Editing Shinran

{{Short description|Japanese Buddhist monk}}
{{Infobox religious biography
|name = Shinran (親鸞)
|image= Shinran (Nara National Museum).jpg
|caption = Shinran ([[Important Cultural Properties of Japan|ICP]]) ([[Nara National Museum]])
|birth_name = Matsuwakamaro
|alias =
|dharma name =
|birth_date = May 21, 1173
|birth_place = [[Heian-kyō]], [[Yamashiro Province]] (now [[Kyoto, Japan]])
|death_date = {{Death date and age|1263|1|16|1173|5|13}}
|death_place = [[Heian-kyō]], Yamashiro Province
|nationality =
|religion = [[Buddhism]]
|school = {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Jōdo Shinshū]]|italic=no}} Buddhism
|lineage =
|title = Founder of {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Jōdo Shinshū]]|italic=no}} Buddhism
|location =
|education =
|occupation =
|teacher = [[Hōnen]]
|reincarnation of =
|predecessor =
|successor =
|students =
|spouse = [[Eshinni]]
|partner =
|children = [[Kakushinnhi]], [[Zenran]], others
|website =
}}

{{nihongo|'''Shinran'''|親鸞||May 21, 1173 – January 16, 1263}}<ref name="Esben">''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. [[University of Hawaiʻi Press]] 1998, {{ISBN|0-8248-2028-2}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080725120722/http://www.akshin.net/pureland/shinranlifework.htm The Life and Works of Shinran Shonin]</ref> was a [[Japanese Buddhist]] monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of [[Fushimi, Kyoto|Fushimi]], [[Kyoto]]) at the turbulent close of the [[Heian Period]] and lived during the [[Kamakura Period]]. Shinran was a pupil of [[Hōnen]] and the founder of what ultimately became the {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Jōdo Shinshū]]|italic=no}} sect of [[Japanese Buddhism]].

==Names==
Shinran's birthname was Matsuwakamaro. In accordance with Japanese customs, he has also gone by other names, including Hanen, Shakku and Zenshin, and then finally Shinran, which was derived by combining the names of Seshin ([[Vasubandhu]] in Japanese) and Donran ([[Tan-luan|Tanluan]]’s name in Japanese). His posthumous title was Kenshin Daishi.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shinran-Japanese-Buddhist-philosopher | title=Shinran &#124; Japanese Buddhist philosopher &#124; Britannica }}</ref> For a while, Shinran also went by the name Fujii Yoshizane.<ref>Young Man Shinran: A Reappraisal of Shinran's life. Takamichi Takshataka, Wilfrid Laurier Press, page 2</ref> After he was disrobed, he called himself Gutoku Shinran, in a self-deprecating manner which means "stubble-haired foolish one," to denote his status as "neither a monk, nor a layperson".{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

== Biography ==
[[File:Shinran.jpg|thumb|Statue of Shinran Shonin in Kyoto.]]

According to traditional biographies, Shinran was born on May 21, 1173, to Lord and Lady Arinori, from a branch of the [[Fujiwara clan]], and was given the name Matsuwakamaro. Early in Shinran's life his parents both died. In 1181, desperate to know what happens after dying, he entered the Shōren-in temple near present-day [[Maruyama Park]] in [[Kyoto]] at age nine. Modern historians contest the identity and date of death of Shinran's parents, suggesting he ordained alongside his father due to instability from the [[Genpei War]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bloom|first=Alfred|title=The Essential Shinran: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting|publisher=World Wisdom|year=2006|isbn=978-1933316215|language=English}}</ref>

On entering the monkhood he wrote the following poem: "Like the cherry blossom, the heart planning on tomorrow is ephemeral indeed—what sudden storm may not arise in the middle of the night". Acutely aware of his own impermanence, he was desperate to find a solution. He then practiced at [[Mt. Hiei]] for the next 20 years of his life. Letters between his wife and daughter indicate that he was a Tendai {{nihongo|''dōsō''|堂僧||"hall monk"}}.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bloom|first1=Alfred|title=The Life of Shinran Shonin: The Journey to Self-Acceptance|journal=Numen|date=1968|volume=15|issue=1|page=6|url=http://www.shin-ibs.edu/documents/BloomLS.pdf|doi=10.1163/156852768x00011|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611162708/http://www.shin-ibs.edu/documents/BloomLS.pdf|archive-date=2011-06-11}}</ref>

{{Pure Land Buddhism}}

According to his own account to his wife Eshinni (whose letters are preserved at the [[Hongan-ji]]), in frustration at his own failures as a monk and at obtaining enlightenment, he took a retreat at the temple of [[Rokkaku-dō (temple)|Rokkaku-dō]].  There, while engaged in intense practice, he experienced a vision in which [[Avalokitesvara]] appeared to him as [[Prince Shōtoku]], directing Shinran to another disillusioned Tendai monk named [[Hōnen]].<ref name="hongwanji">[https://web.archive.org/web/20080318210923/http://www2.hongwanji.or.jp/english/shinranshonin.html Shinran's Biography] [[Nishi Honganji]] Homepage</ref>

In 1201, Shinran met Hōnen and became his disciple. During his first year under Hōnen's guidance, at the age of 29, Shinran attained salvation through [[Amitābha#Doctrine|Amida's Vow]]. Though the two only knew each other for a few years, Hōnen entrusted Shinran with a copy of his secret work, the [[Senchakushū]]. However his precise status amongst Hōnen's followers is unclear as in the Seven Article Pledge, signed by Hōnen's followers in 1204, Shinran's signature appears near the middle among less-intimate disciples.<ref name="dobbins">{{cite book | last = Dobbins | first = James C. | title = Jōdo Shinshū: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan | publisher = [[Indiana University Press]] | year = 1989 | isbn = 0-253-33186-2 }}</ref>
During his time as a disciple of Hōnen's, Shinran caused a great stir among society by publicly getting married and eating meat. Both practices were strictly forbidden for monks, but Shinran took these drastic steps to show that Amida's salvation is for all people and not just for monks and priests.

In 1207, the Buddhist establishment in Kyoto persuaded the military to impose a ''[[nembutsu]]'' ban, after an incident where two of Hōnen's most prominent followers were accused of using [[nembutsu]] practice as a coverup for sexual liaisons.<ref>Bowring, Richard.  Religious Traditions of Japan: 500-1600. Cambridge: [[Cambridge University Press]], 2005.  247.</ref> These two monks were subsequently executed. Hōnen and Shinran were exiled, with Shinran being defrocked and sent to [[Echigo]] Province (contemporary [[Niigata Prefecture]]).<ref>{{cite book|editor1-last=Buswell|editor1-first=Robert Jr|editor2-last=Lopez|editor2-first=Donald S. Jr.|editor1-link=Robert Buswell Jr.|editor2-link=Donald S. Lopez, Jr.|title=Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism(Shinran )|date=2013|publisher=[[Princeton University Press]]|location=Princeton, NJ|page=807|isbn=9780691157863}}</ref> They never met each other again. Hōnen would die later in Kyoto in 1212.<ref name="Esben"/>

Although Shinran was critical of the motivations that ultimately led to the exile, and the disruption of Hōnen's practice community, the exile itself proved to be a critical turning point in Shinran's religious life. Having been stripped of his monastic name, he renamed himself {{nihongo|'''Gutoku'''|愚禿||"Foolish, bald-headed one"}}, coming to understand himself as neither monk nor layman. In this period, aristocratic exiles were provided land and seed and were required to take up farming, a measure designed to humiliate and humble them, which brought Shinran into the company of many of the lower social classes.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oEk9DgAAQBAJ&q=shinran+occupation&pg=PA92|title=Young Man Shinran: A Reappraisal of Shinran's Life|last=Takahatake|first=Takamichi|date=2006-01-01|publisher=[[Wilfrid Laurier University Press]]|isbn=9780889205864|language=en}}</ref> While in exile, Shinran sought to continue the work of Hōnen and spread the doctrine of salvation through [[Amitābha|Amida]] Buddha's compassion, as expressed through the ''nembutsu'' practice, however in time his teachings diverged from Hōnen enough that later followers would use the term Jōdo Shinshū or "True Essence of the Pure Land Sect", as opposed to [[Jōdo-shū]] or "Pure Land Sect".

