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Vista View Online |
The Monto Shikisho and the O-kesa by John Iwohara |
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August 1996
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Recently
I was involved in a conversation that dealt with the mistaken use of the
word kesa (o-kesa is the honorific form) and shikisho (Monto is simply a
term used to mean followers of Jodo Shinshu). The conversation was
basically on the importance of distinguishing the shikisho over the kesa,
versus simply using the term that most people are already accustomed to
using. Why, in other words, make such a big fuss over something so
trivial? During the conversation I agreed that it can be argued that the
difference between the use of the word shikisho over kesa may be seen as a
superficial one especially when one considers the statement that Shinran
Shonin made when he declared that he was "neither monk, nor lay
person." As I continued to go over the merits of my arguments, I came
to the conclusion that I was wrong. I had things going the wrong way. The
importance of the shikisho is highlighted by the declaration "neither
monk, nor lay person" and not the other way around.
When I first transfered to Vista, the Vista Buddhist temple had been without a resident minister for about a year and a half. During this period of time, the temple membership, because of their earnestness in living a life of Nembutsu which was greatly impressed upon everyone by Takemoto Sensei, continued to hold regular Sunday Services and did everything necessary to maintain the temple as a spiritual center of the Nembutsu with the help of ministers such as Reverend Miyaji, Reverend Hirata, and Reverend Harada. This may all be a part of history now, but through this experience I believe that everyone at the Vista Buddhist Temple can say that they have experienced what the Nembutsu life lived from the perspective of "not a monk" means, because everyone was forced to play the role of "not a lay person." As a priest of the Honganji, I am forced to, or allowed to live a life where I experience the Nembutsu from the perspective of "not a lay person" while enjoying the life of "not a monk." I get to, in other words, enjoy the pleasures of married life, of parenthood, and all the material wonders of the world like driving a car, living in house, and charging things on my credit card. From the above discussion, it seems that in Jodo Shinshu we are allowed to live either "life style" while appreciating the demands of the other first hand. In this way we become "fellow seekers," and "fellow practicers" (on-do-bo, on-do-gyo) of the Nembutsu path despite having different roles. Because of this discussion on the importance or the insignificance of making the distinction between kesa and shikisho, I have recently become aware that it is in emphasizing this relationship that priests and laity have in common--as fellow seekers and fellow practicers of the Nembutsu--that the shiki-sho becomes meaningful. To begin, the kesa was patterned after the original robes worn by all of Sakyamuni Buddha's disciples. Because of this, the kesa became an article of clothing that was treated with utmost importance. In fact, the term "kesa" itself became identified with the virtues associated with Amida Buddha. The importance of the kesa is further highlighted by the fact that the shichi-jou kesa, used by the different Shinshu denominations, is tied together with a knoted, crochet type rope that is called a "shutara." This is the same term used to refer to the Sutras (pronounced "shutara" in Chinese). Although originally the Sangha (monks who abandoned the mundane world) was one of the institutions that effectively eliminated the caste system of India existent during that time, eventually the priest-hood became an elite class of its own, and the robes the monks wore, which included the kesa, became associated with the elite. In Japan, for example, the large Buddhist centers of Nara and Mount Hiei became powerful political institutions that were not hesitant to use their power to influence the government. This fact is one of the reasons why Shinran Shonin became so critical of the established Buddhist schools of his time. The shiki-sho, patterned after the kesa of the monks, became the symbol to show that in the Light of Amida Buddha's Compassion and Wisdom it does not matter whether you are "not a monk" or "not a lay person." For myself, I chose to pursue the Nembutsu path more from the perspective of "not a lay person." Everyone at the temple continues to pursue the Nembutsu path from the perspective of "not a monk." Because the membership of the Vista Buddhist Temple allows me to continue on this path, I have been given the time to "look up" the history of the kesa and shiki-sho. Because of this gift of time, I am allowed to share my new found understanding with everyone. In other words, I am allowed to say thank you for your gift of time with the Dharma. When the Dharma is received, the desire to support, nurture, and spread the teachings naturally arises. One way to do this is by supporting the temple so that the temple can continue to be a center for the continued propagation of the Nembutsu, or a place where one's understanding and appreciation of the Dharma can deepen. The temple becomes the place where the minister continues to grow as he or she is given the time and resources to explore the depth of the Dharma store house, and the lay person (member) also continues to grow in the light of the Nembutsu as he or she continues to be exposed to the infinite wisdom and compassion of Namo Amida Butsu. The lay person becomes a condition for the priest to meet the Dharma and the priest becomes a condition for the lay person to meet the Dharma. Lay person supports minister, and minister supports lay person in an interdependent and hopefully symbiotic relationship. Another way of saying this is, the Nembutsu does not chose priest over lay person, and it does not chose lay person over priest. Both priest and lay person continue to say Namo Amida Butsu together, albeit from slightly different perspectives. As priest and lay person share Namo Amida Butsu with each other, one discovers that as followers of the Nembutsu we are all "neither priest, nor lay person." There is no elite when it comes to saying Namo Amida Butsu.We are both helping each other, in our own ways, to "propagate." The Monto Shiki-sho, reminded me of this fact. In the final analysis, perhaps it is not important to make the distinction between shiki-sho and kesa. I will leave that up to each individual. However, this experience offered me the opportunity to reflect on the Shonin's declaration "I am neither monk, nor lay person" and to this I am grateful. |
