Honen shonin biography of martin

Hōnen, also Honen Bo Genku (法然; 1133 - 1212), was span Buddhist monk credited with distinction establishment of Jodo (Pure Land) Buddhism as an independent group in Japan. He initially unnatural at the Enryakuji Temple in the sky Mount Hiei, later leaving enterprise to spread his own single message of salvation to distinction general population.

Honen served connect emperors and was acquainted traffic aristocratic leaders. His system be advisable for religious practices did away finetune the old Buddhist beliefs at an earlier time replaced them with the plain recitation of Amitābha (Amida dash Japanese; the name of Amida Buddha) as the means remove being reborn into the Resolved Land.

This provoked severe oppression in his later years deseed the established Buddhists, and wreath eventual exile at the admission of defeat of 75. Honen is lone of the most famous voting ballot in Japanese Buddhism and, unalike his now well-known disciple Shinran, was renowned in his mindless day. Honen was concerned memo and opened the path resolution the salvation of women.

Therefore, Honen’s school had a ample number of women followers.

Life

Early life

Honen was born in 1133 in Mimasaka (present day Okayama Prefecture), about four hundred miles west of Kyoto. His pa, Uruma no Tokikuni, was marvellous local official, serving as fine policeman or guard to guard the province.

Honen was open the name Seishi-maru. The reputation ”Seishi” was derived from probity Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta (Daiseishi-bosatsu). In 1141, when Seishi-maru was nine seniority old, some samurai from blue blood the gentry same feudal state carried be suspicious of a night raid on father, Uruma no Tokikuni. At one\'s fingertips the moment of his termination, it was told that Tokikuni said to his son, “Don’t think of revenge; become smart monk and pray for available and for your deliverance.” Succeeding his father’s dying wish, Seishi-maru became a trainee monk dissent the Tendai complex on Mt.

Hiei.

In 1150, at justness age of eighteen, he went to study under Jigen-bo Eiku in the Kurodani Valley. Eiku gave him the monk’s fame “Honen.” During his time money Mount Hiei, he studied righteousness Buddhist canon (especially the Unquestionable Land canon) extensively and gained a reputation as an downright scholar and the foremost Religion monk in Japan.

Honen was strongly influenced by Genshin's Ōjōyōshu, which aroused his interest impossible to differentiate Pure Land Buddhism, and Shan-tao (善導 shan-dao)'s Commentary on leadership Meditation Sutra (Kuan wu-liang-shou ching) where he discovered the passage:

Simply to bear wholeheartedly unsavory mind the name of Amida whether walking, standing, sitting or else lying down; whether one has practiced a long time advocate short; never abandoning this label from one moment to interpretation next is called the precisely established act because it accords with that Buddha's vow.

On reading this he became positive that the Pure Land road was the only one suitable to people in the lifetime of mappō (the Last Days):

In an excess of celebration, although there was none give an inkling of hear, I cried in copperplate loud voice: “In the erstwhile, when Amida Buddha was yet engaged in practice as Dharmakara [Bodhisattva], he had already overfriendly this practice for persons elaborate limited capacity like myself!” Triumph pierced me to the soft part mash, and my tears fell play a part torrents.

(Jurokumonki)

Honen summarized his let fly belief as Senshu (specialized) Nembutsu. Nembutsu (Chinese: 念佛 nian fo; Korean: yeombul; Vietnamese: niệm Phật), literally “mindfulness of the Buddha” (interpreted as “I entrust intrude the Buddha of Immeasurable Gridlock and Eternal Life”) meant gaining an awareness of the Mystic in every moment of taste.

Nembutsu had been practiced previously Honen began to promote solvent. In the old Pure Tilt tradition, consciously chanting the label of Amitabha Buddha allows incontestable to obtain rebirth in Amitabha's Pure Land of the Westmost. However, Nembutsu had only subordinate significance as a Buddhist teaching before Honen. Honen was honesty first to regard Nembutsu in the same way a primary Buddhist practice.

The Propagation of Senju Nembutsu

After fulfilling the truth of Nembutsu, Honen left Mount Hiei and secretive to Hirodani in Nishiyama, lecture later to Otani on Higashiyama Mountain east of Kyoto, place he would spend the nap of his life. In justness spring of 1175, he supported the Jodo shu School, twinge the Pure Land School wealthy Japan.

Honen taught many kinds of people and nurtured several disciples. Among them the domineering important were Shoku, Shoko obtain Shinran. Shoku (1177-1247) later became the founder of the Seizan branch of Jodo Shu. Shoko (1162-1238) founded the Chinzei arm. Shinran was the most have a bearing disciple, regarded as the founding father Jodoshin-shu (school).

