Hōnen’s Jōdo-shū and Shinran’s Jōdo Shinshū both steer toward Amitābha’s Western Paradise, yet they approach the journey in distinctly different ways.

Foundational Vision
Jōdo-shū leans on a blend of faith and practice. While single-minded devotion to the nembutsu (“Namu Amida Butsu”) sits front and center, it still upholds traditional Buddhist disciplines—chanting other sutras, monastic precepts and even meditation— as supportive pathways. By contrast, Jōdo Shinshū tosses out any notion that personal effort, however sincere, can generate merit. Salvation comes purely from Amitābha’s vow; reciting the nembutsu becomes an expression of gratitude rather than a cause of rebirth.

Understanding of Nembutsu
In Jōdo-shū, each inhalation of the Buddha’s name is a step laid brick by brick toward ultimate awakening. This “path-based” stance holds that repeated recitation carries karmic weight. Jōdo Shinshū flips the script: nembutsu isn’t a “spiritual workout” but a spontaneous cry of thanks, a clear sign of the practitioner’s reliance on Other-Power (tariki) alone.

Clerical Life and Community
Traditional monastic life survived longer in Jōdo-shū circles. Many priests still ordain in celibacy, honoring a centuries-old vinaya style. Jōdo Shinshū, born out of Shinran’s own married clergy model, fully embraced householders as leaders. Today, temples like Kyoto’s Chion-in (Jōdo-shū) and Higashi Hongan-ji (Jōdo Shinshū) reflect this divide in architecture, rituals and administrative life.

Modern Pulse
This spring’s Pure Land exhibition at Tokyo National Museum highlighted how each school adapts today—Jōdo-shū by reviving group chanting sessions, Jōdo Shinshū by hosting online “thank-you” nembutsu livestreams. Both still cast their nets wide, but Jōdo-shū hangs on to a more traditional, mixed practice approach, whereas Jōdo Shinshū stakes everything on unwavering faith in Amida’s vow and sees all practice as secondary to that steadfast trust.