Shin Buddhism in Modern Culture

Chapter 19 – The Ultimate End of Faith (Part 1)

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Shinran’s thought, the ultimate end of religion is:
- going to the Pure Land (oso)
- returning from the Pure Land (genso)
- gaining security and benefits
2. Which of the following statements concerning Buddhist missionary activity is FALSE?
- The aspect of mission is not clearly formulated as a task or goal in most Buddhist institutions
- Buddhist missions, when carried out, tend to be passive and permeative rather than active and direct
- Influenced by the missionary zeal of Christians in Japan, Buddhist missions today are aggressive and widespread
3. For Shinran, the Pure Land was:
- a launching platform to enlightenment
- Nirvana itself
- a secondary phase
4. According to Terada Yakichi, Shinran’s great achievement in the history of Buddhism was that he:
- made Buddhism a part of the daily life of laypeople
- widened the gap between monks and laypeople
- promoted the monastic way of life
5. In diluting religion and blurring its critical focus, society encourages two approaches. Which of the following is not one of these approaches? It:
- gives the individual an independent basis for moral judgment
- encourages conformity to established social powers by focusing on this-worldly success
- focuses attention on the afterlife so as to enforce conformity to present social norms
6. Shinran’s religion can be called “transcendent” because:
- it is separate from human existence
- it is a faith that people can never truly attain
- its basis for understanding reality is Tathagata (Buddha), not man.
7. In Shinshu tradition, the two truths of Absolute and Conventional (Shinzokunitai) were emphasized by Rennyo to distinguish between which of the following?
- Amida Buddha and lesser gods
- religious existence and social life
- myokonin and ordinary laypeople

Submit

Thought Questions

1. The author says that “for the Buddhist, the issue is not how religious one may be, but whether the ego is transcended.” How would you interpret this statement? What does “being religious” mean to you? And, how does this perspective differ from the attitude taken by other religious groups you know?

2. The author suggests that in the contemporary era, the Buddhist “sense of mission” needs to be developed so that the ideals, values, and potential of Buddhism are articulated and expressed in compassionate ways. What do you think? What do you think is the “mission” of the Buddhist? In what ways do you think the teachings could or should be disseminated? Give reasons.

3. What is the ultimate end of faith as understood in Shin Buddhist teachings? What relevance does this have for modern people?