The Functional Meaning of the Realm of Buddha in Hōnen’s Pure Land Ideology

Abstract

In constructing his Pure Land thought, Hōnen was deeply influenced not only by Shandao but also by Genshin. In terms of the concept of Buddhaʼs body and realm, however, he inherited the idea of Shandao, regarding Amitābhaʼs body as the Reward body and his realm as the Reward land. Even though Hōnen seemed to show little interest in the very adornments of the Pure Land in many of his writings and preachings, he revealed his distinctive understanding about the topological and functional meanings of the realm in his Gyakushu Seppō 逆修説法. First, he stressed that the Pure Land exists far away to the West of our Sahā world, implying the idea of the duality of the world. Secondly, he indicated that all sentient beings, regardless of their abilities, are able to be equipped with Buddha-nature only in the Pure Land. These two ideas, that had the potential to eventually undermine the basic doctrines of esoteric and exoteric Buddhist schools of the day, can be said to be a logical bedrock of his Pure Land ideology that every person has the sure possibility to be reborn to the Pure Land through nembutsu practice.