Gobunshō – 御文章 – Fascicle 4-10 – This Present Age – 今の世章 –

4-10 This Present Age

All women of this present age should deeply rely on Amida Tathagata with singleness of heart. Even if you believe in any other teaching, you ought to realize that you will never be saved in the afterlife.

How then should you rely on Amida and aspire for emancipation in the afterlife? Those of you who entrust yourselves single-heartedly to Amida without any qualms and deeply accept his saving power for your emancipation is the afterlife will certainly be saved. There should not be the slightest doubt about this.

Beyond this, being grateful to Amida for saving you with certainty, you should solely recite the nembutsu to express your gratitude for the Buddha’s benevolence.

Humbly and respectfully.

At the age of 83

4-10　今の世章

　今いまの世よにあらん女人にょにんは､ みなみなこころを一ひとつにして阿あ弥陀みだ如来にょらいをふかくたのみたてまつるべし｡ そのほかには､ いづれの法ほうを信しんずといふとも､ 後ご生しょうのたすかるといふことゆめゆめあるべからずとおもふべし｡

されば弥陀みだをばなにとやうにたのみ､ また後ご生しょうをばなにとねがふべきぞといふに､ なにのわづらひもなく､ ただ一心いっしんに弥陀みだをたのみ､ 後ご生しょうたすけたまへとふかくたのみまうさん人ひとをば､ かならず御おんたすけあらんことは､ さらさらつゆほども疑うたがいあるべからざるものなり｡

このうへには､ はや､ しかと御おんたすけあるべきことのありがたさよとおもひて､ 仏恩ぶっとん報謝ほうしゃのために念仏ねんぶつ申もうすべきばかりなり｡

あなかしこ､ あなかしこ｡

八はち十じゅう三歳さんさい　御

Index of individual letters:

Fascicle 1-2 – Renouncing the World and Awakening the Bodhi-mind – 出家発心章

Fascicle 1-3 – Hunting and Fishing – 猟すなどり章

Fascicle 1-5 – Journey in the Snow – 雪中章

Fascicle 1-6 – Drowsiness – 睡眠章

Fascicle 1-8 – Construction at Yoshizaki – 吉崎建立章

Fascicle 1-13 – A Wrong View Concerning “Ten Kalpas Ago” – 此方十劫邪義章

Fascicle 2-4 – Severing Crosswise the Five Evil Courses – 横截五悪趣章

Fascicle 2-5 – Juzu – 珠数章

Fascicle 2-7 – Going Is Easy, but No One Is Born There – 易往無人章

Fascicle 2-11 – The Fivefold Doctrine – 五重義章

Fascicle 3-4 – The Great Sage, the World-honored One – 大聖世尊章

Fascicle 3-6 – Solely Saying the Name Constantly – 唯能常称章

Fascicle 4-10 – This Present Age – 今の世章

Fascicle 4-11 – The Unity of Beings and the Dharma – 機法一体章

Fascicle 4-12 – The Meetings Twice Every Month – 毎月両度章

Fascicle 4-14 – The Settled Mind of Our Tradition – 一流安心章

Fascicle 4-15 – Construction at Ozaka – 大坂建立章

Fascicle 5-1 – Those Lacking Wisdom in the Latter Age – 末代無智章

Fascicle 5-2 – Eighty Thousand Dharma-teachings – 八万法蔵章

Fascicle 5-3 – Women Remaining in Lay Life – 在家尼入道章

Fascicle 5-4 – Whether Men or Women – 抑男子女人章

Fascicle 5-5 – Attaining the Entrusting Heart – 信心獲得章

Fascicle 5-6 – Singleness of Heart, Great Benefit – 一念大利章

Fascicle 5-9 – All the Sacred Scriptures – 一切聖教章

Fascicle 5-10 – The Tradition of Shinran Shonin -聖人一流章

Fascicle 5-11 – The Annual Memorial Observance for Shinran Shonin – 御正忌章

Fascicle 5-12 – Holding on to Amida’s Sleeves – 御袖章

Fascicle 5-13 – The Unsurpassed, Profound Virtues – 無上甚深章

Fascicle 5-16 – White Ashes -白骨章

Fascicle 5-17 – All Women – 一切女人章

Fascicle 5-18 – The Master of Our Tradition – 当流聖人章

Fascicle 5-21 – Clear Statements in the Scriptures – 経釈明文

Fascicle 5-22 – The Teaching of Our Tradition – 当流勧化章

Other Resources:
Letters of Rennyo: The Essence of Shin Buddhism (essay/talk by Rev. Daien T. Haseo)

Letters of Rennyo – On Youtube (presented by Rev. Sugahara Yuki)

Complete Letters of Rennyo translation by the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai follow this link to their website to download a copy.

---

To purchase the book ‘Letters of Rennyo’ , Translated by as part of the Hongwanji Shin Buddhism Translation Series, this is the publication information & link:

• Title ：Letters of Rennyo
• ¥1,100
• Author ：Shin Buddhism Translation Series
• Language ：English
• ISBN ：4-938490-20-X
• pages ：164

Buy from Hongwanji International Center: https://international.hongwanji.or.jp/html/c3b1p1.html

If you would like a digital copy containing more translated letters than listed above (albeit not translated by Hongwanji), you can download a PDF from the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK – Amercia) website here: Link: https://bdkamerica.org/product/tannisho-passages-deploring-deviations-of-faith-and-rennyo-shonin-ofumi-the-letters-of-rennyo/

Credits: The text for the Letters of Rennyo as presented on this and subsequent pages was originally shared on the following site : http://www.yamadera.info/seiten/seiten_index.htm

Please report any broken links here