Volume One — The Early Works

Expansion of the Jōdo Bunruishū (浄土文類集; author unknown).

A general exposition and fourteen dialogues clarifying assurance of birth through the Eighteenth Vow, attainment in ordinary life, the benefits of the Nembutsu over other practices, and the role of the teacher. Expanded after Kakunyō’s Kaijashō (改邪鈔 (1337)) introduced a critique of "entrusting in the good friend" (善知識頼む) to remove problematic passages.

Composed at the request of Ryōgen of Bukkoji. Based on a text attributed to Hōnen “revised” by Zonkaku.

Zonkaku interprets kami through the honji suijaku framework, rejecting evil kami of “actual shrines” while affirming that provisional shrine kami are manifestations of Amida Buddha. It concludes that the true intent of all kami is to guide beings to the Nembutsu, thereby aligning Shinshū with prevailing religious thought and defending it against criticism of neglecting the deities.

Requested by Ryōgen. 

Clarifies that exclusive recitation of Namo Amida Butsu in reliance on the Primal Vow is the true cause of birth in the Pure Land. The work affirms the superiority of Nembutsu over all other practices, stresses that it includes dialogues with serving deities, present-life benefits, and the necessity of Shinjin, and concludes that only Nembutsu with Shinjin ensures that its essence lies in Shinjin, a certain birth.

A.K.A. Three Fascicle Petition (申状三巻). Requested by Ryōgen. 

A petition defending exclusive Nembutsu against seventeen contemporary criticisms. It systematically refutes charges ranging from doctrinal error to ritual impurity, affirming that exclusive recitation of Amida’s Name is the sole path to liberation in Mappō, and establishing the legitimacy of Shinshū practice.

A pure Kanbun version exists. 

Requested by Ryōgen. 

Possibly a response to Nichiren’s claim that the Lotus is the path for women. 

Addresses doubts about women’s salvation by focusing on Amida’s 35th Vow. While acknowledging traditional views of women’s heavy karmic hindrances, it cites sūtras, Shandao, Shinran, and Hōnen to affirm that women, too, attain Buddhahood through the Nembutsu of the Primal Vow.

Requested by Ryōgen.

Describes three forms of the Name (9, 6, and 10 character Name) and an early Shinshū depiction of the light emanating from the Name with eighteen forms of sacred images (including buddhas, bodhisattvas, and eminent practitioners of India, China, and Japan). Possibly influenced by the Mandala of Unfailing Embrace (Sesshufusha Mandara) and the Principal Image of Light (Kōmyō Honzon).