BCA Bookstore

I just wanted to share that I recently ordered some Shin books from the BCA Bookstore to be sent to my home in the UK as they stock a lot of books that aren’t available anywhere else. The customer service (via email in my case) was excellent and the books took about 3 weeks to arrive and were well packaged. The negative was that the postage was almost as much as the books themselves but with the Sterling-Dollar exchange rate as it is right now that wasn’t too much of a hardship.

 

Review: The Essential Teachings of Shinran

The Essential Teachings of Shinran: The Path of True Entrusting (edited by Rev. Prof. Alfred Bloom) is a very useful new resource for Jodo Shin Buddhists. It includes a summary of Shinran’s life, based on various canonical and historical sources, and extracts from his writings arranged thematically. It is this latter aspect that is so valuable. For busy lay followers it is a great little book to have around which can easily be dipped into in order to locate teachings and inspiration.

A minority of people who are very familiar with Shinran’s works may find the addition of this book to their libraries an unnecessary duplication of material but overall I think that Rev. Bloom has done the English-speaking members of the Sangha a great service with this handy collection.

Namuamidabutsu.

 

Resources

- The Jodo Shinshu Canon Online (partial)

The Complete Works of Master Shinran

Rennyo’s Letters (Ofumi aka Gobunsho) - Fascicles One & Two only

‘The Three Sutras (Jodosanbu-kyo)’ and many other Jodo Shin texts can be found at Amida Net & Shin Dharmanet.

Letters of Eshin-ni - Two of the letters of Shinran Shonin’s wife.

Goichidai Kikigaki - Dharma-words of Shonin Rennyo and members of the Samgha of his day.

Rennyo Shonin’s Shoshinge Tai’i - A commentary on the Shoshinge.

Anjin Ketsujo Sho - A (probably) Seizan Jodo sect text but which was adopted by Shin devotees and popularized by Rennyo Shonin.

Essentials of Faith Alone (by Seikaku) An introduction to Pure Land much admired by Shinran Shonin which he copied for many of his fellow devotees.

The Clarification of Once-calling and Many-calling (by Ryukan)

Ichimai Kishomon (Honen’s One Page Testament) - Concise outline of Honen Shonin’s teaching.

Kisamboge (An Exhortatory Gatha) - by Shan-tao

Gatha in Praise of Amida Buddha (San Amidabutsu Ge) - by Tanluan Dashi (Donran Daishi)

Chapter on Easy Practice, Discourse on the Ten Stages (Igyo Hon, Jujubibasha Ron) - by Nagarjuna Boddhisattva (Ryuju Bosatsu)

Jodoron - Discourse on the Pure Land - Vasubandhu (Tenshin Bosatsu)

Yokawa Hogo (Genshin’s Dharma words at Yokawa)

Hymns of Birth in the Pure Land (Ojoraisan Ge) - Shandao Dashi (Zendo Daishi)

Dialogues on the Life to Come (Gose Monogatari Kikigaki) - Ryukan Daishi

Biography of Shinran Shonin (Godensho) - Kakunyo Shonin

Honganji Shonin Shinran Denne (Illustrated Biography of Shinran) - Kakunyo

List of the rest of Jodo Shin Canon

Pratyutpanna Sutra (part)

Rennyo’s Poems

- Other Resources

Various Mahayana Sutras

Shindharmanet (Rev. Alfred Bloom’s Site)

Shinran: An Introduction to his Thought (pdf format) by Yoshifumi Ueda and Dennis Hirota

Links Pitaka: Jodo Shinshu Resources (Rev.Ducor’s Site)

Richard St.Clair’s Shin Site

Amida Net (Rev. H. Inagaki’s Site)

What is Shin Buddhism? (Rev. Takamaro Shigaraki )

Living Dharma Website

Center for Contemporary Shin Buddhist Studies

American Buddhist Study Center

Nembutsu.info

Notes on the Nembutsu

Singapore Hongan Mission

Three Wheels Temple & Shogyoji Temple

Namuamidabutsu.