Kyoshin: Thanks! I missed the compound kanji in the first two characters:

http://www.jisho.org/words?jap=%E5%A0%B1%E6%81%A9&eng=&dict=edict

Rather sloppy of me. I’ll fix that right away!

Tornado: Yeah, good point on the statues. It’s the same in Seattle too. However, in each sect I’ve encountered, the founder is elevated to a pretty high status. In Shingon for example, mantras are recited to Kukai in hopes of rebirth in the Tushita heaven with him and Maitreya. Dogen’s role in Soto Zen is the alpha and omega among Western Zen Buddhists despite the prolific number of other worthy monks before and after (for example few take notice of the fact that Dogen high revered Eisai, founder of Rinzai and his teacher for a time). It seems to be a feature of Japanese Buddhism in particular to elevate one’s own founder to near-mythic proportions which I guess is part of the struggle for legitimacy in a crowded field. :-p I am sure other Buddhist sects outside Japan do this too, but Japnese Buddhism is particularly fractured along sectarian lines, and I think it’s more visible.

“Literally, the Chinese characters ho-on mean “return of
gratitude” and ko means “to clarify the meaning of” or
“gathering” of those who wish to return this gratitude.”

http://www.btsd.net/Services/Hoonko.html

Gassho, K

I don’t know if they elevate him to the level of Amida Buddha, that’s not been my experience, but they do tend to sound very saintly and populist, which irks me a little.

I am actually only half-way through Dobbins, but have read enough to get a good general idea of the early history, which is both infuriating (so much nasty politics), and fascinating as it covers lesser-known Shinshu sects still in existence today. Good times.

A similiar book on Soto Zen is likewise fascinating and infuriating.