Buddhist Psalms


Read by Geoffrey Edwards

Written by Shinran Shōnin (親鸞聖人, 1173-1263), the founder of Jōdo Shinshū (浄土真宗), the Shin sect of Pure Land Buddhism.
Translated from the Japanese by Shūgaku Yamabe (山辺修覚) and Lily Adams Beck.

These Jōdo-Wasan (浄土和讃), or Psalms of the Pure Land are a part not only of the literature, but also of the daily worship and spiritual life of Japan.

The development of Mahayana Buddhism from the teaching of the Gautama Buddha has been often compared with that of the Christian faith from the Jewish, but it may be better compared with the growth of a sacerdotal system from the simplicities of the Gospel of St. Mark. That the development should have been on the same lines in all essential matters of symbol and (in the most important respects) of doctrine, modified only by Eastern habits of thought and environment, is a miracle of coincidence which cannot be paralleled in the world unless it be granted that Christianity filtering along the great trade routes of an earlier world joined hands with Buddhism in many unsuspected ways and places. (From Lily's introduction)

Cover: Buddhist Psalms by cartoonist Robin Bougie (2026), released by him into the public domain.

Special thanks to Rino Iwashita, a student at Akita International University, for her help with Japanese pronunciation.

Chapters

Introduction 23:35 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Lauding the Infinite One 13:49 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of Paradise 4:47 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning the Great Sutra 9:51 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning the Sutra of the Meditation 4:45 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning the Lesser Sutra 2:48 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of the Many Sutras Concerning the Infinite One 4:16 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning the Welfare of the Present World 9:30 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of Thanksgiving for Nagarjuna, the Great Teacher of India 4:44 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of Thanksgiving for Vasubandh, the Great Teacher of India 5:00 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of Thanksgiving for Donran, the Great Teacher of China 11:55 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Unrighteous Deeds 3:08 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Doshaku-Zenji 3:30 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Zendo-Daishi 12:22 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Genshin-Sozu 4:33 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Hōnen Shōnin 8:40 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Of the Three Periods 21:57 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Concerning Belief and Doubt 10:02 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
In Praise of Prince Shotoku 5:23 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Wherein with Lamentation I Make My Confession 7:07 Read by Geoffrey Edwards
Additional Psalms 4:05 Read by Geoffrey Edwards