I´ve read this bizarre story before (in one of Per Beskow´s books) but never deep-dived into it before. And frankly, I´m too tired to do so right now, but for your sweet benefit, here are the links!
Yes, there is a tall tale that Jesus *visited Japan and is buried in a Japanese village*. Dude!
Kirisuto no Haka (Wikipedia summary)
Ett kort blogginlägg om en mindre känd episod i de tjeckoslovakiska legionernas historia...
Ja, kanske, men den här olyckskorpen har kraxat om en finansiell apokalyps rätt så länge nu. Så var är den, broschan?
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| Credit: Alejandro Bayer Tamayo |
Inga direkta nyheter, ärligt talat. Läs innan AB låser artikeln.
I´m sure some idiot finds this offensive somehow...
Personally, I wonder how effective this propaganda really was. After all, Donald Duck´s poor condition as a Nazi German worker doesn´t seem appreciably different from the position of the average American worker in 1943?! Maybe the comic wasn´t directed at, say, UMWA-affiliated mineworkers...
But what the heck do I know in 2026.
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| If you know, you know! |
Well, I´m not a "joiner" anyway, so maybe I shouldn´t give a damn? I´m not likely to ever sign up for some specific "faith community", except maybe for purely social/cultural reasons (or as dissimulation). I suppose I would have to annoy the Abrahamics and their mutant children by calling myself "Spiritual But Not Religious" (which I know some of them hated back when SBNR was the new kid on the block about 15 years ago).
I have spoken.
Another post from Doug´s blog "Gleanings in Buddha-fields". Confirms my impression that there is a lot of sectarianism in the Pure Land Buddhist milieu. Especially the Japanese version, although I´ve seen Chinese sectarian content, too, on YouTube.
I wonder if the sectarian approach and "easy salvation" is what attracts some Americans to this form of the Dharma? You know, evangelicalism, cough cough. I just find it tiresome. Extremely tiresome, actually.
Apparently, Doug is an ex-supporter of Jodo Shinshu but is now a Tendai hang-around. In case you must know.
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| Gemini´s fantasy picture of the Ikko-Ikki rebels |
I blogged about the Ikko-Ikki before. Apparently, they are often seen as crazy religious fanaticos by Western commentators, some kind of Buddhoid Taliban of late medieval Japan. A more romantic version, I suppose, is that they were surprisingly succesful peasant rebels.
The links below go to a non-scholarly blog of a person who describes himself as a "history nerd". It turns out that the truth about the Ikko-Ikki is complex, although strong religious convictions and plebeian anger certainly played major roles.
Note that the blogger is a former follower of Jodo Shinshu, the Buddhist sect rightly or wrongly associated with the Ikko-Ikki...
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| Amitabha Buddha in his Pure Land |
I somehow forgot about this blog (recommended by one of my "perennial commentators"). Kind of relate to the post, despite not being a "Pure Land Buddhist". Both the sectarian Japanese stuff, and the bewildering diversity (even in Japan) once you really start looking into it. Maybe I should procure the book under review?
Contains some sneak peaks into Amerikwan Buddhoid sub-culture, apart from a more serious discussion about Enlightenment from a kind of quasi-skeptical Zen perspective.
That´s where you´re wrong, kiddo. Seriously, though, this is a YouTube video narrated by a scholar of religion, dealing with the Buddhist hell-realms. Also note the discussion on Orientalism.
Will religious people be shocked by UFO disclosure? Our man Brad believes that at least Buddhists won´t. For instance, there is an "alien" bodhisattva arriving on a "UFO" in the Lotus Sutra. Yes, that would be Gadgadasvara alias the Bodhisattva Wondrous Sound. Disclosure happened already 2000 years ago, it seems! So what seems to be the prob? See also link below.
In Gavin Flood´s book "Introduction to Hinduism" (1996), the author states that Kashmir Shaivism is virtually extinct. OK Boomer. The book was clearly published before the Internet Age. I sometimes get the impression that Kashmir Shaivism (or Non-Dual Shaiva Tantra) is *the* dominant form of Hinduism on-line?! At least among White Americans, LOL. It may still be all dead and gone in the actual Kashmir Valley...
This Amerikwan cyber-dominance may explain why ChatGPT constantly promotes this peculiar form of spirituality. Everything I tell it, it tries to relate somehow someway to Kashmir Shaivism. When it´s not busy trying to convert me to Zen Buddhism and "sit in Zazen", Zen seemingly being the default position of this system when it comes to matters spiritual. I didn´t realize "sitting in Zazen" was *that* popular in *Silicon* Valley!
Dude.
