Fall Study Series

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Class Description:

The Contemplation Sutra called Kanmuryojukyō in Japanese is one of the Three Pure Land Sutras that Shinran Shōnin treasurered.  The sutra starts with the so-called Tragedy of Rājagṛha that is the story of the royal family of Magadha kingdom at the time of Śākyamuni.  Śākyamuni Buddha expounded this sutra solely for Queen Vaidehī who grieved and moaned because she had a wicked son Ajātaśatru and she wished to be reborn in a place that is free of sorrows and afflictions.  Buddha showed her various methods of meditation to be reborn in the Amida Buddha’s Pure Land.  The Contemplation Sutra is closely related with the Nirvana Sutra, and Shinran Shōnin introduced the Tragedy of Rājagṛha in his writing Kyōgyōshinshō.  In this class, I will explain the Contemplation Sutra and Nirvana Sutra from perspective of Queen Vaidehī, an example of a suffering being, and Shinran’s understanding of the Contemplation Sutra, and intention to introduce us to this tragic story.