Jodo Shinshu
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Jōdo Shinshū (浄土真宗 "True Pure Land School"), also known as Shin Buddhism, was founded by the once Tendai Japanese monk Shinran Shonin. In modern times Jodo Shinshu can be contrasted with Jodo Shu, founded by Shinran's teacher Honen. Today Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, along with Jōdo Shū.
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[edit] History
[edit] Shinran Shonin (Founder)
Shinran Shonin (shonin means eminent priest) (1173-1263) lived during the Kamakura period (1185-1333), a time of turmoil for Japan when the Emperor was stripped powerless by the Shoguns. Shinran's family had a high rank at the imperial court in Kyoto, but given the times many families were sending sons off to be Buddhist monks instead of having them participate in government. When Shinran was nine (1181) he was sent by his father to Mt. Hiei, where he was ordained as a Tendai monk. Over time Shinran became disillusioned with what Buddhism in Japan had become, foreseeing a decline in the potency and practicality of the teachings espoused. At this time Pure Land Buddhism, with its devotional focus on the Amida Buddha, had a few established movements within the Tendai tradition, but Shinran was disllusioned nonetheless[1].
Shinran left his role as doso ("Practice-Hall Monk") at Mt. Hiei and undertook a 100-day retreat at Rokkakudo temple in Kyoto, where he had a dream on the 95th day. In this dream Prince Shotoku (in Japan he is synonymous with Kannon Bosatsu) appeared to him, espousing a pathway to enlightenment through verse. So the next day, in 1201, Shinran leaves to train under Honen for the next six years. Honen (1133-1212) was once a Tendai monk as well, who left the tradition in 1175 to found his own sect, Jodo Shu. During this period Honen and Shinran espoused unto others the concept of nembutsu and amassed a somewhat substantial following. In 1207, sensing a threat, the Buddhist establishments of Kyoto persuaded the Shoguns to implement a nembutsu ban, a ruling which prohibited others from spreading Honen and Shinran's teachings. Honen and Shinran were forced into exile, and Shinran was given a criminal's name and had to live in Echigo province (today Niigata)[1].
It was during this exile that Shinran cultivated a deeper understanding of his own beliefs and in 1210 he married his wife Eshinni, the daughter of an aristocrat of Echigo Province. Shinran and Eshinni had several children. One of his children, Zenran created a heretical sect of Pure Land Buddhism, claiming to have a special teaching from his father, but after a few warning letters, Shinran disowned him in 1256. By contrast, Shinran's daughter, Kakushinni, was instrumental in preserving Shinran's teachings after his death.
In 1211 the nembutsu ban was lifted and Shinran was pardoned. In (1212) Honen died in Kyoto. Shonin never saw Honen following their exile. The year of Honen's death, Shinran set out for the Kanto area of Japan, where he established a substantial following. In 1224 he wrote his most significant piece, Kyogyoshinsho, which contained several excerpts from the Pure Land sutras along with his own commentaries[1].
In 1234, at the age of sixty, Shinran left Kanto for Kyoto (Eshinni stayed in Echigo), where he dedicated the rest of his years to writing. It was during this time he wrote the Wasans, a collection of hymns summarizing his teachings for his followers to recite. In his last years of life his daughter Kakushinni cared for him, and the shrine built on Shinran's tomb later became Honganji ('The Temple of the Original Vow'). Shinran died at the age of 90 in 1263[1].
[edit] Revival and Formalization
Early Shin Buddhism did not truly flourish until the time of Rennyo (1415-1499), who was 8th in line from Shinran. Through his charisma and prostelytizing Shin Buddhism was able to amass a greater following and grow in strength. The political power of Hongwanji led to several conflicts between Hongwanji and the warlord Oda Nobunaga, culminating in a 10-year conflict over the location of the Osaka Hongwanji, which Nobunaga coveted because of its strategic value. So strong did the sect become that in 1602, through mandate of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the main temple Hongwanji in Kyoto was broken off into two sects to curb the organizations' power. These two sects, the Nishi (Western) Hongwanji, and the Higashi (Eastern) Hongwanji, exist today.