So I was amused when Gemini recently proposed that my private religious speculations sound like a synthesis between Gaudiya Vaishnavism (think Hare Krishna) and Aurobindo´s Integral Yoga?! They don´t but I´ll keep that in mind just in case.
I know, I know, I suffer from main character syndrome. Whatever.
I´m joking of course. But this does sound like an interesting (final?) destination...
Is the Pure Land in the West in Pure Land Buddhism a "real" paradise world in which immortal beings can stay indefinitely?
In most forms of Pure Land Buddhism, the Pure Land of Amitābha Buddha — called:
Sukhavati
is indeed understood as a real realm or real mode of existence, not merely a metaphor.
However, it differs in important ways from:
The answer depends partly on the school and level of interpretation.
Traditional Pure Land texts describe Sukhāvatī as:
It is described in vivid detail in texts like:
Larger Sukhavativyuha Sutra
and:
Smaller Sukhavativyuha Sutra
Usually:
no, not in an ordinary astronomical sense.
It is more like:
Traditional cosmology places it:
So it is “real,”
but not usually imagined as:
In a practical sense:
beings in Sukhāvatī are free from ordinary death and suffering.
They no longer experience:
Lifespans are described as:
This is why Amitābha’s name means:
“Infinite Light”
and also relates to:
“Infinite Life.”
A key Buddhist difference:
Even Sukhāvatī is ultimately:
The goal is:
So rebirth there is often understood as:
the ideal environment for attaining enlightenment.
Because beings in ordinary samsara are:
Sukhāvatī is described as:
One cannot easily fall backward there.
Thus it functions almost like:
a perfect enlightenment monastery on a cosmic scale.
In many interpretations:
yes, for unimaginably long periods.
But eventually:
So Sukhāvatī is not usually framed as:
It is:
Yes — Pure Land texts usually describe beings as having:
Not gross physical bodies like ours.
These bodies are:
Some Mahāyāna and Zen-influenced thinkers interpret the Pure Land more symbolically:
In such views:
“West” may symbolize transcendence or liberation rather than literal direction.
But even symbolic interpreters often still treat Sukhāvatī as spiritually real.
In:
Jodo Shinshu
the emphasis is often less on:
Still, many Shin Buddhists traditionally affirm Sukhāvatī as real.
Others interpret it existentially or spiritually.
In some East Asian esoteric traditions:
This approaches:
Yet devotional imagery usually remains important.
There are similarities:
But major differences too:
| Pure Land | Christian Heaven |
|---|---|
| Transitional toward Buddhahood | Often final eternal state |
| No eternal creator God | Theistic framework |
| Based on karma + vow | Based on divine judgment/grace |
| Enlightenment-centered | Communion with God |
| Infinite compassionate Buddha | Personal God |
Pure Land texts evoke:
The atmosphere is:
It is one of the most emotionally consoling visions in world religion.
At the highest Mahāyāna level,
Sukhāvatī can be understood simultaneously as:
So Pure Land Buddhism often resists the modern choice between:
“literal place” OR “mere symbol.”
For many practitioners it is:
symbolically profound because it is spiritually real.
This content-creator, who calls himself Shaku Joshin, promotes a peculiar form of Buddhism. The group calls itself Amidaji International Temple, Amidaji for short. It seems to be a small breakaway faction from the Japanese Pure Land denomination Jodo Shinshu. Many members (including the founder) are White. This could be a thing, since Amidaji very strongly implies that their little sect are the only true Buddhists. White people telling Asians how to practice the Dharma? OK, bruh.
What struck me most when listening to Shaku Joshin is that he has almost exactly the same mentality as a evangelical or charismatic Christian. Indeed, he was one in his younger days. It´s all in there. The strong emotional investment in a loving savior-figure? Check. Except that the savior in this case is Amitabha Buddha (called Amida in Japanese) rather than Jesus. The evangelistic mindset? Check. The constant attacks on co-religionists for getting it wrong? Check. The sectarian attitude that your path is the only path to salvation, everyone else be damned? Check. While the content-creator doesn´t seem to believe in hell, he does regard this world as rather hellish, so being stuck here rebirth after rebirth might as well be damnation.
There are even doctrinal similarities. Pure Land Buddhists do teach a kind of salvation by faith and grace. Many have remarked on the similarities between this and Protestantism. But just like evangelicals attacking each other, Shaku Joshin claims that only Amidaji teaches *real* salvation by faith/grace alone. I encountered a similar small group of White American Amidists on the web about ten years ago, and I can´t help wondering if this is the sequel! Maybe the two groups actually are connected somehow.
I used to think that White American Buddhists are very tolerant and liberal (or at least pretends to), but here we have an explicit exception. I can´t say Quasi-Japanese Buddhism with a Bible Belt psychology is much of an improvement, though...
