Demythologizing Pure Land Buddhism: Yasuda Rijin and the Shin Buddhist Tradition

201 Pages·2016·7.767 MB·English

by  Paul B. Watt

Demythologizing Pure Land Buddhism
Pure Land Buddhist Studies
a publication of the Institute of Buddhist Studies
at the Gr•aduate Theological Union
EDITORIAL BOARD
Richard K. Payne
Chair, Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union
Carl Bielefeldt
Stanford University
Harry Gyokyo Bridge
Buddhist Church of Oakland
James Dobbins
Oberlin College
Jérôme Ducor
Université de Lausanne, Switzerland
Paul Harrison
Stanford University
Anne Klein
Rice University
David Matsumoto
Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union
Scott Mitchell
Institute of Buddhist Studies at the Graduate Theological Union
Eisho Nasu
Ryukoku University, Japan
Jonathan A. Silk
Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands
Kenneth K. Tanaka
Musashino University, Tokyo, Japan
Demythologizing Pure
Land Buddhism
Yasuda Rijin and the Shin Buddhist Tradition
Paul B. Watt
University of Hawai‘i Press / Honolulu
© 2016 Institute of Buddhist Studies
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
21 2 0 1 9 1 8 1 7 1 6 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Watt, Paul Brooks, author.
Demythologizing Pure Land Buddhism : Yasuda Rijin and the Shin Buddhist
tradition / Paul B. Watt.
pages cm— (Pure Land Buddhist studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8248-5632-8 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Shin (Sect)— Doctrines— History—20th century. 2. Yasuda, Rijin.
I. Yasuda, Rijin. Works. Eng lish. Selections. 2016. II. Title. III. Series: Pure
Land Buddhist studies.
BQ8718.4.W38 2016
294.3'926— dc23
2015019335
The Pure Land Buddhist Studies series publishes scholarly works on all aspects of
the Pure Land Buddhist tradition. Historically, this includes studies of the origins
of the tradition in India, its transmission into a variety of religious cultures, and
its continuity into the present. Methodologically, the series is committed to pro-
viding a venue for a diversity of approaches, including, but not limited to, anthro-
pological, so cio log i cal, historical, textual, biographical, philosophical, and inter-
pretive, as well as translations of primary and secondary works. The series will
also seek to reprint important works so that they may continue to be available to
the scholarly and lay communities. The series is made possible through the gen-
erosity of the Buddhist Churches of America’s Fraternal Benefit Association. We
wish to express our deep appreciation for its support to the Institute of Buddhist
Studies.
University of Hawai‘i Press books are printed on acid-f ree paper and meet the
guidelines for permanence and durability of the Council on Library Resources.
Contents
Series Editor’s Preface vii
Preface ix
A Word about the Translations xi
Part I. Introduction: Yasuda Rijin and the Shin
Buddhist Tradition
A Brief Biography 8
The Development of the Shin Buddhist Tradition 14
Yasuda’s Modern Pre de ces sors 25
Yasuda’s Restatement of Shin Buddhism 34
Part II. Translations
Writings from the Kōbō Years (1930–1933) 45
“A Name but Not a Name Alone” (1960) 58
“Humans as Bodhisattvas” (1962) 89
“The Homeland of Existence” (1964) 101
“Fundamental Vow, Fundamental Word” (1972) 114
Abbreviations 141
Notes 143
Bibliography 167
Index 173
v
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Series Editor’s Preface
In this work, Paul B. Watt introduces us to Yasuda Rijin (1900–1982), one
of the important Pure Land thinkers of twentieth- century Japan. Mod-
ern Shin thought is deeply informed by attempting to address concerns
arising simultaneously from the radical social and intellectual changes
created by the modernization of Japan while retaining a connection with
the Buddhist tradition. Yasuda was associated with the Ōtani branch, and
he drew on the creative works of Kaneko Daiei and Soga Ryōjin— today
considered pivotal thinkers in the development of modern Shin thought.
Watt provides a brief general background to Pure Land Buddhism before
introducing us to the personal history that contributed to the formation
of Yasuda’s thought. Although initially attracted to Zen, Yasuda came to
study at Ōtani University where other important figures, such as Nishida
Kitarō and D. T. Suzuki, were influential. Like many thinkers of his gen-
eration, Yasuda engaged modern Eu rop ean phi los o phers and theologians
