Editing SG33SHS-T (section)

=== 35. Buddhist Philosophy Is Based on the Recognition and Practice of Selfless Love ===

The understanding of Buddhism among contemporary Buddhists can be said to be represented by Dr. Takakusu’s [article] “The Fundamental Meaning of Buddhism,” recently published in the ''Yomiuri shinbun'' 読売新聞 [in which he writes]:

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Śākyamuni Buddha fundamentally stood upon his own character, developed and enhanced that character, and attained the state of buddhahood. Amida Buddha and Mahāvairocana Buddha [Dainichi Nyorai] are ideals born from Śākyamuni’s own aspirations. These represent the ultimate human perfection. . . . The qualification for a religion is established when disciples of the present and those of future generations can sense the spiritual power of the Buddha, perceiving it as the embodiment of that ideal. . . . A complete religion is one that is manifested in the complete character of the Buddha.<ref>This article appeared in the morning edition of the ''Yomiuri shinbun'', March 22, 1931, p. 4. It was republished in the June 1931 issue of the journal ''Gendai bukkyō'' 現代仏教, and it was likely this version that Seno’o accessed, as he published part of ''Revitalized Buddhism on the Road to Social Reform'' in the following issue of the same journal. Thanks to the anonymous reviewer for providing further information on this.</ref>
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In addition, the late Shimaji Daitō 島地大等 wrote in his book ''Thought and Faith'':

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Within the historical persona of Śākyamuni, both Śākyamuni himself and his disciples recognized the true nature of the Buddha, thereby clarifying the concept of the Tathāgata. That is to say, the historical Śākyamuni himself embodies the Buddha, and we, as human beings, are also thoroughly and completely the Buddha. Therefore, we find the Buddha within humanity—it is not the case that God creates humans.<ref>Shimaji Daitō (1875–1927), ''Shisō to shinkō'' 思想と信仰 (Tokyo: Meiji Shoin, 1928), p. 154. Shimaji was a prominent Jōdo Shinshū 浄土真宗 scholar-priest of the Taishō period. He was a faculty member in the Department of Indian Philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University from 1923 until his death in 1927.</ref>
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In these passages it becomes clear that both Amida Buddha and Mahavairocana Buddha are ideal buddhas abstracted from the historical Śākyamuni. It is firmly recognized that there is no absolute Buddha who exists other than Śākyamuni to help us. Naturally, the historical Śākyamuni does not exist in the present; what exists now is the truth realized by the historical Śākyamuni, namely the truth of “selflessness.” Those seekers who aim to recognize and experience that truth will naturally have reverence for the Buddha—the great manifestation of that truth—and this reverence for the Buddha further facilitates the realization of the truth. In this psychological sense, Buddhism can be seen as a theistic religion, as it promotes the attainment of truth. However, in the true sense, Buddhism is certainly nontheistic and does not acknowledge the existence of any personal entity that has power over us.

In essence, faith in Amida and Mahavairocana Buddha is a symbol of reverence toward the perfected personality of Śākyamuni, the great Buddha himself. Therefore, we no longer need the idealized names of Amida and Mahavairocana Buddha, but rather, the essential attitude of Buddhist practitioners lies in their reverence for the Buddha and the practice of his truth. This necessitates the abandonment of all divisive sectarianism and the pursuit of Buddhist unity. Moreover, especially in the case of contemporary individuals seeking a religion, it is not the traditional otherworldly, soteriological religious beliefs mentioned above that are sought, but rather a religion that is realistic and ethical in nature. In this regard, such an authentic religious movement can be seen as a dual-sided movement: on one hand, it reflects the counterinfluence of social movements, and on the other hand, it represents the highest ideals of self-realization and self-completion, as advocated by Dr. Takakusu:

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This is the teaching of “the inseparability of the Buddha and ordinary beings,”<ref>''Shōbutsu ichinyo'' 生仏一如.</ref> which aims to lead individuals to the highest state of buddhahood. From the perspective of potentiality, it is the inseparability of the Buddha and ordinary beings; from the perspective of attainment, it is the inseparability of the Buddha and ordinary beings. In other words, it asserts that human beings and gods are not fundamentally different but share the same human nature.<ref>Takakusu Junjirō, “The Fundamental Meaning of Buddhism,” ''Yomiuri shinbun'', March 22, 1931, p. 4.</ref>
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This represents an ideal religious form of “the unity of the divine and human.”<ref>''Jinjin ittai'' 神人一体.</ref>

When viewed in this way, it must be said that the theoretical basis of religious negation expressed by the current and vociferous antireligious movement of Marxism is off the mark when it comes to true Buddhism. This is because Marxism criticizes religion as an abstract and theistic ideology, particularly referring to Christianity. However, Buddhism is a religion with the above characteristics—and indeed, the Buddha himself rejected the prevailing conceptual religion of his time, Brahmanism, and advocated an ethically-grounded religion based on reason, as noted above. However, Buddhism has indeed been represented by a Christian-like, other-power-oriented, transcendental religion, as seen in the Shin sect. And yet, now, even before responding to the voices of the antireligious movement, Buddhism is naturally undergoing an internal movement of self-reassessment, aiming to restore its original essence. This includes critical examination of the fundamental teachings of the ''shihō rissō'' 指方立相 doctrine,<ref>''Shihō rissō'' means “to point to the west, the location of the Pure Land, and to set up in the mind the presence of Amitābha; to hold this idea, and to trust in Amitābha, and thus attain salvation. The mystics regard this as a mental experience, while the ordinary believer regards it as an objective reality”; William Edward Soothill, ''A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms'', available at [https://www.wisdomlib.org/buddhism/compilation/a-dictionary-of-chinese-buddhist-terms/d/doc6761.html Wisdom Library], accessed September 18, 2024.</ref> and such a phenomenon should be celebrated as both an inevitable result of the times and a necessary step toward the reconstruction of a new society as well as a true revitalization of Buddhism.

The thirteen schools and fifty-six sects all originated from the spirit of the Buddha. The teachings of the ''Infinite Life Sutra'', the ''Lotus Sutra'', the ''Mahavairocana Sutra'', and the seven thousand other scriptures all speak of one thing: the practice of selfless love.<ref>Here Seno’o uses the term ''muga’ai'' 無我愛, borrowed from the utopian Buddhist writer and activist Itō Shōshin 伊藤証信 (1876–1963), who established the intentional community Muga-en 無我苑 (Garden of Selflessness) during the late Meiji period.</ref> Faith in Amida Buddha entails personally experiencing the path of seeking enlightenment through the practice of the Vow as demonstrated by Bodhisattva Dharmākara. This is the same as in the stories of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging and the Medicine King Bodhisattva in the ''Lotus Sutra'', or the story of Sudhana in the ''Avataṃsaka Sutra''; they are all different expressions of the same principle of selfless love in practice. Selfless love is the only path that liberates oneself and others from delusions and attachments. Faith in the Buddha begins with the practice of selfless love and ultimately culminates in that practice.

Without practice, sectarian and speculative Buddhism becomes burdensome and irrelevant. For progressive Buddhists who feel [they have] a mission in social practice, such absolute sectarianism is not only harmful but even an obstacle. Progressive Buddhists should unite under the name of the Buddha and fervently engage in a contemporary practice of selfless love. Such a unified movement is the key to the global development of our Buddhism and a significant contribution to the strengthening of internationalism.