Although the relationship between nembutsu (or true practice) and shinjin (or true entrusting) is said to constitute the center of Shinran Pure Land Buddhism, research from the modern period up to the present has focused mainly on studies of shinjin. In recent years, there have been attempts to elucidate Shinran’s concept of shinjin using a psychological perspective on the Buddha’s teachings, or through the application of counseling theory, and this trend is growing stronger. There are very few new understandings and interpretations of Shinran’s Buddhist thought. However, from among these, I would like to focus on a unique perspective that views Buddhist thought in Shinran Pure Land Buddhism as a symbolic act.
This paper discusses the understandings of the philosopher Yoshinori Takeuchi and the Shin Buddhist scholar Ryoji Oka. Their approaches are used to clarify the characteristics of Buddhist thought based on the 17th Amida’s vow in Shinran.
