YUZU NEMBUTSU

Japanese Buddhist sect that stresses the permeating effect (yuzu) of nembutsu, the invocation of the name of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha). Thus, the belief was that not only the person who chants the name but all humanity is said to benefit from the practice of nembutsu. The sect was founded in the early 12th century by an evangelistic Tendai monk, Ryonin, and was a forerunner of the devotional Pure Land Buddhist schools such as Jodo and Shin. The sect has continued in existence up to the present day, though its membership is considerably smaller than those of the other pietistic Amidist sects.