November, 2007
THE TRUE WORLD TRANSCENDS BORDERS
By Rev. Yushi Mukojima
When I happened into a bookstore a couple of days ago, I saw a large globe. Although at first my
heart leaped at the sight of my home country which I couldn’t help but stare at for a while, I was
surprised again that the American continent is so vast. The Japanese islands fit into California State
where we live in.
There were some books on the earth right next to the globe, so I picked one up and looked
through it. I caught sight of a photograph of the earth as seen from the universe. I was stunned by
its beauty, but what surprised me again was that borders were nowhere to be found. Unlike the
globe which showed political divisions, the earth as photographed from space has no borders.
Seeing the blue orb of the earth floating in the darkness of the universe, we realize that borders
are just foolish lines drawn on a map reflecting our selfish values and sense of territory. Therefore,
nothing is more beautiful and precious than an earth without borders which shines brightly.
As you all know, the ancestors of man used to live in trees. Then after many years, they came
down from the trees and started hunting and collecting. During that time, there were no territorial
conflicts. But as time went on, they started keeping livestock and farming and agriculture and
territorial conflict began because of possession, accumulation and defense. Since then, the history
of mankind shows repeated competition and conflict over territory all over the world.
I heard from somebody that when we compare humans with birds, even birds with a strong sense
of territoriality don’t fight over territory very much. He said that there is a famous island in Scotland
called Bass Rock which is the home of migratory birds. When the Brown Booby builds a nest there,
it fights over territory. But once it sits on its nest, the booby doesn’t try to extend its territory beyond
the limits its beak can reach.
In contrast, people think hard about and decide on borders which must be maintained in order to
avoid the territorial conflict caused by our lust for power and our limitless desire for possessions.
Conflict occurs again and again because of these borders.
There exist invisible borders as well. Of course, we have borders in our minds. We love a person
who takes sides with us but hate a person who doesn’t. Although we treasure harmony, friendship,
unity, and trust on our side, we always attack, expel, slander, and block those on the other.
There is a saying in the Commentary on the Discourse on Birth which was written by T’an-luan,
one of the Seven Pure Land Masters: “The reason why Amida Buddha originally provided the
glorious merit of vastness is that when he observed the three worlds, he found that everything there
was confined and limited; that there were pits, gorges, mounds of earth and shores; that even
palace buildings were too close to each other; that even plots of land and fields were small; that,
when wishing to proceed, roads were sometimes too narrow, and mountains and rivers hindered
free passage and that countries were separated from each other by boundaries. Since everything
was narrow and confined, the Bodhisattva made this vow of providing the glorious merit of vastness,
resolving, ‘My land will be vast and without bounds like space.’”
Reading this wish of the boundless Buddha’s Pure Land, we cannot help feeling Buddha’s sorrow
that because we always build borders both outside and within, we create places where light cannot
reach. Therefore, Buddha established the Pure Land for all of us. Buddha’s Land, which transcends
the world of delusion, is said to be vast and without bounds. This vastness is expressed in the
Shoshin-ge, Boundless Light.
Recently, I joined the BCA Federation of Buddhist Women’s Associations Conference in San
Francisco. Although the conference theme was, “Open Mind, Open Heart,” a chairperson read a
message from Lady Noriko Otani, president of Buddhist Women’s Federation. She expressed what
a person with Shinjin (Entrusting Heart) should be, quoting a passage from The Recorded on the
Life of Master Rennyo: “A person with Shinjin would not say hurtful words to fellow Nembutsu
practicers and is sure to gain a peaceful mind. This is because Amida Buddha vows that all
senescent beings who have been touched by the Buddha’s light will become soft and gentle in body
and mind. Contrarily, without Shinjin, one would be wrapped up in one’s own self-centeredness,
speaking hurtful words that are bound to result in conflict with others.”
Lady Otani said that if we attain the entrusting heart, our mind, shut tightly, will be opened, our
complaints and discontentment turn into gratitude, and we will be able to have the mind of
compassion that understand others’ pain and put ourselves in another’s place. I believe that this
mind is the very way that can smash man-made borders.
Speaking of territory, my wife said that recently I have taken up my position in the middle of our
bed at night because the weather is getting colder. Mika, who is forced to one corner of the bed,
has been quite irritated with me. She tried over and over to get me to move while I was asleep but
couldn’t! I want to say that I did it on purpose but I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to
her. Although I hope that she will not catch a cold because of me, the battle of taking that warm
position in the middle of the bed will undoubtedly occur again tonight.
In Gassho,
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