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Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- Shinran - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
(1173-1262), philosopher and religious reformer. Shinran founded the Jodo Shinsa (True Pure Land sect), the largest sect of Buddhism in Japan today. Shinran studied Buddhism for 20 years on Mount Hiei, then became a follower of Honen, the founder of the Pure Land sect. From 1212 to 1236 Shinran lived at Kanto in eastern Japan, where he wrote ’Teaching-Acting-Faith-Attainment’. He taught a belief in justification by faith alone that has been compared to the thought of Martin Luther. Shinran died in Kyoto in 1262. (See also Buddhism.)