was a Japanese Buddhist philosopher and priest of the

Ōtani-ha Ōtani-ha (真宗大谷派, ''Shinshū Ōtani-ha'') is a Japanese Buddhist movement. It belongs to Jōdo Shinshū, also known as Shin Buddhism. The movement has approximately 5.5 million members. The headquarters of Ōtani-ha are in Kyoto,http://w ...

of Jōdo Shinshū Buddhism. He served as the 17th president of

Ōtani University is a private Buddhist university in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Ōtani University is a coeducation institution with an emphasis on Buddhist studies. A two-year private junior college is associated with the university. The university is associated wit ...

from 1961 to 1967.

Biography

Soga was born in the city of Niigata,

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,227,496 (1 July 2019) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

. He entered

Shinshu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As the only university in Japan bearing the name of a former Japanese province, it bears the name "Shinshu" (alternative name for Shinano Provin ...

, later known as Ōtani University, and graduated in 1901. After graduation from Shinshū, Soga returned to Niigata and became the adopted son-in-law of the priest of Jō'on-ji, a

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Mitsuke, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 39,908 in 15,139 households, and a population density of 510 persons per km². The total area of the city is , making it the smallest city in Niigata Prefec ...

. Soga returned to study at Ōtani University and became a disciple of

Kiyozawa Manshi was a Japanese Shin Buddhist reformer and priest of samurai background who studied at Tokyo University in Western philosophy under the American philosopher Ernest Fenollosa.Popular Buddhism In Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture by Esben A ...

(1863 – 1903), and a member of

. He served as a professor at

Toyo University is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane. Overview The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the ...

from 1916 to 1924, and then served as a professor at Ōtani University for the following 25 years. Soga Ryōjin developed a subjective and personal approach to Jōdo Shinshū studies, building on the thought of Kiyozawa Manshi, which he summarised in the words; "We do not believe in Buddha or God because they actually exist; they exist because we believe in them." Soga's writing on the topic in his book ''Nyorai hyōgen no hanchū to shiteno sanjinkan'', published in 1928, brought him into strong conflict with his denomination. He left his professorship at Ōtani University soon after in April 1930. Soga was always extremely careful to differentiate the Jōdo Shinshū perspective from the "Pure Land as mind alone" doctrine found in some

Pure Land A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). Th ...

and

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

schools: :"Those who believe in 'self-power' proudly boast, 'I am Tathagata!' Those of other Pure Land sects vainly lament this life, saying, 'The Tathagata is the Tathagata.' We odo Shinshu followersare surprised by the wonderous meaning of 'the Tathagata is me.' At the same time, we are aware that ultimately, 'I am me and not Tathagata.'" After leaving Ōtani, Soga founded the Koho Gakuen in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

with his close friend, the scholar

Kaneko Daiei was a Japanese Shin Buddhist philosopher and priest during the first half of the 20th century, belonging to the Ōtani-ha branch of Shin Buddhism. He was born to the priest of Saiken-ji, a Shin Buddhist temple in Jōetsu, Niigata Prefecture. ...

(1881 – 1976). Soga returned as a professor at Ōtani University in 1941. He served as the 17th president of the university from 1961 to 1967. Soga died on June 20, 1971.

Works translated into English

The Core of Shinshu

* ttp://www.shindharmanet.com/writings/kaishin.htm Kaishin: The Open Spirit
Storage consciousness

References

External links

Pure Land Buddhism Japanese scholars of Buddhism 1875 births 1971 deaths Jōdo Shinshū Buddhist priests {{Japan-reli-bio-stub