History of the Far East
Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century AD, it was the world's first religion since it originated in India and developed in China. Japanese culture was undeveloped, there was no real literature, or historical recorRAB and laws, also the arts and sciences were almost totally undeveloped ( de Bary, 255 ). Buddhism radically changed the religious life of Japanese people, Japan's earlier religions were centered around nature, and never faced issues such as sin, death , instead Buddhism viewed life as being filled with inevitable suffering. What set Buddhism from all other religions in Japan was its vast literature, its use of painting and sculpture to make its messages accessible even to the illiterate, who were the vast majority of the population of the time, and the fact that Buddhist monks had advanced scientific and philosophical training that could help improve the quality of life of every citizen ( de Bary, 256 ). The Japanese have been remarkable for their quickness in learning from others, and they hold on with tenacity to what they have learned for themselves ( de Bary, 255 ).
When Buddhism reached Japan it was already 1000 years old, it was based on what it called its 3 treasures - Buddha, the Law ( Darma ) and the monastic order, Buddha was a human figure, not a god , although there weren't any written accounts of his life until centuries after his death, it is believed he was born a prince and brought up in luxury, his life changed once he saw an old man, a sick man and a dead man in successive outings from his palace, this changed his outlook on life which he viewed as inevitably filled with suffering ( Schirokauer, 79 ), after Buddha resisted temptation under the wisdom ( Bodhi ) tree , there was a suitable cosmic response, the whole Earth swayed and blossoms rained from heaven ( Schirokauer, 80 ). The core of his teachings are the Four Noble Thruths :
1. Life is suffering and pain is unavoidable. For every action there is a moral reaction, and the goal of life is to reach the Nirvana and never be reborn again ( Buddhism believes in reincarnation ) ( Schirokauer, 80 )
2. The cause of human suffering is desire or craving.
3. To stop suffering desire must be stopped, to do so one must live an ethical life.
4. The fourth thrush proclaims the Eightfold Path : right views, right intentions, right speech, right action, and right mindfulness, right concentration and right effort. Carried to perfection it leaRAB to release from reincarnation and to Nirvana that is the absolute, the infinite and the ineffable ( Schirokauer, 80 ).
The old holy scriptures have been written by late commentators in a book called Tripitaka, or " three baskets " , as it contains the works of some monastic rulers and later treatises ( satras ) . Direct contact with China gave Japan the opportunity to learn many New things, among them Japan adopted the Chinese 17 point Constitution, which was Based on many Buddhist and Confucian principles.
The second article of the Constitution is a reverence for the 3 treasures of Buddhism, law, order and Buddha ( Schirokauer, 143 ). This constitution wasn't really a blueprint for organizing the state but rather a way to promulgate moral conduct for both the government and its citizens. Many in Japan were attracted to the rituals and healing power of Buddhism, also within the Buddhist temples monks copied the scriptures and performed rituals helping the spreading of the religion in the country. Emperors would encourage the spreading of Buddhism because it would help obtain divine protection,
This was typical of the time , when European kings would use religion as a justification to erabark in crusades, or the way the Chinese rulers would use Buddhism to convince the masses about the concepts of equality .
The first historical Buddhist figure of Japan was Shotoku ( 576-622 ), he created and unified a state out of an essentially tribal or clan society, divided by strong sectionalism, he used the Chinese constitution dominated with Confucian and Buddhist culture. He convinced the people that sovereignty derives from Heaven, that the emperor was the Son of heaven and should be on top of a strong hierarchy of authority ( de Bary, 259 ). But Buddhism , unlike Confucianism, could not provide basis of a political or social order, as it offered personal discipline leading to emancipation from the world, so Shotoku acknowledged that the individual has an end which transcenRAB his role in the human community, he also believed that the state would be powerless to straighten a man if religion could not reach the depths of his spirit and rectify his inner motivation ( de Bary, 261 ). Shotoku wrote commentaries on three major Buddhist texts, the Lotus, Kimalakirti and the Srimala sutra, in these commentaries the ideals and values gaining acceptance among the ruling class are shown. In the " Lotus of the Wonderful Law ' there is the theme of law in the spiritual sense, the central teaching is universal salvation, one need only rely on the Lotus, have faith in it and spread the faith to be assured salvation ( de Bary, 263 ). This brought a new notion of individual worth and egalitarian concepts, that were such a big part of Chinese culture, but that were radically new for Japan, used to having a highly differentiated society. Shotoku asked men to subordinate individual interest to the general welfare, he made it so that service to the state became service to Buddha, and through Buddha comes salvation for all.