"Buddhism is a completely quietist religion". That´s where you´re wrong, kiddo.
Can you tell me something about the Ikko-Ikki?
The Ikkō-ikki were militant leagues of peasants, monks, local warriors, and commoners associated with Jodo Shinshu during Japan’s Sengoku (“Warring States”) period, especially in the 15th–16th centuries.
They are one of the most fascinating and unusual phenomena in Japanese history because they combined:
The name means roughly:
“Single-minded leagues”
or
“Leagues of the One Mind/Faith.”
The movement emerged from the teachings of:
Jōdo Shinshū emphasized:
This gave the movement enormous appeal among:
Japan in this era was politically fragmented:
Many Buddhist sects maintained:
The Ikkō-ikki emerged within this chaotic world.
Unlike elite monasteries,
the Ikkō-ikki mobilized:
Their cohesion came from:
In some regions they effectively created:
This was extremely threatening to feudal rulers.
The nembutsu:
“Namu Amida Butsu”
became not only:
Religious faith and political solidarity fused together.
This gave the movement tremendous emotional power.
The most famous example occurred in:
In the late 15th century, Ikkō-ikki forces overthrew local rulers and effectively governed the province for decades.
This period is sometimes described as:
“the Peasants’ Kingdom.”
Though in reality leadership involved:
Still, it was extraordinary for the period.
This creates a major paradox.
Pure Land Buddhism is centered on:
Yet the Ikkō-ikki became heavily militarized.
They:
This tension has long troubled Buddhist historians.
Some Shin Buddhist thinkers later viewed the militancy as:
The movement’s greatest enemy was:
Nobunaga sought to unify Japan and crush independent power centers.
He regarded militant Buddhist leagues as major threats.
The struggle became brutal.
The spiritual center of the movement was:
Nobunaga besieged it for years (1570–1580).
The conflict involved:
Eventually the temple surrendered.
This marked the decline of Ikkō-ikki political power.
Rennyo helped spread Shin Buddhism among commoners,
but he was personally cautious about violent uprisings.
At times he tried to restrain militant followers.
Yet the movement his reforms inspired became socially explosive.
They are important because they reveal:
They also challenge stereotypes about Buddhism as always quietistic or apolitical.
The Ikkō-ikki show that Buddhist movements could become:
One reason the movement became so powerful is that Shin Buddhism gave dignity to ordinary people.
Its message implied:
In a rigid feudal society,
this carried profound social implications.
Today, Jodo Shinshu is generally nonviolent and highly institutionalized.
The Ikkō-ikki are remembered with mixed feelings:
They remain one of the most striking examples of:
What if I want to meet this guy?
What do Pure Land Buddhists say about spiritual experiences, visions and mysticism? Can Amitabha be encountered in such states?
Yes. Many Pure Land Buddhists — especially historically — have believed that Amitābha Buddha can be encountered in visions, dreams, meditative states, near-death experiences, or profound devotional experiences.
But different Pure Land traditions interpret these experiences very differently:
One of the foundational Pure Land scriptures, the Amitayurdhyana Sutra, teaches elaborate contemplative visualizations of:
Practitioners were encouraged to:
These practices could culminate in:
So Pure Land Buddhism has always had a contemplative-mystical dimension, not merely repetitive chanting.
A major traditional Pure Land belief is the “welcoming descent” (raigō in Japan):
This became enormously important in East Asian Buddhism.
Many historical accounts describe:
In traditional communities, these were often interpreted as evidence of rebirth in the Pure Land.
Hōnen generally downplayed mystical elitism.
For him:
Visions could occur,
but:
This democratized salvation.
Even ordinary people:
Shinran was even more cautious.
He strongly distrusted:
For Shinran:
He would likely say:
Yet he did not necessarily deny them.
Rather:
In fact, some Shin thinkers say:
Chinese Pure Land Buddhism often preserved a stronger contemplative and mystical orientation.
Some practitioners pursued:
Accounts exist of:
These experiences were sometimes regarded as:
In more philosophically sophisticated traditions influenced by:
encountering Amitābha may be interpreted nondually.
Amitābha becomes:
Thus a mystical encounter with Amitābha could mean:
This becomes very close to mystical theology.
Dreams are important in many Pure Land traditions.
Practitioners historically reported:
Such dreams were often treated as:
But mature teachers usually warned:
Different interpretations exist.
Yes:
Amitābha appears through:
The distinction between:
All three interpretations coexist within the broader Pure Land world.
Pure Land mysticism is often:
Compared with some forms of Zen:
Its emotional atmosphere can resemble:
Especially in the sense of:
Most mature Pure Land teachers ultimately caution:
The deepest thing is not:
