, was a Japanese Buddhist monk and religious leader who was one of the main disciples of the Pure Land founder Hà Ânen. Also known as or , Benchà Â, is the second patriarch of the Chinzei branch of Jà Âdo-shà «, one of the major schools of Japanese Buddhism. Benchà Â's missionary efforts in Kyushu, especially Chikushi, and his founding of Zendà Â-ji temple, led to the establishment of the Chinzei-ha (é®西æµÂ) sect.
Shà Âkà Â-bà  Benchà  was born in the Katsuki district of Chikuzen, in what is now the Kitakyushu region. He entered Tendai religious training at fourteen, and at twenty-two proceeded to Enryakuji on Mount Hiei in 1183. There he studied under the guidance of Kwanei (観å¡) and received ordination from the Hà Âchi-bà  abbot Shà Âshin (証çÂÂ). After completing an extensive education in Tendai Buddhism, he returned home in 1190, at the age of twenty-nine, to serve as the principal instructor at a temple on Mount Abura.
Three years later, in 1197, he went to visit Hà Ânen at Yoshimizu in Higashiyama, Kyoto. Benchà  was thirty-six when he met the sixty-five-year-old Hà Ânen. Already recognized for his erudition and rhetorical skill, Benchà  tested Hà Ânen by raising detailed questions concerning the central issues of Pure Land doctrine. Hà Ânen responded with an extended exposition comparing the interpretive positions of Zhiyi, Genshin, and Shandao, and affirmed ShandaoâÂÂs system as the most comprehensive and appropriate guide for beings of the present age. The discussion continued for ten hours. By its conclusion, Benchà ÂâÂÂs doubts and residual pride had been removed. From that time onward he became Hà Ânen's disciple, and accepted the exclusive nembutsu teaching of by Hà Ânen.
In early 1198, Hà Ânen entrusted him with a manuscript of the Senchaku hongan nembutsu-shà «, still unpublished at that time due to fear of opposition from established institutions. Benchà  was instructed to copy the work, study it thoroughly, and preserve it for future generations. Later that same year, Hà Ânen dispatched him to Iyo Province to teach. Large numbers of listeners reportedly embraced the nembutsu under his instruction. Over the next six years, he continued to attend upon Hà Ânen, while repeatedly reading ShandaoâÂÂs commentary on the Meditation Sà «tra.
Later, after Hà Ânen and many of his followers were exiled in 1207, Benchà  was exiled on the island of Kyà «shà «, where he began preaching Pure Land Buddhism. Benchà  primarily spread the teachings of the Nenbutsu in Chikugo Province and Higo Province.
During his time in Kyà «shà «, Benchà  continued to write to Hà Ânen for clarification on difficult matters of interpretation. In the winter of 1228, he conducted a forty-eight-day nembutsu retreat, during which he composed a concise doctrinal treatise designed to eliminate misunderstandings regarding nembutsu practice. Upon finishing the work, he reported a visionary encounter in which Hà Ânen appeared and affirmed the accuracy of his exposition.
Benchà  also engaged in further extended ascetic practice. At Kuriyadera (now known as Chuzan Shà Âkà Âin Anyà Âji) at the foot of Mount Kà Âra in Chikugo Province, he undertook a thousand-day nembutsu retreat. According to hagiographical accounts, monks from Mount Kà Âya, hostile to his presence, abandoned their opposition after witnessing a collective visionary sign: a radiant western light accompanied by a declaration that the Buddha was manifesting his radiance because of Benchà ÂâÂÂs practice. Thereafter they are said to have acknowledged him with respect.
Later, Benchà  established a temple named Zendà Â-ji in Chikugo, later renamed Komyà Âji, which became the center of his teaching activity, He also opened other temples like à Âjà Âin Temple in Shirakawa, Higo Province. Benchà Â's daily practice was extensive, reportedly including six recitations of the AmitÃÂbha Sà «tra, six formal offerings, and sixty thousand repetitions of Namu Amida Butsu. He maintained that the nembutsu could never be practiced to excess.
Benchà  died on the fifteenth day of the first month of 1238. Prior to his death he experienced a raigà  vision of AmitÃÂbha and an assembly of celestial beings coming to receive him.
His admonitions to his disciples are encapsulated in his short teaching: <blockquote>To awaken and maintain true confidence, the essential thing is to be always thinking of death and of the Buddha. Who knows whether death may not come after any breath we draw! So we should always be mindful of this, and keep saying in our hearts, "Buddha of Infinite Light and Life, help me! Namu Amida Butsu!" </blockquote>Benchà  was succeeded by the third patriarch, Ryà Âchà « (è¯忠, 1199âÂÂ1287), who formally established the Chinzei branch.
