Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Editorial Foreword by Sengaku Mayeda, Supervisor Chronology Introduction to the D.T. Suzuki Translation of Shinran's Kyogyoshinsho by Mark L. Blum, Editor Translator's Introduction The Forty-Eight Prayers ''Bodhi-tree'' The Prayers Summarized (Jusei-ge) Vasubandhu's Gatha on a Birth [in the Pure Land] (Gansho-ge) The Kyogyoshinsho by D.T. Suzuki Preface [I] The True Teaching [II] The True Living [III] The True Faith Preface Part One Part Two [IV] The True Realizing Afterword by Hiroyuki Honda, Editor Notes & Sources of Quotations Glossary Selected Bibliography on Shin Buddhism in Western Languages Index

About the Author

D. T. Suzuki played a major role in the popularization of Zen Buddhism outside of Asia through his writings in English. He is recognized as one of the most respected public intellectuals in the field of religion within Japan in the twentieth century.

Reviews

"In D.T. Suzuki's hands, the stereotypical perception, particularly in the West, of Pure Land Buddhism takes on a different look. Amida Buddha is no longer equivalent to 'God,' and Pure Land is not merely a paradise. Suzuki boldly opts for non-traditional translations of key concepts so that 'vow' is rendered 'prayer' and 'practice' becomes 'living.' Shinran's Kyogyoshinsho is thus illuminated as one of the great Mahayana Buddhist works."
---Kenneth Tanaka, Professor, Musashino University, Tokyo and President, International Association of Shin Buddhist Studies
"D. T. Suzuki, who is best known as a Zen master, is also sympathetic towards Shin Buddhism. Suzuki's last work was the English translation of the Kyogyoshinsho, the profound philosophical work by Shinran, Shin Buddhism's founder. It is filled with the essence of his thinking. This new edition constitutes the definitive version of this amazing encounter across time between the two great masters of Japanese Buddhism, Shinran and Suzuki."
---Fumihiko SUEKI, Professor, International Research Center for Japanese Studies
"Suzuki's translation of Shinran's Kyogyoshinsho is a window not just into Shinran's innovative understanding of Buddhist tradition but also into Suzuki's innovative understanding of Shinran. Departing from conventional interpretations, Suzuki infuses Shinran with jolting new readings: Amida Buddha's Original Vow (hongan) becomes "Original Prayer" and religious practice (gyo) becomes "living." Westerners have sometimes mistaken Suzuki's translation as a
standard, orthodox presentation of Shinran. It is not. It is driven instead by Suzuki's determination to make Buddhism a compelling and captivating religion in the modern world."
---James C. Dobbins, Fairchild Professor of Religion and East Asian Studies, Oberlin College