Los Angeles Koyasan Betsuin : Pledges

The Teaching of the Shingon-Shu

The Three Pledges

1. Explanation of the three vows

Koyasan Shingon-Shu teaches its followers about how to live their lives and contribute to society with faith. This is based upon the three pledges.

First pledge: “We pledge to establish a mind of faith that relies on the vows of Kobo Daishi, now and into the future.”

A pledge is not simply a wish or a hope, but a conviction about one’s life. Kobo Daishi searched for the truth and practiced the teaching and attained enlightenment. According to his insight, we all part of Mahavairocana, and we are all capable realizing this while we are alive. In order to make this world a Buddha’s land we need to learn and practice the teaching for awakening in this body, in order to eliminate the suffering of this world. Kobo Daishi said in his invocation at a service, “As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain, until then, may I also remain and dispel the miseries of the world.” We can see his unsurpassed aspiration within these words. Even though he wanted to save all sentient beings, it was almost impossible for him to live forever; therefore, he chose to go into eternal meditation in order to fulfill his vow. Eternal meditation is different from ordinary death. (Note: see “videha”: “support”) He practiced fasting to cleanse his physical body for a period of time and kept his body as a medium of his compassion energy to save sentient beings. He set his mind on enlightenment and went into eternal meditation on March 21, 835 at the age of 62. His physical life ended on this day, but his salvation project had just begun. This project does not have any physical limitations of time, or distance. His salvation of alleviating pain, and giving compassion to all sentient beings is extended everywhere and at anytime in the world. His vow is really most exquisite. By understanding his insight, we are able to set our mind on this goal. He did not choose to enter Nirvana and he made a vow to remain in this world to help sentient beings, we should not take anything for granted. Therefore, the first pledge says, “now and into the future.” This is the pledge to live our lives with faith in Kobo Daishi. His vow is shining upon us from above, and our strong faith comes up from the bottom of our hearts, and the two mingle together. Thus we are able to live with confidence, and our hearts are purified through practice, we can then walk the path to Enlightenment.

Second pledge: “We pledge to uphold the teachings of the four indebtedness and the Ten Precepts, and to preserve the path of being human.”

We were given necessary strength or energy before we were born, and we are receiving unseen benefits from nature. In Buddhism, this is called indebtedness and there are four types. The first one is the indebtedness to our parents. We would not be born without our parents, and it is impossible to live without them. We were born into this world through our parents and were raised because of their devotion. A Sutra says, “Mothers forget about their own desires and only think of what is best for their child after conception. Even though they feel great pain when giving birth, taking care of their baby becomes their main priority. Without mothers, babies do not grow.” (Sutra of indebtedness to the parents) The virtues of parents are unsurpassed. Kobo Daishi said, “Due to parental compassion, we were born and raised. It is higher than any mountain and fuller than land. We should repay our indebtedness now and into the future.”

Second is the indebtedness to living beings. Other than our own parents, we are constantly receiving benefits and lessons from others. Friends, teachers, neighbors, co-workers, we may not be able to enjoy our lives without them. Furthermore, without farmers, we would not be able to receive grains, vegetables and fruits. We are able to wear clothing because of the people who make them. There are many people around us that provide us with support in our lives. We are constantly receiving tremendous gifts from others.

Third is the indebtedness to the nation. If our country is in chaos or in civil war, our lives may not be secure and we may loose money, property, even our own lives. Our peaceful lives are dependent upon the government and its policies. In Buddhism, the qualification of the best governor of the country is as follows: One should not abuse military powers. One must observe the ten precepts. One’s policy must be based upon righteousness. Kobo Daishi gave this advice to emperors on how to best govern the country, and gave many prayers for the prosperity of the nation. He named Toji Temple of Kyoto as the temple to pray for the peace and prosperity of the country.

Fourth is the indebtedness to the Three Treasures. The Three Treasures are the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Buddha means Universal Life and truth. Dharma is its teachings. Sangha is the community of followers. The Three Treasures are the most important tools for us to be awakened. This used be called “indebtedness to the heaven and earth” because they cannot be seen with our physical eyes. The Three Treasures are much larger than that.

The Four indebtedness, are teachings about the interconnectedness, or the relationship between ourselves and our surroundings. The Ten Precepts are teachings about self-restraint. These are practical teachings for us on how to focus on our actions of body, speech and mind.

Third pledge: “We pledge to nurture the life force that is in us and in others, and to believe in the law of cause and effect and interdependency.”

This is a basic teaching of Buddhism. If you examine this world, there are many mysteries or unknown facts. Therefore, people of the world seized on the notion of a creator or Supreme Being. The historical Buddha, Shakyamuni taught the law of cause and effect. Everything is under this law; therefore, a result will not happen without its cause. There are many conditions that support a result to occur. For example, to harvest rice, planting seeds is important but it also needs sunshine, water, fertilizers, prevention of disease, etc. as conditions. Based upon these facts, we see a harvest. Thus, it is very complicated and it is hard for us to understand. When you look around, you may find a person enjoying a happy life even though he committed bad actions. It seems unfair, but if you look at this from a wider viewpoint, you will understand that a good deed leads you toward good results. This is why it is important to learn the law of cause and effect and interdependency. This is an important fact. The law of cause and effect is a guide for oneself, and you should not make any judgments on this. If you see a person suffering and think that he is suffering because of his own karma, and that I have nothing to do with it, is a wrong view. By thinking this way, you lose the opportunity to practice the teaching of compassion and you may create a negative karma for yourself. You should learn the law of cause and effect and practice it in your daily life to find peace and harmony. You cannot live alone in this world. Sharing happiness with others is the way for us to live as a Bodhisattva.

The textbook of “The Teaching of Shingon-Shu” was published by the Propagation Division of the Koyasan Headquarters on March 21, 2001. Reverend Seicho Asahi of the Northern California Koyasan Temple, Sacramento, California, U.S.A. completed the English translation on March 21, 2007.