Benchō

Benchō (弁長, June 20, 1162 – March 16, 1238), is considered the second patriarch of the main Chinzei branch of the Jōdo-shū sect of Japanese Buddhism, after Hōnen. He is often called by another name: Shōkōbō Benchō (聖光房弁長) or just Shōkō. According to biographies, he first ordained as a priest of the Tendai sect at the age of fourteen, and entered Enryaku-ji temple in 1183. He first met Hōnen in 1197. Later, after Hōnen and many of his followers were exiled in 1207, Shōkō was exiled on the island of Kyūshū and taught the practice of the nembutsu there.

Unlike other disciples of Hōnen, Shōkō favored studying the more traditional Buddhist paths along with the Pure Land path. He also criticized the interpretations by other disciples of Hōnen, particularly Kōsai and Shōkū, who emphasized the nembutsu over other practices. However, unlike Chōsai, his teachings still emphasized repeated recitations of the nembutsu as the primary practice in Jōdo-shū. In the spectrum of followers of Hōnen, Benchō balances faith in the nembutsu with acceptance of other practices leading to rebirth in the Pure Land of Amida Buddha.

Bench

Bench or The Bench can refer to:

Furniture

Arts

Brands

Business

Geology

Law and politics

Bench (British clothing brand)

Bench (usually branded as "Bench.") is a British clothing brand that is sold worldwide, including in Europe, Canada, and Australia. The company was founded in Manchester, Britain, and specialises in streetwear.

History

The brand began in 1989 creating graphic t-shirt designs influenced by skateboarding. Over the years, Bench. has evolved into a global lifestyle brand. And now sells not only menswear but womenswear, - including denim, trousers, sweats, hoodies, belts, bags, skirts and dresses.

The brand's Manchester roots can be seen in the montage of the Manchester skyline which is used as a design on both their messenger bags and price tags.

Clothing

Bench designs and markets its own products. Bench manufactures t-shirts, jeans, jackets, hats, hooded tops, watches and jewellery.

Bench expanded into women's wear in 1998. The range of jackets and tops had the same urban clothing style as the menswear.

Supply chain

Although the company sells through many retailers in the United Kingdom, they also have their own stores in Westfield London, Bluewater, Liverpool One, Glasgow, The Trafford Centre (Manchester), Meadowhall (Sheffield), Metro Centre, Portsmouth, Brighton, Leicester, Nottingham, Leeds, Bristol, and a number of designer outlet centres. Internationally, they have their own stores in Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main, Jena, Munich, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. In Canada, through an exclusive arrangement, Bench is being sold at Hudson's Bay Stores. In Croatia, through an exclusive agreement, Bench is being sold at Kruna Mode stores. They currently have 10 stores in the country; 5 in Split, 2 in Zagreb, 2 in Zaprešić, and 1 in Kaštela.