ABSTRACT
Now many people saw in the political catastrophe of the twelfth century a sign of the arrival of the “ Latter Days,” while the weakness of the bureaucracy and the corruption of the ecclesiastical institutions were mercilessly exposed. “ The fateful days have arrived; we, the weak and vicious people of the ‘ Latter Days,’ could not be saved but by invoking the name of the Lord Amita.” The idea expressed in this saying of Genshin found response in nearly every heart and gave a great incentive to simple faith in the grace of Amita-Buddha, who had opened the gateway of his paradise to all without distinction of training or knowledge. The impressions left upon Honen's mind in his early boyhood remained as a perpetual guide in his spiritual life.
