Shinran on a bears pelt
This is called a picture of Shinran on a bear fur pelt. It is the biggest of all Shinran pictures, which was once owned by the Jofuku temple in Fushimi Kyoto, but now it is owned by Nara National Museum.It was produced at the end of Kamakura period. The picture shows Shinran's figure sitting on a bear fur pelt presented by peasants on his way back to Kyoto.
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G.Shinran was born between Arinori Hino and Kikkojo,daughter of Yoshichika
Minamoto, in 1173. He entered the Buddhist priesthood by Jien who is the chief
priest of the Tendai sect of Seiren temple in spring at the age of only 9. Since then he had been practicing Buddhism asceticism as "Doso" of Jogyosanmaido in Mt. Hiei for 20 years. But he could not find any good solution to his search for enlightenment, so he decided to leave Mt.Hiei at the age of 29. After that he stayed in Rokkaku-do Temple of Kyoto in order to find his way future path. At dawn on the 95th day he had a dream of Prince Shotoku in form of Kannon Bodhisattva, which finally made him decide to leave for Hohnen's residence. Shinran learned about and listened to the teaching of Nenbutsu from Hohnen. Shinran was finally allowed to copy the anthology, "the Senjaku Shu" and a picture of Hohnen. However, in 1207, they were both sentenced to be exiled, Hohnen to Kohchi (actually Kagawa) and Shinran to Niigata. Shinran married Lady Keishin there, studying and listening to the teaching harder than ever. Although in 1211 he was pardoned his sentence, he didn't return to Kyoto. In the Kanto district (in and around Tokyo) he did his best to enlighten people just like the dream he had at the age of 29. When his efforts were rewarded with success and the teaching of Nenbutsu spread,he made up his mind to return to Kyoto at the age of 62 or 63. After returning to Kyoto,he devoted himself solely to authorship. There he completed the "Kyogyoshinsho","Wasan", etc. At the age of 90, in 1262, he ended hislife attended by his youngest daughter. Shinran taught many insightful approaches and ideas about Buddhism where a person's spiritual, moral or intellectual capacities would be able to experience an awakening during his/her life. Shinran claimed he had no disciples. For him, awakening was not something that a person would be able to reach just by literally following a good master's steps without reinterpreting it for his/her own life. Shinran also declared himself as "neither a monk nor a lay person". Shinran himself married and ate meat, breaking traditional monastic rules during that period in Japan. By doing this, he opened a path for the common people. Peasants and servants joined his path with great joy because until then time Buddhism was something that belonged only to scholars and monks. |