We chant the Shoshinge for Ho-Onko. This is one of several chants we use in our
services, but quite honestly, it is not the one that is going to win the chant
popularity contest. In general if you
say to a temple member that we are going to do the Shoshinge today, they may
look at you blankly until you say, “the really long one…”
They will know which one
you are talking about. They may not show
it, but there may be a secret sense of dismay.
The Shoshinge—a masterpiece written by our founder Shinran Shonin, which
traces the teachings of the Pure Land tradition of Buddhism from the historical
Shakyamuni Buddha’s time—takes 15 minutes to chant. And, for good measure, we usually follow this
with the Nembutsu Wasan which is a series of songs written by Shinran as well,
and which add another 15 minutes to the chanting.
But it is our most
important chant, and it is important to understand for our lives in
Nembutsu. The following teaching
appeared in our November, 2015 newsletter, and was written by our Supervising
Minister, Reverend Marvin Harada, to give us a better sense of what it is we
are chanting during Ho-Onko and other important services in the year, and how
we can personalize it to our own lives.
Shinran Shonin’s Shoshinge and the Seven Masters
One
of the most fundamental of Shin Buddhist texts is the Shoshinge, which is a
song or poem written by Shinran Shonin. The Shoshinge is also chanted, and is
chanted every morning at the 6:00 a.m. service at our hongwanji (mother temple) in Japan. In our Orange County
temple, we chant the Shoshinge at our meditation service every Sunday, and
after the publication of our new service book, we are trying to do it more
often in our family services as well. This month, I would like to explain in
general, the contents of the Shoshinge.
First
of all, the Shoshinge (Gatha, or Song of True Shinjin), appears in
Shinran Shonin’s main work, the Kyogyoshinsho
(Teaching, Practice, Shinjin, Realization), which is a lengthy work consisting
of six chapters. The Shoshinge appears at the end of the second chapter, the
chapter on Practice (Gyo). It is a
song or poem that is exactly 120 lines long, with 7 Chinese characters in each
line.
To
put it simply, Shinran Shonin expresses his deep spirituality, his deep heart
of the Dharma in this beautiful poem. In expressing his deep heart of the
Dharma, he praises the wonderful teachers who have brought the truth of the
Dharma, the Nembutsu, to him. Those wonderful teachers are called the Seven
Masters.
Although
their names are long, I think it is important that we know their names and
become more familiar with their teachings.
I
would like to list the names of the Seven Masters in both the language of their
country, but also by their names pronounced in Japanese as Shinran referred to
them. When you become more familiar in chanting the Shoshinge, you will
recognize the names of these masters appearing in the text, as Shinran praises
them and their teachings.
The
Seven Masters are:
India: Nagarjuna (Ryuju Bosatsu)
Vasubandhu (Tenjin Bosatsu)
China: Tan Luan (Donran Daishi)
Tao Cho
(Doshaku Zenji)
Shan Tao
(Zendo Daishi)
Japan: Genshin Kasho
Genku
(Better known as Honen Shonin)
In
the Shoshinge, Shinran Shonin praises Shakyamuni Buddha, Amida Buddha, and the
Seven Masters, for bringing the truth of Namu Amida Butsu to his heart and
mind. For Shinran Shonin, his heart and mind were in total darkness, total
delusion, until a light began to penetrate the depths of his being. This light
that he encountered was the light of wisdom, the light of Amida. The Seven
Masters, to Shinran Shonin, were like the conduit, the pipeline, through which
the profound Dharma flowed from Shakyamuni Buddha all the way to him.
When
Shinran Shonin praises the Seven Masters, he is not trying to validate his own
position in the Buddhist tradition. He is not saying, “See the great teachers
that are in my lineage!” Instead, he is expressing his gratitude for their
teachings, that liberated his heart and mind. These Seven Masters were the
great teachers that he revered and looked up to. They were the great teachers
that inspired him in his own path of the Nembutsu.
If
you were a musician, there would be great composers or musicians that inspire
you to become a great musician. If you were an athlete, there would be great
athletes whom you try to emulate, whom you look up to and try to model your
game after. No matter what field you are in, there are teachers and mentors
that guide you in that path, whether it is medicine, politics, or philosophy.
In that sense, the Seven Masters for Shinran Shonin were the great spiritual
mentors in his life, whose writings brought the essence of Namu Amida Butsu to
him.
In
a sense, we each have to find our own Seven Masters in our journey on the path.
Perhaps for us, Shinran Shonin is one of our Seven Masters. Maybe Rennyo Shonin
is another master. Maybe our Seven Masters might include the writings of the
Dalai Lama, or D.T. Suzuki, or Thich Nhat Hanh.
The
final line of the Shoshinge, “Yui ka shin shi ko so setsu,” means “Just rely on
the teachings of these masters.” Shinran was a seeker and a student. He read
and studied. He listened and learned. He opened his heart to the teachings. In
doing so, wonderful teachers and teachings emerged in his life. His life became
like a sponge and he absorbed into his life the teachings and writings of the
Seven Masters, the Three Pure Land Sutras, and many other sutras that he read
and quoted in his Kyogyoshinsho, like the Nirvana Sutra.
What
we learn from Shinran Shonin’s Shoshinge is not just the teachings from the
Seven Masters. What we learn is his attitude, his posture in seeking,
listening, and receiving the teachings. When we chant the Shoshinge, we can
reflect on the countless teachers and followers who have all had a hand in the
transmission of Buddhism from the ancient past to me, here and now. Shinran
Shonin too, becomes one of those teachers in the timeless flow of the Dharma.
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