Ryōchū’s View of Amida Buddha’s Land in the Kangyōsho-kikigaki 観経疏聞書

Abstract

It is the standard understanding in Hōnen’s school to recognize Amida Buddha’s Land as the fulfilled land, not the transformed land, based on Shandao’s teaching. Nevertheless, the nature of Amida Buddha’s Land was one focus of intensive discussion from various viewpoints among Shinran’s followers in the Kanto area in the mid-13th century. However, details are not yet clear due to the lack of historical materials. Ryōchū, the third leader of the Chinzei (鎮西) school, spread his teaching very close to Shinran’s followers in the Kanto area, and left numerous writings, though many of these have not yet been reprinted. This paper aims to examine Ryōchū’s view of Amida Buddha’s Land by examining his unprinted Kangyōsho-kikigaki, and studying how it influenced Pure Land Buddhism in the Kanto area in the mid-13th century.