It has been commonly understood in past scholarship that Shinran strongly rejected the necessity of the welcoming of Amida Buddha and bodhisattvas at the moment of death, based on his remarks in his letter entitled “Concerning Thought and No-thought” (Unen munen no koto) and his Notes on Essentials of Faith Alone. However, it is also known that Shinran affirmed anticipating Amida’s welcome at the moment of death in writings given to his followers.
Though Shinran denied the necessity of the welcoming of Amida, nevertheless, facing the situation of his faith community, he also sent messages to his followers supporting the popular belief of the welcoming of Amida at the deathbed. This paper argues that Shinran’s interpretation of the Nineteenth Vow cannot be strictly fixed to one single point of view. We must also take into account the social situation and locality of his followers when we read his writings.
