Myth and History in Shin Buddhist Thought

The categories of myth and history do not fit easily within Shinran's "true essence of the Pure Land way." Mythopoetic narratives in Shin Buddhism are circumscribed within the broader themes of teaching, practice, shinjin, and realization, which com-prise that path. Pure Land narratives do not play the type of cosmogonic or etiological role accorded generally to myth. Some religious concerns associated with myth and history are addressed in Shinran's understanding of the dynamics of upaya. The retrieval of mythos in Shin Buddhism may yield a surplus of meaning in the realiza-tion of shinjin at the coalescence of myth and history.