Shinran(1173 - 1262)
Shinran (1173–1263) lived during the late-Heian early-Kamakura period (1185–1333), a time of turmoil for Japan when the emperor was stripped of political power by the shōguns. Shinran's family had a high rank at the Imperial court in Kyoto, but given the times, many aristocratic families were sending sons off to be Buddhist monks instead of having them participate in the Imperial government. When Shinran was nine (1181), he was sent by his uncle to Mount Hiei, where he was ordained as a śrāmaṇera in the Tendai sect. Over time, Shinran became disillusioned with how Buddhism was practiced, foreseeing a decline in the potency and practicality of the teachings espoused.
Shinran left his role as a dosō ("practice-hall monk") at Mount Hiei and undertook a 100-day retreat at Rokkaku-dō in Kyoto, where he had a dream on the 95th day. In this dream, Prince Shōtoku appeared to him, espousing a pathway to enlightenment through verse. Following the retreat, in 1201, Shinran left Mount Hiei to study under Hōnen for the next six years. Hōnen (1133–1212) another ex-Tendai monk, left the tradition in 1175 to found his own sect, the Jōdo-shū or "Pure Land School". From that time on, Shinran considered himself, even after exile, a devout disciple of Hōnen rather than a founder establishing his own, distinct Pure Land school. (Source Accessed October 16, 2019)
On the topic of this person
Hope for the Hopeless (Higa 2023)
Rev.Blayne Higa on the founder of Shin Buddhism's "spiritual insight of imperfection and radical acceptance." It can lead us to the ultimate realization of buddhanature.
Higa, Rev. Blayne. "Hope for the Hopeless." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Guide, Fall 2023, 66–75.
Higa, Rev. Blayne. "Hope for the Hopeless." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Guide, Fall 2023, 66–75.;Hope for the Hopeless (Higa 2023);Shinran;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Rev. Blayne Higa
Jacqueline Stone at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium
Jacqueline Stone discusses the doctrine of original enlightenment (hongaku hōmon) and the debate over whether such a concept negates the need for practice and legitimates sinful acts. She explores the notion of original enlightenment as it is portrayed in the twelfth-century text known as Shinnyo kan (Contemplation of Suchness).
Stone, Jacqueline. "From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment: 'Contemplating Suchness' in Medieval Japan." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXXWsD39hc.
Stone, Jacqueline. "From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment: 'Contemplating Suchness' in Medieval Japan." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:26. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zXXWsD39hc.;Jacqueline Stone at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;Original Enlightenment;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;History of buddha-nature in Japan;History of buddha-nature in China;Tien Tai;Genshin;Shinran;dharmadhātu;dharmatā;tathatā;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;nītārtha;neyārtha;Disclosure model;Jacqueline Stone;From Buddha Nature to Original Enlightenment “Contemplating Suchness” in Medieval Japan
Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations
Originating in India, Mahayana Buddhism spread across Asia, becoming the prevalent form of Buddhism in Tibet and East Asia. Over the last twenty-five years Western interest in Mahayana has increased considerably, reflected both in the quantity of scholarly material produced and in the attraction of Westerners towards Tibetan Buddhism and Zen.
Paul Williams’ Mahayana Buddhism is widely regarded as the standard introduction to the field, used internationally for teaching and research and has been translated into several European and Asian languages. This new edition has been fully revised throughout in the light of the wealth of new studies and focuses on the religion’s diversity and richness. It includes much more material on China and Japan, with appropriate reference to Nepal, and for students who wish to carry their study further there is a much-expanded bibliography and extensive footnotes and cross-referencing. Everyone studying this important tradition will find Williams’ book the ideal companion to their studies. (Source: Routledge)
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2009. https://archive.org/details/mahayanabuddhismthedoctrinalfoundationspaulwilliamsroutledgeseealtruismandreality_202003_445_W/mode/2up.
Williams, Paul. Mahayana Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations. 2nd ed. The Library of Religious Beliefs and Practices. New York: Routledge, 2009. https://archive.org/details/mahayanabuddhismthedoctrinalfoundationspaulwilliamsroutledgeseealtruismandreality_202003_445_W/mode/2up.;Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations;tathāgatagarbha;Ratnagotravibhāga Mahāyānottaratantraśāstra;gzhan stong;rang stong;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Chinese Buddhism;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Dasheng qixin lun;Critical Buddhism;anātman;Contemporary;prajñā;Madhyamaka;śūnyatā;Two Truths;Yogācāra;trisvabhāva;ālayavijñāna;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Tibetan Buddhism;Saddharmapuṇḍarīkasūtra;Nāgārjuna;Dōgen;Buddhāvataṃsakasūtra;Fazang;Tien Tai;Hōnen;Shinran;Paul Williams;Mahāyāna Buddhism: The Doctrinal Foundations
Seiji Kumagai at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium
Seiji Kumagai discusses the theory of “innate enlightenment” (hongaku) in Japanese Buddhism. He argues that Shinran clearly showed a negative attitude toward innate enlightenment despite the fact that he used terms which are often regarded to be associated with the theory.
Kumagai, Seiji. "How the Concepts of 'Buddha-Nature' (Tathāgatagarbha) and 'Innate Enlightenment' (Hongaku) Were Interpreted by Shinran (1173–1263), Founder of the Jōdo-Shin-Shū School of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KwdudJF4hc.
Kumagai, Seiji. "How the Concepts of 'Buddha-Nature' (Tathāgatagarbha) and 'Innate Enlightenment' (Hongaku) Were Interpreted by Shinran (1173–1263), Founder of the Jōdo-Shin-Shū School of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism." Paper presented at the University of Vienna Symposium, Tathāgatagarbha Across Asia, Vienna, Austria, July 2019. Video, 47:28. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KwdudJF4hc.;Seiji Kumagai at the 2019 Tathāgatagarbha Symposium;Shinran;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Tien Tai;Genshin;Hōnen;Tanluan;Pure Land;Original Enlightenment;Tamura, Y.;Seiji Kumagai; How the Concepts of “buddha-nature” (Tathāgatagarbha) and “innate enlightenment” (Hongaku) were interpreted by Shinran (1173-1263)
The Path of Gratitude
The goal of Shin Buddhism’s central practice, nembutsu, is not to attain buddhahood for ourselves, says Jeff Wilson, but to express gratitude for all we have received.
Wilson, Jeff. "The Path of Gratitude." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, November 1, 2019.
Wilson, Jeff. "The Path of Gratitude." Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly, November 1, 2019.;The Path of Gratitude;Pure Land;The doctrine of buddha-nature in Japanese Buddhism;Hōnen;Shinran;Jeff Wilson; 
Affiliations & relations
- Founder of Jōdo Shinshū, or "True Pure Land School" · religious affiliation
- Hōnen · teacher
