Honen and Pure Land Buddhism: A Special Exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno (thru June 9th)

By Avi Landau

14th century Portrait of Honen (1133-1212), the founder of the Jodo Sect of Buddhism (at present Japan’s second largest with nearly 7,000 temples and over 6 million members nationwide) on display at the Honen and Pure Land Buddhism Exhibition being held at the National Museum in Tokyo. Using 194 reverently preserved items (mostly paintings, picture scrolls, sculptures and manuscripts) assembled from sundry museums and Jodo Sect temples throughout Japan (a handful of National Treasures and dozens of Important Cultural Properties among them) the exhaustive (and exhausting!) show sheds light on the origins of Japan’s 12th century “religious reformation” , the mass movement in which (ironically, since the country had at the same time fallen under strict military rule) ALL people, men and women, nobles and peasants, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, yes, all people, including the warrior, the fisherman and the prostitute (those considered too steeped in sin under the traditional sects), were offered the chance of salvation – rebirth in the “Pure Land Paradise” after death. This could be achieved, according to Honen, through one method alone – faith in a Buddhist deity named Amida who according to certain sutra had made a vow to save ANYONE with the proper faith. But as enlightening as the exhibition is, it fails to show the Jodo Sect’s relationship to (and differences from) the other “Pure Land sects” that came after it… the Ji sect and especially the Jodo Shin Sect – now by far Japan’s largest. The painting shown above, one of nine similar portraits of Honen on display, is normally kept at the Jodo Sect’s ‘head temple’, the magnificent Chion-in, in Kyoto, built after Honen returned from his exile on the island of Shikoku.

Detail from a 14th century National Treasure picture scroll “The Life of Honen” showing Honen preaching to the multitudes on Higashiyama in Heian-Kyo (present-day Kyoto). In 1775 (850 years ago), at the age of 42, Honen left the confines of Enryakuji, the great Tendai Sect Monastery on Mt. Hiei he had lived at since he was 14 years old, and went to live on the outskirts of the capital, where he started preaching and gaining followers. His message was that in the degenerate times they were living in (The Age of Mappo) there was no need for ascetic practices, meditation, elaborate rituals, or even study (which he believed would all be in vain at that time). The essential thing, he had come to realize through years of study… in fact the ONLY important thing, was a single-minded and whole-hearted devotion to Amida (Amitabha, in Sanskrit), the Buddha of the Pure Land (who according to Buddhist scripture had made a vow to save anyone who had faith in him) and the only act necessary for salvation was the heartfelt recitation of Amida’s name in the form of the mantra “NAMU AMIDA BUTSU” (I believe in Amida Buddha), an act which is called SHOMYO Nembutsu. (This might sound easy, but Honen apparently recommended chanting the phrase at least 10,000 times a day!)

The first page of Honen’s most important work: the Senchaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu ( Collection of Passages on the Original Vow and Nembutsu). This copy is said to have been written in Honen’s own hand (in 1198)! Created at the request of Kujo no Kanezane (Regent, at the time), it lays out (in 16 chapters) his reasons for asserting that one can depend SOLELY on the good graces of (and chanting of the name of) the Buddha Amida – by citing Buddhist scripture, especially the writings of the Chinese Pure-Land Buddhists Shan-Tao (Zendo, in Japanese) and Tan-Luan (Donran, in Japanese). Honen also clearly expresses in this text his desire to create a new sect, meaning a break from the long-established and powerful ones already in existence for centuries – and as a result of writing this book, he got himself banished (in 1206) to what is now Kochi Prefecture on Shikoku Island.

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Japanese museums and publishing companies have a great fondness for special anniversaries and memorial days – and take ample advantage of them to publish and promote books or put together special exhibitions on Japan’s greatest men and women or important historical events. This year, the Jodo Pure-Land Sect (the second largest in Japan with almost 7 temples more than 6 million members nationwide) is celebrating the 850th year since the then 42 year-old priest Honen (usually listed among Japan’s top-100 most important historical figures) left the great Tendai Monastery on Mt. Hiei overlooking the capital (where he had been a monk at since the age of 14) and began preaching a novel idea at the time – that ANYONE, whether man or woman, rich or poor, noble or common, education or ignorant, could be reborn in the Pure Land Paradise through one practice and one practice alone – chanting the name of a Buddha called Amida, who had promised (according to scripture) to save anyone who had trust in him. That year, 1175, is considered the foundation year of the Jodo sect, and in turn, the start of what became a period of great religious and social change in Japan, what some call the Kamakura Reformation, in which multitudes of people of all backgrounds joined new Buddhist sects, the Jodo Sect, The Jodo Shin Sect, the Ji Sect, the Nichiren Sect – and sects belonging to several schools of Zen

An exhibition now being held at the Tokyo National Museum (April 4th-June 9th 2024) is both exhaustive and exhausting (with many old documents, minutely detailed picture-scrolls and intricate-but faded paintings all straining the eyes!), shedding light on the origins of Honen’s thought (by introducing the older Chinese Pure-Land Buddhists and the Japanese Tendai monk Genshin). Disappointing though, is the fact that there is (shockingly!) no mention of Kuya, one of the most famous and popular proponents of Amida Worship (or the Indian promoters of Amida worship who preceded the Chinese “Pure-Land Patriarchs”). Even more confounding is the absence of any reference to the other great proponents of Nembutsu (chanting the name of Amida) – Shinran (founder of the Jodo Shin sect – by far Japan’s largest) and Ippen, the founder of the Ji sect.

In other words, rather than being a subjective academic look at Pure Land Buddhism and the art that it stimulated, the exhibition is SECTARIAN – paying hommage to those who influenced the great founder of the Jodo Sect (which is celebating its anniversary), while ignoring those who came after him and started rival sects (that celebrate their anniversaries in other years). In fact, I think that the title of the show should be Honen and the Jodo Sect, which is its one and only focus, instead of Honen and the Pure-Land, becase the other sects (mentioned above) which are also “Pure-Land Sects”… are not dealt with at all.

So while I learned a lot ( I hadn’t known much about the Jodo Sect because it is not very common here in Tsukuba – with only 5 temples ( I will list them below) compared to more than 40 Shingon (esoteric) Temples – and the fact that there is a deep connection between what is now Ibaraki Prefecture and Shinran, the founder of the Jodo Shin Sect – whom many people in the Tsukuba area are deeply interested in) I still left the museum with many questions – with the most important of them being: What is the difference between the Jodo Sect and the Jodo Shin Sect? And for that, I had to do a little studying on my own – and will provide an answer below.

The Welcoming Descent of Amida and Twenty-Five Boddhisattvas (known as the Haya Raigo). This recently restored 14th century National Treasure is one of Japan’s great religious paintings and a highlight of the exhibition. It is typical of Pure-Land art in that it shows Amida (with his entourage) coming to greet a believer at the moment of death (bottom right) to escort him or her to paradise. This “Amidist” notion was even reflected in the architecture of the late Heian Period – before Honen started his new sect. For example the famous Byodoin Temple in Uji Kyoto (on the back of the ten-yen coin) has wing-like elements on both its sides which appear to come out and embrace the viewer standing out front (in Tsukuba there was once a similar temple, destroyed long ago, whose foundation stones and pillars show it was of a similar design. The painting shown above is usually kept at the Chion-in temple in Kyoto

Portrait of Genshin (14th century) from the Shojuraikoji Temple in Shiga Prefecture. Genshin (942-1017) was a Tendai Sect monk and scholar whose most important and popular work, the Ojoyoshu (Essentials of Birth in the Pure-Land) with its vivid descriptions of various hells, and in contrast, the Pure-Land Paradise, had a major influence not only on Japanese Buddhism, but on its art and literature, as well. Genshin advocated faith and trust in Amida’s vow, though this involved not only chanting Nembutsu, but also meditative visualization practices, etc. He also remained firmly within the Tendai Sect, with Amida worship being merely one part of this practice and theology. It was Honen’s “revolution” to get rid of everything else, including meditating on the image of Amida, and insist that one only had to chant Amida’s name to attain salvation. The logic behind this was that for Genshin’s road to salvation (through visualization and meditation, etc.) those who lived in or grew up in monasteries had a great advantage. And as for the other Amidist practices (undertaken by the aristocrats of the late Heian Period) – building temples and pagodas, etc. or having sutras copied out in gold lettering, etc., the rich were at an advantage. Honen insisted that Amida (in his 18th vow among 48) promised to save EVERYONE who so desired to be saved. His scouring of scripture – and his dream of Chinese monk Shan-Tao (Zendo) coming to him, led him to conclude that all one had to do for salvation was chant the words NAMU AMIDA BUTSU – a method which would be effective for the poor, the illiterate and even the mentally challenged.

From a 15th century illustrated manuscript of Genshin’s Ojoyoshu with some typical Japanese-style depictions of hell.

Honen’s “One-Page Testament” copied out by Emperor Go-Kashiwabara in 1522. One of two copies of this essential Jodo Sect Document (the other is in the hand of Ashikaga Yoshiteru) shown in the exhibition. Two days before his death in 1212, the ailing Honen was asked by a disciple to write something that would be both valuable to him as a Buddhist and as a memento of his Master. This is what Honen wrote: “In China and Japan, many Buddhist masters and scholars understand that the nembutsu is to meditate deeply on Amida Buddha and the Pure Land. However, I do not understand the nembutsu in this way. Reciting the nembutsu does not come from studying and understanding its meaning. There is no other reason or cause by which we can utterly believe in attaining birth in the Pure Land than the nembutsu itself. Reciting the nembutsu and believing in birth in the Pure Land naturally gives rise to the three minds (sanjin) and the four modes of practice (shishu). If I am withholding any deeper knowledge beyond simple recitation of the nembutsu, then may I lose sight of the compassion of Shakyamuni and Amida Buddha and slip through the embrace of Amida’s original vow. Even if those who believe in the nembutsu deeply study all the teachings which Shakyamuni taught during his life, they should not put on any airs and should practice the nembutsu with the sincerity of those untrained followers ignorant of Buddhist doctrines. I hereby authorize this document with my hand print. The Jōdo Shū way of the settled mind (anjin) is completely imparted here. I, Genkū (Honen), have no other teaching than this. In order to prevent misinterpretation after my passing away, I make this final testament.”

Seated Portrait of Master Shandao also called Shan-Tao (Zendo, in Japanese) 13th century – Important Cultural Property – Usually kept at the Raikoji Temple in Nara. In the exhibition, there are many portrayals of this Chinese patriarch of Chinese Pure-land Buddhism also spelled Shan-Tao (613-681). He is considered especially important (as opposed to the other Five Great Patriarchs – who also make a common Jodo sect motif), because he appeared to Honen in a dream (a scene commonly portrayed in the “life-story” picture scrolls telling the story of Honen). You might want to note that in Shinran’s Jodo Shin Sect there are “Seven Patriarchs”, including (besides Honen) Genshin, Zendo, Donran and Doshaku (included in the “Jodo 5”), the Indian Buddhists Ryuju (Nagarjuna) and Seshin (Vasubandhu)

Shan-Tao (Zendo) coming to Honen in a dream (detail from an Edo Period picture-scroll). There are several such illustrated scrolls depicting scenes from Honen’s life which are on display as part of the exhibition. They all had the same episodes drawn in very similar ways. The common scenes are: Honen’s father being killing during an attack on his home. Honen being sent off as a boy to Mt. Hiei. Honen being visited in a dream by Shan-Tao. Honen giving a lecture to Emperor Go-Shirakawa and having his portrait painted. Honen preaching to the people. Honen being sent off to exile – and Amida coming to greet Honen on his death-bed before escorting him the the Pure-Land Paradise.

The exhibition had this – the earliest extant manuscript of the 13th century work Hojoki (The Ten Square-Foot Hut) by Kamo no Chomei – on display. Though it does not mention Honen or the Jodo Sect, it does touch upon the general conditions in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333), mentioning many of the disasters and hardships of the time that Honen and his contemporaries would have experienced – and which gave rise to the belief that it was the degenerate Age of Mappo they were living in.

Amida flanked by Seishi and Kannon (a trinity called the Amida Sanzon) with paintings of Boddhisatvas 13th century (Important Cultural Property). While the Esoteric Buddhist Sects have many exotic deities (Dainichi Nyorai, Fudo, Koku-zo, Ju-Ichimen Kannon, Senju Kannon, etc.) making for all sorts of interesting statues, apintings and mandalas, the Jodo Sects images are mostly of Amida (often flanked by two attendants – Seishi and Kannon) Honen or other great Pure-Land Priests, Jizo, and the Buddha at his death (called a Nehan-E, Nirvana Picture) in Japanese.

