Shinran Shonin (1173-1262) is not only a central figure in the great reforms of Kamakura Buddhism but one of the greatest religious teachers of all times. Throughout the centuries, the anguished story of his ascent to faith in Amida has lost none of its power to inspire and challenge. Understanding Shinran offers a sensitive and balanced examination of the life and teachings of the founder of True Pure Land Buddhism and probes their implication for the interreligious, intercultural world in which we find ourselves today. The author shows how the ongoing drama of salvation through the grace of Amida - a mutual engagement of form and the formless, of ignorant humans and the awakened Buddha - can be read as a message of hope by Buddhists and Christians alike.