Benchō

, was a Japanese Buddhist monk and religious leader who was one of the main disciples of the Pure Land founder Hōnen. Also known as or , Benchō, is the second patriarch of the Chinzei branch of Jōdo-shū, one of the major schools of Japanese Buddhism. Benchō's missionary efforts in Kyushu, especially Chikushi, and his founding of Zendō-ji temple, led to the establishment of the Chinzei-ha (鎮西流) sect.

Biography Shōkō-bō Benchō 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.

Benchō'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 kuyō). For Benchō, 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 (shijōshin), the mind of profound faith (jinshin), and the mind that offers one's merits in aspiration for birth in the pure land (eko hōtsugan shin). Benchō's emphasis of extensive practice places him in a group of Hōnen 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 (1173–1262), Shōkū (1177–1247), and Kōsai.

Nembutsu Benchō's interpretation of nembutsu was notably inclusive. Unlike more exclusivist defenders of vocal nembutsu who rejected or de-emphasized other practices, Benchō accepted the validity of "miscellaneous practices" for attaining rebirth as provisional methods. He placed significant emphasis on specific practices detailed in the Ōjōyōshū that Hōnen 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, Benchō's interpretations focused on incorporating and defending a broader range of practices into the Pure Land school. While accepting that birth in the Pure Land can be achieved with a scattered mind, Benchō 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."

Deathbed practice Benchō 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. This element sharply contrasts the Jōdo-shū with the Shinshū tradition who set aside all precepts and developed its own tradition of ordination.

Writings Benchō produced several doctrinal works to systematize Hōnen’s teachings, as well as to resolve doctrinal tensions that had emerged within the early Pure Land movement. His key works include:

, which contained a full account of the teachings that Benchō heard directly from Hōnen. Nembutsu ojo shugyomon (The Way of Practice for Birth by the Nembutsu) which counters the teachings from certain Pure Land figures, especially Kōsai and the "single-nembutsu" followers. Nenbutsu Myōgishū Tetsu Senchakushū, a commentary on the Senchakushū Jōdo Shū Yōshū (Essentials of the Pure Land School) Jōdo Shū Meimoku Mondō