A tiny portable Amida Triad altar – with the central image being less than 15 cm tall (13th century) Important Cultural Asset

A 13th century Amida Sanzon stone found in Furuku, Tsukuba. Now at the Sakura History Museum in Tsukuba (not part of the exhibition in Tokyo!)

Amida Coming over the Mountains – another one of Japan’s great works of religious art. This is from the 14th century and is usually found in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture.

Another on of the handfull of National Treasures on display: Amida Coming Over the Mountains (13th century)

And how about this one: The Taima Mandala. A tapestry woven in Tang China, or perhaps in Nara Period Japan (National Treasure)

An Edo Period depiction of Hell

One of the many Honen statues now being exhibited. Here it is clothed

And here it is bare!

Seated Portrait of Tokugawa Ieyasu (Important Cultural Property) 17th century. Visitors will learn that founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate and last of the three great national unifiers, was a fervent devotee of Jodo Pure-Land Buddhism (but that does not mean he was not devoted to other sects which he was… especially the Esoteric Tendai and Shingon Sects).

This is said to be the hand-writting of the great shogun himself – NAMU AMIDA BUTSU over and over again – with his own name in the middle! This is apparently a daily record of NEMBUTSU properly chanted.

A Thousand Jizo Bodsdhisatvas (13th century) Important Cultural Property. This stood out since it is more typical of Shingo or Tendai Buddhism with its “exotic” Hindu-influenced (multi-armed, multi-faced, etc.) iconography.

One of the most interesting pieces was this Buddha Entering Nirvana with Sacred Animals. The 17th century Buddha images were commissioned by the first Lord of the Takamatsu Domain (on Shikoku Island) Matsudaira Yorishige (1622-1695) who was Tokugawa Mitsukuni’s (Mito Komon’s) brother. Shimodate (now part of Chikusei City in Ibaraki Prefecture) was Matsudaira’s original domain ( he granted it from the shogunate in 1639), before being made Lord of Takamatsu in 1642.

But the animals were made after the Meiji Restoration (1868)

More animals. These statues can normally be seen at the Honen-ji Temple in Kagawa Prefecture.

The explanation plate for this work surprised me – it is a portrait of the Jodo priest and missionary Taichu… painted by Sho-Nei (1564-1620) – the King of the Ryukyu Kingdom!

Statue of Yuten Shonin (祐天上人), one of the most important Jodo priests of the Edo Period. He was famous for his spiritual powers ( specializing in abolishing evil spirits… in other words excorcism!) and was active in the Tsukuba area (with stints at both Gugyo-ji in Mitsukaido, and Untenji (雲天寺), a short walk to the east of TX’s Moriya Station). His exploits are described in the late 17th century collection Shiryō Gedatsu Monogatari Kikigaki (死霊解脱物語聞書) – and his most famous “excorcism” was turned into a popular Edo Period Kabuki play. He was the head of the Zojoji Temple (near Hamamtsucho Station in Tokyo), the most important Jodo temple in the Kanto area (and the second most important temple in Edo after Kan’ei ji in Ueno) – and he even has a post-humous temple of his own: Yutenji, in Nakameguro, Tokyo, constructed for him by his disciple Yumi.

Ieyasu’s mother O Dai no Kata’s grave at (Muryo-Yama) Koishikawa Dentsu-in, the second most important Jodo Sect Temple in Tokyo located near Tokyo Dome. She was buried here in 1602. Ieyasu granddaughter, Sen Hime, is also partially buried here (the Japanese custom of burying portions of a single individual’s bones or ashes in separate graves in separate places is called BUNKOTSU). Sen also has a grave in the most important Jodo temple near Tsukuba – Gugyo-ji – in Mitsukaido, Joso City. Yuten Shonin, whose statue is shown above, was made the head-priest here in 1704 before being promoted to Zojoji. Keisho-in, the mother of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (the 5th Shogun – known as the “Dog-Loving Shogun“) discovered Yuten living in a hut on the outskirts of Edo and had installed first at Gugyo-ji and then at Dentsuin.

