Shinran · Theology

Neither Monk nor Layman

Shinran’s public marriage, his eating of meat, and his self-name ‘Gutoku’ - his deliberate rejection of the monk-versus-layman divide, and the radical this-worldly accessibility of a path meant for ordinary people.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Shinran, defrocked in exile, took the name Gutoku (‘foolish, stubble-haired one’), married Eshinni, ate meat, and declared himself ‘neither monk nor layman,’ collapsing the monastic-lay divide and opening the path to everyone. Explain why this was central to his teaching, not i…

Leads to Martin Luther.

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