I, Shinran, am one who is endlessly evil, consumed by defilements, never pure.
Context: Shinran often expressed his deep awareness of his own human imperfection and sinfulness. This line reflects his radical honesty about the human condition and underscores the need for 'Other Power' salvation, as even he, a revered teacher, saw himself as an 'ordinary foolish being.'
The Primal Vow of Amida Buddha makes no distinction of good or evil, nor of purity or impurity; it is solely for the salvation of all sentient beings.
Context: This quote highlights the universal and unconditional nature of Amitābha's saving vow. It emphasizes that salvation is not based on one's merit or spiritual purity but is freely given to all who entrust themselves to it, regardless of their past actions.
The nembutsu is not a practice for one's own merit, but an utterance of gratitude for the Tathagata's boundless compassion.
Context: Shinran redefined the meaning of nembutsu (reciting 'Namu Amida Butsu'). He taught that it is not a ritual practice to accumulate merit or achieve enlightenment through self-power, but rather an expression of heartfelt gratitude for Amitābha Buddha's fulfilled vow and assured salvation.
When one realizes shinjin, true and real faith, one is immediately grasped by Amida and will never be abandoned.
Context: This line expresses the central teaching of Shinran about the certainty of birth in the Pure Land the moment true faith (shinjin) is awakened. It assures the follower that once faith is attained, their salvation is settled and irreversible, guaranteed by Amitābha's compassionate embrace.
Abandoning all self-power, one entrusts oneself entirely to the Other Power of the Primal Vow.
Context: This quote encapsulates Shinran's core principle of *tariki* (Other Power). It teaches that human beings, being inherently flawed and incapable of achieving enlightenment through their own efforts (*jiriki* or self-power), must abandon all reliance on their own merits and wholeheartedly entrust them
Even the good person is born in the Pure Land, how much more so the evil person!
Context: This famous paradoxical statement, often attributed to Shinran, radicalizes the concept of grace. It means that if even those who strive for good deeds can attain salvation through Amitābha's vow, then the utterly lost and 'evil' person, who has no self-power to rely on, is even more surely the obje
The true mind of faith (shinjin) is the mind given by Amida, not produced by our own calculations.
Context: Shinran teaches that *shinjin* (faith) is not something one generates through effort or intellectual understanding, but rather a gift bestowed by Amitābha Buddha through the working of the Primal Vow. It signifies a radical shift from self-generated belief to a profound reception of grace.
Though we live in a world of defilements, the mind of faith instantly transports us beyond birth and death.
Context: This line speaks to the immediate efficacy of faith. Even while physically remaining in the Saha world (this world of suffering and impermanence), the moment true faith arises, one's spiritual destiny is settled, transcending the cycle of samsara and ensuring birth in the Pure Land.
Having already left the path of self-power and taken refuge in Other Power, there is no need to observe practices of other traditions.
Context: Shinran broke from traditional monastic practices and the accumulation of merit. This quote emphasizes the singular focus of Pure Land faith: once one has truly entrusted oneself to Amitābha's vow, all other religious practices and disciplines of self-power are rendered unnecessary for salvation.
Amida's boundless light illuminates the darkness of ignorance, guiding all beings to the land of peace.
Context: This quote refers to Amitābha Buddha as the Buddha of Infinite Light (Amitābha) and Infinite Life (Amitāyus). His light symbolizes wisdom and compassion, penetrating the darkness of human delusion and leading all sentient beings to the Pure Land, a realm of ultimate peace and enlightenment.