Shakyamuni and Shinran
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Joseph Elacqua
Citragupta: A Case Study in Esoteric Buddhist Appropriation1 Introduction For several decades, the Mahākaruṇā-garbhodbhava-maṇḍala2 大悲胎藏生曼荼攞, an iconographic, visual, and ritual device characteristic of Japanese Shingon 眞言 Buddhism, has been a rich source for academic scholarship on Esoteric Buddhism. First appearing in the Mahāvairocanābhisambodhi-sūtra,3 variants of the Garbhodbhava-maṇḍala are discussed in seven of its chapters as well as in a wealth of supplementary literature.4 For lack of a better term to refer collectively to these texts, I have employed the term “Garbhodbhava cycle.” Several studies relating to the Garbhodbhava-maṇḍala have blazed new trails, constructing a wholly new framework for present maṇḍala scholars. Toganoo Shōun’s 栂尾祥雲 study of maṇḍalas5 provided a crucial framework for the field of maṇḍala studies. Tajima Ryūjun 田嶋隆純 analysed both the Garbhodbhava- 1 I would like to express my deep and profound gratitude to Bernard Faure and Michael Como, each of whom provided invaluable assistance as the seeds of this project first began to sprout. I am also heavily indebted to Rolf Giebel for his unending assistance in the restoration of potential Sanskrit text titles. Sanskrit terms in this paper are romanized according to the IAST system, but with one slight variation. Rather than utilizing the Sanskrit anusvāra using the vague “ṃ” of IAST, I have elected to romanize this sound more strictly. When occurring before a plosive consonant, the anusvāra is romanized as the appropriate class nasal (ex: “saṅgraha” rather than “saṃgraha.” In all other cases—such as occurrence before non-plosives or at the end of any morpheme—the anusvāra is romanized as “ṃ.” 2 The Maṇḍala Arising from the Matrix of Great Compassion. -
A GUIDE to HBS Part II
A GUIDE TO HBS Part II The Teachings and Practices of Honmon Butsuryu Shu By Rev. Nisso R. Fukuoka 2015 Honmon Butsuryu Shu Public Relations Bureau This book contains a collection of various articles (on the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Buddhism, HBS etc.) as well as a record of question answers session etc. These articles were written over a period of several years. I wish to express my gratitude to Bernord Farrell, who kindly assisted in revising my articles in English with his ample knowledge of English. A GUIDE TO HBS PART II 1. The Lotus Sutra—The Most Worshipped Sutra. 4 2. What Is Buddhism? What Is The Lotus Sutra? 9 3. Division of Religious Groups in Japan 15 4. Four Sourses of Suffering Maxim 17 5. An Explanation of Descriptions in the Lotus Sutra 21 6. The Differences Between SGI (Soka Gakai)and HBS (Honmon Butsuryu Shu) 26 7. Does HBS have precepts? 29 8. The Odaimoku—NamuMyohoRengekyo 31 9. Is The Odaimoku Japanese? 33 10. Why HBS displays the statue of Nichiren Shonin in front of the Gohonzon 35 11. The Three Treasures—Sanbo 36 12. Kanjo Mon 39 13. The Gohonzon (The Object of worship) of HBS 41 14. Oko (Gathering of Members for Religious Service) 44 15. Chant the Odaimoku With Your Prayer Wholeheartedly 46 16. The Genealogy of HBS I 49 17. The Genealogy of HBS II 53 18. The Genealogy of HBS III 57 19. The Genealogy of HBS IV 66 20. Honmon Butsuryu Shu (HBS) 72 21. LIFE (INOCHI) 75 1 The Lotus Sutra—The Most Worshipped Sutra The King of Sutra—The Lotus Sutra hapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, The Lifespan of the Eternal Buddha, elucidated that Shakamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, who appeared in India stated: "My good sons, I became Buddha in the very far distant past and it has been countless, millions of nayutas of kalpas since CI, in fact, attained Buddhahood. -
¬¬Journal of Buddhist Ethics
ISSN: 1500-0713 ______________________________________________________________ Article Title: How Many Bodies Does It Take to Make a Buddha? Dividing the Trikāya among Founders of Japanese Buddhism Author(s): Victor Forte Source:Japanese Studies Review, Vol. XXIV (2020), pp. 35-60 Stable URL: https://asian.fiu.edu/projects-and-grants/japan- studies-review/journal-archive/volume-xxiv-2020/forte-victor- how-many-bodies.pdf ______________________________________________________________ HOW MANY BODIES DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A BUDDHA? DIVIDING THE TRIKĀYA AMONG FOUNDERS OF JAPANESE BUDDHISM Victor Forte Albright College Introduction Much of modern scholarship concerned with the historical emer- gence of sectarianism in medieval Japanese Buddhism has sought to deline- ate the key features of philosophy and praxis instituted by founders in order to illuminate critical differences between each movement. One of the most influential early proposed delineations was “single practice theory,” ikkō senju riron 一向専修理論 originating from Japanese scholars like Jikō Hazama 慈弘硲 and Yoshiro Tamura 芳朗田村.1 This argument focused on the founders of the new Kamakura schools during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries like Hōnen 法然, Shinran 親鸞, Dōgen 道元, and Nichiren 日蓮, claiming that each promoted a single Buddhist practice for the attainment of liberation at the exclusion of all other rival practices. In recent scholarship, however, single practice theory has been brought into question.2 As an alternative method of delineation, this study proposes the examination of how three major premod- ern Japanese founders (Kūkai 空海, Shinran, and Dōgen) employed the late Indian Mahāyāna notion of the three bodies of the Buddha (Skt. trikāya, Jp. sanshin 三身) by appropriating a single body of the Buddha in order to distin- guish each of their sectarian movements. -
Download a PDF Copy of the Guide to Jodo Shinshu Teachings And
Adapted from: Renken Tokuhon Study Group Text for Followers of Shinran Shonin By: Kyojo S. Ikuta Guide & Trudy Gahlinger to June 2008 Jodo Shinshu Teachings and Practices INTRODUCTION This Guide to Jodo Shinshu Teachings and Practices is a translation of the Renken Tokuhon Study Group Text for Followers of Shinran Shonin. TheGuide has been translated from the original version in Japanese and adapted for Jodo Shinshu Temples in North America. TheGuide has been developed as an introduction to Jodo Shinshu for the layperson. It is presented in 2 parts. Part One describes the life and teachings of the Buddha, and the history and evolution of Jodo Shinshu teachings. Part Two discusses Jodo Shinshu practices, including Jodo Shinshu religious days and services. The Calgary Buddhist Temple gratefully acknowledges the Renken Tokuhon Study Group for providing the original text, and our mother Temple in Kyoto - the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha - for supporting our efforts. It is our hope that this Guide will provide a basic foundation for understanding Jodo Shinshu, and a path for embracing the life of a nembutsu follower. Guide to Jodo Shinshu Teachings and Practices Table of Contents PART ONE: JODO SHINSHU TEACHINGS 1 THE LIFE OF THE BUDDHA . 2 1.1 Birth of the Buddha . 2 1.2 Renunciation . 2 1.3 Practice and Enlightenment . 2 1.4 First Sermon . 2 1.5 Propagation of the Teachings and the Sangha . 3 1.6 The Buddha’s Parinirvana . 3 1.7 The First Council . 4 2 SHAKYAMUNI’S TEACHINGS. 5 2.1 Dependent Origination (Pratitya-Samutpada) . 5 2.2 The Four Marks of Dharma. -
'Just Open Your Mouth and Say A': A-Syllable Practice for the Time of Death In
Pacific World Journal Third Series Number 8 Fall 2006 Special Issue: Honoring James H. Sanford Guest Editor: Charles D. Orzech Just Open Your Mouth and Say “A”: A-Syllable Practice for the Time of Death in Early Medieval Japan Jacqueline I. Stone Princeton University JAPANESE BUDDHISTS OF THE EARLY medieval period often sought to die in a ritualized fashion that would encourage right mindfulness in their last moments. One’s thoughts at the time of death were held to exert a particular force over one’s postmortem fate; persons who died with a mind calmly focused on the Buddha were believed thereby to escape the miserable cycle of samsara and achieve “birth in a pure land” (ōjō, 往生), where one’s eventual attainment of buddhahood would be assured. Such exemplary deaths are described in great numbers in ōjōden (“accounts of birth in the Pure Land,” 往生傳) and other Buddhist hagiographical literature of the latter Heian period (794–1185), while texts of instruction for deathbed practice (rinjū gyōgisho, 臨終行儀書) offer recommendations for how practice in one’s last days or hours should be conducted. The most sought-after postmortem destination was the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss (Skt. Sukhāvatī; Jpn. Gokuraku jōdō, 極楽浄土), the realm of the Buddha Amida (Skt. Amitābha, Amitāyus), said to lie billions of worlds away in the western quadrant of the cosmos. The scholar-monk Genshin (源信, 942–1017), whose treatise Ōjō yōshū (Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land) contains the first set of instructions for deathbed practice compiled in Japan, recommended contemplation at life’s end of Amida’s physical marks; his radiant light, embracing the devotee; and his welcoming descent (raigō, 来迎), together with his host of attendant bodhisattvas, to escort the dying person to his pure land. -
