Shinran’s View of ākāśa: Concerning the quotations of Tanluan’s Commentary on Birth in the Amida’s Pure Land in the ‘Section of the Ocean of One Vehicle’ of the Kyōgyōshinshō

Abstract

This paper examines Shinran’s 親鸞 view of ākāśa 虚空, focusing on the quotations of Tanluan’s Commentary on Birth in the Amida’s Pure Land 往生論註 in the Ocean of One Vehicle of the Kyōgyōshinshō.

In these quotations, Shinran changes the words “the appearance of no purpose” 虚作之相 into “the appearance of ākāśa” 虚空之相.

Although most previous studies maintain that the change is Shinran’s mistake in writing, I infer rather that Shinran intentionally made the change, based on an examination of another passage of Shinran’s and his view of ākāśa.