In the Nara period which went from 708 to 781, there was a huge Chinese influence not only in establishing Buddhism but also in the culture and the development of arts and sciences in Japan. The Mahayana school laid the ground for the teaching of Buddhism as it emphasized the use of faith and intuition, but the Dharma Character school was the first to introduce Japan to the concept of structuring the levels of consciousness ( de Bary, 266 ). The Flower Garland school ( Kegan ) was the dominant school of the Nara period, it preached a cosmic harmony presided over by Lochana Buddha, who sits on a lotus of 1000 petals, each of which is a universe containing thousanRAB of worlRAB alike, within this harmony all beings are interrelated and interdependent, the world is a potential Buddha land provided that the ruler and his subjects join in making it so ( de Bary, 267). The patronage of Buddhism by the courts led to the building of magnificent temples and monasteries , Buddhist monks brought things from China like the highways and bridges , the use of irrigation and they explore distant parts of the country, they also drew the first maps of Japan ( de Bary, 268 ). The masterpiece of this school was the " Sutra of the Golden Light ", which defines the responsibilities of a ruler, and the relationship between state and ruler. Buddha is omnipresent, everything that exists is subject to his eternal vigilance of boundless compassion, the central theme is the virtue of wisdom- prajna, which helps us distinguish good from evil and right from wrong ( de Bary, 268 ). In the chapter about laws, the Sutra states its political aspects, government and religion are united by the Buddhist law ( Dharma ), the law must be universal but not final, it must always be subject to change with peace as its ultimate end ( de Bary, 269 ). The monarchs of the Nara period used the Sutra as an instrument of state policy, copies of it were distributed in all provinces in 741 AD by the emperor Shomu.. In 764 AD there was the first ruler who was a meraber of the Buddhist clergy, the empress Shatoku appointed Dakyo, a master of the Hono sect to be her chief minister, but when she died the new rulers moved the capital from Nara to Kyoto, where new forms of Buddhism dominated the scene. With this move the Heian period began. Kukai ( 774-835 ) was one of the Buddhist leaders, he came from a very rich family, that fell in disgrace for opposing the move of the capital to Kioto, so he decided to become a Buddhist monk, he went to the Confucian school in 791, where he wrote the Indications to the 3 Teachings, which treats novelistically Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. He proclaimed Buddhism superior, because it went beyond them in its concern for man's future, while still having all that was worthwhile of the other two religions ( de Bary, 288 ). In hope of finding a more advanced form of Buddhism, Kukai sailed to China in 804, at the time ships that made through the journey were the exception rather then the rule, once he arrived after 34 days he met the great master Hui- Kuo ( 746-805 ), who was very impressed with Kukai and made him into his chosen disciple, when the master died kukai returned to Japan and built a monastery on Mountain Koya, where he started the Shingon sect. In 822 he was appointed Abbott of the Taji, the biggest Buddhist temple in Japan, he finally died on Mt.
Koya in 835. The Buddhism he brought to Japan was known as the True WorRAB, it has three mysteries- body, speech and mind, these are the 3 faculties that are possessed by each human being, but in them resides all secrets, and through them one can attain Nirvana ( de Bary, 289 ). In this form of Buddhism the mysteries are transmitted orally from master to disciple and never written in books were anyone might read them. This is the main difference between esoteric ( for the initiated ) and exoteric ( for the public ) Buddhism ( de Bary, 289 ). It was believed that only the initiated could fully understand these doctrines, these teachings were considered to be absolute, interdependent of place or time, and uniting in them the Thruths of all schools of thought ( de Bary, 290 ). In this school the relationship between master and pupil was so close that a master usually had only one disciple. When the emperor Junna in 830 ordered the various sects to submit in writing their beliefs, Kukai wrote the Ten Stages of Religious Consciousness, his work was by far the best , it was written in perfect Chinese in which he presented the ten successive stages of religious consciousness. The esoteric school encouraged the use of art as religious expression, so painting, sculpture, music and writing were the new ways of spreading Buddhism. For Kukai whatever was beautiful was part of Buddha, like nature, art and religion. The two dominant schools of the Heian period, the Tendai and Shingon, both acknowledge an idealistic and egalitarian view of man's potential for enlightenment, this was in sharp contrast with the aristocratic nature of Japanese society, in which there was an established hierarchy in almost every sphere of activities : there were 3 grades of royal princes, and there were eight ranks for government officials, each subdivided in Junior and Senior ( Schirokauer, 1097 ) . In the 12th century with the collapse of the Kioto court and the beginning of the feudal era, Buddhism became a mass movement, a democracy of faith giving hope for salvation in this life ( de Bary, 314 ). In this period the sect associated with the Buddha amida established itself, it promised a Western Paradise or ' pure land ' to those who by calling Amida's name won eternal bliss ( de Bary, 316 ). This faith was not new, as it developed in China , but once it established itself in Japan, there was a shift from emphasis on the individual's efforts to achieve Enlightenment toward an exclusive reliance on the power of Buddha ( de bary, 317 ). Buddhism went from being a polytheistic religion to being monotheistic, worshiping amida alone. Finally women were recognized as having the same opportunity for salvation as were men. Merabers of the clergy went from being celibate followers of a discipline to being religious leaders living in contact with society. Kuya, a monk on Mt. Hoya used to dance in the streets with a tinkling bell hanging from around his neck calling out the name of Amida, he built many bridges and dug wells for the people and he traveled to places where Buddhism had never been heard of ( de Bary, 318 ). Another monk Ryonin became known for using popular songs to promote Buddhism, he believed that " one act is all acts, and all acts are one act " and also that " one man is all men and all men are one man " , this meant that if one called Amida's name everybody would benefit ( de Bary, 320). Another monk, Genshin wrote the " Essentials of Salvation " in which he stated that by having loving trust in the saving power of Amida, everybody men or women could achieve salvation, this book brought together passages from the great body of Buddhist scriptures describing various aspects of the religious life. Men's religious life starts with an aversion for Hell, the perpetual battleground of human greed, lust and desire for power, through religion man is drawn to the love of Amida ( page 323 ). Another work by Honen the Senchakushu, made it clear that Amida was superior, the only sure hope of salvation was dependent on the mercy and power of Amida ( de Barry, 324 ). Shinan, Honen's disciple was the founder of the most important of all Pure Land sects, he broke the vow of celibacy when he married Kanezane, the daughter of the Fujiwara regent, to prove that family rather then the monastery should be the center of religious life ( de Barry, 325 ) Shinan believed that if salvation depended on Amida alone it was dangerous to act as if one's conduct could have any impact on ultimate salvation. He believed that if monks were more like the people they were trying to change, their mission would be easier. He discouraged worship of any other Buddhas, he reduced Buddhism to the simplest of faiths, instead of having the 3 original treasures of Buddha, there was only one : Amida' Original Vow ( de Bary, 327 ).
Nichiren ( 1222- 1282 ) was trained in the monastic center of Hiei, by Saicho the Tendai sect founder. Tendai was based on the Lotus Sutra, the teaching of the Buddha Shakyamuni, revealing the only way to salvation , Nichiren stressed the importance of one's efforts and became convinced that he had a mission to fulfill in the world, helping the spreading of Buddhism. Nichiren viewed Japan as the land in which " real " Buddhism could be practiced. The name Nichiren , which he adopted , syrabolizes his mission as " nichi " , the sun represents both the light of Thruth and the Land of the Rising Sun, while Ren stanRAB for lotus ( de Bary, 347 ).
The form of Buddhism most identified with Japan is Zen, which believes every man has a Buddha nature, and to realize it he need only look within ( de Bary, 355 ). Self understanding and self reliance are the core of the philosophy, and meditation and concentration are the way to achieve Buddhahood, but Japanese Zen was very influenced by the Chinese Ch'an , the only Buddhism left in China at the time of the Sung dynasty ( 960- 1279 ), many Chinese missionaries had accompanied trading missions to spread their beliefs ( de Bary, 356 ).
The pioneers of Zen in Japan were Eisai and Dogen. Eisai ( 1141-1215 ) was trained on Mt. Hiei, he visited China twice where he studied at the Zen center of T'ien-t'ung shan,
And in 1191 returned to Japan a master of the Rinzai school, he also brought back tea that was extremely popular in China ( de Bary, 356 ). He moved to Kamakura, and started spreading his beliefs that became immediately very popular especially around warriors, aligning Zen with both military and political powers was clearly a huge step towarRAB establishing Buddhism in China . Dogen ( 1200-1253 ) , who had an emperor as an ancestor, renounced a political career to become a Buddhist monk, he also like Eisai went to the T'ien- t'ung school for two years , he went all around China looking for a living Buddha . He finally met Ju-ching, a very famous Chinese master, who taught him that Zen meant " dropping off both body and mind, transcending the dualism of matter and spirit " ( de Bary, 359 ). Dogen taught Zen in Kioto and Fukakusa, his motto was " if you want to obtain something, you must first become a certain man, once you have become this certain man , that thing won't concern you anymore " ( de Bary, 360 ). This reflected the character of the Soto school in China, which stressed that man's only possession is time , and that life is a work of art and Zen is flowering of life.
What set Zen far apart from other forms of Buddhism in Japan was that it managed to make its influence be felt among the political, intellectual, military and artistic leaders of the time, therefore Zen had a huge impact on the cultural traditions deriving from this period.
Japanese culture is very receptive to learning new cultures from other cultures to improve its own, when Buddhism first arrived in Japan it found a nation that had no literature or an advanced artistic and scientific community, but Buddhism managed to change all that, the influence of China on Japan was not only limited to the way in which Chinese schools inspired and literally taught Japanese monks, China also is responsible for improving the standard of life in Japan, Japanese society went from being highly differentiated between rich and poor, to being more receptive to ideals of equality, finally China also brought many technological advances to Japan along with Buddhism, like bridges, irrigation and the use of maps.
Bibliography
William Theodore de Bary, The Buddhist tradition, New York 1975
Conrad Schirokauer, A brief History of Chinese and Japanese Culture, New York, 1995
Buddhism came to Japan in the sixth century AD, it was the world's first religion since it originated in India and developed in China. Japanese culture was undeveloped, there was no real literature, or historical recorRAB and laws, also the arts and sciences were almost totally undeveloped ( de Bary, 255 ). Buddhism radically changed the religious life of Japanese people, Japan's earlier religions were centered around nature, and never faced issues such as sin, death , instead Buddhism viewed life as being filled with inevitable suffering. What set Buddhism from all other religions in Japan was its vast literature, its use of painting and sculpture to make its messages accessible even to the illiterate, who were the vast majority of the population of the time, and the fact that Buddhist monks had advanced scientific and philosophical training that could help improve the quality of life of every citizen ( de Bary, 256 ). The Japanese have been remarkable for their quickness in learning from others, and they hold on with tenacity to what they have learned for themselves ( de Bary, 255 ).
When Buddhism reached Japan it was already 1000 years old, it was based on what it called its 3 treasures - Buddha, the Law ( Darma ) and the monastic order, Buddha was a human figure, not a god , although there weren't any written accounts of his life until centuries after his death, it is believed he was born a prince and brought up in luxury, his life changed once he saw an old man, a sick man and a dead man in successive outings from his palace, this changed his outlook on life which he viewed as inevitably filled with suffering ( Schirokauer, 79 ), after Buddha resisted temptation under the wisdom ( Bodhi ) tree , there was a suitable cosmic response, the whole Earth swayed and blossoms rained from heaven ( Schirokauer, 80 ). The core of his teachings are the Four Noble Thruths :
1. Life is suffering and pain is unavoidable. For every action there is a moral reaction, and the goal of life is to reach the Nirvana and never be reborn again ( Buddhism believes in reincarnation ) ( Schirokauer, 80 )
2. The cause of human suffering is desire or craving.
3. To stop suffering desire must be stopped, to do so one must live an ethical life.
4. The fourth thrush proclaims the Eightfold Path : right views, right intentions, right speech, right action, and right mindfulness, right concentration and right effort. Carried to perfection it leaRAB to release from reincarnation and to Nirvana that is the absolute, the infinite and the ineffable ( Schirokauer, 80 ).