Benchà Â's teaching is closely based on that of Hà Ânen, though he also draws on classic Pure Land authors like Shandao and Genshin to defend his interpretations of Hà Ânen. Hà Ânen's disciples were divided on several issues, and Benchà  was part of the conservative faction which stressed extensive nembutsu practice, and rejected the "ichinengi" (once calling) positionâÂÂthe view that one only needed to say the nembutsu one time. According to Jacqueline Stone, the conservative faction "stressed cultivating faith through cumulative nenbutsu chanting up until the end of life and also recommended supporting practices such as sutra recitation, meditation, or precept observance, subsuming these traditional disciplines within a tariki interpretive framework."
Benchà Â's teachings thus stressed constant religious practice, especially the nembutsu. His Matsudai nembutsu jushuin emphasizes that chanting the nembutsu is the true practice that leads to birth in the Pure Land, though it can be augmented by sutra recitation (dokuji), meditation (kanzatsu), worship (raihai) and praises and offerings (sandan kuyà Â). For Benchà Â, the practice of nembutsu done is three main contexts: daily routines, in special retreats, and at deathbed rites. Pure Land practices are grounded in the threefold mind: the sincere mind (shijà Âshin), the mind of profound faith (jinshin), and the mind that offers one's merits in aspiration for birth in the pure land (eko hà Âtsugan shin). Over time Benchà Â's teachings were described under the âÂÂUnifying One-Act SamÃÂdhiâ (Kekkai Ichigyà  Zanmai), a framework that saw all principal Pure Land practices (the Three Minds, Five Gates of Mindfulness, Four Modes of Practice, and Three Kinds of Conduct) as being included in the nembutsu.
Benchà  is particularly known for his vigorous defense of the tanengi (many callings) position, the insistence that the nenbutsu should be recited extensively by practitioners. He critiqued those who upheld the ichinengi (once calling) view that a single faithful recitation of Namo Amida Butsu is enough. In his Nenbutsu Myà Âgishà «, he writes that "recently, the Nenbutsu is being recited in various disordered ways, and it has become complicated, distorted, and diverse". He criticizes those who say that we should "discard the 30,000 or 60,000 repetition of the nenbutsu! It is precisely those who do not know the meaning of nenbutsu who recite such large numbers." According to Benchà Â, those who said these things and rejected extensive recitation of the nembutsu were distorting Hà ÂnenâÂÂs teaching.
The views that Benchà  criticized are associated with the "ichinen" doctrine of figures like Kà Âsai (1163âÂÂ1247). Benchà Â's emphasis of extensive practice places him in a group of Hà Ânen disciples that modern scholars have termed the "Self-Power faction" (jiriki-ha), since they tended to emphasize making effort on the Pure Land path and practicing as much as one was able. This contrasts with those who of the "Other-Power faction" (tariki-ha) who emphasized faith in other-power, like Shinran (1173âÂÂ1262), Shà Âkà « (1177âÂÂ1247), and Kà Âsai.
Benchà Â's interpretation of nembutsu was notably inclusive. Unlike more exclusivist defenders of vocal nembutsu who rejected or de-emphasized other practices, Benchà  accepted the validity of "miscellaneous practices" for attaining rebirth as provisional methods. He placed significant emphasis on specific practices detailed in the à Âjà Âyà Âshà « that Hà Ânen had minimized, namely the "Three Modes of Practice." This included detailed prescriptions for "Fixed-time Observances" (prolonged, dedicated nembutsu sessions done for specific lengths of time) and extensive "Deathbed Observances," and he also valued contemplative nembutsu and the goal of "seeing the Buddha". Thus, while centering his teaching on the easy practice of vocal nembutsu, Benchà Â's interpretations focused on incorporating and defending a broader range of practices into the Pure Land school.
Benchà Â's recognition and promotion of meditative nembutsu practice, such as those taught by Genshin, contrasts his approach with those of other disciples of Hà Ânen like Myà Âhen and Shinran who did not see these practices as important, and who even rejected them as self-powered practices that might lead to arrogance. While accepting that birth in the Pure Land can be achieved with a scattered mind, Benchà  affirmed the importance of attaining samadhi (meditative absorption) through nembutsu practice which could lead to visions of the Buddha, writing that "the aim of nembutsu is seeing the Buddha." He saw this concentrated meditative nembutsu as a superior practice to reciting with an unfocused mind.
Thus, Benchà  taught that effective Pure Land cultivation includes both the vocal nenbutsu itself (the main practice according to Hà Ânen as his disciples) and other Pure LandâÂÂrelated auxiliary practices. Benchà  proposed a schema in which all Buddhist practices are included in either a broad, inclusive nenbutsu (sà  no nembutsu) or in the distinct practice of invoking AmidaâÂÂs name (betsu no nembutsu), contending that the latter ultimately subsumes every other form of Buddhist discipline. However, he also held that "when the five kinds [of nembutsu] are considered separately, there is no superiority or inferiority among them; they are equal." This indicates an attitude that is more open to other forms of nembutsu practice other than the primary practice of vocal recitation emphasized by Hà Ânen.
