The Buddhist pantheon in Shasekishu: Buddhas and bodhisattvas

Abstract

The paper discusses the literary monument Shasekishū (“Sand and Pebbles Collection”, 1279–1283) as a source for studies in Japanese Kamakura Buddhism in its practical dimension. By examining the setsuwa tales in this collection, we may pose and answer questions about the role of various buddhas and bodhisattvas in Japanese Buddhist traditions, about the doctrinal bases and ritual practices of various cults. Discourses about the essence of this or that revered being in this collection are mixed with stories about miracles which the Buddha or Bodhisattva revealed in Japan, about miraculous statues, etc. Specifc cases studied in this article are the Dainichi, Yakushi, Amida, Miroku, Kannon and Jizō cults. The author of Shasekishū, describing the advantages of different cults, consistently denies claims by any of them to exclusivity (especially in the case of Amidaism). The paper continues the study that was previously published as [Trubnikova 2016].