Time and Self: Religious Awakening in Dogen and Shinran
Time and Self: Religious Awakening in Dogen and Shinran TRENT COLLIER [The nembutsu] is precisely for those who are utterly ignorant and foolish, and who therefore forget about study and practice, believing that simply to say the Name of Amida Buddha with their tongues, day and night, is to enact the fulfillment of practice. While the way of wisdom corr nds to the Tendai teaching or Zen meditation, the gate of compassion designed for the foolish does not differ with regard to what is true and real. On a cold night, it makes no difference whether you are wearing robes of pat terned brocade or lying under layers of hempen patchwork once you have fallen asleep and forgotten about the wind. Shinkei N this passage from a 15th century work on renga poetry, Shinkei (1406-1475) contrasts the arduous path of Tendai or Zen with the com parativelyI simple path of nembutsu practice.1 While Shinkei was speaking figuratively, the literal meaning of his words—that the nembutsu is for the “foolish and ignorant”—reflects a perception of the Pure Land path that per sists to this day. Buddhist studies in the modem West have largely ignored the Pure Land tradition, focusing instead on schools that are more obviously complex, philosophical, or meditative. Whether from disinterest in the doc trines and practices of the Pure Land tradition or from aversion to traditions too similar in structure to the Judeo-Christian tradition, Western students of Buddhism have neglected a large and thoroughly profound body of work. 1 Dennis Hirota, Wind in the Pines: Classic Writings o f the Way o f Tea as a Buddhist Path (Fremont, California: Asian Humanities Press, 1995), 168—9. -
"Shinran's Rejection of Deathbed Rites" (2012)
pear directly as quotations in Shinran.'s writings, but surely his intent is that they be preserved and read. Shinran's Rejection of Deathbed Rites 6) I follow the reading of Imai Masaharu, who has pointed out that the verb forms employed by Eshinni indicate that she directly witnessed these encounters and sug , gests that she herself had already been a member of H6nen's following at the time. See Imai Masaharu. Shim-an to Eshinni. (Kyoto: ]ish6 Shuppan, 2004). Jacqueline I. Stone 7) In Adriaan T. Peperzak, Simon Critchley, and Robert Bernascont eds., Emmanuel · Levinas: Basic Philosophical Writings, (Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana Uni versity Press.l996), p. 104. In 1259 and 1260. famine and disease devastated Japan's eastern provinces. 8) There is a slight difference between Shinran's quotation and the most widespread Shinran (1173-1262)-later revered as the founder of Jodo ShinshU. or the version of H6nen's text, representing perhaps some authorial variation in choice True Pure Land sect-wrote to his follower Joshin-bo expressing sorrow among synonyms. The common text has "foremost'' (saki, )'G) and Shinran's copy that so many people, old and young, had died. Then he added, "Personally, I has ~fundamental" (hon, /.j.l:). Although basically indistingujshable in meaning. Shin attach no significance to the manner of one's death, good or bad. Those in ran's hon is appropriate to the central meaning he emphasizes in HOnen's expres whom faith is established have no doubts; therefore they dwell in the com sion. pany of those certain to be born in the Pure Land (shajoju). -
From Inspiration to Institution the Rise of Sectarian Identity in Jōdo Shinshū
