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Shōkū
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Shōkū
Seizan Shōnin, Founder of Seizan Jōdo-shū
1177-1247 · 享年 70歳
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Three Surprising Facts
其 一
Shoku and Seizan Jodo School — From Honen's Senior Disciple to Developing an Independent Pure Land Tradition
Shoku, one of Honen's senior disciples, inherited the Jodo school's teachings and established the independent 'Seizan school' of Jodo Buddhism. Further developing Honen's 'exclusive nembutsu' and adding his own interpretations to the details of nembutsu practice, he especially argued his own views on the relationship between 'jiriki' (self-power) and 'tariki' (other-power of Amida Buddha), contributing to the diverse doctrinal development of Pure Land teaching. Active from Komyoji temple in Kamakura, his lineage continues today as the 'Seizan Jodo school.'
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生
Full Biography
From birth to death
Born in 1177, he was the eldest son of Minamoto no Chikasue and became the adopted son of the court noble Koga Michichika. He took vows at fourteen and studied under Hōnen for twenty-one years, participating in compiling the Senchakushū. He held high standing among Hōnen's disciples, signing the Seven-Article Covenant. After Hōnen's death, he settled near Yoshiminedera in Kyoto's western mountains and developed a distinctive Pure Land theology incorporating Tendai and esoteric elements, founding the Seizan branch. He died in 1247 at age seventy-one.
人
Personality
A refined intellectual monk who merged courtly culture with Hōnen's Pure Land teaching. Drawing on deep knowledge of Tendai and esoteric Buddhism, he added philosophical depth to nenbutsu thought.
義
Historical Significance
Seizan Jōdo-shū continues today as a significant branch of Hōnen's tradition, with Kōmyōji in Nagaokakyō as its head temple. Shōkū's thought is distinctive for introducing Tendai notions of perfect interfusion into Pure Land doctrine, representing an important strand of Pure Land theological diversity.
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