An Illustrated Biography of Shinran, Honganji's Shonin
(Honganji Shonin Shinran Denne)
Compiled by Kakunyo
Introduction, translation and notes
by Zuio H. Inagaki
Go to Index to Shinran denne;Sukhavati-Index; General Index
1
Shonin's family comes from the Fujiwara clan.(1) He was the son of Arinori,(2) the third ranking official at the Empress
Dowager's office, and a sixth generation
descendant of Lord Arikuni, the Police and
Judicial undersecretary. Arikuni was a sixth
generation descendant of Lord Uchimaro(3) of the second grade of the first court rank
[General of the Imperial Guards, Vice-Minister
(posthumously, Chief Minister), who was called
Minister Gonagaoka and also Minister Kan'in
and was the son of Matate,4] head of the Ceremonial Office, the chief
state counselor, and was the grandson of
Lord Fusazaki,(5) Prime Minister (posthumously, granted the
first grade of the first court rank)]. Uchimaro
was the great-grandson of the Privy Minister
Kamako,6) Holder of the Grand Crown. Kamako was the
twenty-first generation descendant of the
August One Amatsu-koyane.(7)
Considering Shonin's distinguished birth,
there may have been high expectations for
him to serve the Imperial Court until old
age or enjoy fame and prosperity at the Ex-emperor's
Office. However, his emphatic desire to promote
Buddhism and benefit living beings led to
his ordination at the age of nine. Accompanied
by his uncle and foster father, Lord Aritsuna(8) [of the second grade of the third court
rank (then the second grade of the fourth
court rank), who was formerly the feudal
lord of Wakasa Province and a close retainer
of the Ex-emperor Goshirakawa], Shonin visited
the residence(9) of the former great archbishop [Master Jien,(10) also known as Jichin, who was the son of
Lord Hosshoji(11) and the younger brother of Lord Tsukinowa].(12) At this temple, Shonin had his head
shaved and was given the Buddhist name Hannen,
with the title 'minor state counselor.'
Henceforth, Shonin delved into the profound
teaching of Master Nan-yueh(13) and Master T'ien-t'ai,(14) and reached the truth of Buddha-vehicle
through the triple contemplation.(15) He also studied the tradition of Master
Genshin(16) [who dwelled at Shuryogon-in in Yokawa Precinct],
and became thoroughly acquainted with the
doctrine of perfect fusion embracing the
four distinct teachings.(17)
Notes:
1. Shinran's genealogy presented here may
be summarized as follows:
Amatsu Koyane - (20 generations) - Fujiwahara
no Kamatari - (4 generations) - Uchimaro
[grandson of Fusazaki] - (5 generations)
- Arikuni - (4 generations) - Hino Arinori
- Shinran.
In the earlier text, Shinran's genealogy
was much simpler.
2. Hino Arinori: Dates unknown; the father
of Shinran and his four younger brothers.
He is said to have died when Shinran was
four years old, but it is more likely that
after he retired from his post at the Empress
Dowager's office, he lived in seclusion until
an older age.
3. Fujiwara no Uchimaro: 756-812; a grandson
of Fusazaki and a son of Matate; ever since
he was appointed Vice-Minister in 806,
he held an important government position.
4. Fujiwara no Matate: 715-766; he was granted
the first grade of the third court rank in
764, and appointed chief state counselor
in 766. Eight of his poems are found in the
Man'yoshu (A Collection of Ten Thousand Poems).
5. Fujiwara no Fusazaki: 681-737; a grandson
of Kamatari; the founder of the northern
family of the Fujiwara clan. Appointed Inspector
General, he traveled about the whole country;
later he assumed the helm of military power
of the state as General of Imperial Guards.
6. Fujiwara no Kamako (Kamatari): 614-669;
the grand ancestor of the Fujiwara clan.
He sided with Prince Naka no Ohe, who later
became Emperor Tenchi (624-671), to kill
Soga no Iruka ( -645), and successfully carried
out the Taika Renovation, thereby centralizing
the government so that it had the imperial
household as its center. In 669, he was given
the title 'Holder of the Grand Crown' (taishokkan).
7. Amatsu Koyane: The ancestral kami of the Fujiwara clan. When Amaterasu, the
Sun Goddess, hid herself in a cave behind
a huge rock, he played music to appease her
mind. At the time of the descent from heaven
of August One Ninigi, he followed him. His
descendants were successively in charge of
ritual affairs at the imperial court.
8. Noritsuna: Hino Noritsuna; a court official
attending Ex-emperor Goshirakawa; the elder
brother of Shinran's father who became his
foster father after his father left him when
he was very young. When, in 1177, the anti-Heike
faction led by close attendants of Ex-Emperor
Goshirakawa plotted to overthrow the Heike
power but failed in their attempt, the leaders
were either executed or exiled. At that time,
Noritsuna was tortured on suspicion of his
part in the plot, and was exiled to Harima
Province (present-day Hyogo Prefecture).
