Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
of eternity seated in the lotus blossoms on the pool before Amida's throne in his paradise
in the West.
ThelastsecttoappeardidsojustbeforetheTokugawaperiod;itfollowedtheteachings
of the priest Nichiren, and developed a nationalistic and intolerant trend, and also suffered
fromconsiderablepersecution.OneeffectofthespreadofthePureLandandNichirensects
wasthatBuddhismcouldnowbecomeapopularreligioninsteadofanessentiallyindividu-
al matter, or at least, the concern of a community of specialists. The populace could go in
largenumberstotheservicestochantthephrasesthattheybelievedwouldsavetheminthe
life to come: and so, although Buddhism had lost a great deal of its political power, which
ithadformerlyexercisedinseveraldifferentways,itwasnowinmuchgreatercontactwith
the common people.
(65) Joss-stick maker. He uses an elaborate capstan for applying pressure to extrude in-
cense, which is cut into lengths by the son of the house, with the boy's hair-cut.
