James C. Dobbins

A scholarly study of Buddhism in medieval Japan, which highlights the letters written by a nun and discussion of the daily lives and religion of women.

Eshinni (1182-1268) was a nun and the wife of Shinran, a leader of Shin Buddhism, a type of Pure Land Buddhism. In this book, Dobbins translates her letters and places them in the context other historical sources to present a revised understanding of the history of Japanese Buddhism. He argues that the way Eshinni and others practiced their religion differed from the abstractions and pronouncements of leaders. It differed even more from the assumptions that historians have made about Shin Buddhism in medieval Japan. Life was hard during this period, contributing to the appeal of the promise of a good life after death. Superstition remained rife, although recent religious scholars have underplayed its importance.

Read more....http://wp.me/p24OK2-p9… (altro)

This book has 3 sections: 1.) Author's notes on the letters' history and background that is useful for understanding the context and content of the letters 2.) The letters themselves and 3.) scholarly writings on Pure Land Buddhism interpretations arising from the letters.

The first section was pretty interesting-- the fact that these letters were written in that time and place and that I am able to read them today is fascinating in its own right. The letters themselves were a bit of a letdown. They had been built up to be much more, to reveal so much more, than they actually did (for me anyway). I had high hopes for letters 8-10 to provide much more details of daily life in Medieval Japan. They were very short, repetitive, and just not that interesting.

I am not a scholar of Buddhism so I did not read Section 3.

This book may have much more significance to a scholar of Shinsu Buddhism. For the lay person interested in both Japan and Medieval history-- it didn't have much to offer.… (altro)