Ugo Dessi* The Pure Land as a Principle of Social Criticism Introduction One of the most distinctive features of Shin Buddhism (J do Shinsh¨ 浄土真 宗) is the view according to which religious liberation cannot be achieved without a complete renunciation of “self-power” ( jiriki 自力) and “calculations” ( hakarai は からい). This approach derives from the thought of Shinran 親鸞 (1173-1262), who is considered the founder of Shin Buddhism, and has traditionally discouraged the use of normative language to connect the dimension of “other-power” ( tariki 他力) to the concrete social practice of the believers. 1 Given such a doctrinal background, the simultaneous presence in contemporary Shin Buddhism of this diffidence towards normative approaches and of a lively debate on ethics is all the more striking to the external observer. Among such discussions noteworthy are those exploring, especially theoretically, the relation between Shin Buddhism and social criticism. This strand of the debate is indeed one of the most developed within the context of contemporary Shin Buddhist ethics. It is also linked to various doctrinal sources, has a tested reciprocal relationship with social activism, and is related to the equalitarian dimension of the teachings. From these discussions various innovative views emerge, suggesting an approach to social ethics which goes beyond the traditional Shin Buddhist characterization of morality as a response in gratitude to Amida. In this connection, a typical way of articulating the discourse on social criticism is the recourse to the Pure Land as a critical standpoint on society. The expression “Pure Land as a principle of criticism” ( hihan genri to shite no j do 批判原理としての 浄土) was first introduced by Hishiki Masaharu 菱木政晴, and this interpretative approach is currently shared by various Shin Buddhist writers. Within this framework the qualities of the Pure Land, together with a few other selected doctrinal points, provide the standard to measure the inconsistencies of this world. This standard is one of the major premises for the realization of a society free of discrimination, oppression, and violence. * Ph.D., Study of Religions; Research fellow, tani University. 1. See Dess 2007: 22-77. Cf. CWS I: 413-421, 429, 525, 547-553, 663-668, 679; and SSZ II: 523-527, 531, 659, 682-691, 775-779, 792. Japanese Religions, Vol. 32 (1 & 2): 75-90