Shinran married his wife, [[Eshinni]], and had seven children with her.

Five years after being exiled in [[Echigo]], in 1211, the ''nembutsu'' ban was lifted and Shinran was pardoned though he chose not to return to Kyoto at that time.  Instead, Shinran left for an area known as Inada, a small area in [[Kantō region|Kantō]] just north of Tokyo. In 1224 Shinran authored his most significant text, [[Kyogyoshinsho]], which is a series of selections and commentaries on Buddhist [[sutra]]s supporting the new Pure Land Buddhist movement, and establishing a doctrinal lineage with Buddhist thinkers in India and China. In 1234 Shinran left the Kantō area and returned to Kyoto, with his daughter [[Kakushinni]]. On returning to Kyoto, Shinran discovered that his eldest son, [[Zenran]] (善鸞 1217?–1286?), who remained in [[Hitachi Province|Hitachi]] and [[Shimotsuke Province|Shimotsuke]] provinces was telling people he received special teachings from Shinran and was otherwise leading people astray.<ref name="hongwanji"/> Shinran wrote stern letters to Zenran (frequently addressed by his Buddhist name {{nihongo|'''Jishin-bō'''|慈信房||}}) instructing him to cease his activities, but when Zenran refused, Shinran disowned him:<ref>{{cite web|title=Uncollected Letters, Collected Works of Shinran| language=en| url=http://shinranworks.com/letters/uncollected-letters/| access-date = 2016-01-12}}</ref>

{{blockquote|Hence, from now on there shall no longer exist parental relations with you; I cease to consider you my son. I declare this resolutely to the [[Three Jewels|three treasures]] and the [[kami|gods]]. It is a sorrowful thing. It rends my heart to hear that you have devoted yourself to misleading all the people of the [[nembutsu]] in Hitachi, saying that [what they have been taught] is not my true teaching. Rumors have reached as far as [[Kamakura]] that I have instructed you to denounce the people in Hitachi who say the nembutsu. It is deeply deplorable.}}

Shinran died in Kyoto the year 1263 at the age of 90.<ref name="Esben"/>  Kakushinni was instrumental in maintaining the mausoleum, and passing on his teachings, with her descendants ultimately becoming the [[Monshu]], or head of the Honganji Temples built around the Mausoleum.

==Timeline==
{{JapaneseBuddhism}}
* 1173: Shinran is born
* 1175: Hōnen founds the [[Jōdo-shū]] sect
* 1181: Shinran becomes a monk
* 1201: Shinran becomes a disciple of Hōnen and leaves Mt. Hiei
* 1207: The nembutsu ban and Shinran's exile
* 1211: Shinran is pardoned
* 1212: Hōnen passes away in Kyoto & Shinran goes to Kantō
* 1224(?): Shinran authors Kyogyoshinsho
* 1234(?): Shinran goes back to Kyoto
* 1256: Shinran disowns his son Zenran
* 1263: Shinran dies in Kyoto

== Doctrine ==
Shinran considered himself a lifelong disciple of Hōnen, in spite of their separation.  According to a letter composed by his wife, Eshinni:<ref name="dobbins2">{{cite book | last = Dobbins | first = James C. | title = Jodo Shinshu: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan | publisher = [[Indiana University Press]] | year = 1989 | isbn = 0253331862 | chapter=Chapter 2: Shinran and His Teachings}}</ref>

{{blockquote|People would say all types of things about where the master [Hōnen] might go.  They would even say that he was headed for an evil rebirth (akudō).  Whenever people spoke such things, [Shinran] would reply, "I am one who believes that I would even go [with him], since from realm to realm and from rebirth to rebirth I am lost already."}}

