Everything about Buddhism In Japan totally explained
The history of
Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods, namely the
Nara period (up to 784), the
Heian period (794–1185) and the post-Heian period (1185 onwards). Each period saw the introduction of new doctrines and upheavals in existing schools. See
Sōhei (warrior monks).
In modern times, the main paths of
Buddhism are
Amidist (Pure Land) schools,
Nichiren Buddhism,
Shingon Buddhism and
Zen Buddhism.
Arrival along the Silk Road
The arrival of
Buddhism in
Japan is ultimately a consequence the first contacts between
China and Central Asia which occurred with the opening of the
Silk Road in the
2nd BCE, following the travels of
Zhang Qian between
138 and
126 BCE, which culminated with the official introduction of
Buddhism in China in 67
CE. Historians generally agree that by the middle of the 1st century, the religion had penetrated to areas north of the Huai River. Buddhism then made its way to
Korea from
China, and finally to Japan around the 5th century
CE.
Early Chinese accounts
In
467 CE, according to the
Chinese historic treatise
Liang Shu, five monks from
Gandhara traveled to the country of
Fusang (
Chinese: 扶桑, Jp:
Fusō: "The country of the extreme East" beyond the sea, probably eastern
Japan), where they introduced Buddhism:
Fusang is located to the east of China, 20,000 li (1,500 kilometers) east of the state of Da Han (itself east of the state of Wa in modern Kyūshū, Japan). (...) In former times, the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddhist religion, but in the second year of Da Ming of the Song Dynasty (467 CE), five monks from Kipin (Kabul region of Gandhara) travelled by ship to Fusang. They propagated Buddhist doctrine, circulated scriptures and drawings, and advised the people to relinquish worldly attachments. As a results the customs of Fusang changed (In the original Ch: "扶桑在大漢國東二萬餘里,地在中國之東(...)其俗舊無佛法,宋大明二年,罽賓國嘗有比丘五人游行至其國,流通佛法,經像,教令出家,風 俗遂改", Liang Shu, 7th century CE).
The initial period saw the introduction onto Japanese soil of the six great Chinese schools, including the Hua-Yen and Lu, that became respectively the Kegon and Ritsu in Japanese. In terms of geography, the six sects were centered around the capital city of Nara, where great temples such as the Todaiji and Hokkeji were erected. However, the Buddhism of this early period – later known as the Nara period – wasn't a practical religion, being more the domain of learned priests whose official function was to pray for the peace and prosperity of the state and imperial house. This kind of Buddhism had little to offer the illiterate and uneducated masses, and led to the growth of "people’s priests" who were not ordained and had no formal Buddhist training. Their practice was a combination of Buddhist and Taoist elements, and the incorporation of shamanistic features of the indigenous religion. These figures became immensely popular, and were a source of criticism towards the sophisticated academic and bureaucratic Buddhism of the capital.
Nara Period
The introduction of
Buddhism to
Japan is securely dated to 552 in
Nihon Shoki, when
Seong of Baekje sent monks from
Korea to
Nara to introduce the
eight doctrinal schools. Initial uptake of the new faith was slow, and Buddhism only started to spread some years later when
Empress Suiko openly encouraged the acceptance of Buddhism among all Japanese people. In
607, in order to obtain copies of Sutras, an imperial envoy was dispatched to
Sui dynasty
China. As time progressed and the number of Buddhist clergy increased, the offices of
Sojo (archbishop) and
Sozu (bishop) were created. By
627 there were 46 Buddhist temples, 816 Buddhist priests, and 569 Buddhist nuns in Japan.
There were traditionally six schools of Buddhism in Nara Japan:
Ritsu (
Vinaya),
Jojitsu (Satyasiddhi),
Kusha (
Abhidharma)
Sanron (
Madhyamika),
Hosso (
Yogacara), and
Kegon (
Hua-yen).However they were not exclusive schools, and temples were apt to have scholars versed in several of the schools. It has been suggested that they can best be thought of as "study groups".
Ritsu
Founded by
Dàoxuān (道宣, Jp.
Dosen), China, c. 650 CE
First Introduction to Japan:
Ganjin (鑑真), 753 CE. The Ritsu school specialized in the
Vinaya (the monastic rules in the
Tripitaka). They used the Dharmagupta version of the vinaya which is known in Japanese as
Shibunritsu 四分律)
Jojitsu
The Satyasiddhi school is considered to be an offshoot of the
Sautrantika school, one of the
Nikaya schools of
Indian Buddhism (see
early Buddhist schools). They were distinguished by a rejection of the Abhidharma as not being the "word of the Buddha". The name means literally, "Ends with the Sutras", which refers to the traditional order of texts in the
Tripitaka—vinaya, sutra, abhidharma.
Kusha
Introduced into Japan from China during the Nara period (710–784). The school takes its name from its authoritative text, the Abidatsuma-kusha-ron(Sanskrit:Abhidharma-kosa), by the 4th- or 5th-century Indian philosopher
Vasubandhu. The Kusha school is considered to be an offshoot of the Indian
Sarvastivada school.
Sanron
Literally:
Three-Discourse School; a
Madhyamika school which developed in China based on two discourses by
Nagarjuna and one by
Aryadeva. This school was transmitted to Japan in the 7th century.
Madhyamika is one of the two most important
Mahayana philosophies, and reemphasizes the original Buddhist teachings that phenomena are neither truly existent or absolutely non-existent, but are characterized by impermanence and insubstantially.
Hosso
The
Yogacara (瑜伽行派
Yugagyouha) schools are based on early Indian Buddhist thought by masters such as
Vasubandhu, and are also known as "consciousness only" since they teach a form of
idealism which posits that all phenomena are phenomena of the mind. The Hosso school was founded by
Xuanzang (玄奘, Jp.
Genjo), China, c. 630 CE, and introduced to Japan in 654 CE. The
Discourse on the Theory of Consciousness-Only (Jo yuishikiron 成唯識論) is an important text for the Hosso school.
Kegon
Also known by its
Chinese name
Huayen (華厳), the Kegon school was founded by
Dushun (杜順, Jp.
Dojun), China, c.
600 CE, and introduced to Japan by
Bodhisena in
736 CE. The
Avatamsaka Sutra (
Kegonkyo 華厳経) is the central text for the Kegon school.
Heian Period
The Late Nara period saw the introduction of Esoteric Buddhism (密教, Jp.
mikkyo) to Japan from China, by
Kūkai and
Saichō, who founded the
Shingon and
Tendai schools. The later Heian period saw the formation of the first truly Japanese school of Buddhism, that of
Nichiren.
Tendai
Known as
Tiantai (天台) in China, the
Tendai school was founded by
Zhiyi (智顗, Jp
Chigi) in China, c. 550 CE. In 804
Saichō (最澄) traveled to China to study at the Tiantai teachings, at Mount Tiantai. However before his return he also studied, and was initiated into the practice of the Vajrayana - with emphasis on the Mahavairocana Sutra. The primary text of Tiantai is
Lotus Sutra (
Hokkekyo 法華経), but when Saichō established his school in Japan he incorporated the study and practice of Vajrayana as well.
Kūkai traveled to China in 804 as part of the same expedition as Saichō. In the
T'ang capital he studied esoteric Buddhism,
Sanskrit and received initiation from
Huikuo. On returning to Japan Kūkai eventually managed to establish Shingon (真言) as a school in its own right. Kūkai received two lineages of teaching—one based on the
Mahavairocana Sutra (
Dainichikyo 大日経), and the other based on the Vajrashekhara.
Kamakura to Modern Period
The
Kamakura period saw the introduction of the two schools that had perhaps the greatest impact on the country: (1) the Amidist
Pure Land schools, promulgated by evangelists such as
Genshin and articulated by monks such as
Hōnen, which emphasize salvation through faith in
Amitabha and remain the largest Buddhist sect in Japan (and throughout Asia); and (2) the more philosophical
Zen schools, promulgated by monks such as
Eisai and
Dogen, which emphasize liberation through the insight of meditation, which were equally rapidly adopted by the upper classes and had a profound impact on
Japanese culture.
Amidist Schools
Founder:
Huiyuan (慧遠, Jp.
Eon), China, c. 400 CE
Chinese name:
Jingtu (浄土) "
Pure Land"
First Introduction to Japan:
Hōnen (法然), 1175 CE
Doctrine:
nembutsu (念仏, "prayer to Buddha")
Primary Text:
Infinite Life Sutra (
Muryojukyo 無量壽経)
Founder:
Shinran (親鸞), 1224 CE
Japanese name: 浄土真, "True Pure Land"
Major Influences:
Jodo
Doctrine:
shintai zokutai (真諦俗諦, "Real Truth, Common Truth")
Primary Text:
Infinite Life Sutra (
Muryojukyo 無量壽経)
Founder:
Ippen (一遍), 1270 CE
Japanese name: 時宗 or 時衆, "Time"
Major Influences:
Jodo
Doctrine:
nenbutsu (念仏, "mindfulness of the Buddha")
Primary Text:
Founder:
Ryōnin (良忍), 1117 CE
Japanese name: 融通念仏
Doctrine:
sokushitsu ōjō (速疾往生,)
Primary Text:
Avatamsaka Sutra (
Kegonkyo 華厳経)・
Lotus Sutra (
Hokekyo 法華経)
Zen Schools
Several variants of
Zen's practice and experiential wisdom (禅宗) were separately brought to Japan. Note that Zen influences are identifiable earlier in Japanese Buddhism, esp. cross-fertilization with Hosso and Kegon, but the independent schools were formed quite late.
Founders:
Caoshan (曹山, Jp.
Sosan) and
Dongshan (洞山, Jp.
Tosan), China, c. 850
Chinese name:
Caodong (曹洞), named after its founders
First Introduction to Japan:
Dogen (道元), 1227 CE
Major Influences:
Tendai,
Hosso,
Kegon
Doctrine:
zazen (坐禅, "sitting meditation"), especially
shikantaza
Primary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka
Prajnaparamita Sutras (般若波羅蜜経), incl.
Heart Sutra
Founder:
Linji (臨済), China, c. 850
Chinese name:
Linji (臨済), named after founder
First Introduction to Japan:
Eisai (栄西), 1191 CE
Major Influences:
Hosso,
Kegon
Doctrine:
zazen (坐禅, "sitting meditation"), especially
koan (公案, "public matter") practice
Primary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka
Prajnaparamita Sutras (般若波羅蜜経), incl.
Heart Sutra
Founder:
Ingen (隠元), Japan, 1654 CE
Japanese name: 黄檗, named the mountain where the founder had lived in China
Major Influences:
Rinzai
Doctrine:
kyozen itchi (経禅一致, "Unity of Sutras and Zen")
Primary Texts: Transcendental Wisdom Sutras aka
Prajnaparamita Sutras (般若波羅蜜経), incl.
Heart Sutra
Founder:
Puhua Chanshi (普化禅師)
First introduction to Japan:
Shinchin Kakushin (心地覚心), 1254 CE
Major Influences:
Rinzai
Abolished: 1871
Nichiren Buddhism
The schools of
Nichiren Buddhism trace themselves to the monk
Nichiren (日蓮: "Sun-Lotus") and the proclamation of his teachings in
CE 1253. Doctrinally the schools focus on the
Lotus Sutra (妙法蓮華經:
Myoho Renge Kyō; abbrev. 法華經:
Hokkekyō), but practice centers on the
mantra Nam(u) Myōhō Renge Kyō (南無妙法蓮華經). Nichiren Buddhism split into several denominations after the death of Nichiren, typically represented by tradition-oriented schools such as
Nichiren Shu and
Nichiren Shoshu and
"new religions" such as
Soka Gakkai,
Rissho Kosei Kai, and Reiyukai. See
Nichiren Buddhism for a more complete list.
Silk Road artistic influences
In Japan, Buddhist art started to develop as the country converted to Buddhism in 548 CE. Some tiles from the
Asuka period (shown above), the first period following the conversion of the country to Buddhism, display a strikingly classical style, with ample Hellenistic dress and realistically-rendered body shape characteristic of
Greco-Buddhist art.
Other works of art incorporated a variety of
East Asia influences, so that Japanese Buddhist became extremely varied in its expression. Many elements of Greco-Buddhist art remain to this day however, such as the
Hercules inspiration behind the
Nio guardian deities in front of Japanese Buddhist temples, or representations of the Buddha reminiscent of Greek art such as the Buddha in
Kamakura.
Deities
Various other Greco-Buddhist artistic influences can be found in the Japanese Buddhist pantheon, the most striking of which being that of the Japanese wind god
Fujin. In consistency with Greek iconography for the wind god
Boreas, the Japanese wind god holds above his head with his two hands a draping or "wind bag" in the same general attitude. The abundance of hair have been kept in the Japanese rendering, as well as exaggerated facial features.
Another Buddhist deity, named
Shukongoshin, one of the wrath-filled protector deities of Buddhist temples in Japan, is also an interesting case of transmission of the image of the famous Greek god
Herakles to the Far-East along the
Silk Road.
Herakles was used in Greco-Buddhist art to represent
Vajrapani, the protector of the Buddha, and his representation was then used in China and Japan to depict the protector gods of Buddhist temples.
Artistic motifs
The artistic inspiration from Greek floral scrolls is found quite literally in the decoration of Japanese roof tiles, one of the only remaining element of wooden architecture throughout centuries. The clearest one are from 7th century
Nara temple building tiles, some of them exactly depicting vines and grapes. These motifs have evolved towards more symbolic representations, but essentially remain to this day in many Japanese traditional buildings.
Timeline
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