It also applies to how Japanese typically view visiting a church or becoming a Christian to be a daunting proposition. Their perception is that the entrance requirements are too high to come in, like the image they might have of being burdened with a lot of church duties on top of their already loaded work schedule, etc. But I’d like to focus a little more closely at some of our assumptions about religion and what the threshold (or ‘entrance requirements’, if you will) to Christianity is really like.
At Ease on the Broad Path
When thinking of religion, Japanese might naturally consider themselves to be in the “no religion” category (無宗教), as they say, simply because they don’t have to commit to any kind of active beliefs in being a part of the cultural Buddhism, Shinto, and Confucianism that surrounds their daily lives. For them, there is no threshold at all for these religions because by birth they are automatically logged in the family register at the local temple, etc. No creed or membership covenant or tithe or some other measurable act by which to determine their being included in those religious systems. By contrast, the idea of Christianity to their popular imagination looms ominously foreboding, like the massive stairs and portal to some Gothic cathedral: one actually has to believe in something.
The Buddhist monk and poet Saigyō Hōshi (1118-1190), dwelling on the spiritual center of Shinto devotion at Ise Shrine, composed: 何事のおわしますをば知らねどもかたじけなさに涙 こぼるる。
What is enshrined I do not know,
But the awe of a sense of gratitude
Brings tears to my eyes.
Quite lovely. I realize it’s rather succinct in the simple poetic style, but the natural question is: for what or to whom is the gratitude directed? Was there any content or knowledge to his devotion or was it just a vague feeling?
Imagine if you saw me in the park crying tears of joy and asked me, “Hey, are you okay? What are you crying about?” and I replied, “Oh, I don’t know really. I’m so grateful.” “Grateful for what?” “I’m not really sure. Just grateful for something, I guess…”
It sounds touching and sublime at first hearing, but under closer examination the feeling becomes not just ineffable, but incoherent.
To the Asian mind, Buddhism is pretty wide open, a tolerant wonderland of come-as-you-please. Consider the Pure Land sect of Buddhism. Originally from India, after a few hundred years the Pure Land teaching spread to China. Shan-Tao (613-681) wrote in the Hanju Panegyric*, “The sharp-edged sword is another name for Amitābha. An invocation of the name absolves one from all sin” (Nakamura 495). Wow, talk about your get-out-of-jail-free cards. Again, on first hearing, it sounds pretty easy. Sounds a lot like Christianity, in fact...
Centuries later in Japan, Hōnen (1133-1212) took up this theme, which his disciple Shinran (1173-1262) further developed into the present day form of the doctrine in Jōdo Shinshū or “True Pure Land Buddhism” (as opposed to False Pure Land?). Simply reciting the invocation of Amida Buddha’s name (the namu-Amida-butsu or nembutsu) just once, like an abbreviated Sinner’s Prayer or the gohonzon of Nichiren, is sufficient for one to be reborn into the Pure Land.
It’s not quite as tolerant as it sounds though. The Shinshū sect of the Honganji (Original Vow) order were known as the “followers of the gate” (monto) for their “closed door policy” (Nakamura 482). Both Buddhist orders and Shinto sects are known for their “characteristically sectarian exclusiveness” (Nakamura 486, 487) – each of them apparently sure that they alone possess the one, true key for unlocking the secret of knowing how to get rid of sin and be allowed into heaven.
Nichiren, for example, founder of another extremely influential Buddhism sect in Japan, thought that the nembutsu was of no effect in getting rid of sin, and opposed other sects quite violently. “Those who practice invocation to Amitābha,” he famously declared, “are due to suffer continuous punishment in hell; the Zen sect is the devil; the Shingon sect is the ruiner of the country; the Ritsu sect is the enemy of the country.” He even believed himself to be a reincarnation of a bodhisattva (Buddhist savior).
So the question is, how did Shinran know that nembutsu was true and using this fetishist formula would work? According to his own words, he didn’t!
In his Tannishō (“Tracts Deploring Heterodoxies”), Shinran confessed, “I do not know whether the nembutsu is actually the means to rebirth in the Pure Land, or whether perhaps it is the road to Hell. Even though I were cajoled by Saint Hōnen that I should go to Hell through the nembutsu, I should do so and not regret it” (Nakamura 450).
