Shoshinge

(Hymn of True Shinjin and the Nembutsu)

by Master Shinran

 

Shoshinge Text:	Translation:
Ki myo mu ryo ju nyo rai Na mu fu ka shi gi ko Ho zo bo satsu in ni ji Zai se ji sai o bus-sho	I take refuge in the Tathagata of Immeasurable Life! I entrust myself to the Buddha of Inconceivable Light! Bodhisattva Dharmakara, in his causal stage, Under the guidance of Lokeshvararaja Buddha,
To ken sho butsu jo do in Koku do nin den shi zen maku Kon ryu mu jo shu sho gan Cho hotsu ke u dai gu zei	Searched into the origins of the Buddhas' pure lands, And the qualities of those lands and their men and devas; He then established the supreme, incomparable Vow; He made the Great Vow rare and all-encompassing.
Go ko shi yui shi sho ju Ju sei myo sho mon jip-po Fu ho mu ryo mu hen ko Mu ge mu tai ko en no	In five kalpas of profound thought, he embraced this Vow, Then resolved again that his Name be heard throughout the ten quarters. Everywhere he casts light immeasurable, boundless, Unhindered, unequaled, light-lord of all brilliance,
Sho jo kan gi chi e ko Fu dan nan ji mu sho ko Cho nichi gak-ko sho jin setsu Is-sai gun jo mu ko sho	Pure light, joyful light, the light of wisdom, Light constant, inconceivable, light beyond speaking, Light exceeding the sun and moon he sends forth, illumining countless worlds; The multitudes of beings all receive the radiance.
Hon gan myo go sho jo go Shin shin shin gyo gan ni in Jo to gaku sho dai ne han His-shi metsu do gan jo ju	The Name embodying the Primal Vow is the act of true settlement, The Vow of entrusting with sincere mind is the cause of birth; We realize the equal enlightenment and supreme nirvana Through the fulfillment of the Vow of attaining nirvana without fail.
Nyo rai sho i ko shus-se Yui setsu mi da hon gan kai Go joku aku ji gun jo kai O shin nyo rai nyo jitsu gon	Sakyamuni Tathagata appeared in this world Solely to teach the ocean-like Primal Vow of Amida; We, an ocean of beings in an evil age of five defilements, Should entrust ourselves to the Tathagata's words of truth.
No hotsu ichi nen ki ai shin Fu dan bon no toku ne han Bon jo gyaku ho sai e nyu Nyo shu shi nyu kai ichi mi	When the one thought-moment of joy arises, Nirvana is attained without severing blind passions; When ignorant and wise, even grave offenders and slanderers of the dharma, all alike turn and enter SHINJIN, They are like waters that, on entering the ocean, become one in taste with it.
Ses-shu shin ko jo sho go I no sui ha mu myo an Ton nai shin zo shi un mu Jo fu shin jitsu shin jin ten	The light of compassion that grasps us illumines and protects us always; The darkness of our ignorance is already broken through; Still the clouds and mists of greed and desire, anger and hatred, Cover as always the sky of true and real SHINJIN.
Hi nyo nik-ko fu un mu Un mu shi ge myo mu an Gyaku shin ken kyo dai kyo ki Soku o cho zetsu go aku shu	But though light of the sun is veiled by clouds and mists, Beneath the clouds and mists there is brightness, not dark. When one realizes SHINJIN, seeing and revering and attaining great joy, One immediately leaps crosswise, closing off the five evil courses.
Is-sai zen maku bon bu nin Mon shin nyo rai gu zei gan Butsu gon ko dai sho ge sha Ze nin myo fun da ri ke-	All foolish beings, whether good or evil, When they hear and entrust themselves to Amida's Universal Vow, Are praised by the Buddha as people of vast and excellent understanding; Such a person is called a pure white lotus.
Mi da butsu hon gan nen butsu Ja ken kyo man naku shu jo Shin gyo ju ji jin ni nan Nan chu shi nan mu ka shi	For evil sentient beings of wrong views and arrogance, The nembutsu that embodies Amida's Primal Vow Is hard to accept in SHINJIN; This most difficult of difficulties, nothing surpasses it.
In do sai ten shi ron ge Chu ka jichi iki shi ko so Ken dai sho ko se sho i Myo nyo rai hon ze o ki	The masters of India in the west, who explained the teaching in treatises, And the eminent monks of China and Japan, Clarified the Great Sage's true intent in appearing in the world, And revealed that Amida's Primal Vow accords with the nature of beings.
Sha ka nyo rai ryo ga sen I shu go myo nan ten jiku Ryu ju dai ji shut-to se Shitsu no zai ha u mu ken	Sakyamuni Tathagata, on Mount Lanka, Prophesied to the multitudes that in south India The mahasattva Nagarjuna would appear in this world To crush the views of being and non-being;
