised as undermining the esteem we ought to
have for ourselves. While we must, of course, be sensitive
and caring towards those who feel vulnerable, it remains
the case that many spiritual maladies afflicting modern
society today are caused by an undue love of self (and of
the world by whose values we tend to measure our worth).
Shinran vividly speaks of the “bewildered and wayward”
who find themselves lost in the “long night of ignorance.”`
Viewed in this way, we can readily see that a culture
which promotes materialism, and encourages a narcissistic
lifestyle, is “tainted with poison” as the Shōnin laments
in one of his hymns. However, having to confront the
darkness of our minds can be deeply distressing and so we
avoid doing so like the plague! There is nothing flattering
about having to face the brutal mirror of our disordered
desires, in which we come to see ourselves as “falsehearted
and insincere.”
It is understandable, then, that without something to
relieve this crushing revelation, we will go into deep
denial about our utterly baneful condition. We simply
can’t bear to have the rug of self-satisfied virtue pulled
out from under our feet. Who in their right mind would
want to admit, as Shandao did, that we “are, in actuality,
foolish beings of karmic evil caught in birth-and-death,
ever sinking and ever wandering in transmigration from
innumerable kalpas in the past, with never a condition
that would lead to emancipation”?
This is, of course, the first aspect of his teaching on the
‘Deep Mind.’ However, if that’s all we’re left with, then
it’s not surprising that we would desperately seek to
suppress this appalling truth about our unenlightened
human existence.
But, says the great Chinese master, this isn’t all that we have
available to us. The antidote that reconciles us to such an
unsettling insight is the second aspect of the ‘Deep Mind,’
which is to “believe deeply and decidedly that Amida
Buddha grasps sentient beings, and that allowing yourself
to be carried by the power of his Vow without any doubt or
apprehension, you will attain birth in the Pure Land.”
When we reflect on these two aspects together, we find
that they are none other than a description of shinjin. In
this way, Amida’s ‘true heart and mind’—which wells
up in us at the very moment faith breaks through the
fog of our fear and despondency—is the remedy for the
existential ailment at the root of our troubled lives.
This brings me to my second point. I think there is a
deeper reason why people are reluctant to consider the
Jōdo Shinshū teachings in the quest for our ‘true selves.’
This is because the shadow of the ‘no self’ doctrine hangs
over any discussion regarding who we really are; in other
words, the notion of ‘self’ is considered by many to be an
illusion that refers to nothing enduring or substantial. This
Amida’s ‘true heart and mind’—
which wells up in us at the
very moment faith breaks
through the fog of our fear and
despondency—is the remedy
for the existential ailment at
the root of our troubled lives.
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INTERVIEW - SHIN BUDDHISM TODAY AND THE ROAD AHEAD: PART FOUR
is a vast (and controversial) topic to which we can barely
do justice in such a short answer to this question.
As discussed earlier, the far-reaching influence of the
‘emptiness’ doctrine (when understood in a questionable
way) seems to rule out the possibility of there being
anything that lies behind our ephemeral existence.
And yet Shinran is very clear that there is, indeed, such
a reality which is known by many names: Suchness,
Oneness, Buddha-nature, and Dharma-Body, for example.
This reflects the profound influence of the great Nirvāna
Sutra on his spiritual vision.
This Tathāgata pervades the countless worlds; it fills
the hearts and minds of the ocean of all beings. Thus,
plants, trees, and land all attain Buddhahood. Since it
is with this heart and mind of all sentient beings that
they entrust themselves to the Vow of Dharmakāyaas-compassion
(Amida Buddha), this entrusting is
none other than Buddha-nature.
– Notes on ‘Essentials of Faith Alone’
The crucial conclusion that Shinran draws, in light of the
above, is that this wondrous, all-permeating reality also
lies at the core of our being. Because it is not subject to
the impermanent ‘aggregates’ that comprise our unstable
mundane self, he saw it as our true spiritual abode. When
the physical and mental components of our separate
individualities eventually dissolve, and our samsāric rebirths
are exhausted, then all that’s left is ‘Immeasurable Light
and Life’ which is exactly the same in all sentient beings.
This is who we truly are, not the ego with all its turmoil,
misery and doubts. Our mutable personality is formed out
of countless finite causes and conditions, which can only
fall apart when its karma is exhausted. What endures is
that which cannot be corrupted by this world of birthand-death;
namely, the eternal Buddha-nature that dwells
in the heart of every person, which Shinran taught is
manifested in our lives as shinjin.