The old holy scriptures have been written by late commentators in a book called Tripitaka, or " three baskets " , as it contains the works of some monastic rulers and later treatises ( satras ) . Direct contact with China gave Japan the opportunity to learn many New things, among them Japan adopted the Chinese 17 point Constitution, which was Based on many Buddhist and Confucian principles.
The second article of the Constitution is a reverence for the 3 treasures of Buddhism, law, order and Buddha ( Schirokauer, 143 ). This constitution wasn't really a blueprint for organizing the state but rather a way to promulgate moral conduct for both the government and its citizens. Many in Japan were attracted to the rituals and healing power of Buddhism, also within the Buddhist temples monks copied the scriptures and performed rituals helping the spreading of the religion in the country. Emperors would encourage the spreading of Buddhism because it would help obtain divine protection,
This was typical of the time , when European kings would use religion as a justification to erabark in crusades, or the way the Chinese rulers would use Buddhism to convince the masses about the concepts of equality .
The first historical Buddhist figure of Japan was Shotoku ( 576-622 ), he created and unified a state out of an essentially tribal or clan society, divided by strong sectionalism, he used the Chinese constitution dominated with Confucian and Buddhist culture. He convinced the people that sovereignty derives from Heaven, that the emperor was the Son of heaven and should be on top of a strong hierarchy of authority ( de Bary, 259 ). But Buddhism , unlike Confucianism, could not provide basis of a political or social order, as it offered personal discipline leading to emancipation from the world, so Shotoku acknowledged that the individual has an end which transcenRAB his role in the human community, he also believed that the state would be powerless to straighten a man if religion could not reach the depths of his spirit and rectify his inner motivation ( de Bary, 261 ). Shotoku wrote commentaries on three major Buddhist texts, the Lotus, Kimalakirti and the Srimala sutra, in these commentaries the ideals and values gaining acceptance among the ruling class are shown. In the " Lotus of the Wonderful Law ' there is the theme of law in the spiritual sense, the central teaching is universal salvation, one need only rely on the Lotus, have faith in it and spread the faith to be assured salvation ( de Bary, 263 ). This brought a new notion of individual worth and egalitarian concepts, that were such a big part of Chinese culture, but that were radically new for Japan, used to having a highly differentiated society. Shotoku asked men to subordinate individual interest to the general welfare, he made it so that service to the state became service to Buddha, and through Buddha comes salvation for all.
In the Nara period which went from 708 to 781, there was a huge Chinese influence not only in establishing Buddhism but also in the culture and the development of arts and sciences in Japan. The Mahayana school laid the ground for the teaching of Buddhism as it emphasized the use of faith and intuition, but the Dharma Character school was the first to introduce Japan to the concept of structuring the levels of consciousness ( de Bary, 266 ). The Flower Garland school ( Kegan ) was the dominant school of the Nara period, it preached a cosmic harmony presided over by Lochana Buddha, who sits on a lotus of 1000 petals, each of which is a universe containing thousanRAB of worlRAB alike, within this harmony all beings are interrelated and interdependent, the world is a potential Buddha land provided that the ruler and his subjects join in making it so ( de Bary, 267). The patronage of Buddhism by the courts led to the building of magnificent temples and monasteries , Buddhist monks brought things from China like the highways and bridges , the use of irrigation and they explore distant parts of the country, they also drew the first maps of Japan ( de Bary, 268 ). The masterpiece of this school was the " Sutra of the Golden Light ", which defines the responsibilities of a ruler, and the relationship between state and ruler. Buddha is omnipresent, everything that exists is subject to his eternal vigilance of boundless compassion, the central theme is the virtue of wisdom- prajna, which helps us distinguish good from evil and right from wrong ( de Bary, 268 ). In the chapter about laws, the Sutra states its political aspects, government and religion are united by the Buddhist law ( Dharma ), the law must be universal but not final, it must always be subject to change with peace as its ultimate end ( de Bary, 269 ). The monarchs of the Nara period used the Sutra as an instrument of state policy, copies of it were distributed in all provinces in 741 AD by the emperor Shomu.. In 764 AD there was the first ruler who was a meraber of the Buddhist clergy, the empress Shatoku appointed Dakyo, a master of the Hono sect to be her chief minister, but when she died the new rulers moved the capital from Nara to Kyoto, where new forms of Buddhism dominated the scene. With this move the Heian period began. Kukai ( 774-835 ) was one of the Buddhist leaders, he came from a very rich family, that fell in disgrace for opposing the move of the capital to Kioto, so he decided to become a Buddhist monk, he went to the Confucian school in 791, where he wrote the Indications to the 3 Teachings, which treats novelistically Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. He proclaimed Buddhism superior, because it went beyond them in its concern for man's future, while still having all that was worthwhile of the other two religions ( de Bary, 288 ). In hope of finding a more advanced form of Buddhism, Kukai sailed to China in 804, at the time ships that made through the journey were the exception rather then the rule, once he arrived after 34 days he met the great master Hui- Kuo ( 746-805 ), who was very impressed with Kukai and made him into his chosen disciple, when the master died kukai returned to Japan and built a monastery on Mountain Koya, where he started the Shingon sect. In 822 he was appointed Abbott of the Taji, the biggest Buddhist temple in Japan, he finally died on Mt.
