Tannisho Master of Shin Buddhism - 1195 Words

The Tannisho are the teachings of Shinran, Master of Shin Buddhism, which is a form of Shingon or Esoteric Buddhism. Shin Shingon Buddhism is also known as Pure Land Buddhism. This school of thought, therefore, comes out of the Mahayana tradition. It holds that the Dharma has become too corrupt to lead anyone on Earth to nirvana. Instead, there are â€Å"Buddha fields† (Gethin, 263) that one can be reborn into and obtain freedom from samsara through nirvana there. Through the Tannisho Shinran explains how one can call on the name of one of these Buddhas, and thus be saved from samsara by calling on the name of the compassionate Amida, Lord of the Western Paradise, Buddha of Immeasurable Light. This is due to the compassionate nature of†¦show more content†¦Taking pity on our state, Amida made the Vow with the real intent of ensuring the evil person’s attainment of buddhahood.† (Section III) The evil person, is the one who is â€Å"filled with blind passions†, and thus applies to anyone bound by ignorance and delusion in the cycle of samsara. Thus and â€Å"evil person† is anyone who is not enlightened and cannot help themselves. This helplessness is why they are more likely to evoke the great compassion of Amida. It is they who he has taken the Primal Vow for in the first place. The Tannisho tells us as much, â€Å"Evil persons who rely on other-power are the very ones who have obtained the true cause of birth.† (Section III) On the other hand, a â€Å"good† person is one who attempts, without faith and animated by delusion, to do good deeds. Shinran says of them, â€Å"This is because people who seek to do good through self-power do not rely wholeheartedly on other-power and are therefore not in accord with the Primal Vow.† This lack of faith prevents them from gaining the attention of Amida, and without that, he cannot show his compassion to them. However, Amida is so compassionate that even they can be reborn in his Buddha field and obtain jinen. This is what is called the â€Å"doctrine of Grace† (Gethin, 264). Amida will â€Å"induce even a ‘person who does good through self-power† to be saved’ (Takamori). This makes the faith of Amida a powerful thing indeed, and is also what makes Pure Land Buddhism a type