The Seemingly Narrow Path – Summary of Topic #5 in the Treasured Teachings monthly series

In our July 2020 session we discussed how Daochuo (aka Tao-ch’o, Doshaku 562-645) contrasted the Pure Land path with the “path of sages” and how Shandao (aka Shan-tao, Zendo 613-681) spoke of this route as a narrow white path in his two-rivers parable. (BTW, of all the Magnificent Seven teachers, Daochuo and Shandao were the only ones who were teacher and student in real life.)

 

[photo of Patagonia from Facebook page “Mother Earth”]

I said what most people in the West think of as Buddhism is the “path of sages” and I think many got into Buddhism like me because we wanted to be sages, free of the dirt of messy worldly life.  We want to climb up to the high mountain peaks to be far above the masses of ordinary beings.

 

I heard Dr. Nobuo Haneda recently say the Pure Land path is described as “narrow” but it’s actually so subtle that it’s hard to see. We would rather look away from our raging waters of anger and greed and escape to an icy mountaintop. But as in my own experience, the narrow white path appears only when you’re looking right at the towering waves of your own hates and desires.

 

Such a long time ago and far away in China, Daochuo and Shandao pointed out the Pure Land path when so many of the scholar-priests and their lay followers were convinced Buddha only taught about the path of sages and that’s how they interpreted the sutras. Zendo dokumyo bussho-i is Shinran reminding us in Shoshinge that throughout history teachers like the Magnificent Seven had to come along to point out that Shakyamuni spoke of ALL beings sharing in Awakening, not just those whose hard work and smarts qualified them as sages.

 

The Pure Land path starts out looking narrow but as one walks it, it becomes wider as we notice all the Dharma friends and teachers walking along with us. I might rail about how “the West” doesn’t give much attention or respect to the nembutsu teachings, but to have a handful of folks from other states and Canada joining these Zoom sessions shows me that the path is truly a wide one.

 

I highly recommend reading Taitetsu Unno’s book River of Fire, River of Water (including the poignant chapter “The Spirit of the Valley”) but for a quick read on the White Path Two Rivers parable, here’s a link to Rev. Marvin Harada’s article.

https://www.ocbuddhist.org/ministers-messages/2015/5/25/th1rvr1ye2z3dyvv4hzacjmeqogyhi