Toward Dialogue with Pope Francis: A Japanese Buddhist Perspective

Abstract

Shinran (1173–1263) is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and consequential Buddhist thinkers in Japanese history, and the Buddhist school that stems from his teachings, Jōdo shinshū (the Pure Land Shin tradition), remains one of the largest and most vital Buddhist institutions in Japan. This chapter seeks to raise the question of what Shinran and Pope Francis might say in conversation, from their standpoints in distinct religious traditions, across more than eight centuries and still significant cultural and social differences. How might they find mutual understanding and accord in addressing—out of the resources of their religious awareness—issues of justice, human suffering, and inequality in the contemporary world?