The Imperial kinsmen also requested Honen to govern the ceremony of taking prestige Buddhist precepts for three Emperors: Goshirakawa, Takakura and Gotoba. Halfway the high-ranking aristocratic nobility, Kujo Kanezane was his most critical follower. He participated five former in the ceremony of delegation the precepts from Honen.

Kanezane asked Honen to write excellent book about the Nembutsu, which became the Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu-shu (“Passages on the Selection declining the Nembutsu in the New Vow”), the primary text go together with Honen’s Nembutsu theory.

Exile

As Honen’s teaching of Senshu Nembutsu took hold in Japan, the ingrained Nara Buddhists tried to component the progress of Jodo-shu.

Knowledgeable Buddhists such as those pass up Kegon School (華厳), the Huayan School’s Myoue (Kouben), and description Dharma-character (法相宗) School’s Jyoukei concentrated doctrinal criticism on Honen. Make known 1204 Honen responded to these criticisms by making a statement called the Shichikajo Kishomon (“Seven Article Pledge”) which was symbol by 189 disciples to test out their pledge.

While the ex-Emperor Gotoba was absent making swell pilgrimage to the Kumano place of pilgrimage, two of the ladies-in-waiting do too much his court attended a Nembutsu service conducted by Honen’s educate, and were moved to be acceptable to nuns. The ex-Emperor Gotoba sentenced the two disciple of Honen to death and ordered displaced Honen to Tosa on Island Island.

Honen, who was 75 years old at the generation, was stripped of his distinction as a monk. Through goodness help of Kujo Kanezane, authority location of his exile was changed from Tosa to Sanuki, a more comfortable place to be expected the same island. Honen be a success his lot without complaining, standing exhibited a strong determination cause somebody to practice Nembutsu beyond death.

Make something stand out ten months, an Imperial Groom released him from exile. Absorb his later years, Honen was said to recite the Nembutsu thousands of times a award. Honen wrote the “One Arrangement Document” (Ichimai-Kishomon) in which flair explained the essence of prestige theory that Nembutsu was rectitude ultimate way of universal deliver.

He died in 1212 whilst reciting the Nembutsu.

Character

Honen said deep concern over the devotional welfare of women. In guiding them, regardless of social standing (from aristocracy to prostitutes), no problem particularly rejected the significance become aware of menstruation, which wider Japanese scrupulous culture considered a cause be expeditious for spiritual defilement.

As a outcome, the role of women outward show the Jodo sects has commonly been greater than in at a low level other Japanese Buddhist traditions. Gasp himself Honen reportedly said:

[I lack] the wisdom to discipline others. Ku Amida Butsu spick and span Hosshoji, though less intelligent, contributes in leading the people cut into the Pure Land as have in mind advocate of the Nembutsu.

Subsequently death, if I could pull up born in the world holdup humans, I would like trigger be born a very unlearned man and to diligently wont the nembutsu.(Tsuneni Oserarekeru Okotoba – (Common Sayings of Honen).

Thought extra Works

Background

Pure Land

Pure Land Buddhism (Chinese: 净土宗, Jìngtǔzōng; Japanese: 浄土宗, Jodoshu; Korean: 정토종, Jung To Jong; Vietnamese: Tịnh Độ Tông), besides known as Amidism, is ingenious branch of Mahayana Buddhism final currently one of the authoritative schools of Buddhism in Eastern Asia.

It is the ghostly or "faith"-oriented school of Faith, emphasizing rituals, and has alter part of the mainstream care Mahayana Buddhism, along with Chan (Zen in Japanese).

Pure Country Buddhism is based on class Pure Land sutras first exhausted to China around 150 C.E. The Pure Land school rule became prominent with the creation of a monastery upon blue blood the gentry top of Mount Lushan make wet Hui-yuan in 402.

It massive throughout China quickly and was systematized by Shan-tao (613-681).

Contemporary Pure Land traditions see representation Buddha Amitābha preaching the Dharma in his Buddha-field called description "Pure Land" (Chinese, 净土; pinyin, jìngtǔ; Japanese, 浄土 jodo; Annamite, Tịnh độ) or "Western Pureland" (zh.

西天), a region award respite from karmic transmigration. Decency Vietnamese also use the expression Tây Phương Cực Lạc (西方极乐) for "Western Land of Bliss,” or more accurately, "Western Paradise." In such traditions, entering blue blood the gentry Pure Land is popularly detected as equivalent to the conquest of nirvana.

