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52-582: The Hongan-ji was established as a temple in 1321, on the site of the Ōtani Mausoleum, where Shinran , the founder of the Jōdo Shinshū ("True Pure Land") was buried. The mausoleum was attended by Shinran's grandson (through daughter Kakushinni), Kakue. Kakue's own son, Kakunyo , became the first chief priest of the Hongan-ji and third monshu (spiritual leader), and dedicated it to the worship of Amitābha ( Amida ). The Hongan-ji first gained power and importance in

104-534: A TV channel devoted to explaining Buddhism and Hongan-ji's everyday operations. Higashi Hongan-ji is one of the two dominant subsects of Jōdo Shinshū, the other being the Nishi Honganji. During the Meiji Restoration in the 1860s, the government set down new guidelines for the management of religious organizations. An organization called Ōtani-ha was put in control of Higashi Hongan-ji. In 1987, this temple

156-460: A coverup for sexual liaisons. These two monks were subsequently executed. Hōnen and Shinran were exiled, with Shinran being defrocked and sent to Echigo Province (contemporary Niigata Prefecture ). They never met each other again. Hōnen would die later in Kyoto in 1212. Although Shinran was critical of the motivations that ultimately led to the exile, and the disruption of Hōnen's practice community,

208-561: A disciple of Kiyozawa Manshi (1863 – 1903), and a member of Ōtani-ha . He served as a professor at Toyo University from 1916 to 1924, and then served as a professor at Ōtani University for the following 25 years. Soga Ryōjin developed a subjective and personal approach to Jōdo Shinshū studies, building on the thought of Kiyozawa Manshi, which he summarised in the words; "We do not believe in Buddha or God because they actually exist; they exist because we believe in them." Soga's writing on

260-541: A disciple of Hōnen's, Shinran caused a great stir among society by publicly getting married and eating meat. Both practices were strictly forbidden for monks, but Shinran took these drastic steps to show that Amida's salvation is for all people and not just for monks and priests. In 1207, the Buddhist establishment in Kyoto persuaded the military to impose a nembutsu ban, after an incident where two of Hōnen's most prominent followers were accused of using nembutsu practice as

312-876: A doctrinal lineage with Buddhist thinkers in India and China. In 1234 Shinran left the Kantō area and returned to Kyoto, with his daughter Kakushinni . On returning to Kyoto, Shinran discovered that his eldest son, Zenran (善鸞 1217?–1286?), who remained in Hitachi and Shimotsuke provinces was telling people he received special teachings from Shinran and was otherwise leading people astray. Shinran wrote stern letters to Zenran (frequently addressed by his Buddhist name Jishin-bō ( 慈信房 ) ) instructing him to cease his activities, but when Zenran refused, Shinran disowned him: Hence, from now on there shall no longer exist parental relations with you; I cease to consider you my son. I declare this resolutely to

364-696: A large shōgun complex from the medieval period, which was largely moved into the temple from elsewhere in Kyoto in the 16th century. This includes Hiunkaku (飛雲閣), a large tea pavilion, four Noh stages, one of which is thought to be the oldest in existence and the other being the largest outdoor Noh stage, and the Kokei no Niwa (虎渓の庭) garden. Some medieval parts of Nishi Hongan-ji are now independent organizations: Ryukoku University and Kōshō-ji. 34°59′28″N 135°45′04″E  /  34.99111°N 135.75111°E  / 34.99111; 135.75111 Shinran Shinran ( 親鸞 , May 21, 1173 – January 16, 1263)

416-723: A moment. Once this state of faith is bestowed, one is assured of rebirth in the Pure Land, and ultimately enlightenment. Shinran cautions though: True faith necessarily entails Amida's name, but Amida's name does not necessarily entail faith, [which is derived] from the power of [Amida's] vow. Further, once a follower has awakened to this deep faith, one should live life as an expression of gratitude, follow moral conduct and fulfill one's social obligations. As one's faith in Amida deepens, Shinran articulated ten spiritual benefits that develop: Protected by unseen divine beings (myoshu goji), Possessed of

468-592: A number of other structures for the claim of largest wooden building in the world. A few blocks from the main grounds of the Higashi Hongan-ji is the Shosei-en garden, owned by the temple. Poet-scholar Ishikawa Jozan and landscape architect Kobori Masakazu are said to have contributed to its design in the 17th century. The Nishi Honganji, like the Higashi Honganji, features a huge Goeidō (御影堂), Kaisando and

