Rennyo and the Roots of Modern Japanese Buddhism

by Blum, Mark L.; Yasutomi, Shin'ya

• ISBN13: 9780195132755
• ISBN10: 0195132750
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-12-29
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Rennyo Shonin (1415-1499) is considered the "second founder" of Shin Buddhism. Under his leadership, the Honganji branch grew in size and power, becoming a national organization with great wealth and influence. Rennyo's success lay in conveying an attractive spiritual message while exertingeffective administrative control. A savvy politician as well as religious leader, ennyo played a significant role in political, economic, and institutional developments. Though he is undeniably one of the most influential persons in the history of Japanese religion, his legacy remains enigmatic andlargely overlooked by the West. This volume offers an assessment of Rennyo's contribution to Buddhist thought and the Honganji religious organization. A collection of 16 previously unpublished essays by both Japanese and non-Japanese scholars in the areas of historical studies, Shinshu studies, andcomparative religion, it is the first book to confront many of the major questions surrounding the phenomenal growth of Honganji under Rennyo's leadership. The authors examine such topics as the source of Rennyo's charisma, the soteriological implications of his thought against the background ofother movements in Pure Land Buddhism, and the relationship between his ideas and the growth of his church. This collection is an important first step in bringing this important figure to an audience outside Japan. It will be of significant interest to scholars in the fields of Japanese religion,Japanese social history, comparative religion, and the sociology of religion.

Table of Contents

Foreword by the President of Otani University	v
Abbreviations	xi
Contributors	xiii
1. Introduction: The Study of Rennyo
Mark L. Blum
I. Historical Studies
2. The Life of Rennyo: A Struggle for the Transmission of Dharma	17	(21)
Yasutomi Shin'ya
3. Leaders in an Age of Transition	38	(11)
Kuroda Toshio (translated by Thomas Kirchner)
4. Continuity and Change in the Thought of Rennyo	49	(10)
Stanley Weinstein
5. Rennyo and the Salvation of Women	59	(13)
Matsurnura Naoko (translated by Maya Hara)
6. The Ikko-shu as Portrayed in Jesuit Historical Documents	72	(11)
Kinryu Shizuka (translated by William Londo)
7. The Kansho Persecution: An Examination of Mount Hiei's Destruction of Otani Honganji	83	(13)
Kusano Kenshi (translated by Eisho Nasu)
8. Late Rennyo and the Myokonin Akao no Doshu	96	(13)
Minamoto Ryoen (translated by Mark L. Blum)
9. Rennyo Shonin, Manipulator of Icons	109
Mark L. Blum
II. Shinshu Studies
10. Shinran and Rennyo: Comparing Their Views of Birth in the Pure Land	137	(13)
Terakawa Shunsho (translated by Mark L. Blum)
11. Rennyo's Position in Modern Shin Buddhist Studies: Soga Ryojin's Reinterpretation	150	(14)
Kaku Takeshi (translated by Maya Hara)
12. Rennyo and the Renaissance of Contemporary Shin Buddhism: Rennyo's Place in the History of Shin Buddhism	164	(9)
Alfred Bloom
13. The Characteristic Structure of Rennyo's Letters	173	(9)
Ikeda Yutai (translated by Sarah Horton)
14. The Tale of the Flesh-Adhering Mask	182	(17)
Yasutomi Shin'ya (translated by Mark L. Blum)
III. Comparative Religion
15. Rennyo and Luther: Similarities in Their Faith and Community Building	199	(12)
Kalo Chiken (translated by Jan van Bragt)
16. Dancing into Freedom: Rennyo and Religion	211	(6)
William R. LaFleur
17. Primal Vow and Its Contextualization: Rennyo's Legacy, and Some Tasks for Our Times	217	(10)
Ruben L.F. Habito
A Chronology of Rennyo's Life	227	(9)
Glossary	236	(9)
Bibliography	245	(40)
Index	285