During the time of Shinran Shonin, followers would gather in informal meeting houses, similar to Christian Quakers and had an informal liturgical structure. Anyone could get up and give a Buddhist talk, or discuss some other matter at hand. However, as time went on, this lack of cohesion and structure caused Jodo Shinshu to gradually lose its identity as a separate sect, as people began mixing other Buddhist practices into it. One common example was the Mantra of Light popularized by Myoe and Shingon Buddhism. Rennyo helped turn this around by formalizing much of Jodo Shinshu, it's practices and liturgy, and revived the thinning community at the Hongwanji temple while asserting newfound political power.
Rennyo Shonin is generally credited by Shin Buddhists for reversing the gradual decay of the early Jodo Shinshu community, and is considered the "Second Founder" of Jodo Shinshu. His portrait picture, along with Shinan Shonin's, are present on the onaijin (altar area) of most Jodo Shinshu temples.
[edit] Doctrine/Beliefs
Shinran's thought was strongly influenced by the doctrine of Mappō (末法), or the decline of the Dharma (the Buddhist teachings). Shinran saw the age he was living in as being a degenerate one where beings cannot hope to be able to extricate themselves from the cycle of birth and death through their own power, or jiriki (自力). For Shinran, all conscious efforts towards achieving enlightenment and realizing the Bodhisattva ideal were contrived and rooted in selfish ignorance; for humans of this age are so deeply rooted in karmic evil as to be incapable of developing the truly altruistic compassion that is requisite to becoming a Bodhisattva. It should be noted however that many modern commentators feel that Shinran's understanding of mappō is highly psychological and subjective, rather than eschatological, though this is a point of some controversy.
Due to his consciousness of human limitations, Shinran advocates reliance on tariki (他力) (Other Power) -- the power of Amida Buddha's limitless and infinite compassion made manifest in Amida Buddha's Primal Vow -- in order to attain liberation. Shin Buddhism can therefore be understood as a "practiceless practice," for there are no specific acts to be performed such as there are in the "Path of Sages" (the other Buddhist schools of the time that advocated 'jiriki' ('self-power'). In Shinran's own words, Shin Buddhism is considered the "Easy Path" because one is not compelled to perform many difficult, and often esoteric, practices in order to attain higher and higher mental states.
[edit] The Nembutsu
Like other Pure Land Buddhist schools, Amida is a central focus of the Buddhist practice, and Jodo Shiinshu expresses this devotion through a chanting practice called the nembutsu (念仏), or "Mindfulness of the Buddha [Amida]. The nembutsu is simply reciting the phrase Namu Amida Butsu (南無阿弥陀仏) ("I take refuge in Amida Buddha"). Jodo Shinshu is not the first school of Buddhism to practice the nembutsu but it is seen in a new light. The nembutsu becomes understood as an act that expresses gratitude to Amida Buddha -- furthermore, it is evoked in the practitioner through the power of Amida's unobstructed compassion. Therefore in Shin Buddhism, the nembutsu is not considered a practice, nor does it generate karmic merit. It is simply an affirmation of one's gratitude.
Note that this is in contrast to the related Jodo Shu school which promoted a combination of repetition of the nembutsu and devotion to Amida as a means to birth in the Pure Land. It also contrasts with other Buddhist schools in China and Japan, where the nembutsu was part of a more elaborate ritual.
[edit] The Pure Land
In another departure from more traditional Pure Land schools of Buddhism, Shinran Shonin advocated that birth in the Pure Land was settled in the midst of life rather than at death. When one entrusts themselves to Amida Buddha birth there is settled at that moment. This is equivalent to the stage of non-retrogression along the bodhisattva path, a characteristic of Mahayana Buddhism, or shinjin.