Based on his reading of texts like NÃÂgÃÂrjuna's Daà Âabhà «mikavibhÃÂṣà(J: Jà «jà «bibasharon) Benchà  also held that if the Buddha's other-power is present, self-power practices can have some place in the Pure Land Dharma Gate. He even argues that reciting the names of other Buddhas and bodhisattvas can be considered to be within the scope of the Easy Path of Pure Land.
Benchà  insisted on the importance of reciting nembutsu and establishing right mindfulness at the time of death. He also defended the efficacy of traditional deathbed nembutsu rites against other nembutsu followers who were beginning to question them, like Shinran. According to Benchà Â, at the time of death: <blockquote>One should set up before the sick person a buddha image and that individual's personal sutra, being sure to attach the cords, ready lamps, burn incense, and provide flowers. Without fail one should strike the chimes and chant the nenbutsu, waiting for the dying person's breath to cease and for Amida and Kannon to come in welcome. </blockquote>Benchà  also criticized those who question these practices. As Jacqueline Stone writes, for Benchà Â, "preparing for the last thought is the most essential business of one's lifetime: those who do not chant the nenbutsu at the end do not reach the Pure Land. One who chants the nenbutsu earnestly in life will surely be able to carry out the deathbed practice. Besides, he adds, the whole spirit of the question is misguided: a serious practitioner. in keeping with the virtue of assiduousness (virya, shajin), will strive to do more, not less."
Benchà  also defends the importance of the presence of a zenchishiki (guiding teacher) during the deathbed rite, writing that Hà Ânen himself had acted in this role for some of his disciples. He compared dying without a guiding zenchishiki as "trying to fly without wings or cross the sea without a boat", writing that "A bold warrior, in subduing the enemy, makes use of a bow and arrows as well as a sword ... a zenchishiki is like a great general who arouses the conditions for ojo [birth in the Pure Land]." He also says that a guiding teacher can help someone who has become disoriented practice repentance and clear away karmic hindrances during one's death.
Benchà  also stated that diligently practicing nembutsu extensively during this lifetime helps people attain right mindfulness at the time of death.
Benchà  was especially concerned about a "certain faction" of Pure Land practitioners who held that the manner of one's death did not matter, and that as long as one chanted nembutsu one would attain birth in the Pure Land. During the Kamakura period, most Buddhists attached great significance to the way one died. Those who died in agony or in a state of confusion were generally held not to have attained a good rebirth, while those who died peacefully and received visions or good omens were believed to have attained birth in the Pure Land. Because of this, extensive deathbed rites that included much nembutsu chanting by monks were common. Nevertheless, certain followers of Hà Ânen, like Shinran, began to de-emphasize these beliefs, arguing that what truly mattered for birth in the Pure Land was true faith (shinjin).
Benchà  critiques this position however, writing: <blockquote>A good death is when [the pain of] the last illness abates, so that the dying do not suffer but pass away as though falling asleep, with a composed mind and palms pressed together, having said "Namu-Amida-butsu" as their final words. Or if purple clouds gather, or if the dying see radiant light or behold a transformation buddha, that signals birth in the Pure Land in the upper grades .... A bad death is when they thrash about, spit blood, or become deranged before dying... All such persons all into the three evil paths. </blockquote>
Benchà Â's other doctrines are also generally conservative, relying on traditional Pure Land texts such as those of Hà Ânen and Shandao. For example, his exposition of the practice of nembutsu emphasizes the necessity of having the "three minds" (ä¸Âå¿Â) as taught by Shandao (the sincere mind, the deep mind, and the that seeks birth in the Pure Land by transferring one's merit).
For Benchà Â, maintaining a faithful state of mind is very important when reciting nembutsu. However, this does not require a complete lack of doubt or perfect understanding. Even a fool who has simple faith in the nembutsu and Amida can gain the three minds. Thus, he writes:<blockquote>However, what the late Hà Ânen Shà Ânin taught directly is that possessing the Three Minds is easy. If one understands by seeing through what Shandao declared, then any ignorant person can easily possess the Three Minds. As one earnestly rejoices in the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss, and recites while coloring one's heart with Amida Buddha, the Three Minds are naturally and spontaneously possessed." </blockquote>
Benchà Â, together with his disciple Ryà Âchà « are also important for establishing formal ordination in the bodhisattva precepts as a key element of Jà Âdo-shà « master-disciple lineages, though it was really only at the time of Shà Âgei that this became fully formalized. This formal ordination was based on the Bodhisattva Precept Ceremony (Ju bosatsu kaigi æÂÂè©è©æÂÂå which they received from the Tendai tradition. The precepts were considered useful auxiliary practices. This element sharply contrasts the Jà Âdo-shà « with the Shinshà « tradition who set aside all precepts and developed its own tradition of ordination.
Benchà  produced several doctrinal works to systematize Hà ÂnenâÂÂs teachings, as well as to resolve doctrinal tensions that had emerged within the early Pure Land movement. His key works include: