Rennyo, he explained, lived from 1415 to 1497 and was the 8th Abbott of the Honganji. Rennyo apparently took these words to heart, because he nearly single-handedly reformed the Honganji. In fact, it is amazing how much of our contemporary Shinshu services and teaching are due to Rennyo. One of the most significant changes was to the gohonzon or central object of worship in the altar. Tendai practitioners would pray to Dainichi for beneficial results, but Shinran before him had stressed that real awakening is not about getting money, good health, etc.
True religions accept reality and transcend difficulties.
Rennyo replaced Dainichi with Amida Buddha. Rennyo organized study groups to discuss the Dharma. These groups, called ko, consisted of only a small number of people at a time. Apparently, the small group model was important, because Rennyo wanted a deeper level of communication than is normally possible in larger groups. The gathering place for the ko was called a dojo, and eventually, as the membership swelled and a larger, permanent building was needed, the dojo grew to become a temple.