The ÅŒjÅyÅshÅ«; written by the monk Genshin (942–1017); is one of the most important texts in the history of Japanese religions. It is the first comprehensive guide to the doctrine and practice of Pure Land Buddhism written in Japan and so played a pivotal role in establishing this form of Buddhism in the country. In Genshin’s ÅŒjÅyÅshÅ« and the Construction of Pure Land Discourse in Heian Japan; the first book in English on the ÅŒjÅyÅshÅ« in more than forty years; Robert Rhodes draws on the latest scholarship to shed new light on the text; its author; and the tumultuous age in which it was written.Rhodes begins by providing substantial discussion on the development of Pure Land Buddhism before the ÅŒjÅyÅshū’s appearance and a thorough account of Genshin’s life; the full details of which have never before been available in English. Japan in the tenth century was marked by far-reaching political; social; and economic change; all of which had a significant effect on religion; including the emergence of numerous new religious movements in Kyoto. Pure Land was the most popular of these; and the faith embraced by the Tendai scholar Genshin when he became disaffected with the growing factionalism at Enrakuji; Tendai’s central temple. A significant portion of Rhodes’ study is a wide-ranging examination of the ÅŒjÅyÅshū’s Pure Land teachings in which he describes and analyzes Genshin’s interpretations of Pure Land cosmology and nenbutsu practice. For Genshin the latter encompassed an extensive range of practices for focusing the mind on Amida Buddha―from the simple recitation of Namu Amidabutsu (“recitative nenbutsuâ€) to the advanced meditative practice of visualizing the buddha (“meditative nenbutsuâ€). According to the ÅŒjÅyÅshÅ«; all of these are effective means for ensuring birth in Amida’s Pure Land.This impressively researched and updated treatment of the formative text in the Japanese Pure Land tradition will be welcomed by all scholars and students of Japanese religions. It also offers a fascinating window into Heian (794–1185) religious life; which will be of interest to anyone concerned with medieval Japan.
#1946188 in Books University of Hawaii Press 2010-04-30 2010-04-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.20 x 6.10l; 1.80 #File Name: 0824833945424 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. "I take the relics; together with great wisdom; as my two eyes."By Crazy FoxIf you study Buddhism to any serious degree; it doesn't take long until you realize that for much of its history its doctrines have been slanted with a deeply androcentric or even misogynist set of discourses. The unspoken assumption then has usually been that if it was written down; it was believed--that both men and women automatically internalized those attitudes found articulated in Buddhist texts. One brilliant thing among many that Lori Meeks accomplishes in this brilliant study is to riddle such an assumption to pieces.On a more specialized level; if one looks into Kamakura Buddhism with any tenacity one will soon become familiar with Eison's Shingon Ritsu movement and with the story of how Eison kindly condescended to help out a group of well-intentioned but non-legit women practitioners at Hokkeji temple and ordain them properly as nuns. Through judicious and extensive investigative work with primary sources; Meeks flips the perspective on this old story and we start to get some sense of what an alliance with Eison and his movement did to further their own goals and intentions. How did they see the relationship; and what was in it for them?If all this book did was make these two important points; that would be enough in and of itself; but in the process the highly detailed and richly complex world of religious belief and practice at this particular time and place is painstakingly brought to life from a variety of angles in these pages. Hokkeji's shifting fortunes as a pilgrimage destination involving relics and faith in a deified empress; the evolving religious vocations of court ladies and their role in Hokkeji's revival; the nuts-and-bolts financial aspects of the revival and the socioeconomic dynamics of Hokkeji's plural class makeup; the nuns' varied and busy ritual calendar and more are all reconstructed vividly along with a properly cautious and nuanced analysis of the gender dynamics actually operating in religious writings by the nuns of Hokkeji themselves and the Shingon Ritsu monks acquainted with them."Hokkeji and the Reemergence of Female Monastic Orders in Premodern Japan" then is an accurate if dull title for a deeply interesting and illuminating landmark study in Japanese Buddhist history.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Female Powers in the Medieval PeriodBy erwarrenGreat book. The author addresses complicated and seemingly obscure topics in an interesting way that makes them very relevant. If you're interested in Japanese Buddhism; or Women's studies; this book is a vital new addition to the field.