520-408: A smaller Amida-dō (阿弥陀堂) or Amitābha hall housing an image of Amitābha. Nishi Hongan-ji's Kura (倉), or storehouse, houses many National Treasures, most of which are not on view for the public. The shoin (書院), or study hall, is also quite famous; it is split into two sections, the shiro-shoin (白書院), or white study hall, and the kuro-shoin (黒書院), or black study hall. Nishi Hongan-ji also contains

572-480: Is difficult to comprehend, and I long to attain birth that is difficult to fathom.... In this passage, Shinran explains that he not only gave up traditional monastic practices to focus on rebirth in the Pure Land, but that in time he eventually gave up on practices related to rebirth in the Pure Land, instead relying solely on faith in the vow of Amitabha Buddha. In the Kyōgyōshinshō , third fascicle, Shinran explores

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624-557: Is identified as being from the middle of the Edo period. The remains were wrapped in paper. In March 2011, manga artist Takehiko Inoue created large ink paintings on twelve folding screens , displayed at the East Hongan Temple in Kyoto . The illustrations on the panels include Shinran and Hōnen leading a group of Heian era commoners on one set of screens and Shinran seated with a bird on

676-651: Is the Buddhist Churches of America . The Hongwanji International Center, to the east of Nishi Hongan-ji, coordinates dialogue with Jōdo Shinshū organizations around the world and produces translation work. The Nishi Hongan-ji operates the Hongwanji Publishing Company which produces books, music, films, and anime about Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism. They also publish a bimonthly newspaper, the Hongwanji Journal and their website includes, among other things,

728-557: Is the largest of all the Jodo Shinshu branches. Compared with the Higashi Hongan-ji, it has a history of institutional stability that accounts for high membership figures, and a larger geographical reach, but fewer well-known modern thinkers. The Nishi Hongan-ji has a sizable number of overseas temples in the United States, South America, Hawai'i, Canada, and Europe which are organized into several kyodan ("districts"). The largest of these

780-567: Is very common and often found at Jōdo Shinshū temples, this particular statue is notable because it survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, standing a little more than a mile from ground zero. It was brought to New York in 1955. The plaque calls the statue "a testimonial to the atomic bomb devastation and a symbol of lasting hope for world peace." Shinran's life was the subject of the 1987 film Shinran: Path to Purity , directed by Rentarō Mikuni (in his directorial debut, based on his own novel) and starring Junkyu Moriyama as Shinran. The film won

832-565: The Genpei War . He wrote this poem on entering: "Like the cherry blossom, the heart planning on tomorrow is ephemeral indeed—what sudden storm may not arise in the middle of the night". Acutely aware of his own impermanence, he was desperate to find a solution. He then practiced at Mt. Hiei for the next 20 years of his life. Letters between his wife and daughter indicate that he was a Tendai dōsō ( 堂僧 , "hall monk") . According to his own account to his wife Eshinni (whose letters are preserved at

884-589: The Higashiyama Hongan-ji , founded in Kyoto in 1996 by Otani Korin , and the Tokyo Higashi Hongan-ji , whose current leader is Otani Koken. Despite, or perhaps even because of, this climate of instability, the Higashi Hongan-ji movement has also produced a significant number of controversial but influential thinkers, such as Soga Ryōjin , Kiyozawa Manshi , Kaneko Daiei and Akegarasu Haya , amongst others. The largest Higashi Hongan-ji grouping,

936-496: The Hongan-ji ), in frustration at his own failures as a monk and at obtaining enlightenment, he took a retreat at the temple of Rokkaku-dō . There, while engaged in intense practice, he experienced a vision in which Avalokitesvara appeared to him as Prince Shōtoku , directing Shinran to another disillusioned Tendai monk named Hōnen . In 1201, Shinran met Hōnen and became his disciple. During his first year under Hōnen's guidance, at

988-568: The Ishiyama Hongan-ji in Osaka , one of the two primary temple fortresses of the sect. In 1580, the abbot of the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, Kennyo, surrendered, while his son Kyōnyo refused to surrender, for which he was publicly disowned. After the death of Nobunaga in 1582 and the ascent of Toyotomi Hideyoshi , Kennyo was rewarded for his opposition to Nobunaga by being granted land in Kyoto, at

1040-599: The Jury Prize at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival . On March 14, 2008, what are assumed to be some of the ash remains of Shinran were found in a small wooden statue at the Jōrakuji temple in Shimogyō-ku , Kyōto . The temple was created by Zonkaku (1290–1373), the son of Kakunyo (1270–1351), one of Shinran's great grandchildren. Records indicate that Zonkaku inherited the remains of Shinran from Kakunyo. The 24.2 cm wooden statue

