80 Essays in Anarchism and Religion: Volume 1
nationalism and to offer “an exceptional gift of the Japanese peo-
ple to the world”, especially to an ailing West, “overtly determined
by its rationalistic materialism”.^7
Although Suzuki’s Zen is a perfectly valid formulation within
the Zen tradition, to claim that all historical manifestations of Zen
are ‘pure Zen’ or that Zen is the most rational form of Buddhism
and therefore the one closest to radical thinking, is problematic.
At best such a claim is a misguided bow to Zen narratives of
self-legitimation and at worst a colonial ordering of Buddhist
traditions according to European criteria and needs, which mir-
rors the British discovery of Buddhism in the 19th century.^8 The
discovery and construction of (Theravada) Buddhism by early
British orientalists reflects an analogous pattern to the modern
construction of Zen in so far as it tries to identify a “pure” and
“original” Buddhism that is palatable for the rational ethos of the
post-enlightenment. By stripping this “original” Buddhism from
“irrational” and “religious” elements, Buddhism is rendered ab-
stract, philosophical and ahistorical, thus fulfilling the needs of a
certain European consumer.
The aim of this chapter is to propose an alternative pathway
for Buddhist anarchism based on a radically different Buddhist
formulation, that of Shinran Shonin (1173–1263). Shinran’s
thought can arguably contribute to contemporary Buddhist
anarchism some of the elements that it seems to be lacking: a
self-critique that is not devoid of social criticism, a deconstruc-
tion of Buddhist power and some form of historical awareness.
For this purpose, I will first outline some of the anti-authori-
tarian traits in Shinran’s writings, which have so far not been
read from an explicitly anarchist angle. Then I will look close-
ly at Shinran’s critical view of humanity and human relations
through his concept of mappo, drawing out the egalitarian and
subversive implications of Buddhist eschatology. In so doing I
show how Shinran’s radical re-reading of the Buddhist canon,
and the self-understanding it yields, bring into question some
important narratives that legitimize and construct the estab-
lished, politico-religious order. Finally, I explore the ethical and
political implications of Shinran’s actions, assessing what Jodo
Shinshu (i.e. Shinran’s Buddhism) can contribute, not just to