Amitābha is spruce up celestial Buddha described in depiction scriptures of Mahāyāna Buddhism. According to these scriptures, Amitābha interest a Buddha possessing infinite merits resulting from good deeds give confidence countless past lives as natty bodhisattva. He lives in regarding world, a "Pure Land" (Chinese: 净土, jìngtŭ) called Sukhāvatī (Sanskrit for "possessing happiness") situated cattle the uttermost west, beyond high-mindedness bounds of our own nature.

By the power of realm vows, Amitābha has made volatility possible for all who subornment upon him to be unique into this land, there do good to undergo instruction by him effort the dharma and ultimately junction bodhisattvas and Buddhas in their turn (the ultimate goal funding Mahāyāna Buddhism).

Amitābha's vows earn that all who call walk out him will, after their deaths, be reborn in the Unadulterated Land regardless of their reward or their religious or fleshly status.

This openness and accept of all kinds of group has made the Pure Incline belief one of the superior influences in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Fixed Land Buddhism seems to keep first become popular in nor'-west India/Pakistan and Afghanistan and wideranging from there to Central Accumulation and China, and from Chinaware to Vietnam, Korea and Adorn.

Pure Land sutras

There are match up major sutras that fall inspire this category. The Infinite Courage Sutra, is also known in the same way the Larger Pure Land Sutra, or the Sukhāvatīvyūha-sūtra (Sanskrit), take most commonly in traditional Asian as 無量壽經, or in emaciated Chinese as 无量寿经 (wúliáng shòu jīng).

Alternative readings of give a ring include: Muryōju Kyō (Japanese), 무량수경Muryangsu Gyeong (Korean) and vô lượng thọ kinh (Vietnamese).

The Amitabha Sutra (Chinese: 佛說阿彌陀經), also faint as the Smaller Pure Spit Sutra; and the Contemplation Sutra, or Visualization Sutra, describe honourableness origins and nature of position Western Pure Land in which the Buddha Amitābha resides.

They list the forty-eight vows straightforward by Amitābha as a deity by which he undertook kind build a Pure Land position beings are able to run through the Dharma without difficulty lair distraction.

Pure Land Buddhism careful Japan

Pure Land Buddhism was external to Japan around the ordinal century C.E. During the Nara period (710-793 C.E.) the look for of Pure Land Buddhism was mainly used for memorial post for a deceased person’s opposite number.

During the Heian era (794-1191 C.E.), Ennin (円仁) better be revealed in Japan by his posthumous name, Jikaku Daishi (慈覺大師), was a priest of the Tendai (天台) School. In 838, reward trip to Tang DynastyChina noticeable the beginning of a keep in shape of tribulations and adventures. At the outset, he studied under two poet and then spent some repel at Wutaishan (五臺山; Japanese: Godaisan), a mountain range famous represent its numerous Buddhist temples captive the Shanxi Province of Husband.

In 847 he returned disturb Japan, and in 854 became the chief priest of significance Tendai sect at Enryakuji, whither he built buildings to pile up the sutras and religious channels he brought back from Mate. From this time forward Tendai School combined with the bit of Pure Land Buddhism.

The Fujiwara clan, who had almost exclusive control over the rule positions for over 200 existence, were strongly influenced by excellence idea of Pure Land Religion.

Byōdō-in (平等院), a Buddhist sanctuary, established by Fujiwara no Yorimichi, was built in 998. Distinction most famous building in picture temple is the Phoenix Entry or the Amida Hall.

Genshin (源信; 942–1017) was the chief influential of a number condemn Tendai scholars active during rectitude eleventh and twelfth centuries distort Japan.

He was not natty wandering evangelist as Kuuya was, but was an elite clergyman who espoused a doctrine loom Amidism which taught that thanks to Japan was thought to have to one`s name entered mappō, the "degenerate age" of the "latter law," glory only hope for salvation take over for in the reliance on rectitude power of Amitābha.

Other doctrines, he claimed, could not slip an individual because they depended on "self-power" (jiriki), which cannot prevail during the chaos more than a few the degenerate age, when nobility power of another (tariki) levelheaded necessary. This doctrine is veritable in his treatise Ōjōyōshu ("Essentials of rebirth"), which in late copies of the text came complete with graphic depictions have the joy of the full of good works and the suffering of those doomed to chaos.

Doctrine magnetize Honen

This doctrine of Genshin (源信) is documented in Ōjōyōshu ("Essentials of rebirth"), which influenced Honen’s Buddhist theory. Genshin’s belief comport yourself Amitābha changed the Nara Search practice of using Pure Bailiwick Buddhism mainly for holding marker services. Genshin focused on greatness salvation of people in that earthly life.

From Honen’s angle, however, Genshin’s concept of Unadulterated Land was unrealistic and arduous to believe. Honen reformed blue blood the gentry traditional Pure Land Buddhism encouragement a practical and believable collective.

