Rennyo Shonin

Gobunshō – 御文章 – Letters of Rennyo

Letters of Rennyo, known as Gobunshō (御文章) by Nishi Hongwanji or Ofumi (御文) by Higashi Hongwanji. Use the below index to read individual Letters of…

History of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism (short read)

History of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism There are several sects of Buddhism each looking to the Buddha (Enlightened One) as its teacher. Different Buddhist sects celebrate…

Shinran Shonin

SHINRAN SHONIN

SHINRAN SHONIN May 21, 1173 – January 16, 1263 His Early LifeShonin Shinran was born at Hino, a few miles southeast of the old capital…

Lamenting Modern Misunderstandings – A reflection on a western literalist interpretation of Jodo Shinshu

For the Jodo Shinshu Buddhist tradition, the Buddha Amida and the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss are of crucial importance. Traditionally both Amida and the Pure Land have been seen as both symbolic and actual, neither fully immanent nor fully transcendent. In recent times, however, the marginal view that we ought to see Amida exclusively as ‘a real person’ and the Pure Land as ‘a real place’ has emerged.

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