Difference between revisions of "Kuya"
(Created page with "*''Born: 903'' *''Died: 972'' *''Japanese'': 空也 ''(Kuuya)'' Kûya, or Kûya Shônin, was a Tendai monk and prominent early proponent of the recitation of the ...") |
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| + | [[File:Kuya Statue.JPG|right|thumb|192px|Statue of Kûya by Kôshô, held at [[Rokuharamitsu-ji]] in Kyoto]] | ||
*''Born: [[903]]'' | *''Born: [[903]]'' | ||
*''Died: [[972]]'' | *''Died: [[972]]'' | ||
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Kûya, or Kûya Shônin, was a [[Tendai]] monk and prominent early proponent of the recitation of the ''[[nenbutsu]]'' (i.e. chanting the name of [[Amida Buddha]] as a means to gain salvation). | Kûya, or Kûya Shônin, was a [[Tendai]] monk and prominent early proponent of the recitation of the ''[[nenbutsu]]'' (i.e. chanting the name of [[Amida Buddha]] as a means to gain salvation). | ||
| − | He is known for walking through the streets chanting the ''nenbutsu'' and singing songs about Amida. | + | He is known for walking through the streets chanting the ''nenbutsu'' and singing songs about Amida. He preached not only in the streets of [[Kyoto]] and the surrounding [[provinces]], but is said to have even made his way as far north as [[Tohoku|Tôhoku]] or [[Ezo]], where he preached to members of the [[Ainu]] community.<ref>[[Albert M. Craig]], ''The Heritage of Japanese Civilization'', Second Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 53.</ref> |
| − | A famous sculpture of Kûya depicts the monk carrying a staff topped by deer antlers, and with a series of tiny Buddhas emerging from his mouth, a representation of the ''nenbutsu'' being chanted and of its spiritual effect. | + | A famous sculpture of Kûya, by Kôshô (c. 1230), depicts the monk carrying a staff topped by deer antlers, and with a series of tiny Buddhas emerging from his mouth, a representation of the ''nenbutsu'' being chanted and of its spiritual effect. The sculpture, held at the [[Rokuharamitsu-ji]] in [[Kyoto]], was moved to a safer place outside the city during WWII; [[Lennox Tierney]] of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program ("Monuments Men") division in Japan played some role in ensuring its safety following the war, and its return to the temple.<ref>Lindsay Whitehurst, "[http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/57437734-78/tierney-japan-japanese-art.html.csp Utah professor was a real-life ‘Monuments Man’]," ''Salt Lake Tribune'', 2 Feb 2014.</ref> |
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==References== | ==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 (New York, 2001), 212-213. | *“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 (New York, 2001), 212-213. | ||
| + | <references/> | ||
[[Category:Heian Period]] | [[Category:Heian Period]] | ||
[[Category:Religious Figures]] | [[Category:Religious Figures]] | ||
Latest revision as of 09:32, 13 March 2014
Kûya, or Kûya Shônin, was a Tendai monk and prominent early proponent of the recitation of the nenbutsu (i.e. chanting the name of Amida Buddha as a means to gain salvation).
He is known for walking through the streets chanting the nenbutsu and singing songs about Amida. He preached not only in the streets of Kyoto and the surrounding provinces, but is said to have even made his way as far north as Tôhoku or Ezo, where he preached to members of the Ainu community.[1]
A famous sculpture of Kûya, by Kôshô (c. 1230), depicts the monk carrying a staff topped by deer antlers, and with a series of tiny Buddhas emerging from his mouth, a representation of the nenbutsu being chanted and of its spiritual effect. The sculpture, held at the Rokuharamitsu-ji in Kyoto, was moved to a safer place outside the city during WWII; Lennox Tierney of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program ("Monuments Men") division in Japan played some role in ensuring its safety following the war, and its return to the temple.[2]
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 (New York, 2001), 212-213.
- ↑ Albert M. Craig, The Heritage of Japanese Civilization, Second Edition, Prentice Hall (2011), 53.
- ↑ Lindsay Whitehurst, "Utah professor was a real-life ‘Monuments Man’," Salt Lake Tribune, 2 Feb 2014.
