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In Jodo Shinshu, we primarily talk about Amida Buddha, but not so much about Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha. However, within our tradition, we have three annual observances to reflect on Sakyamuni Buddha and to give thanks to the guidance we have received from the historical Buddha. There is Bodhi Day on December 8th, which commemorates the day Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment, Nirvana Day on February 15th, which commemorates the day Sakyamuni Buddha passed away and entered ultimate enlightenment, and then this month on April 8th, we commemorate Hanamatsuri, the birth of the historical Buddha. Hanamatsuri means “festival of flowers” in Japanese, a reference to the flower petals that gently rained down to celebrate the birth of Siddhartha Gautama of the Sakya Clan over 2,500 years ago. It is said that when Siddhartha was born, the universe recognized the special birth of the one who would later come to understand the truths of this human existence and teach various paths for all beings to be liberated from suffering by awakening to true reality.
You may still be wondering why in Jodo Shinshu we celebrate Sakyamuni Buddha, since it is in the working of Amida Buddha’s universal Vow that we take refuge and express gratitude to when we say “Namo Amida Butsu”. Shinran Shonin, the founder of our tradition, reminds us in his wasans, or hymns of praise, that Sakyamuni Buddha, using upaya or skillful means, taught about the great compassion and wisdom of Amida Buddha, such as in the Sutra on the Buddha of Immeasurable Life and the Contemplation Sutra. The teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha survived over 1,700 years to reach Shinran Shonin in Japan, and then another 800 years to reach us today. If it were not for the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha and a multitude of causes and conditions that enabled us to have contact with the Buddhist teachings, we would not be here to care about celebrating the birth of the historical Buddha and reflect on the guidance we have received throughout our lives.
In the wasans from earlier, Shinran Shonin named many others along with Sakyamuni Buddha and Amida Buddha. Some names you may recognize, like Ananda and Maudgalyayana, but others may not be as familiar, such as Vaidehi, Ajatasatru, or perhaps not at all. These are all people who are mentioned in the Contemplation sutra, one of the three main sutras our tradition is based on. Shinran Shonin gives thanks to all of them because despite some of them engaging in some horrible and harmful actions, their story helps us ordinary, foolish beings learn about Amida Buddha’s great compassion to help all beings be born in the Pure Land so that we all may be liberated from suffering. Some of you may be confused like I was when I first heard about this: why would Shinran Shonin praise people who were by most people’s consideration, terrible people who committed awful acts of harm and consider them sages?
In the Contemplation Sutra, we learn about the story of Queen Vaidehi who is lamenting her current situation. She had just been imprisoned by her son, Prince Ajatasatru, for sneaking food and drink to her imprisoned husband, King Bimbisara. King Bimbisara was being starved to death for crimes Ajatasatru had learned about from Devadatta, the jealous, scheming cousin of Sakyamuni Buddha. Queen Vaidehi begs Sakyamuni Buddha to help free her from her terrible suffering. Sakyamuni Buddha hears her pleas and arrives with both Ananda and Maudgalyayana. Queen Vaidehi rushes to them and exclaims, “How could I have such an evil son and how can you have such an evil cousin in Devadatta?” Sakyamuni Buddha reminds Queen Vaidehi of her and her husband’s own evil acts of killing an ascetic rather than letting him die a natural death, because they couldn’t bear to wait for that ascetic to be reborn as their son. Realizing her suffering was her own cause, she then asked Sakyamuni Buddha for a way for someone like her who has done great harm to be born in a pure land away from the temptations and suffering of this world. So, Sakyamuni Buddha showed her a multitude of different Buddhas’ pure lands and with his guidance, she selects Amida Buddha’s Pure Land. Sakyamuni Buddha then teaches various methods for attaining birth in Amida’s Pure Land, down to the simplest practices for those beings who cannot do great meditative practices nor hold to precepts. He reminds everyone present that even those who have committed great harm and cannot do much beyond uttering a few words with a sincere heart-mind, can realize liberation from suffering because Amida Buddha is non-discriminating and thus the great compassion and power of Amida’s universal vow extends even to those whose only ability is to be able to say the name of the Buddha of Immeasurable life, in other words, Namo Amida Butsu.
It is through this saga in the Contemplation Sutra that we can come to learn about Amida Buddha’s great wish for all beings. Yet, without Siddhartha Gautama being born into this world, there would not be this teaching and we would not know of this path to awakening that is available to all beings, regardless of gender, ability, socioeconomic status, karmic conditions, etc., for someone as full of the three poisons and numerous attachments like me. There would be no Jodo Shinshu without Sakyamuni Buddha, and so Shinran Shonin expressed his deep gratitude to this awareness in his wasans and it serves as a reminder of our indebtedness to the myriad of teachers that shared this path of wisdom and compassion, all the way back to Sakyamuni Buddha.
Namo Amida Butsu.
In gassho,
Rev. Aki Gien Rogers
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