Sen zetsu dai jo mu jo ho Sho kan gi ji sho an raku Ken ji nan gyo roku ro ku Shin gyo i gyo shi do raku	Proclaiming the unexcelled Mahayana teaching, He would attain the stage of joy and be born in the land of happiness. Nagarjuna clarifies the hardship on the overland path of difficult practice, And leads us to entrust to the pleasure on the waterway of easy practice.
Oku nen mi da butsu hon gan Ji nen soku ji nyu hitsu jo Yui no jo sho nyo rai go O ho dai hi gu zei on	He teaches that the moment one thinks on Amida's Primal Vow, One is naturally brought to enter the stage of the definitely settled; Solely saying the Tathagata's Name constantly, One should respond with gratitude to the universal Vow of great compassion.
Ten jin bo Satsu zo ron setsu Ki myo mu ge ko nyo rai E Shu ta ra ken shin jitsu Ko sen o cho dai sei gan	Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, composing a treatise, declares That he takes refuge in the Tathagata of Unhindered Light, And that relying on the sutras, he will reveal the true and real virtues, And make widely known the Great Vow by which we leap crosswise beyond birth-and-death.
Ko-yu hon gan riki e ko I do gun jo sho is-shin Ki nyu ku doku dai ho kai Hitsu gyaku nyu dai e shu shu	He discloses the mind that is single so that all beings be saved By Amida's directing of virtue through the power of the Primal Vow. When a person turns and enters the great treasure ocean of virtue, Necessarily he joins Amida's assembly;
Toku shi ren ge zo se kai Soku sho shin nyo hos-sho jin Yu bon no rin gen jin zu Nyu sho ji on ji o ge	And when that person reaches that lotus-held world, He immediately realizes the body of suchness or dharma-nature. Then sporting in the forests of blind passions, he manifests transcendent powers; Entering the garden of birth-and-death, he assumes various forms to guide others.
Hon shi don ran ryo ten shi Jo ko ran sho bo satsu rai San zo ru shi ju jo kyo Bon jo sen gyo ki raku ho	Turning toward the dwelling of Master T'an-luan, the Emperor of Liang Always paid homage to him as a bodhisattva. Bodhiruci, master of the Tripitaka, gave T'an-luan the Pure Land teachings, And T'an-luan, burning his Taoist scriptures, took refuge in the land of bliss.
Ten jin bo satsu ron chu ge Ho do in ga ken sei gan O gen ne ko yu ta riki Sho jo shi in yui shin jin	In his commentary on the treatise of Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, He shows that the cause and attainment of birth in the fulfilled land lie in the Vow. Our going and returning, directed to us by Amida, come about through Other Power; The truly decisive cause is SHINJIN.
Waku zen bon bu shin jin potsu Sho-chi sho-ji soku ne hon His-shi mu ryo ko myo do Sho-u shu jo kai fu ke	When a foolish being of delusion and defilement awakens SHINJIN, He realizes that birth-and-death is itself nirvana; Without fail he reaches the land of immeasurable light And universally guides sentient beings to enlightenment.
Do shaku kes-sho do nan sho Yui myo jo do ka tsu nyu Man zen ji riki hen gon shu En man toku go kan sen sho	Tao-ch'o determined how difficult it is to fulfill the Path of Sages, And reveals that only passage through the Pure Land gate is possible for us. He criticizes self-power endeavor in the myriad good practices, And encourages us solely to say the fulfilled Name embodying true virtue.
San-pu san shin ke on gon Zo matsu ho metsu do-hi in Is-sho zo aku chi gu zei Shi an nyo gai sho myo ka	With kind concern he teaches the three characteristics of entrusting and non-entrusting, Compassionately guiding all identically, whether they live when the dharma survives as but form, when in its last stage, or when it has become extinct. Though a person has committed evil all his life, when he encounters the Primal Vow He will reach the world of peace and realize the perfect fruit of enlightenment.
Zen-do doku myo bus-sho I Ko ai jo san yo gyaku aku Ko myo myo go ken in nen Kai-nyu hon gan dai-chi kai	Shan-tao alone in his time clarified the Buddha's true intent; Sorrowing at the plight of meditative and non meditative practicers and people of grave evil, He reveals that Amida's light and Name are the causes of birth. When the practicer enters the great ocean of wisdom, the Primal Vow,
Gyo-ja sho-ju kon go shin Kyo-ki ichi nen so o go Yo-I dai to gyaku san nin Soku sho hos-sho shi jo raku	He receives the diamondlike mind And accords with the one thought-moment of joy; whereupon, Equally with Vaidehi, he acquires the threefold wisdom And is immediately brought to attain the eternal bliss of dharma-nature.
