Lecture 4: Pure Land Buddhism - Mappo Theory, Honen and Shinran

The Kamakura period saw the introduction of the the Amida Pure Land schools by Hōnen and the True Pure Land school by Shinran. The schools which emphasize salvation through the faith in Amitabha remain the largest Buddhist sect in Japan. The ‘mappō’ theory discussed in this chapter provided an opportunity for people to deeply reflect upon human inability to work for one’s own salvation, thus the Pure Land schools came in timely.