Essential Shinran: The Path of True Entrusting: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting Paperback – 1 Nov. 2006

A wonderful Shinran reader. A good way of learning about Pure Grace as a basis for faith, and faith for a basis for true life. Some wonderful extracts from Shinran's writings. Nice to have a woman's perspective as well from the letters of Eshin-ni to her daughter.

The paper book I will rate four stars for its content as it's an excellent anthology of the teachings of Shinran Shonin. Unfortunately the Kindle edition, although great value, is poorly formatted which greatly detracts from it.

This book is beautifully produced under The" Perrenial Philosophy Series"and has awealth of interesting essays both from present day scholars and the past,taken fromJournals and some not easy to find contributions from various Pure-Land sources,and edited by Professor Alfred Bloom a leading Shin Buddhist. the book is well presented and very accessible.

Together with many other Americans, I have been studying Buddhism for years and it has helped me a great deal. Most of my experience with Buddhism has been with the Theravada tradition, but I have also had the opportunity to do some exploration of Mahayana Buddhism, including Pure Land. I found this book, "The Essential Shinran: A Buddhist Path of True Entrusting" (2006) deeply moving. The book is difficult but it taught me a great deal. The work shows why Shinran and Pure Land Buddhism are important and worth knowing. The book is edited by the American Pure Land Buddhist scholar Alfred Bloom. As a young man, Bloom became fascinated with Buddhism and with Pure Land. He earned a PhD from Harvard, became an ordained Pure Land minister and taught for many years at universities in Oregon and Hawaii His personal and spiritual background is fascinating and unusual, making him an excellent scholarly guide to Pure Land Buddhism. I am familiar with some of his other work..Shinran (1173 -- 1262) was a teacher and founder of the Japanese school of Pure Land Buddhism. Pure Land may be less familiar to Americans than other forms of Buddhism. While most forms of Buddhism in America teach salvation or enlightenment through meditation or one's own efforts, Pure Land is other-directed and involves faith in Amida Buddha and the saying of his name or nembutsu. At least in this difficult time, far removed from the historical Buddha, attempts to find enlightenment through one's own efforts end generally in frustration. This was Shinran's own experience, as he studied in a Japanese monastery for twenty years before becoming the student of another Pure Land master, Honen."The Essential Shinran" begins with a short introduction by Pure Land Scholar, Ruben Habito. The volume is in three parts. In the first part, Bloom presents texts and commentaries on Shinran's life. In the second part, Bloom offers an account of Shinran and his teachings from ancient sources, including the text of the earliest biography of Shinran by an early Japanese scholar, Kakunyo (1270 -- 1351) In the third and much the longest part of the book, titled "Shinran Interprets Pure Land Teaching" Bloom offers extensive selections from Shinran's own writings. Shinran wrote prolifically and his Collected Works are available in English. The writings in this book, selected by Bloom, give the reader the opportunity to hear the heart of Shinran's teachings in his own words selected by a scholar who knows the teachings well. In general, I find it more useful to explore a religious movement or teacher through original texts, such as those presented in this collection, rather than through secondary sources.The book includes about 300 excerpts from Shinran of lengths varying from a paragraph to several pages. Each section also includes notes and commentary from Bloom which are invaluable in understanding the often difficult texts. The texts are carefully organized, and it is useful to look at the work's Table of Contents to get a sense of the flow of the book. Bloom begins with texts emphasizing Shinran's understanding of the human condition in its weakness and finitude. Bloom them presents texts in which Shinran develops his understanding of entrusting -- a concept which means faith in Amida and his teaching but which is much broader. There are many texts on the nature of Other Power in Pure Land as opposed to relying on the self. The texts explore Amida in dazzling terms involving infinity and light beyond human comprehension. The book includes discussions explaining the Pure Land Path and how it is open to all persons as opposed only to adepts. Shinran, with Bloom as commentator, discusses the nature of the nembutsu. Bloom states (p. 183),"Contemplation of the nembutsu open our spiritual eyes to all-embracing reality which surrounds, permeates, and is one with our limited fragment of passionate life. While we ourselves as foolish beings cannot say that we have the qualities of a Buddha, true entrusting awakens us to our true self and our potentiality to contribute positively to the world and society as bearers of compassion and wisdom, which are the essence of Buddhahood."Shinran in his day and Bloom in ours are aware of the question of how the recital of the nembutsu -- the name of Amida -- could be a sufficient religious teaching and lead to rebirth in the Pure Land. In reading this book, I came to a deeper appreciation than I had formerly of the depths and beauty of the Pure Land tradition. The book includes a glossary of unfamiliar terms, a short bibliography, and an index showing the sources of the selections presented in the book in the works of Shinran.This book is an outstanding work for readers with a basic understanding of Buddhism who wish to learn about Shinran and about Pure Land. The book will reward careful reading and study by interested readers. The book is valuable for readers seeking to learn different approaches to religious life even if they have no particular desire to become Pure Land Buddhists.This book is published by World Wisdom Press which offers books from a variety of spiritual teachings, both East and West. I have read and reviewed several books that World Wisdom publishes in its acclaimed series of children's books. World Wisdom kindly sent me a copy of "The Essential Shinran" for review.Robin Friedman