Shoshinge: The Heart of Shin Buddhism

by Alfred Bloom

Dr. Alfred Bloom (b. 1926) is a pioneer of Jodo Shinshu studies in the English-speaking world. He was the Dean of the Institute of Buddhist Studies at Berkeley, California, when this was written. This is a seminary sponsored by the Buddhist Churches of America and allied with the Graduate Theological Union. Dr. Bloom, a world authority on Shin Buddhism, was first proctor at Harvard’s Center for the Study of World Religions. From 1957-1959, he was a Fulbright research student in japan. He taught at both the University of Oregon and the University of Hawai’i. Dr. Bloom’s SHOSINGE, THE HEART OF SHIN BUDDHISM, is a vivid contemporary commentary linking the insights expressed by the unique religious teacher Shinran on his Mahayana lineage and views of Buddhist practice, life, and reality in SHOSHINGE, the poem that over the past 800 years has become like a basic sutra for Shin Buddhists everywhere. The translation which appears at the end of Dr. Bloom’s text was done by Rev. T. Naga

Paperback

Published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Michael Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Bloom presents a wonderfully detailed analysis of Shinran's gatha Shoshinge. For any Jodo Shinshu or Pure Land followers, this is a must-read if you want to truly understand Shinran's approach to the Pure Land and his devotion to Amida Buddha.
The book has something for everyone - the student, the academic, the follower, and the curious. Bloom explains the history of Shinran's thoughts, the placement of Shoshinge at the end of the Chapter on Practice (in the Kyōgyōshinshō) and just before the Chapter on Shinjin. He also explains the division of the piece itself.