The Point of Contact Between Auxiliary Acts and the Right Act for Birth in Amida’s Pure Land in Sekisen Sōei’s Interpretation of Shinran’s Teaching

Abstract

In this paper the issue of the right cause for birth in Amida Buddha’s Pure Land is investigated through Sekisen Sōei’s 石泉僧叡 (1762–1826) interpretation of Shinran’s teaching. Sōei insists that the basic cause for birth in the Pure Land is the working of Amida’s compassionate Vow which manifests itself outwardly as nembutsu and inwardly as shinjin (faith). Thus, if shinjin is the right cause for birth in the Pure Land, nembutsu should also be the right cause. Thus nembutsu as the right cause is to be equated with shinjin as the right cause for birth in the Pure Land. In this way his claim is that the two phases in Shinran’s view of shinjin and nembutsu are maintained by the one element of the working of Amida’s Vow.