Why Anarchists Like Zen? A Libertarian Reading of Shinran (1173–1263)^101
argue that obedience is an illusion but complying with it while be-
ing aware of its illusory nature does not present a problem. Seeing
the absurdity of authority does not necessarily involve rebellion,
as one might choose to cynically or playfully comply with it. After
all, obedience is deconstructed along with free will or the ability
to act according to our wishes and, since we are prisoners of our
karmic histories, neither rebellion nor compliance are really our
choice.^80 Thus, whereas Shinran’s playful debunking of his own
authority could be interpreted in an antiauthoritarian direction,
it can also be used for justifying an ironic and self-aware form of
compliance.^81
In fact, this problem has long haunted the political history
of Buddhism and the formulation of any kind of Buddhist an-
archism. The relativistic character of most Buddhist thought, in-
cluding Jodo Shinshu, can produce a sort of cynical passivity that,
despite being critical of government, also lets governments rule.
The paradigmatic example of the Buddhist-influenced Daoist text
Wu Nengzi (9th century) in China demonstrates how Buddhist
relativity can lend itself to an ironic acceptance and collaboration
with the government.^82 Although there might be a critical and self-
cynical element in collaborating with authority, such approach, far
from destabilizing or disrupting that authority, ensures its smooth
functioning. Suzuki (in)famously wrote about Zen, and Buddhism
at large I would argue, can be “wedded to anarchism or fascism,
communism or democracy”.^83 The history of Jodo Shinshu cer-
tainly confirms that Suzuki’s statement also applies to the teach-
ings of Shinran, which have been interpreted from a broad range
of ideological perspectives from socialism to liberalism and from
Japanese imperial nationalism to eco-pacifism.^84
To claim that Shinran is inherently anarchistic is as anachronis-
tic and misleading as claiming Zen philosophy and discourse as
being “more anarchistic than anarchism”. However, Shinran, like
Zen philosophy, can be read anarchically and provide a Buddhist
foundation to an anarchist project. Furthermore, Shinran’s critical
and historical awareness and his critique of both Buddhist and
state authority can help contemporary Buddhist anarchisms to
critically examine their own history and the history of Buddhism
at large. Whether seen as reformist or revolutionary, Shinran’s