Hiroyuki Itsuki, Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace, translated from the Japanese by Joseph Robert (Tokyo & New York: Kodansha, 2001) ("Tariki is the Japanese word for Other Power." Id. at xvi. "Tariki stands in contrast to 'Self-Power,' or jiriki." Id. at xvi. "The fact is, life is not just a pleasurable experience. Although the present generation has come to expect that every person has some sort of inalienable right to a pleasant, healthy, happy life, I believe that this expectation is not only a delusion but a grave error." Id. at 6. "What has changed over the ages is that the human race has become a parasite on the Earth and on nature. Our numbers have increased dramatically; we have become a destructive force on the planet. The power of this force means that we no longer fear the powers of nature or the supernatural, but, with the advance of science, have come to think of ourselves as the rulers of the entire universe." Id. at 7-8. "Truly enlightened thinking is not about being lucky, or privileged, or content with one's lot in life. Truly enlightened thinking only takes place when we have stared into the bottomless possibilities of human suffering and discovered light. The only way to reach that point is to descend to the ultimate limit of negative thinking.... Hell is where we live now, hell is the prison of suffering that defines our existence." Id. at 22. "We are all travelers who, from our first wail at birth, are making a journey, one step at a time, toward death. Knowing life's end, how meaningless it is to compare oneself to others, and harboring feelings of either inferiority or superiority." "Although we know what fate awaits us, we do not succumb to despair but dare to live." "Given the circumstances, what a great and important feat that is!" Id. at 218.).
Shinran, Tannisho: A Shin Buddhist Classic, translated by Taitetsu Unno (Honolulu: Buddhist Study Center Press, 1996) ("The saying of nembutsu [i.e., "recitation of the Name as the beckoning call from Amida Buddha"] is neither a religious practice nor a good act. Since it is practiced without any calculation, it is 'non-practice.' Since it is also not a good created by my calculation, it is 'non-good.' Since it is nothing but Other Power [i.e. "The working of Amida's Primal Vow beyond the normal categories of subject and object., manifesting compassion which is the dynamic manifestation of 'sunyate (emptiness).], completely free of self-power [i.e., "The calculative mind of unenlightened beings who mistakenly believe in their ability to achieve supreme enlightenment. Relying on this delusion, the more they strive on the path, the more they sink into samsara."], it is neither a religious practice nor a good act on the part of the practicer." Id. at 11.).
Taitetsu Unno, River of Fire, River of Water: An Introduction to The Pure Land Tradition of Shin Buddhism (New York: Doubleday, 1998) ("Conventional thinking is characterized by all kinds of duality: self and other, right and wrong, good and bad, like and dislike, beautiful and ugly, birth and death, and so on. These conceptual distinctions are necessary and useful, but they are all relative viewpoints made from a limited perspective. As long as we don't mistake these words for a concrete, unmovable reality, there is no problem. But we seem to always confuse the two, infusing words with powerful emotions and grasping them as substantial. We thus create our world of delusion, full of words and concepts, existing completely separate from reality. We then cone to accept conflict, competition, jealousy, greed, acquisitiveness, and aggression as the norm of life." Id. at 125. "In Buddhism hell does not exist as a place; it is created by each individual's thought, speech, and action. Hell is the consequence of karmic life for which each person alone is accountable. No one else should be blamed for one's past history, present circumstances, or future happenings. The law of karma is the ultimate form of personal responsibility, and its validity is to be tested through rigorous self-examination and applied to one's own existential predicament. The principle of karma should never be applied to others, as found in such thoughtless expressions as 'That's his karma,' when another person experiences misfortune." Id. at 158-159. My own karma, for which I alone am responsible, is problematic at the very least. "The goal of the Buddhist path is to awaken to the true and real life that flows within us. But this life is inseparable from the physical container. Thus, when the two are fully integrated through self-cultivation and religious practice, both mind and body become supple, pliant, and open. This is contrasted to ordinary thinking that divides mind and body, creating an imbalance between the two, resulting in a rigid mind and a tense body. The current fashion for Yoga exercise may contribute to a healthy body, but its true significance is realized only when it is pursued as part of an integrated Hindu spiritual practice." Id. at. 189. I am not sure Yoga's significance requires a integrated Hindu spiritual practice specifically. It does, I think, require some sort of integrated spiritual practice. However, the norm in American yoga studios is pretty much void of the spiritual. Instead, yoga in American is often treated as just another form of consumer good or service; that is, as an extension of American materialism. "Although I myself am incapable of truly loving another person, many people love me--many times in ways unknown to me. Although I fail to appreciate others' concern for me, they truly sustain my life. But when I live namu-amida-butsu, I am made to appreciate others and want to thank them--all this by virtue of true and real life." Id. at 194. "But, I said, there is something that we can all do today, regardless of where we come from. And that is to ask ourselves: Have I always been free of bigotry and injustice? Have I always treated others, whether individuals or groups with respect? Have I always been free of insensitivity against those who are not like us? Have I never exploited others for my own selfish gains? Have I spoken out for equal treatment of all peoples, regardless of color, creed, gender, sexual orientation, age, class?" Id. at 201.).
Taitetsu Unno, Shin Buddhism: Bits of Rubble Turn into Gold (New York: Doubleday, 2002) ("Several points are to be noted.... First, the relative nature of good and evil is contrasted to good and evil as seen from the standpoint of the Tathagata or Buddha. That is, the human perspective on good and evil is limited, incomplete, and flawed, negating any absolute notions of good and evil. Second, the statement, 'all things are empty and vain,' refers to the passing things of the world, but it also rejects our reliance on language as the final arbiter of good and evil. Words are useful but arbitrary, essential in human interaction but possibly misleading. In contrast, the nembutsu is 'true, real, and sincere,' because it enables us to see our ego-self in operation, its falsity and deceptions in the light of boundless compassion. At the same time, it endows us with humility and gratitude. Third, everything on the horizontal plane of life is critically evaluated from the vertical dimension. From this vantage point we see that the highest ethical good may contain a hidden, self-serving agenda, unknown even to the person involved. Pure good comes from an ethical act arising from living the nembutsu." Id. at 167-168.).
