The Awareness of Self

A Guide to the Understanding of Shin Buddhism

By: Gyodo Haguri

Narrated by: James Pollard

Gyodo Haguri (1881-1965) was a Shin Buddhist priest whose keen appreciation for Shinran’s teaching was controversial from the standpoint of Hongwanji doctrine. His classic book Transformation of One’s Entire Being: The Culmination of Other-Power Faith (1953) was published in translation as The Awareness of Self (1967) with a prologue and epilogue by Taitetsu Unno.

“Gyodo Haguri Sensei’s wish for the first publication of his book was to share the essence of Shin Buddhism with the English-speaking audience. He would indeed be pleased to know that his Dharma message continues to be important, meaningful, and relevant today.” (William Masuda)

“In the deepest heart of hearts all men seek ‘the still point of the turning world’ within themselves. This still point, this center within, may be called by various names—inner security, spiritual equilibrium, individuation, satori, or faith—but it is the timeless and primeval longing of man to become authentic, whole, and complete in himself.” (Taitetsu Unno)

“Generally speaking, people are considered to be good and faithful followers if they lead a moral life, attend church services, and participate in welfare activities. In Shin Buddhism, however, while these practices are encouraged, they alone do not constitute the Buddhist way of life. What is critically important is that the teachings radically transform our way of thinking and living so that we become true individuals: strong in crisis, humble in success, tender in our feelings, and grateful at all times.” (Gyodo Haguri)

©1967 Takudo Haguri (P)2022 Buddhist Education Center

Critic reviews

“Gyodo Haguri Sensei’s wish for the first publication of his book was to share the essence of Shin Buddhism with the English-speaking audience. He would indeed be pleased to know that his Dharma message continues to be important, meaningful, and relevant today.” (William Masuda)

“In the deepest heart of hearts all men seek ‘the still point of the turning world’ within themselves. This still point, this center within, may be called by various names—inner security, spiritual equilibrium, individuation, satori, or faith—but it is the timeless and primeval longing of man to become authentic, whole, and complete in himself.” (Taitetsu Unno)

“Generally speaking, people are considered to be good and faithful followers if they lead a moral life, attend church services, and participate in welfare activities. In Shin Buddhism, however, while these practices are encouraged, they alone do not constitute the Buddhist way of life. What is critically important is that the teachings radically transform our way of thinking and living so that we become true individuals: strong in crisis, humble in success, tender in our feelings, and grateful at all times.” (Gyodo Haguri)

Wonderful to find a Shin Buddhism Audible book!

The writing was good and references were excellent. Inspiring! I will listen frequently. I found the narrator mechanical sounding, but got used to it.

Significant text, but challenging narration

There isn't much Shin Buddhist content available on Audible yet—I would love to see something more historical, like a biography of Shinran. This is a competent outline of a very modern, twentieth-century interpretation of Shin beliefs, and dating back a half-century makes the text historically significant in its own right, but the narration was not well-suited to the text.

The narrator had a very high, nasal voice with a strong American accent, and an almost sing-song way of going through some parts of the text that implied he was reading mechanically and not with deep understanding. More than anything it sounded like a high school student doing a recitation in class. Meanwhile, I kept trying to imagine the voice of the actual writer, who I imagined as an elderly Japanese-American priest.

I looked up the author, Gyodo Haguri, and it turns out he was involved in the founding of the Jodo Shinshu temple in Berkeley in 1911! I've been to services at the modern incarnation of that temple, so that was a fun historical link to discover. As a text connected with the development of the BCA and its take on Shin teachings, I found this a worthwhile listen, but I wish it were narrated by someone with better voice training.