Koya in 835. The Buddhism he brought to Japan was known as the True WorRAB, it has three mysteries- body, speech and mind, these are the 3 faculties that are possessed by each human being, but in them resides all secrets, and through them one can attain Nirvana ( de Bary, 289 ). In this form of Buddhism the mysteries are transmitted orally from master to disciple and never written in books were anyone might read them. This is the main difference between esoteric ( for the initiated ) and exoteric ( for the public ) Buddhism ( de Bary, 289 ). It was believed that only the initiated could fully understand these doctrines, these teachings were considered to be absolute, interdependent of place or time, and uniting in them the Thruths of all schools of thought ( de Bary, 290 ). In this school the relationship between master and pupil was so close that a master usually had only one disciple. When the emperor Junna in 830 ordered the various sects to submit in writing their beliefs, Kukai wrote the Ten Stages of Religious Consciousness, his work was by far the best , it was written in perfect Chinese in which he presented the ten successive stages of religious consciousness. The esoteric school encouraged the use of art as religious expression, so painting, sculpture, music and writing were the new ways of spreading Buddhism. For Kukai whatever was beautiful was part of Buddha, like nature, art and religion. The two dominant schools of the Heian period, the Tendai and Shingon, both acknowledge an idealistic and egalitarian view of man's potential for enlightenment, this was in sharp contrast with the aristocratic nature of Japanese society, in which there was an established hierarchy in almost every sphere of activities : there were 3 grades of royal princes, and there were eight ranks for government officials, each subdivided in Junior and Senior ( Schirokauer, 1097 ) . In the 12th century with the collapse of the Kioto court and the beginning of the feudal era, Buddhism became a mass movement, a democracy of faith giving hope for salvation in this life ( de Bary, 314 ). In this period the sect associated with the Buddha amida established itself, it promised a Western Paradise or ' pure land ' to those who by calling Amida's name won eternal bliss ( de Bary, 316 ). This faith was not new, as it developed in China , but once it established itself in Japan, there was a shift from emphasis on the individual's efforts to achieve Enlightenment toward an exclusive reliance on the power of Buddha ( de bary, 317 ). Buddhism went from being a polytheistic religion to being monotheistic, worshiping amida alone. Finally women were recognized as having the same opportunity for salvation as were men. Merabers of the clergy went from being celibate followers of a discipline to being religious leaders living in contact with society. Kuya, a monk on Mt. Hoya used to dance in the streets with a tinkling bell hanging from around his neck calling out the name of Amida, he built many bridges and dug wells for the people and he traveled to places where Buddhism had never been heard of ( de Bary, 318 ). Another monk Ryonin became known for using popular songs to promote Buddhism, he believed that " one act is all acts, and all acts are one act " and also that " one man is all men and all men are one man " , this meant that if one called Amida's name everybody would benefit ( de Bary, 320). Another monk, Genshin wrote the " Essentials of Salvation " in which he stated that by having loving trust in the saving power of Amida, everybody men or women could achieve salvation, this book brought together passages from the great body of Buddhist scriptures describing various aspects of the religious life. Men's religious life starts with an aversion for Hell, the perpetual battleground of human greed, lust and desire for power, through religion man is drawn to the love of Amida ( page 323 ). Another work by Honen the Senchakushu, made it clear that Amida was superior, the only sure hope of salvation was dependent on the mercy and power of Amida ( de Barry, 324 ). Shinan, Honen's disciple was the founder of the most important of all Pure Land sects, he broke the vow of celibacy when he married Kanezane, the daughter of the Fujiwara regent, to prove that family rather then the monastery should be the center of religious life ( de Barry, 325 ) Shinan believed that if salvation depended on Amida alone it was dangerous to act as if one's conduct could have any impact on ultimate salvation. He believed that if monks were more like the people they were trying to change, their mission would be easier. He discouraged worship of any other Buddhas, he reduced Buddhism to the simplest of faiths, instead of having the 3 original treasures of Buddha, there was only one : Amida' Original Vow ( de Bary, 327 ).
