Shin Buddhism in Modern Culture

Chapter 18 – The Nembutsu: Myokonin

Multiple Choice Questions

1. The word myokonin, which describes a remarkable group of Shin Buddhists, literally means:
- wonderfully good people
- highly enlightened people
- very learned people
2. For which of the following reasons was the ideal of the myokonin promoted during the Edo period? Was it to:
- encourage people to emulate their virtues
- draw more followers to Jodo Shinshu
- show that faith was not dependent upon education
3. Which of the following statements regarding the characteristics of the myokonin is FALSE? They:
- tend to have no social status
- express gratitude and joy even in the face of danger or evil
- were so compliant that they became slaves of the social order
4. The lives of the myokonin reflect their realization of “ki-ho-ittai,” which means the:
- sufferings of human beings
- unity of Buddha and beings
- he awareness of the 84,000 evil passions
5. Many of the myokonin described their relationship to the Buddha as that of:
- teacher and student
- sister and brother
- parent and child
6. Incidents in the lives of the myokonin show us that they:
- showed little strength of commitment
- had no sense of humor
- were fully harmonized people

Submit

Thought Questions

1. What is your personal impression of those wonderfully good people called myokonin?

2. Do you think there is a place in 20th century American society for such wonderfully good people? On a society that places so much emphasis on assertiveness, self-confidence, and self-reliance, what impact would someone like a myokonin have?