1092-621: The Kyōgyōshinshō delve into the nature of Amitabha Buddha and the Pure Land. The Pure Land is treated as a temporary refuge whereby one can attain enlightenment, and then return to this world to lead and teach others as a bodhisattva . Elsewhere, Shinran is quoted in the Tannishō ( 歎異抄 , "Lamentation of Divergences") as saying: 浄土の慈悲といふは、念仏して、いそぎ仏になりて、大慈大悲心をもて、おもふがごとく衆生を利益するをいふべきなり。 Jōdo no jihi to iu wa, nenbutsu shite, isogi hotoke ni narite, daiji-daihi-shin wo mote, omou ga gotoku shujō wo riyaku suru wo iu beki nari. The compassion in

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1144-738: The Tachikawa-ryu . To this day, omamori , ofuda and other charms are not found in Jodo Shinshu temples. A statue of Shinran Shonin stands in Upper West Side Manhattan , in New York City on Riverside Drive between 105th and 106th Streets, in front of the New York Buddhist Church. The statue depicts Shinran in a peasant hat and sandals, holding a wooden staff, as he peers down at the sidewalk. Although this kind of statue

1196-453: The nembutsu ban was lifted and Shinran was pardoned though he chose not to return to Kyoto at that time. Instead, Shinran left for an area known as Inada, a small area in Kantō just north of Tokyo. In 1224 Shinran authored his most significant text, Kyogyoshinsho , which is a series of selections and commentaries on Buddhist sutras supporting the new Pure Land Buddhist movement, and establishing

1248-466: The three treasures and the gods . It is a sorrowful thing. It rends my heart to hear that you have devoted yourself to misleading all the people of the nembutsu in Hitachi, saying that [what they have been taught] is not my true teaching. Rumors have reached as far as Kamakura that I have instructed you to denounce the people in Hitachi who say the nembutsu. It is deeply deplorable. Shinran died in Kyoto

1300-526: The 15th century, when Rennyo became its eighth monshu. However, the Tendai sect based on Mount Hiei saw this expansion as a threat and attacked the Hongan-ji three times with its army of sōhei . Rennyo fled to Yoshizaki-gobō , where he established a new temple compound. During the Sengoku period , fearing the power of the monks of the Hongan-ji, Oda Nobunaga tried to destroy it. For ten years, he laid siege to

1352-471: The 17th president of Ōtani University from 1961 to 1967. Soga was born in the city of Niigata , Niigata Prefecture . He entered Shinshu University , later known as Ōtani University, and graduated in 1901. After graduation from Shinshū, Soga returned to Niigata and became the adopted son-in-law of the priest of Jō'on-ji , a temple in Mitsuke, Niigata . Soga returned to study at Ōtani University and became

1404-469: The Koho Gakuen in Kyoto with his close friend, the scholar Kaneko Daiei (1881 – 1976). Soga returned as a professor at Ōtani University in 1941. He served as the 17th president of the university from 1961 to 1967. Soga died on June 20, 1971. This article about a member of the Buddhist clergy is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This biography of a Japanese religious figure

1456-519: The Path of Pure Land is to quickly attain Buddhahood, saying the nembutsu, and with the true heart of compassion and love save all beings completely as we desire. On the nature of Amitabha Buddha, Shinran stated that in their true form, both the Buddha and the Pure Land are beyond comprehension, but due to people's ignorance and attachments they can only perceive Amitabha in terms of his physical form described in

1508-448: The absolute, equating the Pure Land with Nirvana itself, therefore differed somewhat from traditional interpretations of the Pure Land in Buddhist scripture. Shinran's interpretation of the final age of the Dharma, was consistent with other Buddhist thinkers of the time. In particular, he drew inspiration from a Chinese Buddhist master named Tao-cho who centuries earlier taught that in

1560-535: The age of 29, Shinran attained salvation through Amida's Vow . Though the two only knew each other for a few years, Hōnen entrusted Shinran with a copy of his secret work, the Senchakushū . However his precise status amongst Hōnen's followers is unclear as in the Seven Article Pledge, signed by Hōnen's followers in 1204, Shinran's signature appears near the middle among less-intimate disciples. During his time as

