Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin [Paperback]

Jonathan Watts (Editor), Yoshiharu Tomatsu (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

In establishing his own Pure Land Buddhist community in 1175, Honen (1133-1212) initiated the great Japanese Kamakura Buddhist reformation in which the great teachers Shinran, Dogen and Nichiren subsequently followed. Drawn from "The Forty-Eight Fascicle Biography of Honen Shonin" written around 1313, this volume chronicles the lives of the many different kinds of people whom Honen taught to find release from suffering and Birth (ojo) in the Pure Land "just as you are". Significant new editions of Honen’s own words clarify the various interpretations that his followers took of his teachings. Also, numerous, short information boxes offer background into the history and teachings of Pure Land Buddhism. Reprinted drawings from "The Forty-Eight Fascicle Biography of Honen Shonin", a designated National Treasure of Japan, are interspersed within the text to dramatize Honen’s life. A special full color section of these 31 reprints is included at the end of the volume.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Editing a voluminous, traditional biography, the authors have combined modern insight with traditional narrative. This volume is a welcome addition. -- Alfred Bloom, Professor Emeritus, University of Hawaii

About the Author

Jonathan Watts and Yoshiharu Tomatsu are Research Fellows at the Jodo Shu Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan. Their previous work includes editing "A Raft from the Other Shore" by Sho-on Hattori (Jodo Shu Press, 2000) and "Honen's Senchakushu" (University of Hawaii Press, 1998).

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Jodo Shu Press (August 2005)
• ISBN-10: 488363342X
• ISBN-13: 978-4883633425
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,137,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction, October 24, 2005

By 

J. Paraskevopoulos (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book which presents the teachings of Honen, his disciples and successors with great clarity and feeling. The publication is of high quality and the use of beautiful colour plates adds to the aesthetic appeal of this important work. This is arguably the best single introduction, in English, to the Jodo school of Mahayana Buddhism and is heartily recommended to anyone who, not only wishes to understand the teachings of this school, but wants to gain a deeper insight into the religious experiences of Honen and his contemporary followers. This work includes a number of moving accounts of the profound spiritual awakening experienced by many Jodo seekers who came under the influence of Honen's powerful, charismatic yet humble personality. One is impressed by how this lively work manages to be both doctrinally illuminating and emotionally engaging. Watts and Tomatsu are to be congratulated on their fine efforts in producing such a handsome and compelling volume.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, July 2, 2008

By 

Thomas De Mann (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Honen Shonin (Paperback)

I am a Pure Land Buddhist and would recommend this book to anyone. It really won me over to the teachings of Honen. I have been a Shin Buddhist and now think that Honen's teachings are better than Shinran's. I am comfotable with saying this is a MUST read for a Pure Land Buddhist.