Warts And All

Just prior to my trip to Japan this summer, I found this essay in Japanese by a Jodo Shu-sect Buddhist temple, but since we were leaving imminently, and the return back was so hectic, I never had a chance to talk about this. So, this post had been sitting in draft for months. 😅

The article is written in Japanese, but you can read the Google translation here. This article talks about a Jodo Shu concept, called shiraki nembutsu (白木念仏) or “unvarnished nembutsu”. I’ve talked about this concept before, but modern discussions of it are less common than analysis of old essays from early Jodo Shu masters. It was nice to find a modern essay about this.

Normally, the idea of “accepting things as they are” is something you might normally equate with Zen Buddhism, but the concept is not exclusive to Zen, and is found across all Buddhist traditions in some form or another, even something faith-based like Pure Land Buddhism.

Since all things come into this world through various and complex causes and conditions, every living being is unique in some way, with unique traits (for better or for worse). Learning to accept all such things as they are, warts and all, is part of the Buddhist path. Learning to accept yourself as you are, warts and all, is also part of the Buddhist path.

Namu Amida Butsu