Myoe

• Born: 1173
• Died: 1232
• Japanese: 明恵 (Myoue)

Myôe Shônin was a prominent Kamakura period monk who opposed the radical ideas of Pure Land founder Hônen.

Hônen asserted that enlightenment through traditional means was impossible, and that the best anyone could hope for in the age of mappô (Decline of the Law; End of the Law) was to pray for salvation by chanting nenbutsu (the name of Amida Buddha). In his Choosing the Original Vow, Hônen advocated abandoning meditation, celibacy, the creation and worship of idols, and all other standard practices in favor of devotion to the chanting of nenbutsu. Myôe opposed these assertions in his own text, Zaijarin ("Smashing the Evil Chariot/Wheel"), in which he accused Hônen of betraying the beliefs of the Pure Land sect, even writing that Hônen could no longer be considered a Buddhist. Myôe countered that while there may be call for a simplification of practices, a variety of practices were essential in order for one to earn passage into the Pure Land, i.e. to earn salvation. He advocated reciting a chant that incorporated devotion to the "Three Treasures" (Buddha, dharma, and sangha i.e. monasticism), along with engaging in other traditional practices.

Myôe is also known for his lengthy dream journal, in which he recorded the content of many of his dreams; he also appears in a prominent role in the Noh play Kasuga ryûjin, speaking of his desire to travel to China and India, in order to make pilgrimage to great Buddhist sites.

References

• “Amida, The Pure Land, and the Response of the Old Buddhism to the New,” in Wm. Theodore De Bary, Donald Keene, George Tanabe, and Paul Varley eds., Sources of Japanese Tradition, Second Edition, Columbia University Press (2001), 214-215.