When Ex-Emperor Goshirakawa died in 1192,
he renounced the world to become a Buddhist
recluse. He reputedly accompanied Shinran
to the Shoren-in when Shinran was 9 years
old.
9. Jien's residence is now known as
Shoren-in; in those days Shoren-in was on
Mt. Hiei, and Jien was living in his residence,
called Shirakawa-bo, which was near where
Shoren-in now is.
10. Jien: 1155-1225; also Jichin; a younger
brother of Kujo Kanezane; while serving as
the abbot of Shoren-in, he was in charge
of Hosshoji and Mudoji; he was appointed
zasu (head priest) of the Tendai school as many
as four times. He acted as the precept master
when Shinran was ordained. Reputed to be
the author of theGukansho (A Foolish Man's Narrow View)(1220), 7 fascicles, a book describing the
history of Japan from the viewpoint of mappo (age of the decadent Dharma).
11. Lord Hosshoji: The popular name of Fujiwara
Tadamichi, 1097-1164
12. Lord Tsukinowa: Kujo Kanezane, 1149-1207;
the third son of Fujiwara Tadamichi and the
founder of the Kujo family. Under the patronage
of Minamoto Yoritomo, he became Regent in
1186 and Chancellor in 1186. He was a patron
of Honen; at his suggestion, Honen wrote
the Senjakushu. His diaries during the period 1164-1200
were compiled into theGyokuyo (Leaves of Gem), 66 fascicles; it is a rich source of information
about the political situation and court ceremonies
of the late Heian and the Kamakura period.
13. Nan-yueh: Refers to Hui-ssu, 515-577,
the second patriarch of the Chinese Tendai
school. Because he lived on Mt. Nan-yueh,
he was popularly called 'Master Nan-yueh.'
14. T'ien-t'ai: Refers to Chih-i, 538-597,
the third patriarch of the Chinese Tendai
school; he laid a firm doctrinal foundation
by writing many works, including Meanings of the Lotus Sutra, Essentials of
the Lotus Sutra, and Mahayana Method of Cessation
and Contemplation. He is commonly regarded as the founder
of the Tendai school.
15. The Tendai method of contemplation on
the triple truth: contemplation on voidness
of all existence, contemplation on the temporariness
of all existence, and contemplation on the
truth of the middle.
16. Genshin: The sixth of the seven patriarchs
of Jodo Shinshu, 942-1017; a great Tendai
master and exponent of Pure Land thought;
popularly called 'Master Eshin' because he
lived in the Eshin-in at Yokawa on Mt. Hiei.
His Ojoyoshu (A Collection of Essential Passages Concerning
Birth in the Pure Land) was a great epoch-making work discussing
fully the Pure Land teaching by quoting more
than 160 sutras and discourses. This work
won him great renown not only in Japan but
also in China.
17. In the Tendai doctrine, two kinds of
four teachings are distinguished. First,
the four teachings distinguished according
to different methods of presentation: 1.
the teaching for abrupt enlightenment, 2.
the teaching for gradual enlightenment, 3.
the teaching for different understandings
which the pupils attain without their knowledge,
and 4. the teaching for different understandings
which the pupils attain while fully aware
of this. Second, the four distinct teachings
which the Buddha expounded: 1. the Hinayana
teaching, 2. the teaching applicable to both
Hinayanists and Mahayanists, 3. the Mahayana
teaching, and 4. the ultimate and perfect
teaching. All the teachings of the Buddha
distinguished as above are perfectly fused
in the Lotus Sutra.
Section 1 At the gate of Shoren-in
On the 15th day of the 3rd month of the 1st
year of Yowa (1181), Matsuwakamaro (Shinran's
child name), aged 9, accompanied by his uncle,
Lord Hino Arinori, came to Shoren-in in order
to receive ordination from the Abbot Jien.
1. The ox-cart in which Matsuwakamaro came
to Shorenin and the attendant who was overcome
with sadness to part with him.
2. The ox-driver and the ox that drew the
cart.
3. The temple warrior who brought the message
of Matsuwakamaro's ordination.
4. The horse for the temple warrior.
5. His attendants waiting inside and outside
the gate.
6. A cherry tree outside the gate.
Section 2 Shoren-in
<Left> The drawing room of Shoren-in.
1. The Abbot Jien, aged 27.
2. Matsuwakamaro received in audience by
the Abbot.
3. Lord Noritsuna.
4. An attendant monk.
5. A novice in charge of meals, etc.
<Right> The Buddha hall of Shoren-in.
