Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace

Rating:
Summary: Bleak...yet powerful narrative
Review: First of all, it should be noted that this work is NOT a 'beginner's book' on Shin Buddhism. While there are parts which address the 'mechanics' of this school of Mahayana Buddhism, the real fact is that Itsuki's work is more directed to those who have already accepted the Nembutsu-faith as their own, or to those who wish to see the impact which that faith can have on those who are sometimes in the deepest and darkest places in their lives. As such, "Tariki" succeeds magnificently and powerfully.

Often very bleak and dark in places, "Tariki: Embracing Despair; Discovering Peace" is a sobering examination of how faith in Amida Buddha as held by those of the Shin faith can be both an anchor and a comfort to those in grave infirmity, grief, or facing death. Since much of the tenets of Shin deal with "resolving the question of the afterlife", it is natural that the book dwell in such heavy territory for much of its material. And while Itsuki does concentrate on such darker issues, it's important to note that...as would be appropriate for Buddhism in general...ultimately one comes to a realization that the duality between the 'dark' thoughts and the 'light' ones is really false. In this, Itsuki creates a very interesting and thought-provoking 'map' of the harsher aspects of life and how this harshness can be resolved through faith in the "other power" of Amida Buddha to unfold these experiences as ones of personal power and meaningful depth.

Again, this is no "starter" book for those wishing to learn more about Shin Buddhism; for those seeking that sort of information, I would suggest either Rev. Taitetsu Unno's "River of Fire, River of Water" or Dr. Ken Tanaka's "Ocean". But after absorbing the teachings set down in one or both of those, returning to Itsuki's book for a sober look at how those teachings affect and ground the lives of Shin Buddhists is a must.

Rating:
Summary: Tariki: A Meta-Review
Review: For a "cultural icon," to American readers, Mr. Itsuki will seem to be an uncommonly undisciplined writer, with an awkward, disjointed style. Many readers will be left feeling unsatisfied on closing the book, and wonder at his popularity.

As an American Asian, it occurred to me -- and I'd like to suggest -- that readers might consider Tariki as a demonstration of how Asian thinking styles differ markedly from that of the Western linear thought.

This difference is reflected in a comparison of the writing systems employed. Western writing represents sounds to build the writer's thoughts in readers' minds. The Japanese, however, do not "hear" what they read, as we do. Japanese characters do not represent spoken words, but ideas. Instead, native Japanese experience thoughts visually and kinesthetically. Western thinkers process thoughts through auditory centers, while Japanese thinkers process thoughts through the visual and kinesthetic centers of the brain. This is not to say that Asian thought is not logical, but rather that it processes what we perceive as linear reasoning differently. The Japanese brain has different requirements for presentation and argument. The apparent shortcomings in Tariki cannot be written off as a simple loss-in-translation. Instead, it may offer gain-within-apparent-loss, a glimpse of the profound lack of parallels that can exist from one culture to another.

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Summary: True Sadness Comes Someday
Review: Fortunately, the world does not simply become "whatever we think it is", as the reviewer below assumes. If that were true, there would be no illness, old age or death, nor any reason for this gem of a book. As Hiroyuki says, "Some things just don't work; some things just can't be done." These are not words that some people are ready to hear in our "new age" of self help, positive thinking and "self power". But as he points out, "Long ago people used to describe life as a long, long journey on which we all carry a very heavy load. The passage of a mere three or four centuries isn't going to change the reality of human experience."
If you have ever felt that life has no meaning; if you have ever thought "there is nothing I can do"; if you have always suspected that "willpower" was a sham, then this book will be a friend to you. Written like a great dinner conversation, full of digressions, this book is a deep well of humanity and compassion.

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Summary: A blend of faith and existential courage
Review: Hiroyuki Itsuki provides a lucid and powerful explanation of Pure Land Buddhism in the Japanese tradition and supplements it with the lessons derived from his own suffering. Mr. Hiroyuki is to be commended not only for providing a spiritual essay with universal implications but also for drawing upon his own difficult experiences in a relevant, helpful manner that deftly avoids sentimentalism and self-pity.

Hiroyuki describes his childhood as the son of a Japanese teacher in occupied Korea before and during World War II. When Japan was defeated, Hiroyuki's world fell apart. After losing their home and belongings, Hiroyuki's mother died, his father became an alcoholic. Ultimately it was the then thirteen year-old Hiroyuki who cared for his siblings and dragged them to safety in South Korea. The trauma of these experiences and others caused Hiroyuki to develop a very negative view of life. The significance of this development, which was clearly missed by one reviewer, is the fact that Hiroyuki's negativity is not nihilistic. Instead, Hiroyuki argues that when we accept the negative facts of life (primarily that we will experience loss, pain, sickness, old-age, and death) we are better able to lead a positive life. Hiroyuki goes on to describe the Buddha as "the ultimate negative thinker" and explains how the Buddha gave up His life of wealth and privilege in order to comprehend and then address the suffering that comes with existence.