Hōnen's disciples were said to have been largely divided by questions arising from the need for a single invocation (nenbutsu) of Amitabha's name versus many-callings, and thereby emphasis on faith versus practice.  Shinran, like Hōnen's disciple [[Kōsai]], leaned more toward faith over practice, however he did not advocate the single-recitation teaching.<ref name='traversing'>{{cite book | last1 = Watts | first1 = Jonathan | last2 = Tomatsu | first2 = Yoshiharu | title = Traversing the Pure Land Path: A Lifetime of Encounters with Hōnen Shonin | publisher = Jodo Shu Press | year = 2005 | isbn = 488363342X | pages=136–137}}</ref>

While Shinran's teachings and beliefs were generally consistent with the Pure Land Buddhist movement at the time, he also had idiosyncrasies as well:

=== Primacy of faith ===
[[File:Godenshō 6.jpg|thumb]]

In any case Shinran, like others in Hōnen's community, felt that in the age of [[Three Ages of Buddhism#Latter Day of the Dharma|Dharma Decline]], it was no longer possible to achieve enlightenment through traditional monastic practices, and thus one could only rely on the vows of [[Amitabha]] Buddha, particular the 18th or "[[Primal Vow]]" and seek rebirth in the [[Pure Land]].  In a passage from his magnum opus, the Kyōgyōshinshō, he writes of himself:<ref name='dobbins2' />

{{blockquote|Therefore, reverencing the expositions of the treatise masters and relying on the exhortations of the religious teachers, I, the Bald-Headed Fool Shinran, abandoned forever the provisional path of manifold practices and good work, and separated myself once and for all from birth in the forest of the twin [[Shorea robusta|śāla]] trees.  I turned to the true path, the basis of virtue and good, and gave rise to the aspiration for birth [in the Pure Land] that is difficult to comprehend.  But now I have utterly abandoned the expediency of the true path, and have converted to the ocean-like vow singled out [by Amitabha Buddha].  I have separated myself straightaway from the aspiration for birth that is difficult to comprehend, and I long to attain birth that is difficult to fathom....}}

In this passage, Shinran explains that he not only gave up traditional monastic practices to focus on rebirth in the Pure Land, but that in time he eventually gave up on practices related to rebirth in the Pure Land, instead relying solely on faith in the vow of Amitabha Buddha.

In the ''Kyōgyōshinshō'', third fascicle, Shinran explores the nature of {{nihongo|''shinjitsu no shinjin''|真実の信心|"true faith"|}}, by describing it as something bestowed by Amitabha Buddha, not arising from the believer.<ref name="dobbins2" />  Through this endowment, faith is awakened in a person, and the recitation of the Buddha's name or [[nianfo|nembutsu]] because an expression of praise or gratitude.  However, this cannot occur until the believer fully entrusts themselves to Amitabha Buddha, even for a moment.  Once this state of faith is bestowed, one is assured of rebirth in the Pure Land, and ultimately enlightenment.  Shinran cautions though:<ref name="dobbins2" />

{{blockquote|True faith necessarily entails Amida's name, but Amida's name does not necessarily entail faith, [which is derived] from the power of [Amida's] vow.}}

Further, once a follower has awakened to this deep faith, one should live life as an expression of gratitude, follow moral conduct and fulfill one's social obligations.<ref name='traversing' /> As one's faith in Amida deepens, Shinran articulated ten spiritual benefits that develop: Protected by unseen divine beings (myoshu goji), Possessed of the supreme virtue (shitoku gusoku), Having evil turned into good (tenaku jyozen), Protected by all Buddhas (shobutsu gonen), Praised by all Buddhas (shobutsu shyosan), Protected by the Buddha's spiritual light (shinko jogo), Having much joy in mind (shinta kangi), Acknowledging His benevolence and repaying it (chion hotoku), Always practicing the Great Compassion (jyogyo daihi), Entering the Rightly-Established Group (shojyoju ni iru).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web.mit.edu/stclair/www/ten_benefits.html|title=ten_benefits|website=web.mit.edu|access-date=2019-08-19}}</ref>

=== Amitabha Buddha and the Pure Land ===

The last three fascicles of the ''Kyōgyōshinshō'' delve into the nature of Amitabha Buddha and the Pure Land.  The Pure Land is treated as a temporary refuge whereby one can attain enlightenment, and then return to this world to lead and teach others as a [[bodhisattva]].  Elsewhere, Shinran is quoted in the {{nihongo|''Tannishō''|歎異抄||"Lamentation of Divergences"}} as saying:<ref>{{cite web|title=The TANNISHO: Chapters I to X | url=http://www.livingdharma.org/Tannisho/TannishoChaptersI-X.html| access-date = 2015-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=歎異抄の世界 | language=ja | url=http://web.otani.ac.jp/tannisyo/| access-date = 2015-06-30}}</ref>

{{blockquote|{{lang|ja|浄土の慈悲といふは、念仏して、いそぎ仏になりて、大慈大悲心をもて、おもふがごとく衆生を利益するをいふべきなり。}}

{{Transliteration|ja|Jōdo no jihi to iu wa, nenbutsu shite, isogi hotoke ni narite, daiji-daihi-shin wo mote, omou ga gotoku shujō wo riyaku suru wo iu beki nari.}}

The compassion in the Path of Pure Land is to quickly attain Buddhahood, saying the nembutsu, and with the true heart of compassion and love save all beings completely as we desire.}}

On the nature of Amitabha Buddha, Shinran stated that in their true form, both the Buddha and the Pure Land are beyond comprehension, but due to people's ignorance and attachments they can only perceive Amitabha in terms of his physical form described in the sutras, as well as the layout of the Pure Land.<ref name='dobbins2' />  If one attains true faith, then upon rebirth in the Pure Land, one can perceive their true form.  However, if one's faith is incomplete, or they continue to rely on their own efforts, then they will be reborn in the outer regions of the Pure Land, and will still perceive Amitabha Buddha through physical forms until eventually attaining true faith and proceeding further.

Shinran's definition of Amitabha Buddha as the absolute, equating the Pure Land with [[Nirvana]] itself, therefore differed somewhat from traditional interpretations of the Pure Land in Buddhist scripture.<ref name='dobbins2' />

=== Age of Dharma decline ===

Shinran's interpretation of the [[Three Ages of Buddhism|final age]] of the Dharma, was consistent with other Buddhist thinkers of the time.  In particular, he drew inspiration from a Chinese Buddhist master named [[Tao-cho]] who centuries earlier taught that in the latter age of the Dharma the Pure Land teachings were the most suitable for the capacities of the people of the time.<ref name="dobbins2" />

Shinran felt that this decline was inevitable, that Japan was already 600 years into age of Dharma Decline, and that people were no longer capable of maintaining Buddhist practice, let alone enlightenment.  Thus, only the vow of Amitabha Buddha to save all beings could be relied upon.

=== Other religious practices ===

Shinran acknowledged the religious practices of Japan outside the Buddhist tradition, including Shinto [[kami]], spirits, [[divination]], [[astrology]], etc., he believed that they were irrelevant in comparison to the power of Amitabha Buddha.<ref name='dobbins2' /> He developed a Japanese Buddhist [[heresiology]] that constructed other forms of religious practice as equivalent to demon-worship; his followers would later use this equivocation both to enforce proper interpretations of Shinran's thought and to criticize "heretical" sects of Buddhism such as the [[Tachikawa-ryu]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Josephson |first=Jason |title=The Invention of Religion in Japan|publisher=University of Chicago Press|page=35|location = Chicago|year=2012|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gxzuzIszO60C|isbn=9780226412351 }}</ref> To this day, [[omamori]], [[ofuda]] and other charms are not found in [[Jodo Shinshu]] temples.

== Cultural legacy ==
[[File:Statue of Shinran Shonin on Riverside Drive New York.jpg|thumb|upright|Statue of Shinran Shonin, Riverside Drive, New York. A survivor of the bombing at Hiroshima, the statue was brought to New York in 1955]]

A statue of Shinran Shonin stands in [[Upper West Side]] [[Manhattan]], in [[New York City]] on Riverside Drive between 105th and 106th Streets, in front of the New York Buddhist Church. The statue depicts Shinran in a peasant hat and sandals, holding a wooden staff, as he peers down at the sidewalk.

Although this kind of statue is very common and often found at Jōdo Shinshū temples, this particular statue is notable because it survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, standing a little more than a mile from ground zero. It was brought to New York in 1955. The plaque calls the statue "a testimonial to the atomic bomb devastation and a symbol of lasting hope for world peace."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/shinran-statue |title=Shinran Statue Manhattan, New York Hiroshima survivor on Riverside Drive. |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=June 24, 2011 |website=atlasobscura.com |publisher=Atlas Obscura |access-date= May 18, 2023|quote=}}</ref>

Shinran's life was the subject of the 1987 film ''[[Shinran: Path to Purity]]'', directed by [[Rentarō Mikuni]] (in his directorial debut, based on his own novel)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.japanese-cinema-db.jp/Details?id=14629|title=親鸞 白い道|publisher=[[Agency for Cultural Affairs]] 映画情報システム|access-date=2 November 2019}}</ref> and starring Junkyu Moriyama as Shinran. The film won the [[Jury Prize (Cannes Film Festival)|Jury Prize]] at the [[1987 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/430/year/1987.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Shinran: Path to Purity |access-date=2009-07-19|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref>

On March 14, 2008, what are assumed to be some of the ash remains of Shinran were found in a small wooden statue at the Jōrakuji temple in [[Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto|Shimogyō-ku]], [[Kyoto|Kyōto]]. The temple was created by Zonkaku (1290–1373), the son of Kakunyo (1270–1351), one of Shinran's great grandchildren. Records indicate that Zonkaku inherited the remains of Shinran from Kakunyo. The 24.2&nbsp;cm wooden statue is identified as being from the middle of the Edo period. The remains were wrapped in paper.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.asahi.com/culture/update/0314/OSK200803140137.html
 | title = 親鸞の遺骨？が木像胎内から 京都・常楽寺
 | work = [[Asahi Shimbun]]
 | date = 14 March 2008
 | access-date = 2008-03-15
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080316002639/http://www.asahi.com/culture/update/0314/OSK200803140137.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2008-03-16}}</ref>

In March 2011, manga artist [[Takehiko Inoue]] created large ink paintings on twelve [[folding screen]]s, displayed at the [[Hongan-ji|East Hongan Temple]] in [[Kyoto]]. The illustrations on the panels include Shinran and [[Hōnen]] leading a group of [[Heian period|Heian era]] commoners on one set of screens and Shinran seated with a bird on the other set.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2015-11-01/slam-dunk-takehiko-inoue-buddhist-folding-screen-on-display/.94784 |title=Slam Dunk's Takehiko Inoue's Buddhist Folding Screen on Display |last=Stimson |first=Eric |date=November 1, 2015 |website=animenewsnetwork.com |publisher=Anime News Network |access-date=May 18, 2023 |quote=}}</ref> Author [[Hiroyuki Itsuki]] wrote a novel based on Shinran's life which was serialized with illustrations by [[Akira Yamaguchi]] and won the 64th [[Mainichi Publishing Culture Award]] Special Prize in 2010.<ref>[http://www.shinchosha.co.jp/writer/806/ The author's profile: Hiroyuki Itsuki] (in Japanese)</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Kōsai]]
* [[Rennyo]]
* [[Other power]]
* [[Tan-luan|Tanluan]]
* [[Faith in Buddhism]]
* {{Lang|ja-latn|[[Jōdo Shinshū]]|italic=no}}
* [[Statue of Shinran, Tokyo]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading==
*[[Alfred Bloom (Buddhist)|Bloom, Alfred]]: ''[[The Essential Shinran: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting]]'', ([[World Wisdom]]) 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-933316-21-5}}
*Ducor, Jerome : ''Shinran, Un réformateur bouddhiste dans le Japon médiéval'' (col. Le Maître et le disciple); Gollion, Infolio éditions, 2008 ({{ISBN|978-2-88474-926-8}})
*Albert Shansky: ''Shinran and Eshinni: A Tale of Love in Buddhist Medieval Japan'', {{ISBN|1-4241-6301-3}} (10), {{ISBN|978-1-4241-6301-4}} (13)
* [[James C. Dobbins|Dobbins, James C.]] (1989). ''Jodo Shinshu: Shin Buddhism in Medieval Japan''. Bloomington, Illinois: Indiana University Press. {{ISBN|9780253331861}}; [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/470742039  OCLC 470742039]
* Dobbins, James C. (1990). "The Biography of Shinran: Apotheosis of a Japanese Buddhist Visionary", ''History of  Religions'' 30 (2), 179–196 
*Kenneth Doo Young Lee: "The Prince and the Monk: Shotoku Worship in Shinran's Buddhism", {{ISBN|978-0-7914-7022-0}}
*Kokubu, Keiji. ''Pauro to Shinran ''(Paul and Shinran). Kyoto: Hozokan, 1984. (This comparative study written in Japanese.)
*[[Takamaro Shigaraki|Shigaraki, Takamaro]]: ''A Life of Awakening: The Heart of the Shin Buddhist Path. '' Translation by David Matsumoto. Hozokan Publishing, Kyoto, 2005
*Shinran Shonin, Hisao Inagaki (trans): [https://web.archive.org/web/20150521183521/http://www.bdk.or.jp/pdf/bdk/digitaldl/dBET_T2646_Kyogyoshinsho_2003.pdf ''Kyōgyōshinshō: On Teaching, Practice, Faith, and Enlightenment''], Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research, 2003. {{ISBN|1-886439-16-8}}
*Takamori, Kentetsu; Akehashi, Daiji; Ito, Kentaro: "[http://www.i-ipi.com You Were Born for a Reason: The Real Purpose Of Life] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806122341/http://i-ipi.com/ |date=2018-08-06 }}'' (Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc. 2006) {{ISBN|978-0-9790471-0-7}}
*Takamori, Kentetsu: [http://www.tannisho.com ''Unlocking Tannisho: Shinran's Words on the Pure Land Path''] (Ichimannendo Publishing, Inc 2011) {{ISBN|978-09790-471-52}}
*Ueda, Yoshifumi, and [[Dennis Hirota|Hirota, Dennis]]: ''Shinran: An Introduction to His Thought. With Selections from the Shin Buddhism Translation Series''. (Kyoto: Hongwanji International Center, 1989.)
* S. Yamabe and L. Adams Beck (trans). [https://archive.org/details/buddhistpsalms00shinrich'' Buddhist Psalms of Shinran Shonin''], London: John Murray 1921 ([http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7015 e-book])
* Sokusui Murakami (2001). "Joy of Shinran: Rethinking the Traditional Shinshu Views on the Concept of the Stage of Truly Settled", ''Pacific World Journal'', Third Series, Number 3, 5-25. Archived from the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100707075806/http://www.shin-ibs.edu/documents/pwj3-3/01MK3.pdf original]

==External links==
{{commons category|Shinran}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=2303}}
* {{Internet Archive author}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131125223637/http://shinranworks.com/sitemap.htm The Collected Works of Shinran]
* [http://www.shinbuddhism.info Commentary on Shinran's Wasan (Hymns) in Three Volumes]
* [http://international.hongwanji.or.jp/ Homepage for Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha Hongwanji International Center] {{in lang|en}}

{{Japanese Buddhist Pantheon}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Shinran| ]]
[[Category:1173 births]]
[[Category:1263 deaths]]
[[Category:12th-century Buddhists]]
[[Category:13th-century Buddhists]]
[[Category:Buddhist writers]]
[[Category:Founders of Buddhist sects]]
[[Category:Japanese Buddhist clergy]]
[[Category:Japanese scholars of Buddhism]]
[[Category:Jōdo Shinshū]]
[[Category:Buddhist clergy of Kamakura-period Japan]]
[[Category:People from Fushimi, Kyoto]]
[[Category:People from Kyoto]]
[[Category:People related to Jōdo Shinshū|*]]
[[Category:Pure Land Buddhists]]
[[Category:Recipients of Japanese royal pardons]]
[[Category:13th-century Japanese philosophers]]