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

5-5 Attaining the Entrusting Heart

Attaining the entrusting heart lies in understanding the Eighteenth Vow. To understand this Vow means to understand what “Namo Amida Butsu” is. And so, when one takes refuge, that is, “namo,” in Amida in one thought-moment, “making aspiration and directing virtue” is implied. This means that Amida Tathagata directs virtue to us, foolish beings.

This is taught in the Larger Sutra as “bringing all sentient beings to the attainment of virtues.” So it follows that all the karmic evil and blind passions which we have given rise to since the beginningless past are completely extinguished by the inconceivable Vow-Power. Hence, we dwell in the stage of nonretrogression, or the stage of the truly settled.

This is the meaning of the statement “we attain nirvana without severing blind passions.” This teaching is unique to our tradition, and so should not be discussed with followers of other schools. This we should carefully bear in mind.

　Humbly and respectfully.

5-5　信心獲得章

信心しんじん獲ぎゃく得とくすといふは第だい十じゅう八はちの願がんをこころうるなり｡ この願がんをこころうるといふは､ 南無なも阿あ弥陀みだ仏ぶつのすがたをこころうるなり｡ このゆゑに､ 南無なもと帰き命みょうする一念いちねんの処ところに発願ほつがん回え向こうのこころあるべし｡ これすなはち弥陀みだ如来にょらいの凡ぼん夫ぶに回え向こうしましますこころなり｡

これを ¬大だい経きょう¼ (上) には､ ｢令りょう諸しょ衆しゅ生じょう功く徳どく成じょう就じゅ｣ と説とけり｡ されば無始むし以い来らいつくりとつくる悪業あくごう煩悩ぼんのうを､ のこるところもなく願力がんりき不ふ思議しぎをもつて消しょう滅めつするいはれあるがゆゑに､ 正定しょうじょう聚じゅ不ふ退たいの位くらいに住じゅうすとなり｡

これによりて､ ｢煩悩ぼんのうを断だんぜずして涅ね槃はんをう｣ といへるはこのこころなり｡ この義ぎは当とう流りゅう一いち途ずの所談しょだんなるものなり｡ 他た流りゅうの人ひとに対たいして､ かくのごとく沙汰さたあるべからざるところなり｡ よくよくこころうべきものなり｡

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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