It has been thought that Shōkū 證空 (1177–1247) recognized the value of various practices (諸行) other than nembutsu 念仏 and relaxed insistence on the idea of the exclusive practice of nembutsu (senju nembutsu 専修念仏). Here, a dichotomy between the idea of the exclusive practice of nembutsu and the recognition of the value of other practices has been assumed. However, the present study shows that the ideology of Shōkū does not fit into such a dichotomous scheme. He criticized the idea of practice of his time from the standpoint of the exclusive practice of nembutsu. This study also shows that the introduction of the three disciplines (三学) is helpful in situating Shōkū in the history of thought.
