Hōnen regarded himself as a bombu 凡夫 (ordinary foolish being) and thought of Amida Buddha’s salvation as created for such a being. What was emphasized is the superior and easy nembutsu practice that was delivered through Śākyamuni to conform to the abilities of the bombu. In this sense, Hōnen does not esteem the resonantal stimulus and response (感応) as suggested in the teachings of the Tendai school, but he accepted the possibility of emotional response through the working of Amida’s Vow power. Hōnen kept records of his personal experiences but chose not to make any of these public. The reason for this is because talking about whether one experienced the power of a buddha’s vow and relating this to birth in the Pure Land has no connection with the intent of Amida Buddha’s Primal Vow. This attitude was also passed on to Hōnen’s disciples. This paper, while looking at how Hōnen and his disciples interpreted the significance of emotional response, will explore the differences in doctrinal understanding that resulted.