Dentsu-in was one of three Tokugawa family temples located in Edo (now Tokyo) along with Kan’ei ji, in Ueno (which is Tendai) and Zojoji (Jodo), near Hamamatsu Station. Besides having several Tokugawa graves (including those of O-Dai-no-Kata, Ieyasu’s mother, and Sen Hime, his granddaughter), this temple is famous for being the place where the SHINSENGUMI , the Shogunates “Hit Squad” was first organized. Yuten Shonin was made head priest here in 1704. The old Main Hall was burned down during World War II, so what you have now is this concrete structure.

MYO-GO : The Mantra “Namu Amida Butsu” written in six characters – this one by Yuten Shonin himself There are 4 different variations of his Myo-go on display at the exhibition.

Sho-seiji (証誠寺), in Konda, said to have been founded in 1394. One of only five Jodo Pre-Land Temples in Tsukuba (an area dominated by Shingon Esoteric Buddhist). The others are: Gedatsuji (解脱寺) in Oda (associated with the Zuhaku Shonin legend), Ho-denji (法伝寺) in Tanaka (originally a Ji-sect Temple established in 1285, converted to Jodo in 1941), Do-rinji (道林寺) in Yatabe (the family temple of the Hosokawa’s, the rulers of the Yatabe domain) and Gansho-ji (願照寺) in Oo (大).

The Gugyo-ji Temple in Mitsukaido (Joso City) one of Ibaraki Prefecture’s more venerable Jodo Sect temples (Sen Hime, Tokugawa Ieyasu’s granddaughter lived here!) is located just a short drive from Tsukuba

Honen’s image engraved on a monument at Gugyo-ji in Mitsukaido.

A poster announcing the 850th Anniversary of the founding of Jodo Shu (the Jodo Pure-Land Sect). I found this outside the Eiko-in Temple in Minami Senju, which sits on the old torture and execution grounds on the northern outskirts of Edo called Kotsukappara

A Jodo Sect temple that I recently visited is Jokanji, where the ashes of many of the women who worked in the Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarter are interred. One of the radical ideas that Honen introduced (and helped make him so successful was that he offered salvation to those who thought could never attain – prostitutes, for example, and fishermen… who were afrain that their spending their lives killing living creatures would doom them to hell. Honen assured them that chanting Nembutsu could save them.

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The exhibition is divided into four sections, the first being: Honen and His Time. It consists of 74 objects or groups of objects that right away set the tone for this celebration of the Jodo Sect and its treasures. There are portraits of the Tendai monk Genshin (the all important influence on Honen) and his writings, copies of the 3 sutras that Honen felt defined the essence of his creed (that one could only be saved by faith in Amida), paintings depicting the Pure-Land Paradise… and Hell, portraits of Honen (in painting and sculpture) and pictures-scrolls depicting his life. There are also paintings of the “Five Patriarchs” or “Honen and (the Chinese monk) Zendo”.

In this way the show was enlightening (for me) right from the start. Like many, I thought that Honen was totally original in his ideas. I didn’t know about Genshin or Zendo and their influence on him. Let me quote the standard Japanese High School textbook “spiel” about Honen:

“Kamakura Buddhism”

“As for the Buddhist tradition, the Kamakura Period witnessed a general shift from the practices that centered on Buddhist prayer-rites and scholastic learning to a stronger emphasis on inner-cultivation, and a concern with a wider range of people, including commoners”.

“Honen (1133-1212) was the first person whose teachings represented this shift. having studied the Tendai doctrine, he developed a deep faith in the vows of the Buddha Amida, and around the time of the Genpei war he preached the teaching of Nembutsu, the exclusive practice of the recitation of Amida Buddha’s name. Honen emphasized tha through the practice of Nembutsu, all people would be reborn in the Pure Land of Bliss. Eventually he came to be revered as the founder of the Jodo Sect. His teacings received wide support from courtiers such as Kujo Kanezane, as well as from many warriors and commoners.However, he was also intensely criticized by the Buddhist establishment, leading to his exile to Tosa Province and the presecution of his disciples”

It is this simple explanation that most Japanese remember (if anything at all) about Honen, if his name is mentioned. And the first section of the exhibition is eye-opening in that it presents Genshin and the great Chinese Amidists as precursors of the Jodo Sect – though it ignores Kuya, as well as the Indian “patriarchs” honored by Shinran’s Jodo Shin Sect.

