CONTENT AND INFLUENCE OF HONEN'S GENDER EQUALITY IDEOLOGY ON NUNS OF JAPANESE PURE LAND BUDDISM

Abstract

Hōnen is one of a great Buddhist masters with groundbreaking thought on nuns and gender equality in the history of Japanese Buddhism. Hōnen's thought of gender equality not only greatly influenced the spiritual and religious life of the Japanese, but also became the theoretical basis for the Japanese Buddhist gender equality movement; at the same time, contributed to raising the position and role of Japanese Buddhist nuns in spiritual life, in ritual practice, in development of the nunnery and engagement in contemporary social life. Using the hermeneutic theory, the article analyzes and clarifies Hōnen's thought, influence and contributions to Japanese Buddhist nuns in the gender equality movement.