Shinran · Theology

Saying the Name: The Nembutsu as Gift

What it means to say <em>Namu-amida-butsu</em> - and Shinran&rsquo;s decisive shift from the nembutsu as a meritorious practice the believer performs to the Name as Amida&rsquo;s own gift, working through the person who utters it.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Namu-amida-butsu means &lsquo;I take refuge in Amida Buddha,&rsquo; and that Shinran turned the nembutsu from a practice one performs for merit into the Name Amida bestows, so that even our saying of it is the vow&rsquo;s working, not our own accomplishment. Explain the shift in your own words.

Leads to Paul the Apostle.

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