In his Nembutsu myōgi-shū 念仏名義集, Shōkōbō Benchō 聖光房弁長 （1162-1238）, answering questions from ordinary nembutsu practitioners, takes a normative attitude toward the three-mindsets三心 and deathbed nembutsu. This is so strict that one must not doubt them even if one would have doubts about them. He also makes, however, a few generous concessions, such as that anybody can be equipped with the three-mindsets, or that one can practice ordinary nembutsu even after drinking alcohol or eating garlic. The former normative teachings are intended for single-recitation doctrine nembutsu practitioners in Higo province. The latter generous teachings are those that Shōkō thought particularly important among Hōnen’s teachings.
