No Abode: The Record of Ippen

by Ippen, Ippen

Ippen (1239-1289) was a wandering hijiri (holy man) and religious leader whose movement developed into one of the major schools of medieval Japanese Buddhism. In his life and thought we find elements of folk practices and mountain austerities, the critical spirit of Zen, and the cosmic vision of esoteric traditions. This volume presents a translation of all of Ippen's extant writings, including letters and verse, together with records of his spoken words.

Genres: Buddhism

272 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 1997

Reviews

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ippen was the founder of the Ji-shu school of Pue Land Buddhism in 13th century Japan. the school itself was short lived but the wisdom of his teachings lives on in this important translation by respected Pure Land scholar Dennis Hirota.

here we have the spirit of Zen and the Nembutsu intermingling with each other, and in Ippen's wasan perhaps one of the most under-appreciated collections of Buddhist poetry known to the west.

whether a follower of Jodo Shu, Jodo Shinshu (such as myself) or indeed any tradition, No Abode: The Record of Ippen is a worthy and inspiring read that provides much cause for reflection. recommended.

[Michael Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dennis Hirota is a scholar, and his translations and writings are always enlightening. However, this text left me flat. Hirota always provides exhaustive notes (20% of the book here), so it is good for further research if one so desires. The format of the book was a bit cumbersome for me. 67 pages were dedicated to the introduction. This is actually the heart of, and the most interesting portion of the book. The rest of the book is dedicated to Ippen's poems, writings, and words.
The life of Ippen was interesting and the story of his beliefs and practices intriguing. Though he was a believer in the nembutsu and Other Power, he spent most of his life as an ascetic, disdaining possessions and personal attachments. Was he living the nembutsu of Other Power by practicing the rites of self power?
I would have been more interested to learn more of his life and the basis for his beliefs and teachings, with less space for his somewhat repetitive pronouncements.
In general, while there is benefit to reading this book, it is a bit lacking in holding interest.

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gets a bit repetitive because all Ippen had to say was "chant the name of Amida Buddha" and everything else was just commentary on this. This is still a pretty fascinating look at the life of a 13th century Buddhist monk, though.

[Drew Tschirki · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book elucidating Ippen’s nembutsu practice. I particularly enjoyed learning of his interactions with the Seizan branch of the Pure Land school.