As the Venerable Master pointed out, our birth in the Pure Land is all the more assured precisely because we are unable to rejoice at the things that we should. He continues by saying, “that is why (evil) beings such as we, are able to accept the Compassionate Vow of ‘Buddha-centered power’ as being all the more trustworthy,” pointing out that Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow is primarily for “ignorant beings filled with base passions” (bonno gusoku no bombu), which is what the “evil person” (akunin) is.

And then, as this passage continues:

Again, the lack of desire to be born in the Pure Land in all haste and the helplessness we feel when we become even sightly ill, leading us to fear we may die, are also due to our evil passions ... Amida Buddha is especially concerned about those who have no desire to hurry to the Pure Land. That is why we feel so grateful to the Great Compassion and the Great Vow, and trust them all the more, knowing that our birth in the Pure Land is absolutely assured.

The working of our bonno is seen where we do not wish to hurry to the Pure Land and worry about whether we will die or not when we become even the least bit ill. Since the nature of the Primal Vow is to take pity on those who are not of a mind to hurry to the Pure Land and cannot look on indifferently and not save such persons, however, we who do not wish to hurry to the Pure Land can be all the more assured of the saving grace of the Buddha’s Primal Vow. That is why “ignorant beings filled with base passions” are the object of the Primal Vow.

As the Venerable Master is quoted as saying in Article Nine of the Tannisho, the object of salvation by the Primal Vow are those who are unable to rejoice when they should, and who do not have the mind and heart of desiring to quickly be born in the Pure Land.

On this point, Master Rennyo wrote the following in Letter 13, Fascicle 4, collected in the Gobunsho (Honorable Letters):

...Master Honen said,“‘Doers (of the Nembutsu)’ (gyonin) who aspire for the Pure Land are filled with joy when they become ill.” These are his very words.

As can be seen from this passage, Master Honen used exactly the opposite words from those in the Tannisho just quoted.

The following appears in a work titled Denzaki Nyasho (Notes on Kneading the Denzaki) by Master Shogei of the Chinzei School of the Jodo denomination (which traces its lineage to Master Honen):

(Master Honen) said, “Merchants are happy to have their sleep interrupted by the crowing of the rooster at sunrise so they can start work. Those who desire to be born in the Pure Land should take similar pleasure in the unexpected agony of illness.”