Kōshō Ōtani

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Kōshō Ōtani ( Japanese 大谷 光照 Ōtani Kōshō , also Kosho Ohtani; * 1911 in Kyōto ; † June 14, 2002 ibid) was an abbot ( 門 主 , Monshu) of the Japanese temple Nishi Hongan-ji and the 23rd head of the Buddhist school Jōdo -Shinshū Honganji-ha .

Live and act

Kōshō Ōtani 1937 (right)

Kōshō Ōtani was born into a noble family. His cousin was Hirohito , the 124th Tennō . In 1927, when he was 15 years old, he succeeded Ōtani Kōzui , whose nephew he was, the post of head of the Nishi Hongan-ji and the associated management of his Buddhist school. These functions are passed on to the descendants of the school's founder, Shinran , from whom Ōtani descended in the 23rd generation.

As a result ltani taught in all 10,322 Buddhist temples belonging to his school in Japan. It took him twenty years to complete this program. In 1955, 1961 and 1969 Ōtani was also elected chairman of the Federation of Buddhist Schools in Japan.

From 1951 Kōshō Ōtani expanded his activities worldwide by visiting all continents on numerous trips, teaching there and cultivating friendships. He also worked in the German-speaking area, where Harry Pieper became his student in Berlin in the 1950s . Jack Austin was one of the friends of Ōtani in England. In Vienna , Ōtani played a key role in the development of Komyoji , which he chaired on August 7, 1994 when it was officially founded. After handing over his position to his eldest son in 1977 at the age of 65, he intensified his activities abroad. He also represented Buddhism at the United Nations , through which he collaborated with Mother Teresa and Hossein Nasr .

In addition to the internationalization of Jōdo-Shinshū and international understanding, the interreligious dialogue was a particular concern of his.

Works (selection)

  • 『唐代 の 仏 教 儀礼』 Arimitsu 1937
  • Gratitude . Vienna 1954
  • The belief of the Jodo-Shinshu . Translated by Harry E. Pieper. Vienna 1956
  • Sermons on Shin Buddhism . Kyoto 1957
  • 『法 縁』 抄: 勝 如上 人 の 九十年 』 . Honganji Shuppan, 2002, ISBN 4-89416-991-6

literature

  • Volker Zotz : In memory of Kōshō Ōtani, 1911–2002 . In: Ḍamaru . No. 33, 2002

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ George Matsubayashi: In Memory of the Late Kosho Ohtani . ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Dharma Message Archive , September / October 2002 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.nishihongwanji-la.org
  2. ↑ Kosho Otani dies at 90 . ( Memento of the original from August 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: Amarillo Globe News , June 15, 2002 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / amarillo.com
  3. ^ Stefan S. Jäger: Faith and Religious Speech in Tillich and in Shin Buddhism. Berlin 2011, p. 288
  4. ↑ Volker Zotz: From crossing the bridge . Ceremonial address for the establishment of Komyoji on August 7, 1994. In: Damaru 26 (1994) ( ISSN  2225-4803 )
  5. ^ William Skudlarek: The Attentive Voice: Reflections on the Meaning and Practice of Interreligious Dialogue . Lantern Books, 2011 ( ISBN 978-1-59056-310-6 )
  6. ↑ Kōshō Ohtani: The Attitude of Buddhism Toward Other Religions . In: Moses Jung, Swami Nikhilananda , Herbert W. Schneider: Relations Among Religions Today: A Handbook of Policies and Principles . Leiden 1963, pp. 33-35
personal data
SURNAME Ōtani, Kōshō
ALTERNATIVE NAMES 大谷 光照 (Japanese); Kosho Ohtani
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Japanese Buddhist clergyman; Chief priest of the temple Nishi Hongan-ji of the Jōdo-Shinshū
DATE OF BIRTH 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Kyoto , Japan
DATE OF DEATH June 14, 2002
Place of death Kyoto , Japan