1. The Abbot Jien conferring ordination to
Matsuwakamaro.
2. Matsuwakamaro.
3. Lord Noritsuna.
4. Gonchi-bo Shohan shaved Matsuwakamaro's
head.
5. Monks holding lamps.
6. An attendant monk.
7. A novice.
2
In the spring of the first year of Kennin
(1201), when Shonin was twenty-nine
years of age, the desire for renunciation
of the ephemeral world drew him to Master
Genku(1) at his hermitage in Yoshimizu.(2) Since in the latter days people's spiritual capacities
had become inferior and the narrow streets
of Difficult Practices too confusing for
them, he had been seeking the Great Path
of Easy Practice.(3) As Master Genku, the great patriarch who
promulgated the True Teaching, explained
to him the intrinsic depth of the teaching
and the breadth of the doctrinal principle,
he instantly realized the essential way of
salvation by the Other-Power and attained
True Mind which is the direct path to the
Pure Land - the path which accommodates ordinary
people.
_
Notes:
1. Genku: Refers to Honen-bo Genku (1133-1212);
the founder of the Jodo school, Shinran's
teacher, and the author of the Senjakushu (A Collection of Passages Concerning
the Nembutsu of the Best-Selected Primal
Vow).
2. Yoshimizu is on the eastern side of Kyoto,
in the area where Maruyama Park is now. In
An'yoji temple, located to the east of Maruyama
Park, is the place believed to be where Honen's
hermitage was; wooden statues of Honen and
Shinran are enshrined beside the main object
of worship.
3. The Great Path of Easy Practice: The Nembutsu
practice based on the Other-Power.
Section 3 Shinran's visit to Honen at his hermitage
in Yoshimizu.
1. Shinran entering the hermitage at Yoshimizu.
2. Honen, aged 69.
3. The cart used by Shonin.
4. Gonchi-bo Shohan who was sent by the Abbot
Jien to escort Shonin.
5. Shozen-bo, an attendant of Shonin (when
he was on Mt. Hiei; he left the mountain
with Shonin).
6. Jokan-bo, aged 45, who left the mountain
with Shonin and became Honen's disciple,
named Saibutsu-bo.
7. An attendant monk.
8. A novice.
9. Zenne-bo Shoku or Seikan-bo Genchi.
3
On the fifth day of the fourth month in the
third year of Kennin (1203), the year of
metal/cock,(1) Shonin had a vision at night in the
hour of the tiger.(2) According to records,(3) the World-saving Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshvara,
of the Rokkakudo(4) manifested himself in the form of a holy
monk of dignified appearance, wearing a white
robe and sitting in a proper posture on the
pedestal of a huge lotus flower. He said
to Zenshin,(5)
"If you, practicer, are obliged to have
sexual contact with a woman through some
past karma,
I will transform myself into a beautiful
woman and become your partner.
I will adorn you with virtues throughout
your life,
And at your death I will guide you to the Land of Utmost Bliss."
The World-saving Bodhisattva added, "This
is my vow. Zenshin, proclaim the main point
of my vow to all the multitudes of beings."
At that time, while still in a dream state,
Zenshin looked eastward from inside the hall,
and saw a lofty mountain, on which thousands
of millions of people were assembled. He
proclaimed to them the essential point of
the message as related in the vision. When
he thought he had finished this, he awoke.
As I read this record and think about the
vision he had in a dream, I see that this
is an auspicious sign foretelling the growth
of Shinshu and an indication of the Nembutsu
spreading further. In this connection, Shonin
later remarked, "Buddhism arose in the
Western Land (i.e., India) and its scriptures
have been transmitted to the Eastern Land
(i.e., Japan). This is due solely to the
great virtue of the Prince of the Jogu Palace,(6) which is higher than a mountain and deeper
than the ocean. These scriptures were brought
here during the reign of the Emperor Kinmei
of our imperial dynasty,(7) and the authentic sutras and discourses
of Pure Land Buddhism were transmitted at
that time. If the Imperial Heir (i.e., Shotoku)
had not bestowed great benevolence upon us,
how could we, ordinary, ignorant people,
ever meet the Primal Vow? As the World-saving
Bodhisattva is the original state of the
Imperial Heir, he manifested his original
august body to reveal his vow of incarnating
himself in human form and spreading the Dharma.
If the Great Master (Honen) had not been
banished,(8) how could I ever have had a chance to go
to a place of exile? If I had not been sent
to the place of exile,(9) how could I have converted multitudes of
people living in the remote countryside?
