It follows from all this that the attitude of the Shinshu towards S'akyamuni himself has been radically modified. Alone among the sects of Buddhism, the Shinshu offers no worship to the Founder of the Buddhist religion, not even that limited worship which it renders to Shotoku Taishi, to Shinran himself, and to a few quite unknown Japanese worthies. [**] "The only reason," says Shinran, in a poem [*+] to which his followers pay peculiar reverence, "the only reason why S'akyamuni appeared on earth was that he might make known to men the Great Saving Vow of Amitabha." And Amida, the Father, the Eternal Being, who originated the Law

of Cause and Effect, [**] has, by his Vow for the Salvation of Men by Faith alone quite regardless of their merits, so profoundly modified the working of that Law, that it really seems doubtful whether the definition of Buddhism with which we started really holds good for the Shinshu, or whether we ought not to place the Shinshu in a category by itself as a quasi-Buddhist religion which contains in it elements which are apparently not of Buddhist origin.

Footnotes

^9:* The reference is to the paragraphs in Shinshu Hyakuwa.

^10:* Nanjo's Cat. of the Tripitaka actually gives the names of Sutras containing remedies and charms for these ailments.

^10:+ I refer to the numerous Hinayana Sects in existence about the commencement of the Christian era.

^10:++ The author of the Saddharmapundarika Sutra speaks of three yanas or vehicles. 1. That of the Arhats (Hinayana) which only talked of the Salvation of the Individual himself. 2. That of Pratyeka Buddhas (apparent Mahayana--Gondaijo) which enabled a man to reach Enlightenment (more than Salvation) but only for the Individual. 3. That of the Bodhisattva, or true Mahayana (Jitsudaijo) which taught the believer to use his Enlightenment for the benefit of his fellow-creatures.

^11:* Shukyoteki as opposed to gakumonteki.

^11:+ Jap. jiriki.

^12:* Hence the words tariki, "another man's efforts," or igyo.

^12:+ Such sects are known as Hobenmon: sects which adapt their teaching and rites to the weakness and prejudices of their followers. As opposed to such sects the Shinshu profess to be the Shinjitsumon or True Gate.

^12:++ To the Shinshuist all the laws of the ancient Vinaya discipline are Hoben, "accommodations."

^13:* The so-called Zenchishiki or "righteous and wise men" of Shinshu. It is noteworthy while the worship of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is like the false Angel-worship against which St. Paul warns us, the honour now paid by the Shinshu to their Zenchishiki is like the commemoration of good men which has always obtained in the Christian Church.

^13:+ The Shoshinge of which a translation will be found later in this book.