A Peace Offering to Zen Buddhists

This article is addressed to Zen masters of the mind that Pure Land Buddhists are "cheating" by having attachment to the reward of the Pure Land.

First of all, I choose disbelief with regard to other people's doubt about my sincerity regarding Pure Land Buddhism. As well, I have no faith in their doubts about my faith in the Primal Vow. Indeed, their doubt is even hidden in their fear of the Pure Land path being a "cheat" with "attachment" to "reward."

This assumes that the Pure Land devotee does all his practices solely by self-power which is not the case, as it is other-power that inspires the devotee to use self-power to utter the Nembutsu.

For the chanting is for the good of all sentient beings, which is one of the meanings of other-power.

It is redundant to say "for the good of all sentient being, include myself", since "all sentient being" mean everyone including you and I.

My suggestion is for the bold Zen Buddhist to read that even they recommended chanting the name of the Buddha. Indeed, the Lotus Sutra includes a homage to Manjushri before getting into the nitty-gitty of Emptiness.

Also as evidence are that all Zen Patriarchs endorsed chanting homage to Amida Buddha before Hakuin took out Pure Land practice while "reforming" Obaku Zen.

For they suddenly received Bodhi Mind, and even samadhi and satori, by Buddha Recitation and meditation.

Therefore, the Zen masters who decry Buddha Recitation as a "cheat" due to "aatachment" of "reward" show that they are only looking at externals such as the uninformed word of a Pure Land practitioner

Indeed, such Zen masters as these call attention to the external signs of practice, rather than seeing that both Zen and Pure Land followers are able to achieve Bodhi Mind, samadhi and satori.

In conclusion, I invite bold Zen masters to find a suitable chant such as "Namamdah" which works, and work it into a hymn of monks.

If nothing happens within six months, then I expect that nothing was done to work Buddha Recitation into zazen due to enforced silence.

It's a pity to waste silence by calling a Pure Land practitioner a cheat who took a short-cut, and to claim desiring the reward of the Pure Land is a form of attachment.

Such accusations are groundless, and expose a sort of ignorance about Pure Land practice, which only shows the single-mindedness of Zen masters to focus solely on Hakuin's austerities when Ch'an meditation without Buddha Remembrance is like substituting gold-plated jewellery for the real thing.

I hope this leads to closer ties between Pure Land and Zen Buddhism.