In speaking out so clearly, Kobai Sensei reminds me of Yuien’s words in the Tannisho, recounting Shinran’s conversation with his teacher Honen:

I feel that the preceding views (the false teachings Yuien had just described) all arise due to differences in the understanding of SHINJIN (true entrusting). According to our late master Shinran, it was the same at the time of his teacher, Honen.

Among his disciples, there were only a few people who truly entrusted themselves to Amida. This was once a cause of debate between Shinran and fellow disciples. When he claimed, “Shinran’s entrusting and Honen's entrusting are identical,” Seikan, Nenbutsu, and others strongly refuted this, saying, “How can you claim that our master’s entrusting and your entrusting are identical!”

To this Shinran replied, “Our master's wisdom and knowledge are truly profound and to say that our entrusting to Amida are identical is preposterous. But as far as true entrusting, leading to birth in the Pure Land is concerned, no difference exists at all. Both are the same.”

Still they continued to press Shinran, challenging him by saying, “How can that be possible?”

They finally decided to settle the argument once and for all by going to Honen, relating the details. When Honen listened to their respective views, he said, “The true entrusting of Honen is a gift granted by the Tathagata, and the true entrusting of Shinran is also a gift from the Tathagata. Thus, they are the same. People whose entrusting is different will probably not go to the same Pure Land as I.”

Such was the case in earlier times, and today it seems that among the followers of single-hearted nembutsu there are some who do not share the same entrusting as that of Shinran. Although I may sound repetitious, I want to put all this down in writing.

“Such was the case in earlier times” Yuien says, remembering the days when his teacher Shinran was still alive. And, Yuien continues, it seemed the same still at the dusk of his own life, after his teacher’s death.

And such was the case, 200 years later, when Rennyo found the Sangha in disarray, and did the work of preaching and teaching to restore the Sangha by returning it to to the TRUE teaching of our teacher Shinran once again.

And such is the case TODAY.

That is why I consider Professor Eiken Kobai’s voice so important for us all to hear and recommend his work without reservation. He models, by his example, how we ALL need to teach and what we ALL need to learn in order to restore the Shin sangha so that as a Dharma COMMUNITY we are prepared to offer countless hungry listeners the True Teaching, Practice and Realization of the Pure Land Way.

Namo-Amida-Butsu