Book Description
This digital document is an article from Pacific Affairs, published by University of British Columbia on June 22, 2000. The length of the article is 625 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture.(Review) (book review)
Author: David Moreton
Publication: Pacific Affairs (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2000
Publisher: University of British Columbia
Volume: 73Issue: 2Page: 297

Article Type: Book Review

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Product Description
Why do I need religion? Why choose the Shin Buddhist Path? This book seeks to answer these questions by drawing on the life experiences of Buddhist minister Henry A. Tanaka. ... Read more

Product Description
Shin buddhism is Japan's major religious contribution to the West. ... Read more

Book Description
Essays covering a wide range of subjects: spiritual symbolism, the afterlife, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Shin Buddhism from a sentimental perspective
The concept of "jinen" or "naturalness" is an important part of Shin Buddhism, and so I was expecting this book to cover this concept.Instead, this book was more of an introduction to Shin Buddhism, with the focus being the sentimental side to Shin Buddhism, not the analytical side.

There are plenty of books around that explain in theory how Shin Buddhism works, but not many explain what it all means to the average person, so I think this book fills a special niche.

The problem is in the writing.The book is somewhat dated, and its translations of some terms are equally dated.As with earlier Buddhist writings, this book tries to use Christian terminology rather than more establish modern Buddhist terms, so a new reader may get the wrong impression in thinking that Shin Buddhism is like Christianity for Buddhists.

Also, the author tends to use more literal interpretations of Shin concepts.The term Jodo Shinshu gets translated as "The True Teaching" which it really means "The True Pure Land Sect" in more modern translations.The author takes the Pure Land sutras at face value, which I am not all that comfortable with.Western interpretations tend to see them as symbolic, not literal.

One thing I really liked about this book is explaining the importance and meaning behind the Nembutsu.A lot of people misunderstand the purpose of the nembutsu and treat it like a mantra.

The other problem with this book is the flow.The book spends a lot of time covering what the Pure Land is like, which again is taken from a literal perspective, and lot of time praising Amida.Toward the end, it finally explains why this matters, but I felt that the praise was unnecessary (let the reader decide that) and detracted from the more important message at the end.

All in all, I think this book is a useful addition for the Shin Buddhist library, but I hope someone can edit this book, or at least add footnotes to explain some of the phrases chosen.This book is well-intentioned, and has some useful points, but I wouldn't call it the definitive book on Shin Buddhism.

Simplicity
This little volume by Kenryo Kanamatsu is informative and "transformative." It does not only describe the faith underlying Shin Buddhism, perhaps it will also open your heart to an awareness and acceptance of Shin's trust in creation's goodness. The book will lay before you that (often neglected) side of Buddhism that speaks to the heart's yearning to surrender to something great, to our natural impulse and need for devotion. There are more scholarly works on Shin Budhism. This book is more like the poetic expression of a man who has touched Heaven. It is beautiful and true, like the truth it seeks to convey, and it will call you to read its words again and again.

Short book, long read
Kanamatsu's work here isn't that big a volume, to be sure. But to just skim it would be wrong, since the depth of thought that this slim volume can provoke is very great.

In a sense, this is an introductory text to Jodo Shinshu, the True Pure Land School of Mahayana Buddhism. But at the same time, the author focusses this introduction through the critical Shin concept of 'naturalness'. As such, this is no easy concept to digest on a rational, Western level, especially for beginners who might encounter this book. But somehow, Kanamatsu actually manages to pull off an exegesis of this central precept in such a way that it IS accessible...provided one reads carefully and thoughtfully, as such a topic requires. Approached in mindfulness, this is one of those little books that has the potential to be a life-changer! I wouldn't say that this is the best place to start in ones' readings in Shin Buddhism...I would peg that as either Dr. Tanaka's "Ocean" or Dr. Unno's "River of Fire..."...but this is definitely one of the ones to pick up after the very first intro works. ... Read more

Book Description
In this volume, we catch glimpses of Buddhism in the Koryo period at its height. It was a time when the religion made significant contributions to the development of Korean culture. Art and literature flourished under the support of the central government. Monasteries of great beauty were constructed, and the monastic community was productive in philosophical discourse. Korea was one of the great centers of Buddhist life in East Asia and this gave it prestige and recognitionby surrounding states. Koryo Buddhism was in many ways a royal religion. ... Read more