1612-658: The company of many of the lower social classes. While in exile, Shinran sought to continue the work of Hōnen and spread the doctrine of salvation through Amida Buddha's compassion, as expressed through the nembutsu practice, however in time his teachings diverged from Hōnen enough that later followers would use the term Jōdo Shinshū or "True Essence of the Pure Land Sect", as opposed to Jōdo-shū or "Pure Land Sect". Shinran married his wife, Eshinni , and had seven children with her. Five years after being exiled in Echigo , in 1211,

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1664-477: The exile itself proved to be a critical turning point in Shinran's religious life. Having been stripped of his monastic name, he renamed himself Gutoku ( 愚禿 , "Foolish, bald-headed one") , coming to understand himself as neither monk nor layman. In this period, aristocratic exiles were provided land and seed and were required to take up farming, a measure designed to humiliate and humble them, which brought Shinran into

1716-455: The forest of the twin śāla trees. I turned to the true path, the basis of virtue and good, and gave rise to the aspiration for birth [in the Pure Land] that is difficult to comprehend. But now I have utterly abandoned the expediency of the true path, and have converted to the ocean-like vow singled out [by Amitabha Buddha]. I have separated myself straightaway from the aspiration for birth that

1768-433: The latter age of the Dharma the Pure Land teachings were the most suitable for the capacities of the people of the time. Shinran felt that this decline was inevitable, that Japan was already 600 years into age of Dharma Decline, and that people were no longer capable of maintaining Buddhist practice, let alone enlightenment. Thus, only the vow of Amitabha Buddha to save all beings could be relied upon. Shinran acknowledged

1820-611: The master [Hōnen] might go. They would even say that he was headed for an evil rebirth (akudō). Whenever people spoke such things, [Shinran] would reply, "I am one who believes that I would even go [with him], since from realm to realm and from rebirth to rebirth I am lost already." Hōnen's disciples were said to have been largely divided by questions arising from the need for a single invocation (nenbutsu) of Amitabha's name versus many-callings, and thereby emphasis on faith versus practice. Shinran, like Hōnen's disciple Kōsai , leaned more toward faith over practice, however he did not advocate

1872-526: The mausoleum of Shinran , is now owned by the Ōtani-ha but is still commonly called Higashi Hongan-ji (東本願寺) by Kyoto visitors and locals. The massive Goei-dō (also known as Mie-dō ), or Founder's Hall Gate, is often one of the first things one sees walking north from JR Kyōto Station . Nearly identical to the Nishi Hongan-ji head temple in layout, it too features an Amida-dō, and a larger Mie-dō. The Mie-dō at Higashi Hongan-ji dates from 1895 and vies with

1924-419: The nature of shinjitsu no shinjin ( 真実の信心 , "true faith" ) , by describing it as something bestowed by Amitabha Buddha, not arising from the believer. Through this endowment, faith is awakened in a person, and the recitation of the Buddha's name or nembutsu because an expression of praise or gratitude. However, this cannot occur until the believer fully entrusts themselves to Amitabha Buddha, even for

1976-467: The other set. Author Hiroyuki Itsuki wrote a novel based on Shinran's life which was serialized with illustrations by Akira Yamaguchi and won the 64th Mainichi Publishing Culture Award Special Prize in 2010. Soga Ry%C5%8Djin Soga Ryōjin ( 曽我 量深 , August 5, 1875 – June 20, 1971) was a Japanese Buddhist philosopher and priest of the Ōtani-ha of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism . He served as

2028-510: The religious practices of Japan outside the Buddhist tradition, including Shinto kami , spirits, divination , astrology , etc., he believed that they were irrelevant in comparison to the power of Amitabha Buddha. He developed a Japanese Buddhist heresiology that constructed other forms of religious practice as equivalent to demon-worship; his followers would later use this equivocation both to enforce proper interpretations of Shinran's thought and to criticize "heretical" sects of Buddhism such as

2080-515: The single-recitation teaching. While Shinran's teachings and beliefs were generally consistent with the Pure Land Buddhist movement at the time, he also had idiosyncrasies as well: In any case Shinran, like others in Hōnen's community, felt that in the age of Dharma Decline , it was no longer possible to achieve enlightenment through traditional monastic practices, and thus one could only rely on

2132-585: The site of modern-day Nishi Hongan-ji (西本願寺, "Western Hongan-ji"; sometimes called the Honpa Hongan-ji 本派本願寺). He was succeeded by his legitimate son, Junnyo, as abbot in 1592. While his brother Kyōnyo re-established the Osaka Hongan-ji in 1596 with local support, owing to his refusal to surrender to Nobunaga earlier. After the death of Hideyoshi in 1598, Kyōnyo openly supported Tokugawa Ieyasu , who became shōgun in 1602. In reward for his loyalty, Kyōnyo

