The One-Sheet Document (ichimai kishōmon, 一枚起請文) is a letter dictated by Japanese monk Honen on his deathbed to a disciple. He passed away two days later. Honen left many volumes of works, but the One-Sheet Document is a summation of his beliefs and teachings that is very succinct and easy to follow, and thus it is often recited in Jodo Shu-sect Buddhist services.
The following text has been borrowed from the Chion-in temple website, and I have included translations from the book Traversing the Pure Land Path, which had been published by the Jodo Shu Research Institute at the time. Much of this information in English has been gradually lost due to Internet attrition, so I wanted to rescue this from obscurity, and modernize it for new generations of Buddhists.
The One Sheet Document
| Original Japanese | Translation by JSRI |
|---|---|
| もろこし我が朝に、もろもろの智者達の沙汰し申さるる、観念の念にもあらず。また学問をして、念の心をさとりて申す念仏にもあらず。 | In China and Japan, many Buddhist masters and scholars understand that the nembutsu is to meditate deeply on Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. However, I do not understand the nembutsu in this way. Reciting the nembutsu does not come from studying and understanding its meaning. |
| ただ往生極楽のためには、南無阿弥陀仏と申して、疑いなく往生するぞと思い取りて申す外には別の仔細候わず。 | There is no other reason or cause by which we can utterly believe in attaining birth in the Pure Land than the nembutsu itself. |
| ただし三心・四修と申すことの候うは、皆決定して南無阿弥陀仏にて往生するぞと思ううちにこもり候うなり。 | Reciting the nembutsu and believing in birth in the Pure Land naturally gives rise to the three minds (sanjin) and the four modes of practice (shishu). |
| この外に奥深きことを存ぜば、二尊のあわれみに外れ、本願にもれ候うべし。 | If I am withholding any deeper knowledge beyond simple recitation of the nembutsu, then may I lose sight of the compassion of Shakyamuni and Amida Buddha and slip through the embrace of Amida’s original vow. |
| 念仏を信ぜん人は、たとい一代の法をよくよく学すとも、一文不知の愚鈍の身になして、尼入道の無智のともがらに同じうして、智者のふるまいをせずして、ただ一向に念仏すべし。 | Even if those who believe in the nembutsu study the teaching which Shakyamuni taught his whole life, they should not put on any airs and should sincerely practice the nembutsu, just as an illiterate fool, a nun, or one who is ignorant of Buddhism. |
| 証の為に両手印を以てす。 | I hereby authorize this document with my hand print. |
| 浄土宗の安心・起行、この一紙に至極せり。源空が所存、この外に全く別義を存ぜず。滅後の邪義をふせがんがために所存を記し畢んぬ。 | The Jodo Shu way of the established mind (anjin) is completely imparted here. I, Genku, have no other teaching than this. In order to prevent misinterpretation after my passing away, I make this final testament. |
| 建暦二年正月二十三日 大師在御判 | January 23, the Second Year of Kenryaku (1212) |
Reciting the One Sheet Document
If you want to make recitation of the One Sheet Document part of your home liturgy, you can either recite in English (or your native language), or using example Youtube videos like so:
or another nice example here:
If you want to recite in Japanese, but don’t know how to read hiragana script, then the romanization version is here:
morokoshi wagachō ni, moromoro no chishatachi no, satashi mōsaruru kannen no nen nimo arazu. mata gakumon wo shite, nen no kokoro wo satorite mōsu nenbutsu nimo arazu. tada ōjōgokuraku no tame niwa, namuamidabutsu to mōshite, utagainaku ōjōsuru zoto omoitorite mōsu hoka niwa betsu no shisai sōrawazu. tadashi sanjin shishu to mōsukoto no sōrō wa, mina ketsujō shite namuamidabutsu nite ōjō suru zoto omou uchi ni komori sōrō nari. konohoka ni okufukaki koto wo zonzeba, nison no awaremi ni hazure, hongan ni more sōrō beshi. nenbutsu wo shinzen hito wa tatoi ichidai no hō wo yokuyoku gakusutomo, ichimon-fuchi no gudon no mi ni nashite, ama nyūdō no muchi no tomogara ni onajiu shite, chisha no furumai wo sezu shite tada ikkō ni nenbutsu subeshi. shō no tame ni ryōshuin wo mottesu. jōdoshū no anjin kigyō, kono isshi ni shigoku seri. genkū ga shozon kono hoka ni mattaku betsugi wo zonzezu, metsugo no jagi wo fusegan ga tame ni shozon wo shirushi owannu.
kenryaku ni nen shougatsu nijūsan nichi daishizaigohan
..and Cyrillic kiriji version:
морокоси вагатёу ни, мороморо но тисятати но, сатаси моусаруру канънэнъ но нэнъ нимо арадзу. мата гакумонъ о ситэ, нэнъ но кокоро о саторитэ моусу нэмбуцу нимо арадзу. тада оудзёугокураку но тамэ нива, намуамидабуцу то ситэ, утагаинаку оудзёусуру дзото омоиторитэ моусу хока нива бэцу но сисаи соуравадзу. тадаси санъдзинъ сисю то моусу но соуроу ва, мина кэцудзёу ситэ намуамидабуцу нитэ оудзёу суру дзото омоу ути ни комори соуроу нари. конохока ну окуфукаки кото о дзонъдзэба, нисонъ но аварэми ни хадзурэ, нонъганъ ни морэ соуроу бэси. нэмбуцу о синъдзэнъ хито ва татои итидаи но хоу о ёкуёку гакутомо, итимонъ-фути но гудонъ но ми наситэ, ама нюудоу но мути но томогара ни рёусюуинъ о моттэсу. дзёдосю но анъдзинъ кигёу, коно исси ни сигоку сэри. гэнъкуу га сёдзонъ коно хока ни маттаку бэцуги о дзонъдзэдзу, мэцуго но дзяги о фусэганъ га тамэ ни сёдзонъ о сируси ованъну.
кэнъряку ни нэнъ сёугацу нидзюусанъ нити даисидзаигоханъ
Namu Amida Butsu
Gleanings in Buddha-Fields 