Hōnen
Hōnen, also known as Genkū, was the founding figure of the Jōdo-shū, the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism.
Hōnen became a Tendai initiate at an early age, but grew disaffected and sought an approach to Buddhism that all people of all classes and genders could follow, even during the current Age of Dharma Decline. After reading Shandao's Commentary on the Amitāyus Contemplation Sūtra, Hōnen devoted himself to attaining birth in the pure land of Amitābha Buddha through the practice of "recitation of the Buddha's name" and to spreading this teaching among all people.
Hōnen gathered a wide array of followers and attracted numerous critics. He taught them all the simple practice of reciting "Namo Amida Butsu" while entrusting oneself to Amida's universal vow power. Hōnen's Pure Land teaching was very popular among laypersons, and was a major influence on the Buddhism of the Kamakura period. He was the first Japanese author to have his writings in Chinese and Japanese printed in the history of Japanese Buddhism.
After receiving many criticisms of Hōnen from various rival traditions and following an incident at court, Emperor Tsuchimikado exiled Hōnen and his followers in 1207. Hōnen was eventually pardoned and allowed to return to Kyoto, where he stayed for a short time before his death. Hōnen was a teacher to Shinran, the founder of Jōdo Shinshū, the other major Japanese Pure Land tradition. As such, he is also considered the Seventh Patriarch in the Shinshū tradition.
Biography
Early life
Hōnen was born to a prominent family in the city of Kume in Okayama, Mimasaka Province. His father was Uruma no Tokikuni, a province official who headed up policing in the area. According to legend, his mother is a descendant of the Hata clan. Hōnen was originally named Seishimaru after the bodhisattva Seishi. In 1141 Hōnen's father was assassinated by Sada-akira, an official sent by Emperor Horikawa to govern the province. It is believed that Tokikuni's last words to his son were "Don't hate the enemy but become a monk and pray for me and for your deliverance."Fulfilling his father's wishes, Hōnen was initiated into his uncle's monastery at the age of nine. From then on, Hōnen lived his life as a monk, and at thirteen, ordained to study at the primary Tendai temple in Mount Hiei near Kyoto. Clerics at Mt. Hiei took the bodhisattva vows and then undertook 12 years of training, a system developed by the Tendai founder, Saichō. While at Mt. Hiei, Hōnen studied under Genkō, Kōen and later, with Eikū. Under Kōen he was officially ordained as a Tendai priest, while under Eikū he received the name Hōnen-bō Genkū. In speaking of himself, Hōnen often referred to himself as Genkū, as did his close disciples.
Departure from Mount Hiei
In 1150, Hōnen left Mt. Hiei for the more peaceful temple of Kurodani, seeking to live in seclusion. Hōnen eventually grew dissatisfied with the teachings at Mt. Hiei. At the age of 24, Hōnen then went to study at the city of Saga, then Nara, and stayed at such temples at Kōfuku-ji and Tōdai-ji. Still not satisfied, he returned to the libraries of Mt. Hiei and studied further. During this time, Hōnen was deeply affected by the contrast between the suffering of the common people and the lives of elite Buddhist monks and their ornate temples. He began to seek a path that would allow all people to liberation, not just the elites and the monks.During this period, Hōnen is said to have studied the Chinese Buddhist canon five times. He was deeply impressed when, at the age of forty three, he read the Commentary on the Meditation Sutra by the Chinese Pure Land master Shandao. He was particularly struck by the following passage:
To recite intently and single-mindedly the name of Buddha Amitabha while walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, without regard for the length of time; to engage without cessation in the recitation of nembutsu for life: This is called the rightly established practice because it is in accordance with the essential vow of Buddha Amitabha.This commentary persuaded Hōnen to believe that the nembutsu, was all one needed to enter Amitābha's Pure Land and attain Buddhahood. Previously, nianfo was recited along with other practices, but Shandao was the first to propose that only nianfo was necessary. This new appreciation and understanding prompted Hōnen to leave Mt. Hiei in 1175 and to focus on the single-minded practice of nembutsu.
A rising figure in the capital
Hōnen relocated to the district of Ōtani in Kyoto, where he began to teach the simple recitation of the nembutsu to crowds of laymen and women, establishing a considerable following. Hōnen taught that through this simple practice, all people could attain Buddhahood in the Pure Land. One did not need to become a monk or meditate intensively, just say the name of the Buddha with faith.During this time, the conflict between the Minamoto and the Taira clans plunged the nation into chaos. Many people flocked to the capital seeking refuge and Hōnen's teaching of universal salvation through the nembutsu became very appealing. During this time, he also traveled around the Kansai region, and he likely also encountered various nembutsu hijiri who may have influenced his thought.