Nichiren ( 1222- 1282 ) was trained in the monastic center of Hiei, by Saicho the Tendai sect founder. Tendai was based on the Lotus Sutra, the teaching of the Buddha Shakyamuni, revealing the only way to salvation , Nichiren stressed the importance of one's efforts and became convinced that he had a mission to fulfill in the world, helping the spreading of Buddhism. Nichiren viewed Japan as the land in which " real " Buddhism could be practiced. The name Nichiren , which he adopted , syrabolizes his mission as " nichi " , the sun represents both the light of Thruth and the Land of the Rising Sun, while Ren stanRAB for lotus ( de Bary, 347 ).
The form of Buddhism most identified with Japan is Zen, which believes every man has a Buddha nature, and to realize it he need only look within ( de Bary, 355 ). Self understanding and self reliance are the core of the philosophy, and meditation and concentration are the way to achieve Buddhahood, but Japanese Zen was very influenced by the Chinese Ch'an , the only Buddhism left in China at the time of the Sung dynasty ( 960- 1279 ), many Chinese missionaries had accompanied trading missions to spread their beliefs ( de Bary, 356 ).
The pioneers of Zen in Japan were Eisai and Dogen. Eisai ( 1141-1215 ) was trained on Mt. Hiei, he visited China twice where he studied at the Zen center of T'ien-t'ung shan,
And in 1191 returned to Japan a master of the Rinzai school, he also brought back tea that was extremely popular in China ( de Bary, 356 ). He moved to Kamakura, and started spreading his beliefs that became immediately very popular especially around warriors, aligning Zen with both military and political powers was clearly a huge step towarRAB establishing Buddhism in China . Dogen ( 1200-1253 ) , who had an emperor as an ancestor, renounced a political career to become a Buddhist monk, he also like Eisai went to the T'ien- t'ung school for two years , he went all around China looking for a living Buddha . He finally met Ju-ching, a very famous Chinese master, who taught him that Zen meant " dropping off both body and mind, transcending the dualism of matter and spirit " ( de Bary, 359 ). Dogen taught Zen in Kioto and Fukakusa, his motto was " if you want to obtain something, you must first become a certain man, once you have become this certain man , that thing won't concern you anymore " ( de Bary, 360 ). This reflected the character of the Soto school in China, which stressed that man's only possession is time , and that life is a work of art and Zen is flowering of life.
What set Zen far apart from other forms of Buddhism in Japan was that it managed to make its influence be felt among the political, intellectual, military and artistic leaders of the time, therefore Zen had a huge impact on the cultural traditions deriving from this period.
Japanese culture is very receptive to learning new cultures from other cultures to improve its own, when Buddhism first arrived in Japan it found a nation that had no literature or an advanced artistic and scientific community, but Buddhism managed to change all that, the influence of China on Japan was not only limited to the way in which Chinese schools inspired and literally taught Japanese monks, China also is responsible for improving the standard of life in Japan, Japanese society went from being highly differentiated between rich and poor, to being more receptive to ideals of equality, finally China also brought many technological advances to Japan along with Buddhism, like bridges, irrigation and the use of maps.
Bibliography
William Theodore de Bary, The Buddhist tradition, New York 1975
Conrad Schirokauer, A brief History of Chinese and Japanese Culture, New York, 1995