About this series <i>Messenger of the Heart</i> <i>The Essential Swami Ramdas</i> <i>The Laughing Buddha of Tofukuji</i> <i>The Sufi Doctrine of Rumi</i> <i>The Golden Age of Zen</i> <i>Honen the Buddhist Saint</i> <i>Samdhong Rinpoche’s Uncompromising Truth</i>

slide 7 of 8 Priest, saint, and founder of the independent school of Pure Land (Jodo) Buddhism in 12th century Japan, Honen Shonin’s importance has been largely unrecognized in the West, even though his legacy includes over twenty million living practitioners of in Japan. Honen the Buddhist Saint: His Life and Teachings is the first and only English translation of a biography of this remarkable man. Edited by Joseph A. Fitzgerald, this edition combines illustrations from Japanese religious sites as well as Hônen’s own words which allow him to speak "from across the ages," to any human being, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, who desires to have faith and gain knowledge. "Japanese Pure Land Buddhism owes a huge debt to Honen Shonin. What is especially exciting about this volume is the presentation of Honen's life and teaching as seen through the eyes of medieval Japanese Pure Land Buddhists but brought to life in modern English by the original translators. The editors have done a remarkable feat of reducing the original multi-volume and scholarly production of 1925 to a single tome that is a joy to the eye and a pleasure to read. This will undoubtedly raise the level of appreciation of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism in the West as well as fill a major historical gap in the modern understanding of this great spiritual path." —Richard St.Clair, M.I.T. "A handsome and welcome contribution.... Amply illustrated, and with a new Introduction by Alfred Bloom, this publication of Honen the Buddhist Saint provides for a new generation both a readable abridgement of the classic text first translated by Coates and Ishizuka, and a current update on this important Japanese Buddhist figure." —Paul Swanson Director, Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture