Tannisho

The nihongo|Tannisho|歎異抄, also known as the "Lamentations of Divergences" is a small text written by a disciple of Shinran named Yuien. In the Tannisho Yuien is concerned about the rising doctrinal divergences that emerged in Jodo Shinshu Buddhism after the death of their founder, so he wrote down dialogues between himself and Shinran that he could recall when his master was alive. Throughout the text, Shinran is dispelling one heretical idea after another, or giving some of his own thoughts on Jodo Shinshu Buddhist-related issues.

According to Yuien's own writing in the preface:

Many of the conversations found in the Tannisho are very candid when compared to more formal religious texts, and this may explain some of the popularity of the Tannisho among Shin Buddhists. The Tannisho allows Jodo Shinshu Buddhists to peer into the mind of Shinran, and see how he felt about practicing Jodo Shinshu. The Tannisho was also a major impetus for the start of The Dobokai MovementPopular Buddhism In Japan: Shin Buddhist Religion & Culture by Esben Andreasen, pp. 72/ University of Hawaii Press 1998, ISBN 0-8248-2028-2] among the Higashi Hongwanji branch of Jodo Shinshu.

Format

The Tannisho is divided into 18 sections (sometimes called "chapters"), though many of these sections are very short. Some are no longer than a couple sentences. However, each section deals with a separate issue or conversation, thus logically separating them.

Sections 1 through 10 focus on Shinran's thoughts with regard to Jodo Shinshu, the nembutsu and Amida Buddha, while sections 11 through 18 deal with heretical ideas that Shinran wanted to dispel or correct.

References

Additional Links

[http://www.livingdharma.org/Tannisho/TannishoContents.html The Tannisho] - translated by Dr. Taitetsu Unno