Gen shin ko kai ichi dai kyo Hen ki an nyo kan is-sai Sen zo shu shin han sen jin Ho ke ni do sho ben ryu	Genshin, having broadly elucidated the teachings of Sakyamuni's lifetime, Wholeheartedly took refuge in the land of peace and urges all to do so; Ascertaining that minds devoted to single practice are profound, to sundry practice, shallow, He sets forth truly the difference between the fulfilled land and the transformed land.
Goku ju aku nin yui sho butsu Ga yaku zai-hi ses-shu chu Bon no sho gen sui fu ken Dai-hi mu ken jo sho ga	The person burdened with extreme evil should simply say the Name: Although I too am within Amida's grasp, Passions obstruct my eyes and I cannot see him; Nevertheless, great compassion is untiring and illumines me always.
Hon shi gen ku myo buk-kyo Ren min zen maku bon bu nin Shin shu kyo sho ko hen shu Sen jaku hon gan gu aku se	Master Genku, well-versed in the Buddha's teaching, Turned compassionately to foolish people, both good and evil; Establishing in this remote land the teaching and realization that are the true essence of the Pure Land way, He transmits the selected Primal Vow to us of the defiled world:
Gen rai sho-ji rin den ge Ket-chi gi jo I sho shi Soku nyu jaku jo mu I raku Hit-chi shin jin I no nyu	Return to this house of transmigration, of birth-and death, Is decidedly caused by doubt. Swift entrance into the city of tranquillity, the uncreated, Is necessarily brought about by SHINJIN.
Gu kyo dai ji shu shi tou Jo sai mu hen goku joku aku Do zoku ji shu gu do shin Yu-I ka shin shi ko so se-tsu	The mahasattvas and masters who spread the sutras Save the countless beings of utter defilement and evil. With the same mind, all people of the present, whether monk or lay, Should rely wholly on the teachings of these venerable masters.
Shoshinge is traditionally followed by the chanting of six sets of Nembutsu and Wasan. Wasan are poems composed by Shinran Shonin, which explain his teaching in a simple form. There are three collections of Wasan. Here, the first six of these poems are chanted. It concludes with the "Ekoku," written by Shan-tao (Zendo in Japanese, 618-681 CE), which expresses the aspiration that all beings benefit by the truth and virtue of the dharma.
Namuamidabutsu..... Mi da jo-u bu-tsu no ko no ka ta wa I ma ni jik ko-u o-o he ta ma e ri Ho-sshi-n no ko-u ri-i-n ki wa mo na ku Se no mo-u myo-u o te ra su na-ri	Namuamidabutsu..... Amida has passed through ten kalpas now Since realizing Buddhahood; Dharma-body's wheel of light is without bound, Shining on the blind and ignorant of the world.
Namuamidabutsu..... Chi e no ko-u myo-u ha ka ri na shi U ryo-u no sho so-u ko to go to ku Ko-u ke-u ka mu ra-a nu mo no wa na shi Shi-n ji-tsu myo-u ne ki myo-o se-yo	Namuamidabutsu..... The light of wisdom exceeds all measure, And every finite living being Receives this illumination that is like the dawn, So take refuge in Amida, the true and real light.
Namuamidabutsu..... Ge da-tsu no ko-u ri-n ki wa mo na shi-i Ko-u so-ku ka mu ru-u mo no wa mi na U-u mu o ha no ru to no be ta mo o Byo-u do-u ka-ku ni ki myo-o se yo	Namuamidabutsu..... The liberating wheel of light is without bound; Each person it touches, it is taught, Is freed from attachments to being and nonbeing, So take refuge in Amida, the enlightenment of nondiscrimination.
Namuamidabutsu..... Ko-u u-n mu ge nyo-o ko-o ku-u Is sa-i no u ge ni-i sa wa ri na shi Ko-u ta-ku ka mu ra nu mo no zo na ki Na-n ji-i gi o ki myo-o se yo	Namuamidabutsu..... The cloud of light is unhindered, like open sky; There is nothing that impedes it. Every being is nurtured by this light, So take refuge in Amida, the one beyond conception.
Namuamidabutsu..... Sho-u jo-u ko-o-u myo-u na ra bi na shi-i Gu shi-i ko-u no yu e na re ba I is-sa i no gok-ke mo no zo ko ri nu Hik-kyo-u e o ki myo-o se yo	Namuamidabutsu..... The light of purity is without compare. When a person encounters this light, All bonds of karma fall away; So take refuge in Amida, the ultimate shelter.
Namuamidabutsu..... Bu-uk-ko-u se-u e-u sa-i da-i  i-chi Ko-u e-n no-u but-to na zu ke ta ri Sa-n zu no ko-ku a-n hi ra ku na ri Da-i o-u gu-u o ki myo-o se yo	Namuamidabutsu..... The Buddha's light is supreme in radiance; Thus Amida is called "Buddha, Lord of Blazing Light." His light dispels the darkness of the three courses of affliction, So take refuge in Amida, the great one worthy of offerings.
(Ekoku) Ga-n ni shi ku doku Byo-u do-u se i-sa-i Do-u ho-su bo da-i shi-n O-u Jo-u a-n ra-a ko-o	(Ekoku) I vow that the merit-virtue of this truth Be shared equally with all beings. May we together awaken the Bodhi Mind, And be born in the realm of Serenity and Joy.

---

RETURN TO MAIN PAGE