Dharma Message from Jeff Wilson

“Buddha Nature ”

 

A question came up in the Thursday afternoon study class which I have heard other Buddhists ask before. Rev. Usuki mentioned the common Buddhist understanding that all beings have Buddha-nature. Someone then asked, “Did Hitler have Buddha-nature?” At first this might seem like a clichéd question. But actually, it is vitally important. Could someone as evil as Adolf Hitler have Buddha-nature? Wasn’t he obviously beyond the possibility of redemption, to say nothing of the potential to become a Buddha? The core of this question is even more important: are there some people whom Amida cannot or will not liberate from samsara? This question concerns the most central truths of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.

Shinran is pretty explicit on this point. As he says in Kyogyoshinsho, “Among all human beings and even insects that leap or worms that crawl, there is none that does not see Amida Buddha’s light.” All human beings, Hitler included. Even worms. That’s about as clear as you could want it. Amida’s light reaches all beings. That means Hitler, Osama bin Laden, Jeffrey Dahmer, your least favorite politicians, Bill O’Reilly, everybody. No matter how evil or deluded a person is, they are still within the reach of Amida’s light. They may not perceive it now, but ultimately they will awaken to the way of the Buddha.

There’s something else which Shinran said in Kyogyoshinsho that seems relevant to this question. “In their selfless love, these incarnated ones—Devadatta, Ajatasatru, Vaidehi—all aspired to save the multitudes of beings from pain and affliction, and in his compassion, Sakyamuni, the great hero, sought indeed to bless those committing the five grave offenses, those slandering the dharma, and those lacking the seed of Buddhahood.” First, we see here that Shinran considered Devadatta and Ajatasatru, two of the most evil persons in the Buddhist records, to be bodhisattvas in disguise. Their seemingly evil acts led directly to Sakyamuni Buddha teaching the Contemplation Sutra (Kanmuryojukyo), in which for the first time the idea that even a single utterance of nembutsu is sufficient is taught. I’m not saying that Hitler was a bodhisattva, but sometimes someone who seems evil or bad to us may end up being of benefit, and that’s worth keeping in mind. Secondly, these teachings were designed to bless those who were hopelessly evil and even those who allegedly lacked Buddha-nature.

That’s powerful stuff. Most religions divide humanity into two categories: those who can/will be saved and those who won’t. This has led to tremendous suffering in human history. But for Shin Buddhists, there is only one category of people: those who, like us, are foolish beings, yet who also, like us, will be awakened to Buddhahood by Amida. Namu Amida Butsu.

Jeff Wilson is a Phd Candidate on Buddhism at the Univeristy of North Carolina and a member of the West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple

 

 

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