The second section: the World of Amida Buddha is a deep dive into the Jodo Sects dstinctive iconography which focuses mostly on images of Amida (and Amida triads – see above) – despite the fact that Honen insisted that visualization was NOT necessary for proper worship. apparently his followers – and future devotees of the Jodo Sect – felt otherwise. Several outstanding images are shown here, especially paintings of the Raigo – Amida and his retinue coming to greet devotees at the moment of death before taking them off to the Pure-Land. There is one hanging scroll in this section depicting the six characters reading NAMU AMIDA BUTSU which (I later learned) was what Shinran’s Jodo Shin Sect uses as its main object of worship instead of the Amida images which are the main objects of worship at Jodo Sect Temples.

The next section Honen’s Disciples and their Lineages was what I found to be most unsettling about the exhibition. There are works from some of the great Jodo temples (especially the Taima-dera temple in Nara) and portraits of and writings by the most prominent Jodo Sect Priests who came after Honen – Master Shoku, Rensho, Master Joon, Master Ryochu, Master Shogei, etc., noe of whom I had heard of before… but there was no mention of the othe great Japanese Pure-Land Buddhists… the ones so many Japanese and foreign students of Japanese history and culture and familiar with. Let me quote the high school history text-book again:

“Shinran (1173-1262) was one of Honen’s disciples and was exiled to Echigo Province. However, he eventually made his way to Hitachi Province in Eastern Japan where he further developed Honen’s teachings. Shinran advocated the doctrine of AKUNIN SHOKI which taught that it was people who incurred great sin were the most appropriate recipients of Amida’s saving grace. This teaching spread among the farmers and the provincial warriors, eventually leading to the establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Sect”

“From the same strand of Pure-Land teachings, a figure who appeared some years later was Ippen (1239-89). he did not make distinctions among people, regardless of their karma or faith and instead taught a form of Nembutsu tha tpromised salvation for all. he freely distributed fuda papers and reached out to commoners throughout Japan using ODORI NEMBUTSU (Dancing Nembutsu) His teachings came to be known as the Jishu sEct and was widely accepted by warriors and commoners out in the provinces.”

And since I was very familiar with these and similar sentences on Japanese history I was disappointed to see no reference at all to these great priests – and I realized that I had to see the show for what it was (despite being held at the National Museum) – a celebration of the Jodo Sect (and not its rivals) on the occasion of its 850th anniversary.

The 4th and last section: The Pure Land Sect in the Edo Period proved to be the most stimualting part of this exhibition for me – and it has led me to go on several expeditions to Tokyo and various locations in Ibaraki Prefecture in the couple of weeks since I visited the museum – and I will continue my explorations. I am embarrassed to admit it , by I did not know that the Tokugawa’s were so dedicated to the Jodo Sect (living in Tsukuba, I was only familiar with their devotion to the Tendai and Shingon esoteric sects, as exemplified by their devotion to the once great temples located on Mt. Tsukuba (Chuzin ji) and what is now Ueno Park (Kan’ei Ji).

What I found most exciting though was the great Edo Period priest Yuten Shonin, once famous throughout the land for his feats of exorcism (especially the one performed at the Ho-zo-in temple in what is now Joso City ( a 30 minute drive from Tsukuba Center) and being the head priest of some of Edo’s most important temples : Zojoji and Dentsuin. There is even a station named after him in Tokyo. I had never heard of him before. so that was exciting…

but now let me get to the important question that puzzled me while at the show

What are the Differences Between the Jodo and Jodo Shin Sects?

The question really struck me because I had been to an anniversary exhibition on Shinran which basically said the same general things about his theology that the current exhibition uses to describe Honen’s: That salvation was available to anyone – through faith in Amida and chanting NEMBUTSU.

So what are the differences?

Well, there are many… but let me give you the three most important.

1. The main object of worship at Jodo temples is the Buddha Amida – at Jodo Shin temples it is the mantra NAMU AMIDA BUTSU itself.
2. Honen insisted that the Nembutsu be vocalized and that it should be repeated as many times as possible, but for Shinran, it was what was in your heart that mattered. If you had faith, chanting Nembutsu only once would be enough.
3. And last but perhaps the biggest break back in the Kamakura Period was Shinran’s attitude about the priesthood. He married and lived a life preaching among the people – while Honen insisted on keeping priestly rules (kairitsu) for his clergy

To be continued….