Many Pure Land Buddhist schools in the time of Shinran felt that birth in the Pure Land was a literal rebirth that occurred only upon death, and only after certain preliminary rituals. Elaborate rituals were used to guaranteed rebirth in the Pure Land, including a common practice where one's fingers were tied by strings to a painting or image of Amida Buddha. From the perspective of Jodo Shinshu such rituals actually betrayed a lack of trust in Amida Buddha, and relied on jiriki ("self-power"), rather than the tariki or "other-power" of Amida Buddha. Such rituals also favored those who could afford the time and energy to practice them or possess the necessary ritual objects, which was another obstacle for lower-class individuals. For Shinran Shonin, who closely followed the thought of the Chinese monk T'an-Luan, the Pure Land is synonymous with nirvana.
[edit] True Entrusting
The goal of the Shin path, or at least the practicer's present life, is the attainment of shinjin (信心 True Entrusting) in the Other Power of Amida. To achieve shinjin is to unite one's mind with Amida through the total renunciation of self effort in attaining enlightenment; to take refuge entirely in Other Power. Shinjin arises from jinen (自然 naturalness, spontaneous working of the Vow) and cannot be achieved solely through conscious effort. One is letting go of conscious effort in a sense, and simply trusting Amida Buddha, and the nembutsu.
For Jodo Shinshu practitioners, shinjin develops over time through "deep hearing" of Amida's call of the nembutsu. Jinen also describes the way of naturalness whereby Amida's infinite light illumines and transforms the deeply rooted karmic evil of countless rebirths into good karma. It is of note that such evil karma is not destroyed but rather transformed: Shin stays within the Mahayana tradition's understanding of sunyata, or non-duality / emptiness, and understands that samsara and Nirvana are not separate. Once the practicer's mind is united with Amida and Buddha nature gifted to the practicer through shinjin, the practicer attains the state of non-retrogression, whereupon after his death he will achieve instantaneous and effortless enlightenment. He will then return to the world as a Bodhisattva, that he may work towards the salvation of all beings.
[edit] The Tannisho
The Tannisho is a 13th century book of recorded sayings attributed to Shinran, transcribed with commentary by Yuien-bo. a disciple of Shinran. The word Tannisho is a phrase which means "A record [of the words of Shinran] set down in lamentation over departures from his [Shinran's] teaching". While it is a short text, it is one of the most popular because practitioners see Shinran in a more informal setting.
For centuries, the text was almost unknown to the majority of Shin Buddhists. In the 15th century Rennyo Shonin, Shinran's descendent, wrote of it, "This writing is an important one in our tradition. It should not be indiscriminately shown to anyone who lacks the past karmic good". Rennyo Shonin's personal copy of the Tannisho is the earliest extant copy. Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1903) revitalized interest in the Tannisho, which indirectly helped to spawn the Dobokai Movement of 1962[1].
[edit] Sub-sects
[1]Jōdo Shinshū itself has 10 sub-sects which tend to be either independent, based on Shinran's family lineage, or centered on places he lived. The largest branch is the Honganji sect. The Honganji sub-sect was split in two by the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1602 to diminish it's political powers, creating both the Nishi Honganji (or, 'The Western Temple of the Original Vow') and the Higashi Honganji (or, 'The Eastern Temple of the Original Vow')[1]. The Nishi is the larger of the two, whilst the Higashi has been broken up into various sub-branches due internal disagreements. In the United States, Nishi-Honganji operates as the Buddhist Churches of America and Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaiʻi.
Excepting certain Jōdo Shinshū inspired New Religious Movements the various sub-sects hardly differ on doctrinal matters but have a wide variety of liturgical styles.
[edit] In the context of Japanese culture
Earlier schools of Buddhism that came to Japan, including the Tendai and Shingon sects, gained acceptance because of the way they meshed the Buddhist pantheon with the native Japanese Shinto pantheon. For example, a Shinto god could be seen as a manifestation of a bodhisattva. It is common even to this day to have Shinto shrines within the grounds of some traditional Buddhist temples.
