An excerpt from Shin teacher Kentetsu Takamori’s new book Something You Forgot… Along the Way: Stories of Wisdom and Learning.
Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, also known as Shin, is the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan but there are not many Westerners who have delved deeply into the tradition. It’s a heart-based Buddhism, geared toward laypeople, and it uses stories and anecdotes to teach. The point isn’t separating the myths from the facts; it’s learning from the stories how to live in accord with the dharma.
Shin teacher Kentetsu Takamori is the author of several bestselling titles in Japanese and the chair of the Buddhist organization Jodo Shin Shinrankai. His book Something You Forgot… Along the Way: Stories of Wisdom and Learning has been translated into English and will be published by Ichimannendo Publishing in September. Here is one of the stories included in the book:
Perseverance Is Greater than Proficiency: Suddhipanthaka’s Long Years of Cleaning
Suddhipanthaka, one of Sakyamuni’s most famous disciples, was dull by birth, unable to remember even his own name. One day Sakyamuni found him crying and asked him kindly,
“Why are you so sad?”
Weeping bitterly, Suddhipanthaka lamented, “Why was I born stupid?”
“Cheer up,” said Sakyamuni. “You are aware of your foolishness, but there are many fools who think themselves wise. Being aware of one’s stupidity is next to enlightenment.” He handed Suddhipanthaka a broom and instructed him to say while he worked, “I sweep the dust away. I wash the dirt away.”
Suddhipanthaka tried desperately to remember those sacred phrases from the Buddha, but whenever he remembered one, he forgot the other. Even so, he kept at his chore for twenty years.
Once during those twenty years, Sakyamuni complimented Suddhipanthaka on his determination. “No matter how many years you keep sweeping, you grow no better at it, and yet that does not cause you to give up. As important as making progress is, persevering in the same endeavor is even more important. It is an admirable trait—one that I do not see in my other disciples.”
In time Suddhipanthaka realized that dust and dirt accumulated not only where he thought they would, but in places he least expected. He thought, “I knew I was stupid, but there’s no knowing how much more of my stupidity exists in places I don’t even notice.”
In the end Suddhipanthaka attained the enlightenment of an arhat, a very high stage. Besides encountering a great teacher and true teachings, it was his long years of effort and perseverance that crowned him with success.
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Dear Andrea,
The story you cited is amazing! I loved it.
I haven’t heard about Shin Buddhism before, but I am curious how it differs from the one that we are familiar such as meditation and Zen. According to the website, the publisher’s previous book seems more about Shin Buddhism itself. I will take a look at it too.
Thanks again.
Do you think becoming enlightened made him smarter? Or, would he be still unable to remember his own name, but at the same time, he could understand the nature of the universe? Can you be enlightened but still limited?
Thanks to Andrea for beginning this thread. Shin Buddhism now hides in plain sight in America. It is a beautiful teaching that is substantially subtler than it seems at first glance. Folks interested in Shin will want to know that in September a new book written by Monshu Koshin Ohtani of Nishi Hongwanji, Kyoto Japan, will be published in English. The book is titled "Th Buddha's Wish for the World." The publisher is the American Buddhist Study Center (New York), with great assistance from Shin experts in California, Hawaii, and Japan. The book includes a Foreword by Professor Robert Thurman of Columbia University, who is of course very well known by Tibetan Buddhists. In his Foreword, Thurman credits the Monshu for his ability to tie small but significant experiences of everyday life to the beautiful vision of wisdom and compassion alive in the world that is the heart of Shin reality. What a gift the Monshu has provided us. As the leader of Nishi Hongwanji Jodo Shinshu worldwide, he is uniquely able to bring this great teaching of the head and heart to all who would hear it. Namoamidabutsu.