일본 정토종 종조 호넨(法然)의 보리심관菩提心觀

Abstract

'This study is an exploration into the bodhi mind (bodhicitta) of Honen, founder of the Japanese Jodo School. The term bodhicitta began to first appear in Mahayana scriptures. It refers to an aspiration to pray not only to attain one's own buddhahood but also for others to attain it. In other words, it embodies the core concept of what a bodhisattva is and the Four Great Vows. For this reason, bodhicitta is considered a prerequisite to or an essential element of Buddhist practice throughout Mahayana Buddhism. In addition, each of the three major scriptures of Pure Land Buddhism — the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra, and the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra — has a different stance on the concept of bodhicitta. The Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra says bodhicitta is an essential factor to be reborn in the Pure Land; the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra says bodhicitta is one of many good deeds one must perform to be reborn in the Pure Land; and the Shorter Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra does not mention bodhicitta as a requirement to be reborn in the Pure Land, emphasizing instead reciting Buddha's name. On the other hand, Honen argues that only the practice of reciting Buddha's name is accepted by Amitabha Buddha as a means for ordinary beings to be reborn in the Pure Land, and that both bodhicitta and various good deeds should be abandoned. Additionally, Honen argues that the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra and the Amitāyurdhyāna Sūtra consider bodhicitta as a secondary teaching to establish the excellence of one's practice of reciting Buddha's name, and that in terms of the benefits to sentient beings, reciting Buddha's name yields greater benefits, while other practices, including bodhicitta, reap lesser benefits. In this way Honen encourages people to abandon bodhicitta —considered a prerequisite to the Buddhist path by Japanese Buddhists — as a secondary teaching that reaps few benefits, and he categorizes bodhicitta as an auxiliary practice to reciting Buddha's name, a practice deemed most important for rebirth in the Pure Land. In other words, Honen proposed a "Buddhism not dependent upon bodhicitta." By proposing a form of Buddhism that enables one to be reborn in the Pure Land without necessarily cultivating bodhicitta, we can say Honen expanded the horizon of Japanese Buddhism.