Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace [Hardcover]

Hiroyuki Itsuki (Author), Joseph Robert (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2001

Drawing upon his remarkable personal history, novelist and Buddhist scholar Hiroyuki Itsuki introduces us to tariki, the Other Power that is the core belief of Pure Land Buddhism. The Other Power derives from the true and full acceptance of the reality that is within us and that surrounds us. It is not a philosophy of passivity and irresponsibility, but one of radical spiritual activity, of personal, existential revolution. Its essence is the spontaneous, wondrous force that gives us the will to act, to "do what man can do and then wait for heaven's will." Importantly, tariki is a power that flows from the fundamental realization that, in the lives we live, we are already enlightened.

This enlightenment does not come easily. It is born of the unwelcome understanding that, despite our protestations, we are insignificant, imperfect beings, born to a hell of suffering that defines human existence. But in this hell, we sometimes encounter small joys, friendship, the kind acts of strangers, and the miracle of love. We experience moments when we are filled with courage, when the world sparkles with hopes and dreams. There are even times when we are deeply grateful to have been born.

These moments are paradise. But paradise is not another realm; it is here, in the very midst of the hell of this world. Tariki, a power that transcends theological distinctions, avails us of these moments. In the endless uncertainties of contemporary life, tariki confers upon us a flexibility of spirit, an energy to feel joy, and the respite of peace.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Hiroyuki Itsuki, a novelist by trade, turned to Buddhism to make sense of his life, a life that has known both extreme deprivation and outstanding success. He notes that Buddhism begins with negativity, and instead of glossing over it and moving on to the brighter side, he dwells on it, calling the Buddha the ultimate negative thinker. This is what is known as True Pure Land Buddhism, a sect that subscribes to a belief in the unredeemable depravity of people and the need for divine intervention. But along with chanting "Amida" and hoping for the best, Itsuki offers a lyrical reevaluation of True Pure Land, showing it to be "a philosophy of radical spiritual activity, of personal, existential revolution." Tariki is the "other power," that second wind you get near the end of an ordeal or the unexpected blessing in the midst of general malaise. Itsuki examines this sect's patriarchs, Honen, Shinran, and Rennyo, finding that their lives and their work still speak to us today. Many of us feel powerless against the overwhelming forces of life. Tariki is about acceptance, about "having the wisdom to know what reality is, and the strength to react properly to that reality." And then, despite the harshness, we can enjoy the tariki wind when it blows. --Brian Bruya

From Publishers Weekly

Now in his late 60s, bestselling Japanese author Itsuki (143 titles with 20 million copies in print) has turned from his customary fiction to the spiritual concerns of later life. In Tariki, Japanese for "Other Power," he illuminates the tenets of Pure Land Buddhism against the dark circumstances of his early life as a teenage postwar refugee who was eventually repatriated in Japan. Itsuki witnessed firsthand the Buddha's realities of suffering and death, giving rise to his seemingly bleak worldview that, as he puts it, "there is nothing I can do." Christian readers, especially, may find a kindred spirit here, one who is buoyant in the face of life's realities; through unconditional surrender, Itsuki says, we can be carried aloft on the winds of faith in the Other Power. Embracing emotions and staying mentally flexible are tools Itsuki endorses to navigate situations in which "just living is hard enough." This book, Itsuki's first translated into English, may be of greatest interest to those familiar with his previous works, because it reveals the interior philosophy of a cultural icon. It will also resonate, though, with anyone who has faced despair squarely. In his typically clear style, Itsuki paradoxically offers promise. "We begin in darkness but must not let that darkness overwhelm us. We must keep the doors unlocked. If, in that pitch-black darkness a single ray of light should be let in... it is a wonderful experience... a miraculous stroke of good fortune." (Apr.) Forecast: Despite his iconic status in his native Japan, Itsuki is not yet a household name in the United States, and the Pure Land school does not enjoy the popularity of Tibetan and Zen Buddhism. The book's fine quality and honest approach may overcome these obstacles. Kodansha plans an initial print run of 35,000 copies and a marketing budget of $75,000.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 229 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha, Limited (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4062099810
• ISBN-13: 978-4062099813
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #416,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A blend of faith and existential courage, October 22, 2001

By 

C. Colt "It Just Doesn't Matter" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace (Hardcover)

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.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars True Sadness Comes Someday, September 3, 2001

By 

Ron and Kelly Stilwell (Newcastle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tariki: A Meta-Review, July 4, 2001

By 

Roger T Imai (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tariki: Embracing Despair, Discovering Peace (Hardcover)

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.