Shinran's Idea of “ocho”

Abstract

This paper considers the term ocho _??__??_, an important term in Shinran's thought. According to Shinran, “Ocho is the basic meaning of Jodo Shinshu.” Since the word is drawn from the Larger Pure Land Sutra and Zendou, this paper examines the case of the former. An additional point is the term jinen (_??__??_), which is used differently in the Larger Pure Land Sutra and by Shinran, a difference which is important for our consideration of the term ocho.