To this I would say, and please excuse my French, what the hell? It sounds more like a teenage lover’s suicide pact than something a rational person would consider. Instead of rigorously examining the object of his faith, he relies solely on the authority of his master, trusting that Hōnen was right about matters of eternal salvation, who in turn trusted in Shan-Tao...
What to do with a Broken Compass?
Here’s what I don’t understand about Pure Land Buddhism. Are sins so inconsequential and easy to be wiped away? Is Amida so powerful that he can just wave his hand and – poof – goodbye sins? How does he erase the stain of our evil thoughts and actions and words? I presume these Pure Land guys (as well as Muslims believing in the blanket forgiveness of Allah) have given due consideration to these questions somewhere in their voluminous works and commentaries on the sutras, but so far I haven’t read it.
How do we understand the deep stain of sin? Emperor Daigo (885-930) once composed, “At the bottom of Hell there is no real difference whatsoever between the members of the Imperial family and slaves.”
In the same vein, Shinran is perspicuous enough to have stated about himself, “There is no end of evil nature, Man’s mind is as abominable as a viper” (Nakamura 515).
How reminiscent of Jeremiah’s word, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (17:9).
Also, Paul’s language in Romans 3:10-20, quoting various passages from the Old Testament:
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know.”“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.It is therefore indeed remarkable that Shinran had the insight that he did in understanding his sinful condition. Self-reflection begins with honesty or sincerity, honesty begins with humility, and humility with brokenness.
Admittedly, these are not typical traits of the Japanese. Dr. Hajime Nakamura, noted scholar of Hinduism and Buddhism, writes, “It may be rightly asserted that, generally speaking, the Japanese are not at all very sin-conscious and that this fact is tied up with the this-worldly tendency of the Japanese” (518). He goes on to talk about shame-consciousness centered around one’s particular social nexus.
The Bible speaks of Creator God as Lord of Heaven and Earth. Sin is only rightly understood as sin when seen as a personal offense against our Maker. All of us have come under the universal curse of sin and shame and the condemnation of God, no matter how much we may try to ignore it with apathy (無関心) or suppress such knowledge with our unrighteous lifestyle.
In the Dhammapada we read of the need to wake up, to pay attention to spiritual matters: “Earnestness is the path of Nirvana; thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die; those who are thoughtless are as if dead already” (9, 4). When we find that our compass is broken, self-reflection and soul-searching is a good beginning.
Seeking the Right Road Sign
So as Shinran and his fellow Shinshū “followers of the gate” were excommunicating those who had different beliefs, the idea was clear that truth, by definition, is exclusive. Either Amida Buddha is the way to find forgiveness of sins or he isn’t. Every religion makes claims as to knowing the truth about reality and the human condition, and therefore denying the opposing claims of other religions.
Islam therefore inevitably posits, “And whoever desires other than Islam as religion - never will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers” (Qu’ran, Sura 3:85). Buddha similarly states, “Now in this doctrine and discipline, Subhadda, is found the noble eightfold path, and in it alone, Subhadda, is the man of true saintliness. Void are the systems of other teachers – void of true saints” (Mahaparinibbana Sutta 5,62). Moreover, even within Buddhism, the claims of the Theravada sect and Mahayana sect are fundamentally in opposition to each other, not to mention all the sub-sects.
If one person claims to have found the key to a lock, obviously that means that other keys don’t work. Contrary to Wumen’s Zen idea of the “Gateless Gate” (無門関), thresholds are inevitable. To put it another way, if you were to invite me to a party and offer me a map with directions, it would ignorant and silly for me to wave it away, “Oh please, those directions might be fine for you, but I don’t need that. I’m sure if I’m really sincere and just keep driving I’ll eventually find the place.”
The Pure Land Followers of the Gate at least got one thing right. They knew the gate to truth would have to be narrow, but they had no confidence that they had chosen the right gate.
Jesus’ admonition then would have made perfect sense to them: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). 狭い門からはいりなさい。滅びに至る門は大きく、その道は広いからです。そして、そこからはいって行く者が多いのです。いのちに至る門は小さく、その道は狭く、それを見いだす者はまれです。
I would claim that Amida, in fact, is not the way to be forgiven and go to heaven. Buddha himself would not have believed in such categories, much less that he as a man could do what is required to offer anything like salvation.
“The Lord Buddha continued: "What think you, Subhuti? Do you imagine that the Tathagata reflects within himself, 'I will bring salvation to all beings'? Entertain no such delusive thought. And why? Because, in reality, there is no such dharma as 'salvation' for any one; and there is no such thing as a living being to whom 'salvation' can be brought. What is referred to as an entity, a being, a living being, a personality, is not so in reality--it is only so understood by ignorant and uneducated people” (Diamond Sutra 25).
Contrary to the claims of the Pure Land sect, Buddha himself was straightforward in explaining that he was not to be depended on for salvation. In another place in the Dhammapada, we have, “By oneself the evil is done, by oneself one suffers; by oneself evil is left undone, by oneself one is purified. The pure and the impure (stand and fall) by themselves, no one can purify another.” (6,5).
From Buddha’s final speech in Mahaparinibbana Suttanta: “Rely on yourselves and do not seek any external help” (2, 33) and again, “Those who, relying upon themselves only, shall not look for assistance to any one besides themselves, it is they who shall reach the topmost height.” (2, 35) “Buddhas do but point the way – work out your salvation with diligence.” (Humphreys 120).
Jesus, on the other hand, has provided sufficient and compelling evidence of his identity as not only the way to truth, but truth itself. He evidences that he is indeed the one true God. And as the living God, he demonstrates his ability to forgive our sins against him and give us new hearts (Luke 5:17-26; John 10:37-38; 14:11).
Some people prefer to mock and ask dismissively, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). It is far easier to scoff away the notion than to face up to the convicting realization that my life falls short of how I ought to have been living.
Author and pastor, Dr. Curt Daniel puts it well:
“Jesus is the answer. He is the truth. And He alone is ultimate truth. Furthermore, He is the truth, not one truth among many. These powerful words stand in stark contrast to the silly idea, ‘That’s true for you, but something else is true for me.’ Jesus is the ultimate truth for all mankind. One more thing: Jesus tells us that ultimate truth is personal, not abstract. Truth is a person, not a principle. So, then, the answer to the search for the meaning in life in not merely in right doctrine, but in the right person – Jesus.”1Truth then is not just some man’s opinion, differing according to each person, or merely something that is to be abstracted and theorized about. In Jesus, truth is ultimate and unique.
Entering the Narrow Gate (狭い門)
We can read of Jesus interacting with a wide variety of people, knowing their thoughts, healing them, speaking words of kindness and compassion, teaching great spiritual truths, casting out evil spirits with a word. He had firsthand knowledge of heaven, since that was his throne. When he was about to return to heaven, one of his disciples asked him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
It is because of this that the early Christians were first known as Followers of the Way (as in 基督道 or just 道). See Acts 9:2; 16:17; 18:25-26; Acts 19:9, 23; esp. Acts 24:14, 22.
And again Jesus said:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. […] The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:7-10).“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Jesus alone provided up his own perfect life to be sacrificed on the cross in place of our lives so that the righteous standards and perfect justice of God would be satisfied (Hebrews 10:10, 14, 18-22). In doing so, he made the way open for us to be reconciled to God if we would repent of our sin and trust him.
This is verified in the historicity of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The fulfilled prophecies, the empty tomb, and the eyewitnesses whose testimony was sealed by their martyrdom all compel us to discover the fact of the resurrection trustworthy. Not that I need any such proof; I know personally that he is the way because of how he confronted me, and has forgiven me of my terrible and shameful sins against him and how he has experientially changed my life.
The threshold of being separated by our sin from relationship with God is very high indeed. Jesus was kind enough to lay down his life as a bridge for us so that we could be reconciled to God. Now the main barrier remaining is simply our stubborn pride that would keep us from repenting of our sins and accepting his gracious gift of new life.
Selected References:
Humphreys, Christmas. Buddhism. Harmondsworth, England: Pelican Books, 1951.
Nakamura, Hajime. Ways of Thinking of Eastern Peoples. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1964.
1. http://faithbibleonline.net/MiscDoctrine/IsJesusChristTheOnlyWayToGod.htm
*“Hymns praising Birth in the Pure Land based on Samadhi”. Also called Ekangyo Tomyo Hanju Zanmai Gyodo Ojosan, or simply Hanju-san.
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