(1155-1225) and the Construction of Buddhist Orthodoxy
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The Restoration of Peace Through the Pacification of Vengeful Spirits: Jien (1155-1225) and the Construction of Buddhist Orthodoxy The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Swanson, Eric Haruki. 2019. The Restoration of Peace Through the Pacification of Vengeful Spirits: Jien (1155-1225) and the Construction of Buddhist Orthodoxy. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:42029681 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Restoration of Peace Through the Pacification of Vengeful Spirits: Jien (1155-1225) and the Construction of Buddhist Orthodoxy A dissertation presented by Eric Haruki Swanson to The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy In the subject of East Asian Religion Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts April 2019 © 2019 Eric Haruki Swanson All rights reserved. Dissertation Advisor: Ryuichi Abé Eric Haruki Swanson The Restoration of Peace Through the Pacification of Vengeful Spirits: Jien (1155-1225) and the Construction of Buddhist Orthodoxy Abstract Previous research on Tendai monk Jien (1155-1225) has often presented him as an exemplary literary figure of pre-modern Japan, and he is known most for authoring A Fool’s Exegesis on Historical Events (Gukansh! ) and hence a prolific composer of Japanese poetry (waka ). As such, he has been depicted as an intellectual figure who was also torn between his worldly obligations and his desire to pursue the aesthetic pleasures of composing poetry. However, these images of Jien have been constructed through modern academic disciplines and frameworks that have dictated the way his writings have been studied. By illustrating the extent to which he was intricately involved in the establishment and restoration of Buddhist institutions, reviving Buddhist learning, and performing exoteric and esoteric Buddhist rites, this dissertation seeks to show how his active participation in these various religious projects resists the commonly perceived persona of Jien as an internally troubled Buddhist poet, torn between the realms of “religious asceticism” and “politics.” A critical assessment of Jien’s constructed identity can also help us re-evaluate his motivations for composing his most well known work, the Gukansh!. Although known primarily as a work of historical writing, a close analysis of the way Jien crafts his ! """! historical narrative suggests that it should rather be read as a religious discourse, and that the other qualities of his writings, such as the political issues it addresses, the poetic and rhetorical refinements as an exemplary literary work, or the understanding that it can be read as a pedagogical device, derive from a fundamental concern that can be seen as religious in nature, and that which addresses the issue of social disorder. I will focus specifically on Jien’s discussion of vengeful spirits ( onry!) that is weaved throughout the Gukansh! and argue that it is precisely in his discussion of vengeful spirits, which have often been relegated as “odd factors” in his historical writing, that reveal the extent to which Jien’s historical project intersected with his larger ritual projects, specifically in his establishment of the ritual program at Daisangeh!in located in the proximity of the Heian capital. ! "#! Table of Contents Chapter 1: Re-assessing Jien’s Constructed Identity 1. Introduction..........................................................................................................2 2. Jien’s Early Years................................................................................................4 3. Idealized Interpretations of Jien in Modern Scholarship......................................9 4. The Rise and Fall of Kanezane and Questioning Jien’s “Period of Reclusion”..21 5. Jien Memorialized in Hagiography: The Biography of the Priest of Compassionate Pacification..............................................................................28 6. Kuj! Kanezane and Jien’s Collaboration to Realize the “Flourishing of the Buddhist Teachings” .........................................................................................36 7. Jien as Emperor Go-Toba’s Personal “Protector Monk”....................................42 8. Conclusion ........................................................................................................44 Chapter 2: Re-assessing Jien’s Motivations for Writing the Gukansh! 1. Introduction........................................................................................................47 2. Basic Structure and Summary of the Gukansh!................................................50 3. Analyzing the Title: the Gukansh! as “Modest Views of an Ignorant Priest”.....53 4. A History of the Study of the Gukansh!.............................................................56 5. English Scholarship on the Gukansh!...............................................................67 6. Gukansh! as a “Philosophy of History”..............................................................75 7. Studying the Gukansh! as Literature.................................................................76 8. Conclusion. .......................................................................................................84 Chapter 3: Re-assessment of Gukansh! as a Treatise about Vengeful Spirits 1. Introduction.........................................................................................................87 2. Questioning Vengeful Spirits as “Odd Factors” in the Gukansh!.......................88 3. Jien’s Vision of Disorder as Both Political and Religious...................................93 4. Deterioration of Relationship between Emperor and Regent.............................99 5. Jien’s Advice on How to Restore Order...........................................................105 6. Appearance of Vengeful Spirits in Jien’s Narrative History..............................111 7. Two Great Vengeful Spirits as Outcome of the H!gen Rebellion.....................119 8. The Principle of Vengeful Spirits......................................................................122 9. Conclusion........................................................................................................130 Chapter 4: Jien’s Self-Image and the Intersections Between Historical Writing and Ritual 1. Introduction......................................................................................................133 2. Jien’s Self-Image as the “Capable Priest”........................................................134 3. Jien’s Grand Ritual Project: Pacifying Vengeful Spirits to Protect the Heian Capital .............................................................................................................146 4. Legitimizing Lineages through Relic Worship and Poems for the Dead..........156 5. Reorienting the Center in the Record of the Assembly for Relic Worship and Repaying Kindness..........................................................................................160 6. Conclusion.......................................................................................................165 Bibliography..................................................................................................................169 ! #! Acknowledgements I am forever indebted to my advisor Ryuichi Abé for his insightful direction and compassion throughout the PhD program at Harvard. It was thanks to his openness that I was able to explore freely into various avenues of interest, and ultimately for his patience and moral support that I was able to complete this disseration. James Robson was a wonderful mentor and it was always exciting to bounce off ideas with him in his office. His love and passion for the study of East Asian Religions was always inspiring and I deeply appreciated his close reading and comments on my thesis. Helen Hardacre taught me the joy and challenges of doing research and mentoring students. Her stance as a scholar is one that I will always aspire to reach. In addition to my interactions with my committee members, the courses I took as a graduate student with Edwin Cranston, Melissa McCormick, Yukio Lippit, David Howell, and Alexander Zahlten, were all instrumental in expanding my perspective and I am deeply grateful for the knowledge I gained in these seminars, as well as the experiences of working with these wonderful scholars. I would also like to thank the visiting scholars with whom I had the opportunity to engage with through countless study sessions over the years, including Dait! Takaaki, Tamura Kanji, Kaminishi Wataru, Takeda Sachiya, Okimoto Yukiko, Chikamoto Kensuke, among others who were a constant source of academic insight and inspiration. During my trips to Japan, Michimoto Tesshin at Ry"koku University was always selfless with his time and helped me read through some crucial texts for the thesis. Thomas Eij! Dreitlein and Doi Natsuki always greeted me with a warm welcome back every time I ! #"! went to visit K!yasan University to utilize the library and their archives. At various academic events both