Jōdo Shinshū, on the other hand, intentionally separated itself from the Shinto religion, and left out many superstitious practices of the day. Shinran had felt that such practices would make Jōdo Shinshū unnecessarily complicated, and would confuse the self-power found in rituals and superstition with the other-power of Amida. Other practices such as accepting donations for special blessings and prayers were similarly omitted from Jodo Shinshu.
Jōdo Shinshū traditionally had an uneasy relationship with older Buddhist schools because its doctrine was often seen as a challenge to their own. On the other hand, newer Buddhist schools in Japan, such as Zen, tended to have a more positive relationship and occasionally shared practices. In popular lore, Rennyo Shonin was good friends with a famous Zen master at the time in Kyoto.
Jōdo Shinshū drew much of its support from lower social classes in Japan who could not devote the time or education to other esoteric Buddhist practices. Famous figures such as the myokonin came from the largely illiterate peasant society, yet left their mark on Japanese literature and spirituality.
[edit] Modern Shin Thinkers
- Hisao Inagaki
- Alfred Bloom, PhD
- Dennis Hirota
- Yoshifumi Ueda (1905-1993)
- Taitetsu Unno
- Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki (1870-1966) - not a Shin follower himself, but had a close relationship to the tradition
- Kiyozawa Manshi (1863-1901)
- Yamaguchi Susumu
- Soga Ryojin (1875-1971)
- Kaneko Daiei (1881-1976)
- Sasaki Gessho
- Nanjo Bunyu (1848-1927)
- Hirose Takashi (1924-present)
- Kasahara Kenju (1852-1883)
[edit] Shin Patriarchs
- Nāgārjuna (150-250)
- Vasubandhu (ca. 4th Century)
- T'an-luan (476-542?)
- Tao-Ch'o (562-645)
- Shan-tao (613-681)
- Genshin (942-1017)
- Honen (1133-1212)
Reference:[2]
[edit] See also
- Hongwanji
[edit] External links
- Mahayana Buddhist Sutras in English a good starting place since it has links to several different translations for each of the important texts.
- Shinran Works The collected works of Shinran, including the Kyōgōshinshō.
- Shin Dharma Net A major resource for Shin Buddhism in English, affiliated with the Nishi-Hongwanji and based from a temple in Hawaii.
- Shoshinge, "Hymn of True Faith and the Nembutsu" An excerpt of verse from the Kyogyoshinsho that also serves as a summary of Shin Buddhism and its history. Also present is the original Japanese script and its romanization.
- Buddhist Churches of AmericaIncludes basic information, shopping for Shin Buddhist ritual implements, and links to various Shin churches in America.
- Honpa Hongwanji Betsuin Main Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawai'i Temple of the Nishi Hongwanji tradition in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Wailuku Hongwanji Mission Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Temple of the Nishi Hongwanji tradition on Maui, Hawai'i: part of Honpa Hongwanji
- Ekoji Buddhist Temple Jodo Shinshu Buddhism of the Nishi Hongwanji tradition in Northern Virginia, near Washington, D.C.
- nembutsu.info: Journal of Shin Buddhism
- Institute of Buddhist Studies: Seminary and Graduate School
- Notes on the Nembutsu: Essays based on the Sanjo Wasan of Shinran
- Shogyoji Temple Japan English website of Shogyoji Temple affiliated with the Higashi Honganji Temple. Has a short description of the Chomon (Introspection Sessions), which are unique to Shogyoji.
- Eiken Kobai's Shin Buddhism Study Center: English website of the Professor of Shinshu Studies at Soai University in the city of Osaka.
- Jodo Shinshu religion Website English Website containing information on Jodo Shinshu and the complete works of Shinran, the founder of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism.
- Jodo Shinshu in the UK Information for British Jodo Shinshu Buddhists (especially in the Midlands area)
- UK Shinshu Buddhist News UK Shinshu Buddhist News (Yahoo Group Forum)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Popular Buddhism In Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture by Esben Andreasen / University of Hawaii Press 1998, ISBN 0-8248-2028-2
- ^ Jodo Shinshu: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan by James C. Dobbins/p. 3/Indiana University Press, 1989/ISBN: 0253331862
