Recently, it is said that the number of mothers who breast-feed their babies has decreased. Some of the mothers cannot give breast milk to their babies for various reasons. It is said, however, that many don't breast-feed for their own convenience. I feel compassion for the children who are brought up by these mothers, though we cannot completely blame the mothers. I have been collecting for a month newspaper accounts regarding the relationship between parents and children. Most of them have reported on childcare. Some of the news items which have attracted my attention are about reports of the abuse of children. I think that the abuse of children is caused by unsuccessful childcare. Abused children, even though they may grow up safely, tend to not take care of their parents when they become old.
I believe that these parents are originally selfish. They do not have the attitude that can make their children feel obliged to take care of them. If the parents raise their children for their own benefit, then the childcare is not for the child but for their selfishness. I believe that the true attitude of parents should be different. Children surely can see through childcare which is merely for the parents' benefits. A child's sincerity to his or her parents (utterly sincere mind) and profound reliance on them (profound mind) are unconsciously satisfied by taking their mother's milk (mind which dedicates their merit to the Pure Land with a resolution to be born there). The reliance on the parents is naturally endowed by innocently sucking the breast.
We can make the same analogy about the four modes of practice. The baby unconsciously loves and respects its mother (respecting Buddha), feeds only on the mother's milk (single-minded recitation of the nembutsu), is united intently with its mother (uninterrupted practice of the nembutsu), and continues sucking the breast (long-term practice of the nembutsu). There are no tactics. The way the baby sucks the breast is exactly the point of unity beyond words and consciousness; it has no convention. The baby will innocently believe, respect, and call for its parents. I believe that this relationship between parent and child is exactly the same as that between Amida Buddha and myself.
I have heard that some people complain about their birth, saying that their parents brought them into this world without their permission. We should be grateful to our parents and convey to them our happiness to have been born though we did not ask for it.

Shakyamuni Buddha was born into the world to transmit Amida Buddha's liberative activities. He felt compassion for humans with their many delusions and managed to liberate them with his merciful mind. This transmission is referred to as the "original aspiration for birth". Amida Buddha vowed to relieve imperfect, ignorant, defiled persons. This vow is expressed as Shakyamuni's and Amida's compassion for ignorant, defiled persons. The liberative activities of the two Buddhas are for us.
Honen Shonin once said, "I am very sorry that I could not be born into the same world as Shakyamuni Buddha. However, it is an extreme delight that I could see a world in which Shakyamuni Buddha's doctrines are widespread. Now is the time we should embrace the liberative intention of Shakyamuni and Amida which leads us to the immediate way out of the illusory world with no return to it in vain. Following this way results in rewarding the wish of the two Buddhas."
Now I am here due to innumerable causes and conditions from the eternal past. What a wonderful thing to be born in this world! We should be pleased to live in the world where the Buddha's doctrines are popular. We should not return to the illusory world without making the most of this chance. That would be against the Buddha's wish and our parents' wish. Otherwise, how can we explain ourselves to Buddha and our parents? In this way, we should earnestly believe that Amida Buddha will liberate us and chant "Namu Amida Butsu." If we have our attention on other things, it proves that we are going against the meaning of Shakyamuni Buddha's coming to earth and Amida Buddha's intention to liberate us. Consequently, we will not be liberated.

The One Sheet Document is dated two days before Honen Shonin died. It was written at the request of his disciples. The original document is stored in Kurodani Konkai Komyo-ji in Kyoto. This brochure has a picture of it. We can see the prints of his hands all over the text. This stamp identified him and became the basis for the development of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. Although the document was written two days prior to his death, the hand was solid and each character concisely and exhaustively represents the words that he had realized so strongly throughout his life. It has been admired by monks of various sects (like Ikkyu Zenji) and cultured people.
Honen Shonin had many disciples. They brought Honen Shonin's compassionate activities to light and made efforts to convey the nembutsu to the coming age. However, there appeared differences in interpretation of the nembutsu between the disciples. One of the possible causes was that the Shonin's words implied many things.
The Shonin's teaching is only to chant the nembutsu and to show faith in Amida Buddha's original vow. As written in the One Sheet Document, "sincerely practice the nembutsu" was his teaching. We should not just take parts of his expressions and then emphasize alternative points. Such alternative points include: Which is more important - faith in Amida Buddha or practice of the nembutsu?; Which is more essential - single recitation or multiple recitation of the nembutsu?; Which kind of nembutsu is more essential to birth in the Pure Land - chanting at the moment of death or during normal life?; and, Who is born in the Pure Land - only the good or both the good and the bad? I think that it is more important to honestly understand the Shonin's real intention.