I am indebted to the Master's benevolence
for this, too. The Great Master was an incarnation
of Mahasthamaprapta, and the Prince was a
manifestation of Avalokiteshvara. Through
the guidance of these two bodhisattvas, I
am now transmitting the Tathagata's Primal
Vow. Thus Shinshu is growing, and the Nembutsu
teaching is spreading. I have, however, simply
followed the instructions of the holy ones,
not my own foolish notions. The weighty vows
of these two bodhisattvas are to recommend
single-hearted recitation of the name of
one Buddha. Practicers today should not mistakenly
take refuge in the attendant bodhisattvas.
They should go straight to the primal Buddha
(i.e., Amida) for refuge."
Accordingly, Shinran Shonin worships the
Imperial Prince at the side of the Buddha.
He does so in order to acknowledge his indebtedness
to the Prince for spreading the Buddha Dharma.
Notes:
1. The Third year of Kennin should be corrected
to the first year of Kennin (1201) when Shinran
was 29. The year of metal/cock(kanoto-no-tori ) corresponds to the first year of Kennin,
2. The hour of the tiger corresponds to 4
o'clock in the morning.
3. The record here may refer to Shinran muki (A Record of Shinran's Dream) preserved at Senjuji temple of the Takada
school.
4. In Rokkakudo temple, originally built
by Prince Shotoku, a statue of Avalokiteshvara
Bodhisattva is enshrined.
5. Zenshin: The name Shinran used after he
became Honen's disciple.
6. The Prince of Jogu Palace: Refers to Prince
Shotoku, 574-621 or 622. He made an alliance
with Minister Soga Umako to eliminate the
anti-Buddhist minister Mononobe Moriya, thereby
establishing Buddhism on a firm basis. He
became the Prince Regent in 593, and assisted
his aunt, Empress Suiko. He promoted Buddhism
in various ways, such as writing commentaries
on three Mahayana sutras, sending students
to China, and founding many temples, including
the Shitennoji, Horyuji, Chuguji and Rokkakudo.
7. Buddhism was first brought to Japan from
Korea during the reign of Emperor Kinmei;
according to tradition, the year of transmission
was 552 A.D., but it should be corrected
to 538.
8. When the Nembutsu teaching was persecuted,
two of Honen's disciples were executed and
Honen himself was banished to Shikoku in
1207.
9. Shinran was exiled to Kokubu in Echigo
Province (present-day Niigata Prefecture)
in 1207, where he married Eshin-ni (according
to other tradition, they were already married
in Kyoto); he was pardoned in 1211, but having
heard of the death of Honen, he stayed on
until 1214.
![](eden-4.jpg)
Section 4 Inspiration received from Kannon of the
Rokkakudo Temple.
In the first year of Kennin (1201), Shonin
received an inspiration from Avalokiteshvara of
the Rokkakudo Temple. According to his instruction,
Shonin proclaimed Avalokiteshvara's message
to the multitude of men and women who gathered
in Higashiyama.
1. One of the three people resting in the
hall is Shonin, who was attempting a 100-day
confinement.
2. Shonin worshiped Avalokiteshvara
with his palms joined together.
3. White-robed World-Saving Avalokiteshvara seated
on a white lotus seat.
4. Shonin proclaimed Avalokiteshvara's message
to the multitude.
5. The multitude of people who gathered in
Higashiyama.
4
On the ninth day of the second month in the
eighth year of Kencho (1256),(1) at night at the hour of the tiger,(2) Shaku Ren'I(3) had a vision in a dream: Prince Shotoku bowed
in worship to Shinran Shonin and said in
verse,
"Adoration to Amida Buddha of Great
Compassion!
You have appeared in this world (as Shinran
Shonin) to spread the excellent teaching;
You lead people of the evil world in the
evil period of the five defilements(4)
To definitely attain the supreme enlightenment."
Hence, it is clear that Shonin, the Patriarchal
Master, was an incarnation of Amida Tathagata.
Notes:
1. At that time, Shinran was 84.
2. About 4 o'clock in the morning.
3. Ren'i-bo was a native of Hitachi Province
(present-day Ibaragi Prefecture); he came
to Kyoto and lived with Shinran, attending
him in his last years.
4. The five defilements: The defilements
that mark the degeneration of living beings
and their environment; they become intense
in the period of Decadent Dharma. They are:
1. defilement of the age, in which famines,
plagues and wars abound, 2. defilement of
views, 3. defilement by evil passions, 4.
degeneration of people both physically and
mentally, and 5. the shortening of man's
lifespan.
Section 5 Ren'i's dream.
In the eighth year of Kencho (1256),
Ren'i-bo, who constantly attended Shonin,
had a dream in the hermitage at Nishinotoin,
Gojo, Kyoto that Prince Shotoku worshiped
Shonin as Amida's incarnation.
1. Shonin in a black robe, aged 84.
2. Prince Shotoku worshiped Shonin with his
palms joined together.
3. Ren'i-bo was lying in bed dreaming.
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