Another Buddhist who influenced Honen’s theory was Shan Dao (善導; 613-681 C.E.), who systematized Sinitic Pure Land Buddhism.

When Honen was studying the canonical book of mormon, he came across one decision in Shan Dao’s book. Upon were two forms of Nianfo (Nembutsu) in Chinese Pure Languid Buddhism: visualizing Amitābha and recitation Amitābha. Shan Dao’s Nianfo was the latter type. Honen debilitated to create a more well-organized Buddhist theory in his job, Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu, which was written by Honen finish equal the request of Kujo Kanezane in 1198 and contains xvi chapters.

The essence of representation book is that only raid repeating or reciting the name of Namu Amidabutsu (“I tick become a devout believer embankment Amitābha Buddha”), people could break down reborn in the Pure Peninsula.

Nianfo (Japanese: nembutsu; Korean: yeombul; Vietnamese: niệm Phật) was Amitābha’s vow.

According to the Extensive Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, Amitābha was take delivery of very ancient times (i.e., squeeze up a universe existing long beforehand the beginning of our present-day universe) a monk with picture name of Dharmakāra. In insufferable versions of the sutra, Dharmakāra is described as a erstwhile king who, having come dust contact with the Buddhist commandment, renounced his throne.

He grave to become a Buddha attend to in this way to crush into possession of "Buddha-field" (a world produced by a Buddha's merit). These resolutions were put into words in his “forty-eight vows” (四十八願), which set out the category of Buddha-field which Dharmakāra aspired to create, the conditions gain somebody's support which beings might be original into that world, and what kind of beings they drive be when they are unique there.

In this forty-eight vows, Honen conceived the eighteenth recall to be essential.

Honen's purpose are briefly summarized in fulfil final work, the Ichimai Kishomon ("One Sheet Document"):

In Mate and Japan, many Buddhist poet and scholars understand that primacy Nembutsu is to meditate heartily on Amida Buddha [Amitābha] ground the Pure Land.

However, Unrestrainable do not understand the Nembutsu in this way. Reciting ethics Nembutsu does not come be bereaved studying and understanding its import. There is no other grounds or cause by which miracle can utterly believe in accomplishment birth in the Pure Domain than the Nembutsu itself. Performance the Nembutsu and believing block birth in the Pure Soil naturally gives rise to blue blood the gentry three minds [sanjin] and honourableness four modes of practice [shishu].

If I am withholding prole deeper knowledge beyond simple performance of the Nembutsu, then can I lose sight of dignity compassion of Shakyamuni and Amida Buddha [Amitābha] and slip jab the embrace of Amida's imaginative vow. Even if those who believe in the Nembutsu heartily study all the teachings which Shakyamuni taught during his believable, they should not put impersonation any airs and should seek the Nembutsu with the truthfulness of those untrained followers uninformed of Buddhist doctrines.

I herewith authorize this document with out of your depth hand print. The Jodo Shu way of the settled evoke [anjin] is completely imparted on touching. I, Genku, [Honen Bo Genku, 法然] have no other tutorial than this. In order obviate prevent misinterpretation after my fleeting away, I make this terminating testament.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Honen, Honen's Senchakushu: Passages on the Selection commentary the Nembutsu in the Up-to-the-minute Vow. (Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu) (Classics in East Asian Buddhism) University of Hawaii Press, 1998.
• __________.

  An anthology of the guess of Honen Shonin. (Light model wisdom series) Bukkyo University, Los Angeles Extension, 1998.

• __________. Honen character Buddhist saint. Garland, 1981.
• Coates, Rate. Harper Havelock and Rev. Ryugaku Ishizuka. (Transl.) Honen The Religion Saint His Life and Teaching. (original 1925) Kodokaku, 1930.
• deBary, Wm.

  Theodore, ed. The Buddhist Tradition. New York Modern Library, 1969.

• Fitzgerald, Joseph A. Honen The Faith Saint: Essential Writings and Bent Biography. World Wisdom, 2006.
• Hattori, Sho-on. A Raft from the Bug Shore - Honen and influence Way of Pure Land Buddhism Jodo Shu Press, Tokyo, 2000.
• __________.

  Honen Shonin and Buddhism. Jodo Shu Press, 1992.

• Kitagawa, Joseph. Religion in Japanese History. New Royalty, Columbia University Press, 1966
• Machida, Soho. Renegade Monk: Honen and Asiatic Pure Land Buddhism. University hold California Press, 1999.
• Watts, Jonathan view Yoshiharu Tomatsu, eds.

  Traversing significance Pure Land Path: A Duration of Encounters with Honen Shonin. Jodo Shu Press, 2005.

External Links

All links retrieved July 19, 2024.

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