Shinran Shōnin wo omou 親鸞聖人を思う (“Thinking about Shinran Shōnin”)

Shinran Shōnin wo omou (“Thinking about Shinran Shōnin”) is the text of a lecture in Japanese given by invitation at the head temple of the Jōdo Shinshū Ōtani-ha, the Higashi Honganji in Kyōto, on November 28th 2015. It was part of the program of the 2015 Hōonkō, the annual week-long pattern of events which celebrates the life of Shinran (1173-1262). The main lecture text has the following sections: 1) introduction: faith and shinjin; 2) the Tannishō and the tension with primal religion; 3) Shin Budddhist thought and the question of this-worldly benefits; 4) the transcendent quality of Amida Nyorai; 5) visiting places associated with Shinran Shōnin. An appendix consists of two short articles with related content entitled Shoshūkyō to shinshū no gendaisei 1-2 (“Religious diversity and the modernity of Shinshū” 1-2) which were written for the Ōsaka-based newsletter Minami Godō Shinbun 南御堂新聞 (2016).