Plain Words on the Pure Land Way

Translated by Dennis Hirota. Sayings of the Wandering Monks of Medieval Japan.
Out of Stock
Published by Ryukoku University in 1989, Plain Words on the Pure Land Way is a collection of sayings that guided the lives of wandering monks in medieval Japan. Long appreciated for their incisiveness and immediacy, these sayings provide a vivid glimpse into the thought and experience of people who dedicated themselves to the nembutsu¿the utterance of the Name of Amida Buddha¿during the tumultuous period when it first emerged as a way to enlightenment available to all. This collection is highly regarded not only as a document revealing the spirit of the nascent Pure Land path before the rigid division into doctrinal schools, but also as an important example of the literature of the recluse's thatched hut (soan bungaku) and of Buddhist writings in the vernacular (kana hogo). Japanese text included.
Paperback, 120 pages.