From Inspiration to Institution The Rise of Sectarian Identity in Jōdo Shinshū James C. Dobbins When tracing their origins, religious organizations often depict themselves as springing into existence full-bodied from the inspiration of a founder.* Whatever they may claim as their starting point—revelation, enlightenment experience, charismatic leader, or what not—they consider institutional forms to be a direct extension and an immediate and inevitable result of that inspired beginning. Hence sectarian histories draw institutional conclusions from for- mative visions, and emphasize the community of believers and the religious network that coalesce around that inspiration. The rise of religious organizations, however, is generally more protracted and complicated than this. It entails an elaborate and extended evolution wherein belief systems, ceremonies and ritual, hierarchies, legitimation of au- thority, and institutional structure are all gradually defined. The end result is a complex constellation of religious forms that are only intimated, if included at all, in the original vision of the founder. Nonetheless, that vision functions as a causal force and sets in motion the entire evolutionary chain; it provides the raw material from which subsequent interpretations are fashioned, so that what arises later does indeed have a link to what has gone before. The intri- cate process of sectarian evolution is well exemplified in the history of Jōdo Shinshū 浄土真宗, one of the largest schools of Buddhism in Japan. Jōdo Shinshū, known more simply as Shinshū, emerged out of the teach- ings of Shinran 親鸞, 1173–1262, and from the band of followers he left behind. Shinran did not consider himself the founder of a school of Buddhism, nor was his following clearly distinguishable from the broader Pure Land move- ment originated by his teacher Hōnen 法然, 1133–1212. -
After the Reformation: Post-Kamakura Buddhism
After the Reformation: Post-Kamakura Buddhism W halen L ai Most historical treatments of Japanese Buddhism end with the Kamakura Reformation. This limitation unfortunately gives the impression that living Buddhist faith in Japan is continuous with the faith of Honen, Shinran, Dogen, and Nichiren. An thropologists, on the other hand, assure us that present-day Buddhism is little more than an agency to provide funeral services for departed ancestors. Again, academic journals published by Buddhist universities tell of yet another tradition: sectarian scholarship. How can these varying pictures of Buddhism be reconciled? The present article attempts to survey the major trends since Kamakura and to account for developments and discontinuities. The social dynamics of the post-Reformation Buddhist community will be analyzed with reference to some plausible European parallels. THE REFORMATION MODEL EXTENDED Two reformations. The Kamakura period (1185-1333) was dubbed “ the Buddhist Reformation” by Japanese scholars of the Meiji era. The label was not altogether inappropriate. The Kamakura sects did represent a reform from within that captured the aspirations of the populace. The reformers sim plified or condensed doctrines and provided a more immediate means to salvation or enlightenment. The European Reformation and the Japanese Reformation are by no means fully alike, but the Western model has generated fruitful inquiries into the socio-historical significance of the This article is based on a draft delivered at the symposium on “Religion in Modern Japan” at the Center for Japanese Studies, University of Michigan, 3 April 1978. I am grateful for comments and suggestions received both at the symposium and during the rewriting. -
The Development of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism Kyomi J
The Development of Kaji Kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism Kyomi J. Igarashi Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Prerequisite for Honors in Religion April 2012 Copyright 2012 Kyomi J. Igarashi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Kodera for his guidance and all that he has taught me throughout my four years at Wellesley College. I could not have written this thesis or taken on this topic of my interest without his encouragement and words of advice. I would like to acknowledge the Religion Department for funding me on my trip to Japan in December 2011 to do research for my thesis. I would also like to thank Reverend Ekyo Tsuchida for his great assistance and dedication during my trip to Japan in finding important information and setting up interviews for me, without which I could not have written this thesis. I am forever grateful for your kindness. I express my gratitude to Reverend Ryotoku Miyagawa, Professor Akira Masaki and Professor Daijo Takamori for kindly offering their expertise and advice as well as relevant sources used in this thesis. I would also like to acknowledge Reverend Honyo Okuno for providing me with important sources as well as giving me the opportunity to observe the special treasures exhibited at the Kuonji Temple in Mount. Minobu. Last but not least, I would like to extend my appreciation to my father, mother and younger brother who have always supported me in all my decisions and endeavors. Thank you for the support that you have given me. ii ABSTRACT While the historical and religious roots of kaji kito (“ritual prayer”) lay in Indian and Chinese Esoteric Buddhist practices, the most direct influence of kaji kito in Nichiren Shu Buddhism, a Japanese Buddhist sect founded by the Buddhist monk, Nichiren (1222-1282), comes from Shingon and Tendai Buddhism, two traditions that precede Nichiren’s time. -
The New Buddhism: the Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition
The New Buddhism: The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition James William Coleman OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS the new buddhism This page intentionally left blank the new buddhism The Western Transformation of an Ancient Tradition James William Coleman 1 1 Oxford New York Auckland Bangkok Buenos Aires Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kolkata Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi São Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and an associated company in Berlin Copyright © 2001 by James William Coleman First published by Oxford University Press, Inc., 2001 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York, 10016 First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 2002 Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Coleman, James William 1947– The new Buddhism : the western transformation of an ancient tradition / James William Coleman. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-19-513162-2 (Cloth) ISBN 0-19-515241-7 (Pbk.) 1. Buddhism—United States—History—20th century. 2. Religious life—Buddhism. 3. Monastic and religious life (Buddhism)—United States. I.Title. BQ734.C65 2000 294.3'0973—dc21 00-024981 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America Contents one What -
Shin Buddhist Attitudes Towards the Kami from Shinran to Rennyo
Shin Buddhist Attitudes towards the Kami From Shinran to Rennyo Robert F. Rhodes One of the most fascinating topics in the study of Japanese religions is the complex history of the interaction between Buddhism and the native Japanese religion, Shintō.1 After the introduction of Buddhism to Japan in the sixth cen- tury, attempts were made to unite Buddhism with the indigenous religion, a phenomenon often referred to as shinbutsushūgō 神仏習合, or “unification of the kami (the native Japanese gods) and buddhas.” This attempt at unification was advantageous to both sides. Shintō priests could increase their status by allying themselves with the prestigious foreign religion, while Buddhists re- alized that their authority and influence over the populace could be readily enhanced by incorporating the worship of the local kami into their religion. As Kuroda Toshio has noted, this Buddhist-Shintō unification proceeded by absorbing the worship of the kami into Buddhism. Between the late eighth and the eleventh centuries, a number of theories were developed to explain the relationship between the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the Buddhist pantheon with the native Japanese kami. Kuroda explains: As is already well known, between the late eighth century and the elev- enth century Shintō and Buddhism gradually coalesced with one an- other … or, more precisely, veneration of the kami was absorbed into Buddhism through a variety of doctrinal innovations and new religious forms. Among the doctrinal explanations of the kami were the follow- ing: 1) the kami realize that they themselves are trapped in this world of samsāra and transmigration and they also seek liberation through the Buddhist teachings; 2) the kami are benevolent deities who protect Buddhism; 3) the kami are the transformations of the buddhas manifest- ed in Japan to save all sentient beings (honji-suijaku); and 4) the kami are the pure spirits of the buddhas (hongaku).2 Source: Rhodes, Robert F, “Shin Buddhist Attitudes Towards the Kami: From Shinran to Rennyo,” Eastern Buddhist 27(2) (1994): 53–80.