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Jōdo Wasan 21–26

9th of December 2023

These wasan treat topics regarding the nature of the wisdom that beings realise through Other Power, as well as continuing discussion on their helping of others.

21

The free working of their supernatural powers
Cannot be fathomed,
For they are possessed of virtues that surpass conception;
So take refuge in Amida, the supremely honored one.

"Free working of their supernatural powers" means that they use their well-cultivated bodhisattva wisdom to benefit all of us to awake us to the true nature of reality, which is non-discriminating, inconceivable, and inexpressible. Further, even this working of them cannot be fathomed or conceived of, so we also cannot know the form of those bodhisattvas' working in our lives.

22

In the land of happiness, sravakas, bodhisattvas,
Human beings, and devas all possess luminous wisdom,
And their bodily features and adornments are all the same;
Different terms are used for them only in accord with the forms of existence in other worlds.

Many people worry about losing our individuality in the Pure Land, but actually it remains entirely. From the point of view of the Pure Land, we are all the same, both in adornments and in terms of the wisdom and compassion we possess, however when we return to this world to illuminate other suffering beings we express our individuality.

23

Their countenances, dignified and wonderful, are beyond compare;
Their bodies, delicate and subtle, are neither human nor deva.
Theirs is the body of emptiness, the body of boundlessness,
So take refuge in Amida, the power of nondiscrimination.

countenances, dignified and wonderful: the excellence of the form of persons of the Pure Land.
body of emptiness: dharma-body which is without limit; dharma-body Tathagata.

In the Pure Land, we have no form at all, since our body is emptiness or true reality itself, which is formless. Again, from the point of view of beings in the Pure Land, there is no discrimination, since all beings in the Pure Land receive the non-discriminating wisdom of Amida. This is all a complicated way of saying that truly we are connected, but our limited human form in this world means that we live life from a selfish and foolish perspective. We can't even truly know the perspectives of those we love the most, so therefore we must be attain this higher perspective. Since our mind is inherently limited, we can't attain it ourselves, it must come from outside.

24

People who aspire for the land of happiness
Dwell in the stage of the truly settled.
None in that land are falsely settled or unsettled;
Therefore the Buddhas offer Amida their praise.

falsely settled: refers to birth attained through various practices and good acts of self-power; this is the teaching of the Contemplation Sutra.
unsettled: refers to the import of the Amida Sutra. Although the practice is beyond conceptual understanding, because it is performed through one’s self-power it is taught that one is unsettled.

Falsely settled, unsettled, and truly settled refer to the 19th, 20th, and 18th vows of the larger sutra respectively. This describes what happens when we, first, think that we need to engage with various methods to help ourselves entirely through our own efforts leading to a falsely settled state, second, perform the inconceivable practise of the nembutsu without shinjin, that is, with the mind of self-power and doubt, leading to an unsettled state. Again, we try to attain the boundless based on the bounded mind, which can never work.

25

When sentient beings in the various forms of existence throughout the ten quarters,
On hearing Amida’s Name of transcendent virtues,
Come to attain true and real shinjin,
They greatly rejoice at what they have heard.

various forms of existence: sentient beings of the twenty-five forms of existence. We sentient beings will go beyond the twenty-five forms of existence and be born in the Pure Land.
true: genuine.
real: bearing fruit.
True means not false, not temporary. “False” implies deceit or flattery.
Real means not empty, not vain.
Heard refers to the mind of trust; they attain shinjin and rejoice.

The light is let through, and the knowledge of there being a boundless perspective outside of our own shines through our tiny and flawed subjective bubble, which is what Shinran called "hearing". Sound can go through bubbles. Then, knowing that, we can deeply connect with other humans in a way not possible when totally fixated on our selfish desires, and so we rejoice.

26

Because of the Vow, “If they should not be born…,”
When the moment of genuine entrusting has come
And people attain the one thought-moment of joy,
Their birth becomes completely settled.

If they should not be born: If those who entrust themselves to my Vow should not be born [in my land], I shall not become Buddha.
joy: to rejoice after realizing shinjin.

We rejoice not only at our newfound perspective, but also on the inevitably permanent transformation this has for us. We know past this point that there is no going back, even if we have doubts, the matter regarding our eventual attainment of infinite wisdom and compassion, even if we don't understand exactly what that is yet, is settled.

Joe Bentley