Honen Quotes
Honen was a Japanese Buddhist monk and the founder of the Pure Land school of Japanese Buddhism. After decades of intensive study and practice on Mount Hiei, he came to the conviction that the conditions of his age made the traditional path of monastic discipline impossible for most people, and that salvation must come from the boundless compassion of Amida Buddha rather than from human effort. The quotes below are attributed to Honen, organized by topic.
Browse Honen by topic
Honen on God
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Attributed to Honen:
“All who recite the nembutsu in faith will be reborn in the Pure Land.”
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Attributed to Honen:
“Salvation comes through the grace of Amida, not through self-power.”
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Attributed to Honen:
“Faith is greater than understanding.”
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Attributed to Honen:
“When even the wisest cannot save themselves by their own power, the compassion of Amida is enough.”
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“The truthfulness which Jesus demands from his followers is the self-abnegation which does not hide sin. Nothing is then hidden, everything is brought forth to the light of day. In this question of truthfulness, what matters first and last is that a man’s whole being should be exposed, his whole evil laid bare in the sight of God. But sinful men do not like this sort of truthfulness.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer , Nachfolge (1937), The Cost of Discipleship (1959), p. 138
Honen on Knowledge
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“You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Because any decision-making that is based upon lies or ignorance can't lead to a good conclusion.”
Julian Assange , "Julian Assange, monk of the online age who thrives on intellectual battle" . The Guardian . 2010-08-01 . Retrieved on 2010-08-01 . -
“He who says that there is no such thing as an honest man is himself a knave .”
George Berkeley , as quoted in Ladies Home Journal Vol. 97, No. 8 (August 1960). -
“Ben Carson , Think Big (p. 152).”
If we live by the rule of honesty and accept our problems, we can go far down the road of achievement.
Honen on Life
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“If we live by the rule of honesty and accept our problems, we can go far down the road of achievement.”
Ben Carson , Think Big (p. 152).
Honen on Politics
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“The first step toward greatness is to be honest, says the proverb; but the proverb fails to state the case strong enough. Honesty is not only "the first step toward greatness," — it is greatness itself.”
Christian Nestell Bovee , reported in Louis Klopsch, Many Thoughts of Many Minds (1896), p. 133.
Honen on Time
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“Julian Assange , "Julian Assange, monk of the online age who thrives on intellectual battle" . The Guardian . 2010-08-01 . Retrieved on 2010-08-01 .”
You have to start with the truth. The truth is the only way that we can get anywhere. Because any decision-making that is based upon lies or ignorance can't lead to a good conclusion.
Honen on Virtue
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Attributed to Honen:
“The simplest practice is the deepest practice.”