In explaining the differences between Zen and Pure Land Buddhism, Hiroyuki addresses the common misconception that the latter is based on blind faith. Zen, according to Hiroyuki is a religion of action that involves meditation and other exercises while Pure Land Buddhism simply requires a simple belief in and verbal acknowledgement of the Amida Buddha. This belief is not an attempt to find the Amida Buddha, for according to Hiroyuki He has already found you and has reached out to you with countless subtle mechanism that can include the kindness of complete strangers and the pages of Hiroyuki's book. Hiroyuki refers to these countless mechanisms as the "Other Power" and contrasts them with the "Self Power" associated with Zen. According to Hiroyuki, the practice of Zen involved time and activity to perform self-development that was simply not available to anyone beyond Japan's privileged classes. Pure Land Buddhism appealed to the commoners because it did not require developing the "Self Power" of Zen. Instead they merely had to believe in and acknowledge the "Other Power" of the Amida Buddha's commitment to save them. More to the point, the Amida Buddha already had saved people; they simply needed to wake up to this fact.

If Hiroyuki's writing only focused exclusively on the suffering and despair of his personal history then readers could justifiably find his negativity appalling. But Hiroyuki contrasts these experiences with the surprising kindness of strangers and other positive experiences that he eventually came to attribute to the "Other Power".

Ultimately, "Self Power" and "Other Power" are parts of the same thing. "Other Power" is faith, and it is also a required foundation for "Self Power". Hiroyuki convincingly argues that you cannot practice any form of self-development without a faith to precede it. Hiroyuki draws a parallel between the two schools of Zen Buddhism and the differences between Catholicism, which stresses salvation though one's works and Protestantism, which bases salvation upon faith alone. Hiroyuki concludes that the relationship between faith and action are universal to practically all of the world's religions and cites a recent accord between the Vatican and Lutheran council that acknowledges the primacy of belief in Christ and the importance of supplemental good works in His name.

So why do we need negative thinking to have a positive life? Hiroyuki argues that if we are driven by optimism alone then we are fooling our selves and are only going to suffer in the long run. When we acknowledge the normalcy of suffering, we are better able to cope with it. We are also more likely to appreciate and less likely to be fooled by the cycles of our own happiness. For me the most interesting part of this Hiroyuki's thinking is that fact that it is an equal blend of faith in human salvation and deep existential courage. Hiroyuki also gets right to the spiritual heart of religion rather than its alienating social and political elements.

Rating:
Summary: Sad to the Bone
Review: Life is torture, all of us die (hard to argue with that one) Hell is inevitable; it's here on earth right now, death is the end, suicide is a comfort. We are very insignificant beings essentially powerless to effect any real change and the best we can hope for is to embrace despair. And then there are the really depressing parts of this book.

However, like Blanche Dubois it's wonderful to depend (or at least be surprised) by the kindness of strangers.

Life is a Siberian concentration camp, but a fellow inmate may give you a flower and bring tears to your eyes in the realization that compassion exists amidst the damned.

Well, this is a fun book to give to anyone who annoys you by telling you to cheer up .

One might keep it by the door in case any Jehova's Witnesses knock, especially if they've been having a good day. It would also make an interesting Valentine's Day gift for your beloved, just in case she's nagging you into a wedding and you'd like to offer the alternative of a double suicide.

Itsuki writes about pain, sometimes eloquently, as in his narrative of The Dalai Lama , sometimes verging on obscenity as in the story of the mother whose terminally ill child is gasping for breath and Mom observes that "The gasps seemed like labor pains. . .the mother cheered her daughter on in death . . .Hurray!"

It's weird but Isuki's advice at times sounds like a self-help book turned upside down yet equally hoaky. Instead of telling us to smile and look on the bright side because it'll make us feel good, he tells us to weep and look on the dark side because it'll make us feel good.

This ain't profound but it sure sounds elevated as soon as he brings in Amida Buddha.

An entity which, from what I can gather exists in the archetypal Platonic realm (unlike Siddhartha, the Buddha, a human who actually lived) yet whose Presence is far more Real to his followers than a mere flesh and blood being.

Amida is the Buddha of Ultimate Compassion, and-- though there is no hope, really-- intoning his mantra 'Namu Amida Butsu' puts us in touch with compassion, frees us from the futile desire to escape our doom and best of all----

--Well I'm not sure. According to Itsuku, Zen was for the aristocracy who had time to enage in 'self-salvation' unlike the peasants who had to rely on 'Other Power' (Amida) and followed The Pure Land Sect.