Hōnen's teaching attracted all sorts of people, from samurai like Kumagai Naozane, to merchants, prostitutes, robbers, and other elements of society normally excluded from Buddhist practice. Hōnen was a man of recognition in Kyoto, and many priests and nobleman allied with him and visited him for spiritual advice. The increasing popularity of his teachings drew criticism from noted contemporaries as Chikai, Myōe and Jōkei among others, who argued against Hōnen's sole reliance on nembutsu as a means of rebirth in a Pure Land. This led to a public debate in 1186 between Hōnen and some monks representing other schools. Hōnen's popularity rose after this debate and he gained more followers.
file:Honen shonin eden - Ohana debate 01.JPG|thumb|Preparations for the Ohara debate
file:Honen shonin eden - Honen meet Kujo Kanezane.jpg|thumb|Hōnen meets Kujo Kanezane.
In 1190, Hōnen was granted the great honor of being invited to give a series of lectures on the Pure Land sutras at the national temple of Tōdai-ji in Nara. After these lectures, he became even more popular, giving further lectures in Kyoto, including public talks which drew large crowds. He was also invited to give lectures at the court of the imperial regent Kujō Kanezane, who then became a follower of Hōnen. At the behest of Kanezane, Hōnen reworked his lectures into his magnum opus, the Senchakushū, which outlines his main teachings.
As Hōnen's teaching became popular and spread throughout the nation, some individuals began to interpret his teachings in more radical and unexpected ways, including forms of antinomianism and criticisms of other traditions. In 1204, the Tendai monks at Mount Hiei implored the head priest of Tendai to ban the teachings of exclusive nembutsu and to banish any adherents from their principality.
In 1205 the temple of Kōfuku-ji, located in Nara, implored Emperor Go-Toba to sanction Hōnen and his followers. The temple provided the Emperor with nine charges alleging unappeasable differences with the so-called eight schools. Hōnen's detractors cited examples of his followers, such as Gyoku and Kōsai, who supposedly committed vandalism against Buddhist temples, intentionally broke the Buddhist precepts, or caused others to intentionally turn away from established Buddhist teachings.
Richard Bowring condenses these charges into two general forms. First is the nature of a single practice. Hōnen's emphasis on the single practice of nembutsu denied the usefulness of all other Buddhist practices. The sole emphasis on Amitābha was also coupled with discouraging the traditional worship of the kami. The second charge was that Hōnen placed the most lowly layperson on equal footing with the wisest monk, rendering the entire monastic establishment as useless.
In response, Hōnen and his followers agreed to sign the, which called for restraint in moral conduct and in interactions with other Buddhist sects, promising not to criticize or insult the teachings of other sects.
Exile and the final years
The clamour surrounding Hōnen's teachings dissipated for a time until 1207, though the monks of other sects continued to critique his teaching. In this year, regent Kanezane died, and then Emperor Go-Toba implemented a ban against exclusive nembutsu. This ban was sparked by an incident where two of Hōnen's most prominent followers held a nembutsu retreat which was attended by various figures, including two court ladies. Hōnen's disciples were accused of using nembutsu practice as a coverup for sexual liaisons. As part of the ban, Hōnen and some of his disciples, including Benchoō and Shinran, were exiled to Shikoku, while four disciples were executed. This is known as the Jogen Persecution of 1207. Hōnen is said to have responded:While Hōnen and some key disciples were exiled to Tosa province, his movement in Kyoto remained strong. While in exile, Hōnen spread the teachings to the people he met - fishermen, prostitutes, and the peasantry. The emperor soon rescinded the exile however, though Hōnen only returned to Kyoto in 1211. In 1212, the following year, Hōnen died in Kyoto, but was able to compose the One-Sheet Document a few days before he died.
Character
The Japanese describes Hōnen's personality as a "strict" but "bold innovator" who was "introspective and self-critical" and "concerned with solving the problems of daily life rather than worrying about doctrinal matters". On the latter point Hōnen expressed unusual concern over the spiritual welfare of women, regardless of social status. As a consequence the role of women in the Jōdo-shū sects has often been greater than in some other Japanese Buddhist traditions.Hōnen is also known to have been skilled in attaining nembutsu samadhi and the visions that often comes with it. He is also said to have had various visions in dreams, including a well recorded vision of Shandao. His visions are recorded in a work called Sammai Hottoku Ki, recorded by Genchi.
About himself Hōnen reportedly said: