Shinran’s Interpretation of the Buddha Body Found in the Saihō shinanshō:

Focusing on the Contemplation of the True Body in the Guan Wuliangshou jing

Abstract

Shinran 親鸞 defined the transformed body as being the Buddha described in the section on the contemplation of the true body of the Guan Wuliangshou jing 観無量寿経. According to traditional Shin Buddhist exegesis, this has been interpreted in two ways. The first holds that the transformed body refers to Amitābha within the true body, while the second holds that it refers to the transformed body described in the contemplation of the true body. To determine which of these two interpretations we should adopt, we should refer to Hōnen’s 法然 understanding of the transformed body found in the Saihō shinanshō 西方指南抄. On the basis of this text, we can understand that the transformed body refers to the transformed body described in the contemplation of the true body.