Further, in the Songo Shinzo Mei’mon (Descriptions on the Sacred Name and the True Image), the Venerable Master comments on his Shoshin-ge in the following way:

Those who receive shinjin are bathed in and protected by the rays of the Buddha of Limitless Light. That is what removes the darkness of ignorance and brightens up the long night of life and death. Greed, love, anger and hate are like clouds that darken the shinjin sky. But do not forget how bright the earth becomes when the clouds that hide the sun and moon are blown away. Similarly, although the clouds of greed, love, anger and hate prevent us from seeing our shinjin, our birth in the Pure Land is still absolutely guaranteed because of it.

In other words, greed, love, anger and hatred will continue arising even in those whose shinjin is settled those who have no doubts about the Primal Vow and are sure about their birth in the Pure Land.

The assertions by the proponents of “birth in the Pure Land with a doubtful mind” that we bombucan never rid ourselves of doubt regarding the Primal Vow, or by proponents of “birth in the Pure Land determined during our present life” that we can never have absolute confidence that we will be born in the Pure Land, arises because of a lack of understanding of the “deep faith of the being to be enlightened” (ki no jinshin) part of the “two aspects of deep faith” (nishu jinshin).

The “deep faith of the being to be enlightened” refers to realizing that we are evil beings who are absolutely beyond salvation, but at the same time is part of the “deep faith of the being that enlightens” (ho no jinshin). Accordingly, the realization that we are absolutely beyond salvation, just as it is, is the conviction that our birth in the Pure Land is assured by the Primal Vow. This is an extremely important aspect of the shinjin taught in Jodo-Shinshu.

As can be seen, the misunderstandings of “birth in the Pure Land with a doubtful mind” and “birth in the Pure Land not determined during our present life” arise because there is no experience of being in the “rightly-established group in this life” (gensho shojoju) which comes from having received shinjin. These points of view are absolutely contrary to what the Venerable Master taught. I believe it would not be overstating the case to say that such misunderstandings make the Venerable Master’s wonderful teaching which emphasizes the Pure Land teaching as a way to be saved in the present and which can be the salvation of the world in the future nothing more than a meaningless concept.