2022 Ryukoku Lecture Series Preview
Abi-Jigoku meaning the hell of Abi. Two red demons stick burning hot tongs to the mouth of a person who arrived. Genshin described many images of hell at the beginning of his writing Ojoyoshu , to contrast with the Amida's land of bliss.
This March at the Institute of Buddhist Studies, Professor Bunei Takada will present Genshin’s Shin Buddhist text, Ōjō-yōshū (A Collection on the Essentials Concerning Birth).
Professor Bunei Takada is from the Department of Shin Buddhist Studies of Ryukoku University Graduate School. His research covers early Pure Land Buddhism contributions by Genshin, Hōnen, and Hōnen’s disciples, including Shinran. In the upcoming series of four lectures, Professor Takada will explain the intention of Genshin’s text in Ōjō-yōshū and how Shinran Shonin comprehended Genshin’s message in the context of Pure Land Buddhism.
Genshin. Hanging painting at Shōjūraigōji Temple
Master Genshin (942-1017) was one of the Seven Pure Land Masters selected by Shinran. Genshin was known as Eshin Sōzu on Mt. Hiei in Kyoto, Japan. He was born in Yamato (current Nara prefecture) during the reign of Emperor Murakami. His mother was a devout Buddhist and sent Genshin to Mt. Hiei after his father passed away.
Being exceptionally studious and intelligent, Genshin greatly impressed the emperor with a lecture on the Lotus Sutra, and he was appointed as a court lecturer when he was only 15 years old. Genshin sent the royal gift to his mother that was received as an honorarium from the emperor. However, his mother was not pleased. “I sent you to Mt. Hiei, wishing you will share the path of true enlightenment, not being flattered and looking for fame and return,” she said in “The Tale of Konjaku” (“Konjaku-monogatari”). “I thought you would become a bridge to connect ordinary people in this world and guide them to superior Nirvana.”
As Genshin reflected on his mother’s deep lament, he moved to the Yokawa area on Mt. Hiei where he zealously studied and practiced until he passed away. Genshin had maintained an outward appearance as a Tendai monk and scholar, and pursued the Nembutsu practice, which he thought was the sole path of religious liberation even before the last Dharma age arrived in Japan.
Two pages from the illustrated Ōjōyōshū (往生要集 – 1689) by Genshin (源信- 942-1017) from the Lyon Collection
Ōjō-yōshū” is one of his famous texts, explaining how ordinary people could easily reach the supreme Nirvana through getting a birth in Amida Buddha’s Pure Land. The text spans 10 chapters, starting with the vivid descriptions of various hells, which invites us to the Amida’s land of sukhavati. It is a complete contrast from the defiled samsara to the realm of peace and happiness.
Shinran Shōnin identified Genshin as the sixth Pure Land Master, and highly appreciated his contribution by praising him in the wasan, “My eyes being hindered by blind passions, I cannot perceive the light that grasps me; Yet the great compassion, without tiring, Illuminates me always.”
Please join us in what promises to be an interesting lecture series on Genshin’s “Ōjō-yōshū.” Professor Takada will speak in Japanese, and Rev. Dr. Mutsumi Wondra will provide English translation.
Namo Amida Butsu,
Rev. Dr. Mutsumi Wondra
What: IBS presents 2022 Ryukoku Lectures with Ryukoku University Professor Bunei Takada on “Ōjōyōshū — A Collection on the Essentials Concerning Birth” and Shinran Shonin
When: 7:30 p.m. on March 14, 15, 17 and 18 (PST)
Details: “Ōjōyōshū — A Collection on the Essentials Concerning Birth” is an important scripture in the Shin Buddhist studies. The author was Genshin, one of the Seven Pure Land Masters selected by Shinran. This four-part lecture series is about two points: the intention of “Ōjōyōshū,” and how Shinran understood the text.