[lit-ideas] Re: Comparative religion

John Wager writes:

: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx wrote:
: > 
: >In a message dated 3/9/2005 4:34:04 PM Central Standard Time,  
: >JimKandJulieB@xxxxxxx writes:
: >Then  there's the Assemblies of God movement which says that if you haven't 
:   
: >spoken in tongues.....
: >
: >
: >Hi,
: >Oh, that's so right!
: > 
: >and, what about the controversy about whether or not you can 'lose' your  
: >salvation!
: >  
: >
: 
: In "Pure Land" Buddhism (Japan), one avoids rebirth by "recitation" or 
: calling on the mercy of the compassionate Buddha.  There is a specific 
: chant that is repeated in calling upon Buddha's power.  But Honen  
: developed a doctrine that one did not need to continually chant; one 
: could achieve nirvana (eventually) just by sincerely chanting just once; 
: the repetitions were unnecessary.

I am not sure about Honen, but Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shin Shu
or True School of the Pure Land, which is the largest Buddhist 
denomination in Japan, made it very clear that chanting is not some
sort of magical mantra that gets you into the Pure Land.  When
you chant sincerely you are hearing the Buddha of Infinite Compassion
calling you and you are saying "thank you.''  You don't have the
power to save yourself; only the compassion of the others has that 
power. 

(Honen, by the way, was Shinran's teacher.]


--
Peter D. Junger--Case Western Reserve University Law School--Cleveland, OH
 EMAIL: junger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    URL:  http://samsara.law.cwru.edu   
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