The Yuzu Nembutsu

 

As I briefly mentioned earlier , the yuzu nembutsu was not meant to be used simply for the salvation of oneself but also to save others as well. In performing the yuzu nembutsu , the practitioner was to distribute nembutsu fuda to as many people as possible , to enter their names in a nembutsu ledger , and to encourage people to recite the nembutsu. The yuzu nembutsu was also called the dainembutsu and the yuzu dainembutsu. In the late Kamakura period , when Ippen was active , the yuzu nembutsu appears to have been widely practiced. The Ippen hijirie ( fascicle 10 ) states , in relating the prophetic dream of Chokan , who was the Buddhist monk attached to Iyo’s Mishima shrine , “Now Ippen is visiting , on the day of the cherry blossom festival , when he will make a procession and conduct the dainembutsu.”

( Ippen       144ページ)

 

 

融通念仏

 

融通念仏というのは前にも少し述べたが、自分が救われるだけでなく、他人も救われなければならないと願う互いに相通じる念仏のことをいう。できるだけ多くの人々に念仏の算を配り、念仏名帳に名を記入して念仏を称えさせることである。融通念仏はまた大念仏とも、融通大念仏とも呼ばれた。一遍の活動した鎌倉時代末期に融通念仏は広く行われていたようだ。『一遍聖繪』(第十)にも伊予三島神社供僧長観の夢告として「いま一遍上人参詣して桜会の日大行道にたち大念仏を申(す)」とあることからもわかる。