Gobunshō – 御文章 – Fascicle 5-17 – All Women – 一切女人章 –

5-17 All Women

All women, if you seriously care about the afterlife and turn to the Buddha Dharma with sincere devotion, you should just entrust yourselves deeply to Amida Tathagata and, casting aside various practices, single-heartedly rely on Amida with the firm assurance of your emancipation in the afterlife. Then you will be unfailingly born in the land of bliss. There should never be any doubt about this.

After having attained this understanding, you should simply say “Namo Amida Butsu, Namo Amida Butsu, …” whether awake or asleep, with gratitude and appreciation, accepting deep in your mind Amida Tathagata’s readiness to save you. You will then be called nembutsu practicers who have attained the entrusting heart.

Humbly and respectfully.

5-17　一切女人章

それ､ 一切いっさいの女人にょにんの身みは､ 後ご生しょうを大だい事じにおもひ､ 仏法ぶっぽうをたふとくおもふ心こころあらば､ なにのやうもなく､ 阿あ弥陀みだ如来にょらいをふかくたのみまゐらせて､ もろもろの雑ぞう行ぎょうをふりすてて､ 一心いっしんに後ご生しょうを御おんたすけ候そうらへとひしとたのまん女人にょにんは､ かならず極楽ごくらくに往おう生じょうすべきこと､ さらに疑うたがいあるべからず｡

かやうにおもひとりてののちは､ ひたすら弥陀みだ如来にょらいのやすく御おんたすけにあづかるべきことのありがたさ､ またたふとさよとふかく信しんじて､ ねてもさめても南無なも阿あ弥陀みだ仏ぶつ､ 南無なも阿あ弥陀みだ仏ぶつと申もうすべきばかりなり｡ これを信心しんじんとりたる念仏ねんぶつ者しゃとは申もうすものなり｡

あなかしこ､ あなかしこ｡

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.

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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

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