密成僧敏の研究――『念佛追福編』について――

抄録

Mitsujō Sōbin 密成僧敏 was a Tendai monk of the late Edo period. After learning of Hōnen’s Pure Land teachings from the Jōdo monks Tokuhon 徳本 and Ryūen 隆円, Sōbin himself wrote on Jōdo teachings and taught the senju nenbutsu (専修念仏, exclusive nenbutsu practice).

On one occasion, he was asked by a lay senju nenbutsu practitioner whether, if we transfer the merit produced by our nenbutsu, the dead also could also attain rebirth in the Pure Land.

This question led him to write the Nenbutsu Tsuifuku hen 念佛追福編, in which he referred to a Chinese language work called Shōmyō Nenbutsu Tsuisen setsu 称名念仏追薦説, written by Hōshu 宝洲, the sixth abbot of the Hōnen-in, the purpose of his working being to enable any person to understand senju nenbutsu.

This twelve-chapter Japanese language work teaches in detail the way of transferring to the dead the merit generated by nenbutsu practice.