In Shin Buddhism, Shinjin (信心) was originally the Japanese word for the Buddhist concept of
citta-prasāda (clear or clarified heart-mind), but now carries a more popular related meaning of
faith
Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion".
Religious people often ...
or entrusting. According to Ueda, "shinjin is the mind of Amida Buddha given to and realized in a person. Shinran interprets shin (信) to mean truth, reality, sincerity; jin (心) means mind. When shinjin is realized, Amida's mind (wisdom and compassion) and the practitioners mind of blind passions become one."
[Ueda, Yoshifumi (1985)]
How is Shinjin to be Realized?
Pacific World Journal, New Series 1, 17-24. (Footnote p.24)
Whilst a general Japanese Buddhist term it is particularly associated with the
Jodo Shinshu teaching of
Shinran
''Popular Buddhism in Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture'' by Esben Andreasen, pp. 13, 14, 15, 17. University of Hawaii Press 1998, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, who was born in Hino (now a part of Fushimi, Kyoto) at the turbulent close of ...
. In that context it refers to the awakening and settlement of the mind that is aware of the working of
Amida Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
's
Primal Vow, and the assurance of birth in the
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 ...
at death:
In ''Notes on 'Essentials of Faith Alone Shinran writes "Know that the true essence of the Pure Land teaching is that when we realize true and real shinjin, we are born in the true fulfilled land."[Olson, Carl, ''Original Buddhist Sources,'' Rutgers University Press, 2006, ''p. 323''. ]
References
Bibliography
*Kasulis, Thomas P. (1981). Review: Letters of Shinran: A Translation of Mattōshō. Volume I: Shin Buddhism Translation Series I by Yoshifumi Ueda, Philosophy East and West 31 (2), 246-248
*Friedrich, Daniel G. (2008)
Shinjin, Faith, and Entrusting Heart : Notes on the Presentation of Shin Buddhism in English 大阪女学院大学紀要 5, 107-117
*Lee, Kenneth D. (2004)
Comparative Analysis of Shinran's Shinjin and Calvin's Faith Buddhist-Christian Studies 24, 171-190
*Ueda, Yoshifumi (1981)
Response to Thomas P. Kasulis' Review of "Letters of Shinran" Philosophy East and West 31 (4), 507-511
*Rogers, Minor L. (1980)
Review: Letters of Shinran: A Translation of Mattosho, by Yoshifumi Ueda. Notes on `Essentials of Faith Alone': A Translation of Shinran's by Yuishinsho-mon'i., by Yoshifumi Ueda Monumenta Nipponica 35 (4), 508-511
External links
* Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha
in: Shinran Works. The collected works of Shinran, including the Kyōgōshinshō.
Buddhism in Japan
Faith in Buddhism
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