There are many prior studies on Shinran’s 親鸞 understanding of Amitābha’s welcome at the hour of death. According to these previous studies, the practitioner employs self-power (jiriki 自力) in order to be welcomed by Amitābha, and they deny that one may expect such a welcome at death. Shinran asserted that when true faith was acquired one joins the group of those certainly destined to be saved in the present life and that it is not necessary to request Amitābha’s welcome at the hour of death. However, Shinran’s disciples awaited Amitābha’s welcome at the hour of death based on his teachings.
Previous studies focused on the teachings of Shinran and simply mentioned that the disciples did not have an understanding of a singular welcoming by Amitābha at the hour of death. Furthermore, conventional studies seldom mentioned the outlook of Shinran’s disciples in the Kantō region in Japan after the death of Shinran, their focus being on Amitābha’s welcome, and its effect on Shin Buddhist history.
I divide this discussion into the two periods: while Shinran was alive, and after his death, and I discuss the outlook of Shinran’s disciples focusing on Amitābha’s welcome.
