The Idea of “Evil People as the Right Object” and “Evil Ordinary People as the Right Object”

Abstract

The idea of “Evil People 悪人 as the Right Object 正機” is seen as a representative of Shinran’s 親鸞 （1173-1262） thought. There is a view that this idea was advocated not only by Shinran, but also by the Pure Land Buddhism that preceded him. Some believe that this theory is the same as the idea of “Evil People as the Right Object,” based on the doctrine that it is the ordinary person 凡夫 who is the center of salvation. However, there are two kinds of ordinary people, good ordinary people and evil ordinary people - ordinary people are not evil by nature. Recognizing this, Shōkū 證空 （1177-1247） and Hōnen’s 法然 （1133-1212） direct disciples taught the idea of “Evil Ordinary People 悪凡夫 as the Right Object.” In this essay, I reexamined the problem of “Evil People as the Right Object” from the viewpoint of “Evil Ordinary People as the Right Object.”