The nembutsu, for its practicers, is not a practice or a good act. Since it is not performed out of one’s own designs, it is not a practice. Since it is not good done through one’s own calculation, it is not a good act. Because it arises wholly from Other Power and is free of self-power, for the practicer, it is not a practice or a good act.
Chapter 8 Tannisho
This passage from the Tannisho is explaining that in Jodo Shinshu we do not have ritual practice, such as in other forms of Buddhism. In Jodo Shinshu, only saying the Nembutsu (Namo Amida Butsu) is required. It may also be emphasizing how any good done or received is the result of others, not one’s own power. Although this is our doctrine as a Jodo Shinshu Buddhists, I do believe there is a practice of sorts. I have recently participated in the first Kyoshi Kyoshu training session held outside of Japan. If you were to tell the students, staff and instructors there is no practice in Jodo Shinshu, I’m sure, everyone would just laugh. Kyoshi is the certification after Tokudo ordination when a Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji Ha priest is certified to be a minister that may run a temple on their own without a supervisor. It is ten difficult days with classes and ritual practices. This does not include the years of training and study before being allowed to receive this training and certificate. During the ten days of Kyoshi, wake up is at 5:30 am with lights out at 11:00 pm. It has been over 35 years since I went through this training in Japan, so it was a little startling to go through it again as one of the teachers, here in America.
On top of the difficulty and stress that is ordinarily a part of this training session, COVID had added another layer. This entire endeavor taking place was the result of Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara of the Jodo Shinshu International office working countless hours in zoom meetings with the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji Ha officials in Japan, along with Bishop Marvin Harada and Bishop Tatsuya Aoki of BCA and Buddhist Churches of Canada also meeting with the Japanese officials for support. Originally it was envisioned that we would have about twenty students; 12 from BCA, three from Canada, two from Hawaii and three from Europe. However, COVID changed everything. The restrictions for travel between countries made everything exceedingly difficult. In fact, Japan now holds the entire training for Japanese on zoom. This was suggested to BCA, however, we couldn’t imagine how that would be done, but we found out.
I was lucky because my lecture was the first of the ten days. It was called “Ippan soryo no han” this is translated as “the Model of a Jodo Shishu Hongwanji Ha minister.” The first day began Sunday August 21. During the day, one of the participants began to have a slight sore throat and headache. His day job is as a physician, so he knew what he was talking about. He thought it would be wise if he quarantined himself. All the students, instructors and volunteers had to submit COVID test results on entering the Jodo Shinshu Center (JSC). Each person entering the JSC had to have their temperature taken and recorded daily. On the second day, the student not feeling well still had a negative test result, but Hongwanji had commanded that all students would have to isolate in their rooms. On the third day, the students test was confirmed as positive. Japan had two or more written pages of protocol based on their Japanese system. The first thing was all students were quarantined in their rooms. At the beginning of the session, laptops and cell phones were all gathered up since this was a retreat/training session. However, as they were now isolated in their rooms, they all had to communicate by texting and the lectures were done over zoom. It was really difficult for them to perform the basic rituals over zoom. The normal lectures were not that difficult to accommodate, but the chanting and ritual practices were really hard. The main instructor Rev. Nishioki was sent from Japan. He has been teaching at Tokudo and Kyoshi trainings at Nishiyama Betsuin for twelve years. We also had Rev. Katsuya Kusunoki, Rev. Tadao Koyama from BCA and Rev. Yoshi Ouchi of Toronto, Canada to assist him. I was so impressed by Rev. Yoshi Ouchi of Toronto. He is only 31 years old and has been a Kaikyoshi for six years, so his English isn’t perfect, yet he had to simultaneously translate all of Rev. Nishioki’s Japanese lectures into English. I don’t know how he did it!
Going on zoom not only made it difficult for the teaching portion, but also for the support staff led by Judy Kono. Judy always has a group of volunteers at the JSC to assist her. However, because of COVID, this had to be cut down to Judy, Michael Endo, Pam Matsuoka and Bob Matsueda. Even in the best of conditions the support staff job is difficult. COVID made it a nightmare. There are three meals a day to prepare and something that isn’t really done in Japan, considering for all allergies. There were four students that had various food allergies, such as, gluten, nuts, dairy, etc. Each meal had to be boxed up, taken to each of the students’ rooms, breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cleaning protocol and food handling was very strict. There was always the chance that Hongwanji would close the entire Kyoshi Kyoshu adding stress to an already stressful situation. After the last service ended at about 9:00 p.m. Revs. Kuwahara, Harada, Aoki, Nishioki and Ouchi had to hold a group zoom meeting with the Hongwanji officials in Japan, instructions were then given for the following day’s protocol.
I can tell you, Rev. Ouchi and I were quite relieved to leave on the sixth day. As I had said, it wasn’t until August 8th that the Kyoshi Kyoshu was confirmed a go by Japan. Rev. Ouchi had been asked to officiate and I had been asked to attend a wedding in Canmore, Canada. It was kind of a bittersweet ending for that tough but enjoyable week or so that we had been in Berkeley. The morning after arriving in Canada, Bishop Aoki sent me a video, showing that Japan had allowed the students to go back to live lectures. There were only four days left of the program and everyone had isolated for more than four days, so I guess Hongwanji decided it would be safe for the students to begin to be instructed in person. My trip into Canada was another very interesting adventure, but that is for another time.
I’m so happy for these new Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji Ha Kyoshi ministers. In my first lecture, seeing the students, I told them I now understood how the hermit Asita felt when he saw the baby Buddha, Siddartha Gautama. It was said that he cried knowing that he would never get to see the great things this baby would accomplish. Maybe this is a part of what our Jodo Shinshu practice really is. It may not be a practice such as other forms of Buddhism, but our life itself is a practice. This experience of Kyoshi Kyoshu reminded me of one of my teachers in Japan, Rev. Murakami Sokusui. I was fortunate to attend one of the last lectures he gave. Rev. Murakami was considered by many to be one of the great scholars of the modern era. In this last lecture he wrote the words “Shinshu Gaku” on the chalk board, which means the study of Jodo Shinshu. And explained that this is not real Jodo Shinshu. Mind you, he was one of the greatest scholars of Jodo Shinshu. He then wrote Namo Amida Butsu on the board and someone asked him what he meant. He explained that true Jodo Shinshu is that as a young man, he learned from his youth. As an old man, he learned from his age. Rev. Murakami had suffered a very serious stroke which wiped out much of his memories, his years of scholarship. He said his sickness was also his teacher and now that he is close to death. Death will be his teacher. For myself, I can see how it is absolutely necessary for our future ministers to undergo harsh and strict training. But this does not make them a true Jodo Shinshu Buddhist. It might teach them a bit of humility. But to really understand Jodo Shinshu, it is to accept the difficulties of life along with the joys, laughing and crying, saying Namo Amida Butsu. I have been so fortunate to take part in this with these students, laughing, crying and saying the Nembutsu. Hoping for them to have a full life as a Kyoshi minister, it has definitely been a wonderful life for me. Namo Amida Butsu!
- Rev. J.K. Hirano