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2184-598: The supreme virtue (shitoku gusoku), Having evil turned into good (tenaku jyozen), Protected by all Buddhas (shobutsu gonen), Praised by all Buddhas (shobutsu shyosan), Protected by the Buddha's spiritual light (shinko jogo), Having much joy in mind (shinta kangi), Acknowledging His benevolence and repaying it (chion hotoku), Always practicing the Great Compassion (jyogyo daihi), Entering the Rightly-Established Group (shojyoju ni iru). The last three fascicles of

2236-471: The sutras, as well as the layout of the Pure Land. If one attains true faith, then upon rebirth in the Pure Land, one can perceive their true form. However, if one's faith is incomplete, or they continue to rely on their own efforts, then they will be reborn in the outer regions of the Pure Land, and will still perceive Amitabha Buddha through physical forms until eventually attaining true faith and proceeding further. Shinran's definition of Amitabha Buddha as

2288-526: The topic in his book Nyorai hyōgen no hanchū to shiteno sanjinkan , published in 1928, brought him into strong conflict with his denomination. He left his professorship at Ōtani University soon after in April 1930. Soga was always extremely careful to differentiate the Jōdo Shinshū perspective from the "Pure Land as mind alone" doctrine found in some Pure Land and Zen schools: After leaving Ōtani, Soga founded

2340-641: The vows of Amitabha Buddha, particular the 18th or " Primal Vow " and seek rebirth in the Pure Land . In a passage from his magnum opus, the Kyōgyōshinshō, he writes of himself: Therefore, reverencing the expositions of the treatise masters and relying on the exhortations of the religious teachers, I, the Bald-Headed Fool Shinran, abandoned forever the provisional path of manifold practices and good work, and separated myself once and for all from birth in

2392-590: The year 1263 at the age of 90. Kakushinni was instrumental in maintaining the mausoleum, and passing on his teachings, with her descendants ultimately becoming the Monshu , or head of the Honganji Temples built around the Mausoleum. Shinran considered himself a lifelong disciple of Hōnen, in spite of their separation. According to a letter composed by his wife, Eshinni: People would say all types of things about where

2444-458: The Ōtani-ha has approximately 5.5 million members, according to statistics. In recent years some members of the Honganji sects have been involved in high-profile protests against the visits of Japanese politicians to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine . Along with the other non-Honganji Jōdo Shinshū subsects, the Honganji issued a statement opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq . The Shinshū Honbyō,

2496-686: Was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi , Kyoto ) at the turbulent close of the Heian Period and lived during the Kamakura Period . Shinran was a pupil of Hōnen and the founder of what ultimately became the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Japanese Buddhism . Shinran's birthname was Matsuwakamaro. In accordance with Japanese customs, he has also gone by other names, including Hanen, Shakku and Zenshin, and then finally Shinran, which

2548-565: Was born on May 21, 1173, to Lord and Lady Arinori, from a branch of the Fujiwara clan , and was given the name Matsuwakamaro. Early in Shinran's life his parents both died. In 1181, desperate to know what happens after dying, he entered the Shōren-in temple near present-day Maruyama Park in Kyoto at age nine. Modern historians contest the identity and date of death of Shinran's parents, suggesting he ordained alongside his father due to instability from

2600-553: Was derived by combining the names of Seshin ( Vasubandhu in Japanese) and Donran ( Tanluan ’s name in Japanese). His posthumous title was Kenshin Daishi. For a while, Shinran also went by the name Fujii Yoshizane. After he was disrobed, he called himself Gutoku Shinran, in a self-deprecating manner which means "stubble-haired foolish one," to denote his status as "neither a monk, nor a layperson". According to traditional biographies, Shinran

2652-481: Was renamed Shinshū Honbyō "Shinshū Mausoleum", although the earlier name is still used. The buildings have not been changed or moved, and of course the historical cultural and religious significance of the place has not changed. Due to opposition to the creation of the Ōtani-ha, and a number of other controversies and disputes such as the Ohigashi schism , several new Higashi Hongan-ji branches came into existence such as

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2704-482: Was rewarded with land for a temple in Kyoto to the east of Nishi Honganji, which then became known in 1603 as Higashi Honganji (東本願寺 "Eastern Hongan-ji"). In 1619 the government recognized the two entities as separate congregations. It is popularly believed, however mistakenly, that the institution was split in two in order to maintain control of the order. Formally known as the Jodo-Shinshu Honganji-ha, it

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