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Shinran (1173-1262 C.E.) founded the Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist tradition in Japan during the Kamakura period. This movement, once set in motion, eventually became the largest Buddhist sect in Japan and spread to the West at the end of the nineteenth century.
Editor Alfred Bloom has put together this compilation of translations of important passages and insights from Shinran’s writings, and has presented these against the background of Shinran’s life and spiritual legacy. Although the book is devoted mostly to select passages of Shinran’s own teachings, the editor supplies important comments and notes along the way, helping readers to better understand the great spiritual depths of Shinran’s words. It is hoped that these well-chosen and well-presented selections, in such a compact book, will bring further attention in the West to Shinran, to Pure Land Buddhism, and to the Mercy of Amida, which knows no limits of place or time.
The book begins with a foreword by Ruben L.F. Habito in which Dr. Habito describes this book as a “highly accessible and reliable guide, based on original sources, to Shinran’s key ideas,” as well as giving some of his own keys to understanding Shinran and Pure Land Buddhism. Next, Dr. Bloom’ introduction explains how the book is organized and how it will be best used. It also points out the great humanity that shines through Shinran’s writings and personality.
The main part of the book is divided into three major sections: (1) Shinran’s Life and Legacy, (2) What Do We Know of Shinran in the Ancient Sources? and (3) Shinran Interprets Pure Land Teaching. (See the Table of Contents link on the main page for the book for the very detailed listing of contents.) The book concludes with a glossary, a bibliography, an index of selections, and biographical notes on Alfred Bloom and Rubin L.F. Habito.
About the Author(s)
Alfred Bloom
Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom (1926–2017) was one of the world's foremost authorities on the study of Shin Buddhism. He taught World Religions and Buddhism at the University of Oregon and the University of Hawaii and wrote many books and articles on Shin Buddhism and spirituality in general. Prof. Bloom was Dean at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, sponsored by the Buddhist Churches of America. He was an ordained Shin priest. About Dr. Bloom, the well-known Buddhist magazine Tricycle: The Buddhist Review said: “Bloom is widely regarded as one of the most important American figures of the past five decades in the Jodo Shin school of Buddhism.”Prof. Bloom's contributions to World Wisdom books include: UL REMOVED
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Ruben Habito
Ruben Habito is a Professor of World Religions and Spirituality at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He is also Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Habito completed his doctoral studies at Tokyo University in 1978, and taught at Sophia University in Tokyo. He is the author of numerous books on Buddhism including Experiencing Buddhism: Ways of Wisdom and Compassion, Living Zen, Loving God, Healing Breath: Zen Spirituality for a Wounded Earth, Shinran to no Deai Kara (From My Encounters with Shinran) and many others in Japanese and English. He was President of the Society for Buddhist Christian Studies from 2003 to 2005, and serves as spiritual director and Teacher (Roshi) at Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas, Texas.
Prof. Ruben Habito wrote the "Foreword" in The Essential Shinran: The Buddhist Path of True Entrusting , edited by Alfred Bloom.
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Reviews
- Edited by Alfred Bloom, one of only a few Shin Buddhist scholars based in the United States, The Essential Shinran: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting is a selection of core writings by Shinran (1173-1262 C.E.), the founder of the of the Jodo Shinshu Pure Land tradition of Buddhism in Japan, which eventually became the largest Buddhist sect in the nation. The Essential Shinran also includes background information about Shinran’s life and spiritual legacy, the better to facilitate understanding of his texts. Extensive notes reflect the copious effort to make the fundamentals of Shin Buddhism as taught by the originator accessible to readers of all backgrounds. A glossary, select bibliography, and index of selections round out this excellent “must-read” primer recommended for anyone interested understanding in the fundamentals of Shin Buddhism.
Midwest Book Review
- Guidance from the former dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, CA.
Library Journal
- This volume offers annotations and translations of important writings of the monk and teacher Shinran Shonin (1173-1262), who founded the Jodo Shinshu Pure Land Buddhist tradition in Japan, during the turbulent Kamakura period. This movement, writes Bloom, became the largest Buddhist sect in Japan, spreading to the West by the end of the 19th century.
Colloquy Alumni Quarterly, Harvard University
- … this work was a demanding task that only a rare scholar like Dr Bloom could have achieved.
W S Yokoyama, Researcher at the Jodo Shinshu Studies and Research Center
- Another wonderful idea from Professor Bloom! The concept of this book – the teachings of Shinran abstracted from his works and arranged by topic — excited me when I first heard of it, and reading it has been as satisfying as I had hoped.…
The structure of this work — Shinran’s words are interspersed between quotes from the Sutras and the teachings of the Pure Land Masters — demands close attention to follow what Shinran is teaching. Also, while I think one must read the Sutras to appreciate the authentic taste of the Dharma, it takes time and effort to learn how to appreciate and understand them. This effort is worth making, but a person new to the Pure Land teachings needs in the first instance to find out what the teachings are in as clear a way as possible.
To this end Professor Bloom has structured this book carefully.…
For ease of reference each excerpt of Shinran’s writings is numbered and has a short title telling the reader what it is about. Interspersed between the quotations are explanatory and contextualizing notes by the author that in themselves amount to a course in the understanding of the Jodo Shinshu teachings. There is a comprehensive glossary and an index showing where to find the selected passages in Shinran’s works.
This book then is on the surface very simple and is very easy to read, but it is actually extremely sophisticated in its construction. I commend it to all those with a serious interest in the Pure Land teachings, but it will also be of great value to students of Japanese culture and religion who may not have a specific interest in Buddhism.Rev. Dr. Mark Healsmith, writing in www.nembutsu.info, an online journal of Shin Buddhism
- For those who are looking to go deeper into Shinran’s thought but are intimidated by the complexity of works like Kyogyoshinsho, The Essential Shinran is a highly useful tool, particularly for understanding how Shinran approached specific topics, such as Buddha-nature, the Pure Land, and practice. Bloom has lined up everything Shinran wrote about each topic, eliminating the need to hunt through his extensive writings for relevant passages. Thus the reader can discover, for example, the nuances of shinjin — the mind that awakens to the falsity of the ego and relies instead on power beyond the self, leading to Buddhahood. As Bloom’s quotes make clear, shinjin is neither a dogmatic adherence to faith nor a dry acknowledgment of no-self but a deeply transformative moment of overwhelming joy, leading to a fresh approach to religion through the practice of gratitude and humility.
… Bloom’s Essential Shinran has the potential to dramatically increase Western appreciation of one of the largest, yet least understood forms of Buddhism. As such, the book ranks among the most important publications on Pure Land Buddhism of the past decade, valuable to scholars and Buddhist practitioners alike.Tricycle Magazine
