Jodo Shinshu Buddhism for everyone
By Rev. Ken Yamada
Banished from the capital, Shinran Shonin was sent faraway to Echigo province in 13th Century Japan. In April, we journeyed there—present-day Niigata prefecture—where he lived in exile, deepening his understanding of human existence. Continue reading “Shinran Tour: Life in Exile (Part II)”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
This year marks the 850th Birthday of Shinran Shonin and the 800th Anniversary of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism’s founding. In April, a group of us from the North America District traveled to Japan to attend the commemoration at Higashi Honganji’s main temple. Continue reading “Shinran 850th Birthday Tour (Part I)”
Jodo Shinshu Buddhism is welcoming, open, and holds no secrets. Yet, some people follow a “secret” kind of Shinshu, off-limits to outsiders.
Such groups existed ever since Shinshu’s founder Shinran Shonin’s time. Called by various names, including “hiji bōmon” (secret dharma) and urahōmon (hidden teachings), members follow a tight-lipped tradition of closed-door gatherings, obscure rituals, evangelical-like sermons, and teachings considered heretical by major Shinshu denominations. Noted Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki reputedly as a child underwent a secret dharma ritual, following his mother, who was a member. Such groups still are active today in Japan. Continue reading “Secret Shinshu”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
With its mythical Buddha and otherworldly Pure Land, many people wonder how Jodo Shinshu could possibly represent the historical Buddha’s teaching.
By contrast, Shinshu followers feel Shinran’s teachings—the basis of Jodo Shinshu—reflect Buddhism’s true essence. The key to this conundrum lays precisely in how “myth” and symbolism may convey truth more effectively than “fact” and history. Continue reading “Jodo Shinshu: Myth vs History”
By Rev. Ken Yamada
A century ago, Jodo Shinshu began transforming its image from beliefs in superstition and the supernatural towards teachings addressing modern day problems, bolstered by efforts of a new academic journal called The Eastern Buddhist. Today, the journal remains an active voice in English, clarifying Shinshu teachings, along with various other Buddhist traditions. Continue reading “The Eastern Buddhist: A Century of Shinshu Studies”
Here’s a presentation about how Honganji initially started as one temple that eventually split into two denominations, Higashi and Nishi, and how that split led to different interpretations of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Continue reading “History and Thought of Higashi & Nishi Honganji”