(Japanese National Treasure; courtesy of Itsukushima-Jinja)

Over the past few years, Tricycle has featured a number of articles about Jodo Shinshu, or Shin Buddhism, which developed from the insight of Shinran (1173-1263), a Japanese monk that Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom calls a "towering figure" in Buddhism. Read the articles below to get a sense of Shinran and his teachings, and the modern practice of Jodo Shinshu.

• The Buddha of Infinite Light and Life: An interview with Mark and Taitetsu Unno
• Born-Again Buddhist by Clark Strand
• Beyond Religion: An interview with Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom
• Essential and Pure: Core Principles in Shin Buddhism by Jeff Wilson
• Ordinary Struggles: An interview with Sosho Kochin Ogui
• Number One Fool by Taitetsu Unno

Daibutsu. the Great Buddha of Kamakura:

Daibutsu - The Great Buddha of Kamakura from kedarvideo on Vimeo.

OTHER RESOURCES

The Eastern Buddhist is a journal started by D. T. Suzuki in 1921. Suzuki became a Shin practitioner in later life and wrote the influential book Shin Buddhism (Chapters 1 & 2 available here in PDF, 6 MB) which was later retitled "Buddha of Infinite Light."

Monshu Koshin Ohtami's book "The Buddha's Wish for the World," released on the occasion of the 750th memorial for Shinran Shonin, is available on Amazon and Facebook. An excerpt from this book is available here.

The Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) has a great bookstore, which is the perfect spot to look for books on Shin Buddhism.

The four websites below are valuable resources on the practice of Shin Buddhism, as well as the life of Shinran Shonin, and the history of Buddhism in Japan:

American Buddhist Study Center

Jodo-Shinshu Buddhism: Dharma for the Modern Age

Jodo Shinshu Center, Berkeley, California

Jodo Shinshu Nishi Hongwanji

Namo Amida Butsu!

• Login or register to post comments