in dialogue. Particularly important for him w ere Heidegger, Barth, and
Buber. Watt has included translations of several of Yasuda’s writings:
two from the prewar period, the others from the 1960s and 1970s.
Today in Western- language Buddhist studies, there is an increasing
attempt to undertake serious comparative and constructive work. Much
of these works draw on Indian and Tibetan thinkers, seeking to under-
stand them against the background of modern philosophy, psychology,
and cognitive science. It often seems that these works are undertaken
without awareness that Japa nese thinkers of both Pure Land and Zen
traditions were engaged in much the same kind of project a century ago.
This speaks to the way in which Pure Land Buddhism remains a terra
incognita for many contemporary Buddhist scholars, who still seem to
consider it philosophically and theologically unsophisticated. If contem-
porary thinkers attempting to bridge the streams of Buddhist and modern
Euro- American thought are willing to engage the unfamiliar conceptual
landscape of modern Japa nese religio- philosophic thought, they may in
fact find much that will be of use for their own projects. Watt’s work
here will do a great deal to dispel the misconception that Pure Land is
philosophically uninteresting.
vii
Series Editor’s Preface
We are happy to be able to add Demythologizing Pure Land Buddhism: Ya-
suda Rijin and the Shin Buddhist Tradition to the Pure Land Buddhist Stud-
ies Series. We would like to thank Paul B. Watt, the anonymous review-
ers, and the staff of the University of Hawai‘i Press— particularly Pat
Crosby, under whose guidance this work began its passage as a submis-
sion, and Stephanie Chun, under whose guidance it has reached the goal
of publication. Thanks also go to the Fraternal Benefit Association of the
Buddhist Churches of America, who wisely invested in the future and
created the endowment that supports this series of publications. The
members of the Pure Land Buddhist Studies Editorial Board also deserve
appreciation for their intellectual and academic support of the series.
Richard K. Payne
Series Editor
viii
Preface
This book is an introduction to the thought and writings of the modern
Shin Buddhist thinker Yasuda Rijin (1900–1982). Part I provides back-
ground information about Yasuda’s life, the Shin Buddhist tradition on
which he drew, and a short summary of major themes in his writings.
Part II, the longer and more significant section of the book, contains
annotated translations of a number of Yasuda’s lectures and writings
ranging from the 1930s to 1972. Yasuda was associated with the Higashi
Honganji or Ōtani branch of Shin Buddhism. He drew on the understand-
ing of Shin developed by his teachers at Ōtani University, Kaneko Daiei
(1881–1976) and Soga Ryōjin (1875–1971), to articulate an interpretation
of Shin Buddhism that, when first developed by his teachers was seen
as heretical, but today stands in the philosophical mainstream of Ōtani
Shin Buddhism.
Over the years that I have worked on this volume, I have benefited
from the support of many people and institutions. I could not have
completed it without the aid of Ōtani University colleagues who gave so
generously of their knowledge and time. This very long list includes Ya-
sutomi Shin’ya, Kaku Takeshi, and Robert F. Rhodes, in par tic u lar, but
also Higuchi Shōshin, Inoue Takami, Inui Fumio, Itō Eshin, Kigoshi Yasu-
shi, Kuroda Shinji, Minoura Akio, Miyamoto Hirotaka, Miyashita Seiki,
Ogawa Naohito, Ozawa Chiaki, Saito Ken, Tamura Akinori, Watanabe Hi-
romasa, Yamamoto Kazuhiko, and Michael Conway. Honda Hiroyuki,
who was a disciple of Yasuda’s and who is currently director of the Shin-
ran Buddhist Center in Tokyo, kindly responded to my many questions
and provided insights into Yasuda’s thought. From time to time, many
of the individuals that I have mentioned would gather at the Shin Bud-
dhist Comprehensive Research Institute at Ōtani for long sessions in
which the translations included here were critiqued. Scholars who were
translating the works of other modern Shin leaders also joined these
seminars. Mark L. Blum and the late Jan Van Bragt were among them,
and they provided much valuable advice. Outside Ōtani, J. S. A. Elisonas
and Ugo Dessi kindly read and commented on an earlier version of this
study. I am deeply grateful for the knowledge of Japan, Japa nese Bud-
dhism, and the Shin tradition that all of these people shared with me.
ix