(Actually I doubt it was that simple, having met a Korean Zen master who began each day by prostating himself 106 times and invoking Amida's help. It seems a human need to ask for divine compassion. Likewise I suspect that even the bravest of Stoics would have snuck a prayer to Zeus now and then.)

It seems the peasants believed they would be reborn into a paradise, a "Pure Land" unlike those intellectual Zen types who sought for Enlightenment a la Siddhartha while they still had breath to fight.

But Itsuki rejects this interpretation of The Pure Land. There will be no paradise or re-birth, you'll just be a kinder person and take refuge in Amida's light while you spend time in your own hell of a Siberian prison, etc.

I'm not sure as to how this reinterpreatation of The Pure Land sect came about. Judging by Itsuki, it does appear to be normative today. Perhaps the original was considered too primitive and literal ( by intellectuals, of course) or perhaps it cheered the peasants up too much, thus blinding them to the truth that Suffering is All, etc.

Well, it's an interesting book, though I believe the point was better articulated in C.S. Lewis' masterpiece "A Grief Observed"
not because Lewis was a Christian, but precisely because he had -- unlike Itsuki--a happy childhood. Consequently he was fairly optimistic, sure of his religion, and in late in middle age found true love-- only to have his wife die horribly of bone cancer--whereupon his world and his faith came tumbling down.
Lewis's attempt to cope with having egg on his face after a lifetime of naivete, and his brutally honest soul searching strikes one as far more poignant than this gloom and doom autobiography.

Oh, and BTW, 'Sad To The Bone' really is the title of a section in Itsuki's book.

In the final analysis, while Itsuki's philosophy embraces pathos and sympathy for our fellow sufferers endorsing a lofty charity towards all, given his metaphysical premises arguably loftier concepts would be rendered meaningless.

There is absolutely no room for heroism, triumph or, in the classical Western sense, tragedy.

Have a nice day.

Rating:
Summary: The Joys of Pessimism
Review: One reviewer advised that this book was best for the despondent and not for those who still had fight left in them. Sometimes I wonder if those who fight check in with reality from time to time. The human condition doesn't give one much cause for celebration much less defense. True, our basal nature -- our Buddha-nature -- is good, but our normal existence lived in utter indifference to that nature is befogged and driven by lust, anger, and ignorance. Any attempt at bootstrapping our way to heaven just reveals the extent to which our ego believes it can transcend itself by the exercise of even more ego.

TARIKI is not a pessimistic book if you are not an optimist. It is a stark often bleak appraisal of the aspects of our human being we would rather not acknowledge and obdurately deny. By starting from that most basic of Buddhist insights that living entails suffering, Itsuki moves on to a deep gratitude for the genuine moments of grace in our lives which come from the winds of a wisdom and compassion that embrace us and yet which are never other than us.

While TARIKI may be of value to the despondent, it is of even greater value to those of us who need a grounding in the facts of life in order to make our efforts on behalf of others sane, reasoned, and devoid of expectation. I recommend this book highly to those who have few illusions about life and death.

Rating:
Summary: The Joys of Pessimism
Review: One reviewer advised that this book was best for the despondent and not for those who still had fight left in them. Sometimes I wonder if those who fight check in with reality from time to time. The human condition doesn't give one much cause for celebration much less defense. True, our basal nature -- our Buddha-nature -- is good, but our normal existence lived in utter indifference to that nature is befogged and driven by lust, anger, and ignorance. Any attempt at bootstrapping our way to heaven just reveals the extent to which our ego believes it can transcend itself by the exercise of even more ego.

TARIKI is not a pessimistic book if you are not an optimist. It is a stark often bleak appraisal of the aspects of our human being we would rather not acknowledge and obdurately deny. By starting from that most basic of Buddhist insights that living entails suffering, Itsuki moves on to a deep gratitude for the genuine moments of grace in our lives which come from the winds of a wisdom and compassion that embrace us and yet which are never other than us.

While TARIKI may be of value to the despondent, it is of even greater value to those of us who need a grounding in the facts of life in order to make our efforts on behalf of others sane, reasoned, and devoid of expectation. I recommend this book highly to those who have few illusions about life and death.

Rating:
Summary: "Buddha as the ultimate negative thinker."
Review: Reading the newspaper on any given day reveals that we are living under the influence of worldwide suffering. "All people, all around the world and at all times, live a life of sighs" (p. 42). In his powerful new book, novelist and Buddhist scholar, Hiroyuki Itsuki (1932- ) recognizes suffering as a catalyst for liberation. "We are all travelers who, from our first wail at birth, are making a journey, one step at a time, toward death," he writes (p. 218). Along the way, we discover that we "have no control over our birth, and we cannot avoid aging. We all fall ill and we must all face death, without exception. Human existence is defined by these four facts" (p. 183).