In other words, our true self is none other than the
boundless Wisdom and Compassion that “pervades the
countless worlds” and “fills the hearts and minds of the
ocean of all beings”. This is what we experience, in Jōdo
Shinshū, as the indestructible and diamond-like heart
(kongōshin), which is not to grasp at mere hope or belief, but
to directly ‘taste’—and be filled by—the timeless.
This is also the abiding ‘Oneness’ that makes us deeply
interconnected with others:
For all sentient beings, without exception, have been
our parents and brothers and sisters in the course of
countless lives in the many states of existence. On
attaining Buddhahood after this present life, we can
save every one of them.
– Tannishō
Although we may speak of getting to know who we really
are, what we gradually come to see, in fact, is that all
living beings share in one universal and all-pervasive self
that is ‘true and real’, to which the working of Amida
Buddha restores us at the end of our lives.
About the Interviewer
Rev. Dr. Takashi Miyaji is an assistant
professor for the Institute of Buddhist
Studies in Berkeley, California and
a Kaikyoshi minister of the Buddhist
Churches of America.
About the Interviewee
Rev. John Paraskevopoulos is a
Jodo Shinshu priest from Australia.
His publications include Call of the
Infinite, The Fragrance of Light, and
Immeasurable Life.
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NEW RELEASE!
SONGS OF LIGHT
Reflections on the Hymns of Shinran
George Gatenby
Published by the Jodo Shinshu International
Office in 2024, the three-volume Songs of Light
by the late Rev. George Gatenby, is a monumental
commentary on every one of Shinran’s 353 hymns.
“Songs of Light is a luminous and deeply inspiring work in
which Reverend Gatenby’s warmth, kindness and spiritual
maturity shine forth resplendently. All who read it will surely
be guided to a deeper understanding of the teachings of
Shinran Shōnin, and thus be led to live lives of gratitude,
pervaded by the joy of nembutsu.”
– Rev. Dr. Mark Healsmith
ORDER A COPY
13

EDITOR’S POSTSCRIPT
We live in this world with all other people, sharing each moment with others
around us. However, are we living in the same world?
In reality, the world doesn’t exist without me or you. However, the world
that I experience is the world as I see it through my own karmic lens. In this
same way, the world that you experience is the world as you see it through your
own karmic lens. Each of us is constantly interacting with each other according
to one’s own karmic views. Because of this problems arise.
My view changes constantly. My actions are based on how I view what is
right and what is wrong. Based on my love-and-hate feelings deep within, I color
things around me. ‘My view’ is ‘right’ for ‘me’ for ‘the moment.’ I am attached
to my own views and experiences, and so I am only seeing “my side.”
Words of Enlightenment tell me that I am entangled with my own egocenteredness
and not aware of it. Rev. Seikan Fukuma states in his article
appearing in this issue: “…trying to fulfill our selfish desires is precisely the
problem.”
We are often led astray by our misunderstanding of problems in the world.
We blame others for this because we fail to see that it is my own wrong views
that contribute to life’s difficulties. Thus, Buddha-dharma urges each of us to
hear the words of Enlightenment saying “take refuge in the Infinite Wisdom” or
“Namo Amida Butsu.” The calling of “Namo Amida Butsu” is the very heart
of Enlightenment or True and Real Heart beyond our world known as ‘Parent.’
As a True Parent, Namo Amida Butsu is always calling to us to wake us up and
save us from our situation.
The Buddha sees that all beings in this world suffer from wrong views,
like children distracted by toys in a burning house. We live our lives as though
oblivious of the danger we face by playing in this fire. Our fighting over the
‘toys’ of this world represents the arguments and squabbles we have over
mundane matters. The burning house represents our world that is aflame with
suffering, and a self that is afflicted by the Three Poisons. Buddha teaches that
having wrong views about life is the root cause of all our problems.
Our lives in this world are very brief compared to the long karmic journey
that leads to Immeasurable Life. Let us pay more attention to what has been
said by our teachers and masters so that we may hear the calling voice of Namo
Amida Butsu. Only by doing so can we can be rescued from this burning house
and freed from our false views of the world.
Namo Amida Butsu
Kodo Umezu
About the Author
Rev. Kodo Umezu is a retired minister and former Bishop of
the Buddhist Churches of America who currently serves as the
President of the Jodo Shinshu International Office.
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Jodo Shinshu International Office