Everything in the world is a result of a concurrence of causes and conditions, and everything disappears as these causes and conditions change and pass away
– Basic tenet of Buddhism
To understand any Buddhist tradition it is important to have foundational knowledge of the Teaching of Sakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha who walked this earth and diligently expounded the Dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. And it is also important to develop an understanding of the progression of Buddhism after the death of the historical Buddha culminating in the development of the Mahayana school of thought and ultimately leading to the True Pure Land teaching as taught by our founder, Shinran Shonin.
To exemplify this point, you may note that two key Jodo Shinshu introductory texts and courses commence with an introduction to Buddhism. Namely the frequently referenced ‘Jodo Shinshu – A Guide’ by Hongwanji, and the Jodo Shinshu Correspondence Course run by the BCA.
For those who wish to take the Jodo Shinshu Correspondence Course we suggest you apply as quickly as possible as places are limited. Visit this link to apply: http://jscc.cbe-bca.org/2016-correspondence-course-online-application-page/
The first few months of study will focus on General Buddhism and will cover the following topics:
・The Life of Sakyamuni Buddha
・The Abiding Three Treasures
・Life and Times of Siddhartha Gautama, Founder of Buddhism
・The Teaching of the Buddha: Two Streams of Tradition
・Chinese Buddhist Tradition: Harmony with Reality
・Korean Buddhism: The Way of Synthesis
・The Flowering of Buddhism in Japan
・Vajrayana: Esoteric Buddhism of Tibet
・Buddhism Flows from East to West
To further illustrate the importance of the Teaching of Buddha in the Jodo Shinshu tradition as foundational learning, you will note that in the book by Hongwanji, Jodo Shinshu – A guide, as listed below, the first sections of the book cover ‘Sakyamuni Buddha’ and ‘The Teachings of Buddha’
- Title ：Jodo Shinshu, A Guide
- Author ：Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha
- Year ：2002
- Price (\) ：1050
- Language ：English
- ISBN ： 4-89416-984-3 C3015
- Publisher ：Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha
- pages ：174
Buy from Honwaji International center book shop here : https://international.hongwanji.or.jp/html/c3b2p1.html
There is another wonderful resource that is freely available and that is the book ‘The Teaching of Buddha’ ‘by the Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK) which is the Society of the promotion of Buddhism.
You can download a free PDF copy of the ‘Teaching of Buddha’ or, if you like, order a book from the BDK America website.
To download a free copy of ‘The Teaching of Buddha’ please visit: https://bdk-seiten.com/scripture-download.php?lang=en
And select a copy in your preferred language.
To buy a copy from BDK America, please visit their shop: https://bdkamerica.org/product/the-teaching-of-buddha-english-hardcover-edition/
You can also buy the Kindle Edition here (this is a direct link to Kindle. This website does not monetize links or generate any income by any means):
The Teaching of Buddha – Kindle Edition
The BDK have recently produced a small booklet which is made up of passages from the ‘Teaching of Buddha’ and is a very delightful read.
The booklet is called ‘Messages from The Buddha’ is available for free both in print and to read online or download as pdf.
To read this short booklet or request a copy from the BDK please visit this page: https://bdkamerica.org/product/messages-from-the-buddha/
The above links & references will be a great starting point to understand this history and basic concepts in Buddhism.
In order to better understand the wealth of work of our founder, Shinran Shonin, it would be to your advantage to learn about Mahāyāna mode of thought. While there is a wealth of information out there in cyberspace and on library shelves, one of the most well written and insightful pieces you may encounter is in book published by Hongwanji International Center. The book in question is as follows:
- Title ：Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought
- Author ：Shin Buddhism Translation Series
- Year ：1989
- Price (\) ：2500
- Language ：English
- ISBN ：
- Publisher ：Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha
- pages ：372
- Link: https://international.hongwanji.or.jp/html/c3b5p1.html
Notably the chapters as referenced below:
The historical Buddha, Sakyamuni, proclaimed that the Dharma he taught was not something he created himself. It existed whether he was born into this world or not. That it had always in fact existed and indeed will always continue to exist. What Sakyamuni did was to experience the Dharma in order to teach the Dharma for the benefit of all.
Please enjoy reading the various referenced resources.
Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
Namandabu!