Itsuki knows suffering. He tells us he has considered suicide twice (p. 3). He has written his book from his deeply-moving personal experiences with despair. The teachings found here provide guidance on how to live a meaningful life, with a proper attitude toward life, in the face of despair. "Truly enlightened thinking is not about being lucky or privileged, or content with one's lot in life," Itsuki writes. "Truly enlightened thinking only takes place when we have stared into the bottomless possibilities of human suffering and discovered light" (p. 22). Our Western notion of "positive thinking" offers "little more than mindless optimism, a vague feeling of hope" to Itsuki; "it is not something that can be a true source of strength in life" (p. 164). For him, enlightenment derives only from radically negative thinking (p. 163).

Suffering, physical pain, sickness, mental anxiety, aging--our daily hell is not without moments of paradise also, here and now--kind acts, small joys, friendship, and love. Travelling life's peaks of "boundless joy" and valleys of "terrible suffering," Itsuki advocates equanimity to live a deeply meaningful life, together with the Buddhist philosphy of "tariki," meaning "Other Power," which "stands in contrast to self power" (p. xvi). "Tariki" is the "recognition of the great, all-encompassing power of the Other," Itsuki explains, "in this case, the Buddha and his ability to enlighten us--and the simultaneous recognition of the individual's utter powerlessness in the face of the realities of the human condition" (pp. xvi-xvii). This is the core concept of Pure Land Buddhism.

This is not a "feel-good" book. Rather, it is a feel-real book that will speak to the heart of anyone feeling overwhelmed with all the suffering in this "terrible world of ours."

G. Merritt

Rating:
Summary: Sad, Sad, Sad
Review: This book is for people who are ready to die. Itsuki characterises himself (and Gautama, by the way) as the "Ultimate Negative Thinker", a title he well-deserves. If you want to find someone else who is this whipped and this bleak, you'll have to resort to Sartre. I mean, he wears his weariness like a coat of armour . . . one almost thinks that this man if afraid to enjoy anything in life lest it be taken away. Among the statemensts in this book were gems like: "Isn't it time that we saw ourselves as the small and helpless beings that we are . . . I would like us to imagine ourselves once again as insignificant, a trifling form of existence." What kind of sad sack can actually take any of this drivel seriously? Itsuki seems miserably ignorant of Buddha's teachings that "everything is in one's thoughts", as Shakyamuni mentions in the "Dhammapada". To Itsuki, life is "continuous suffering and despair" and one should train one's mind to "expect nothing" from teachers, from loved ones, from life itself. He fails to realise that by expecting nothing, he is merely being lazy and self-indulgent. One is conditioning one's mind to see only the negative and thus Nietzsche's criticism of Christianity is shown to be true of Shin Buddhism as well . . . when one sees the world as a dirty, disgusting place, then it BECOMES a dirty and disgustng place. If Beethoven or Gandhi had started from such assumptions, they would have just lazed around feeling sorry from themselves. The fatal flaw in all of this sort of thinking is like this . . . if I blindfolded someone and then told them I was going to strike a match, then touch it to their skin, they would tensen . . . they would expect the pain . . . and if I were to light up the match, blow it out, and then touch to their skin a crayon, they would yell "Ouch, it hurts!" despite the fact that they were not harmed at all. Their expectations -- and lack of expectation IS an expectation -- colours the way they see reality. Itsuki lived through some trying times it is true . . . but rather than face these trials with the strength inside himself, he decides to throw a silent tantrum and turn his back in the world and wear his weariness like a badge of honour. Pessismism like this is nothing but laziness and a spoilt-brattishness that comes from being peeved that everything was not handed to one on a silver platter. The world can be a hard, cruel place . . . or it can be a wonderful paradise. Which is it, really? The choice is yours . . . it becomes whatever you think it is, thus Itsuki's pessimism. The strength inside of each person is there . . . you just need to look inside to find it . . . the hardeness of the world can serve as a catalyst for people to find it, while those living in comfort rarely will since they rarely have to stretch themselves. Buddha enjoined s to feel compassion for others . . . one cannot do this while feeling pity for oneself. True compassion takes a mountain of strength . . . one must be very hard . . . with oneself . . . otherwise one will revel in this kind of misery and will not take advantage of the wondrous opportunity of this life that one has been given. Compare this geriatric claptrap with Tagore -- man who had a much harder life -- and who was convinced that he had been blessed to have been given the chance of living on such a wondrous plane of existence . . . and you will see the difference that an attitude can make. If you are ready to die, this book will confirm your despondency . . . if you are a fighter, look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: A refreshing perspective
Review: Very interesting perspective,refreshing in the sense that the authour follows a direction in life that is very much reflected in negativity.While there's enough 'positive' thinking books out there saturating readers,Hiroyuki takes reader through a much more realistic and practical outlook on life.Though some of his opinions left very much to be desired,this book is meant to be honest and it was.