Tendai Elements in the Doctrinal Systems of Honen's Disciples

Mitsuyuki Ishida

The greatest figure in Japanese Jodo Buddhism and one of the most note-worthy persons in the history of transmission of Amida pietism is, Honen (1133-1212). He is rightly accredited the title of the founder of the Jodo Sect, for he was the first who proclaimed the independence of the Nembutsu teaching, which had not been practiced independently of traditio- nal methods for attaining Bodhi. Today's most influencial schools belonging to Amidism look upon Honen as the founder. What is peculiar about him is the outward Tendai scholarship and the inward devotion to the Nembutsu. For the former quality, Honen passed his life as a Tendai preceptor of the Kurodani school of Mt. Hiei, and he- (1) was officially named "Genku, a Tendai priest at Kurodani". Records of (2) (3)hi s conferring precepts are seen in the Gyokuyo, Meigetsu Ki, etc.; and the (4) Sammai Hottoku Ki and others tell us of his realization of Samadhis. His devotion to Amida Buddha, on the other hand, is reflected in the persecu- tion of the Nembutsu teaching by priests of older sects. In the f ace of (5) their open attack, he composed the" Seven*-Article Prohibitions" to be . observed by his Nembutsu followers. He was finally exiled on charges of the disturbances caused by the Nembutsu practices of which he was the advocate. His doctrinal standpoint favoring the Nembutsu is clarified systemati-

(1)「天壼黒谷沙門源室」 (2)「玉葉」, Kujo Kanezane's diary. (3)「明月記」, Fujiwara Teika's diary. (4)「三昧獲得記」. (5)「七箇條の起請文」.

-803- Tendai elements in the doctrinal systems of HOnen's disciples (M. Ishida) (75)

(6) cally in his masterpiece, Senjaku Hongan Nembutsu Shu. In this book, after distinguishing the Path of Sages and the Pure Land Path, he discards various practices of the former, such as meditation, contemplation, and observance of precepts, and advocated the exclusive practice of the Nembutsu. Follow- ing Shan-tao's teaching in particular, he excluded Tendai doctrines from (7) his system. Furthermore, in the chapter," Three Classes of Aspirants," he considered the Nembutsu. as the central practice of all Buddhist practices and disciplines and reckoned even the Tendai meditations as contained in the Nembutsu. His real intent, no doubt, lies in practicing and expounding to others the Nembutsu teaching. We often come across his profession of faith in (8) Amida in many of his disciples' writings. The Saiho Shinan Sho, a biography and collection of HOnen's sayings by Shinran, quotes Honen as saying, " Practices of the Path of Sages aim at deliverance from Birth -and-Death by developing wisdom, whereas in the practice of the Pure Land Path one (9) turns back to his ignorant state and seeks his Birth into the Pure Land." His scholarly attainments as well as his accomplishments in practicall disciplines were so distinguished as to command respect by high priests of the day, but, in the deep realization of his ignorance, he took to the Nem- butsu Path without any pretention. He respected Genshin as his predecessor of both the Nembutsu and the Tendai doctrine. In a sermon recorded in (10) the Kango To and others, he utilized, presumably under Genshin's influence, (11) the Tendai concept of the "interf usion of the Three Truths" to show the (12) signification of Amida's white twist of hair between the eyebrows.

(6)「選揮本願念佛集」,"ACollection of Passages Concerning the Nembutsu of

the Best-Selected Original Vow".

(7)Cf. Chapters, Nigyo「二行」,"Two Practices", and Fmoku「付厩」,"Trans-

mission of the Teaching for Future Generations".

(8)「西方指南抄」,"Notes Indicating the Way to the Western Land".

(9) Ibid., Vol.,III, Part 1, and the Wago To, Vol. V.

(10) 「漢語灯」, Vol. VIII. (11) 三諦圓融. (12) After describing this physical mark of Amida in terms of Void, Temporary, and Middle, he goes on to show that every mark of the Buddha agrees with the Three Truths.

-802- (76) Tendai elements in the doctrinal systems of Honen's disciples (M. Ishida) But he hastened, to add that this was the Tendai interpretation of the term. He thus consciously drew a distinct line between Tendai and Pure Land teachings. His efforts to present the Nembutsu in contradistinction to the Tendai and other sects naturally invited their criticism against his doctrine. The problem of how to defend the Nembutsu against these attacks' was left to his disciples. They generally tried to strengthen, and even develop, the master's Pure Land system by adopting the Tendai teaching.

(13) Ryukan, the eldest desciple of HOnen, is assumed to have passed his life, like his master, as a Tendai priest. His concept of Pure Land Buddhism (14) was much influenced, as he himself professed in the Gokuraku Jodo Shagi, by the Tendai doctrine; particularly by that of Genshin. Following Ryogen's (15) - Kubon Ojo Gi, he entertained the view that those born in the Recompenced Pure Land will realize partly the principle of the Middle Path and attain (16) (17) the stage of the lst Dwelling. He explains in his Mida Hongan Gi that A-mi-da' is identical with Reality and that this interpretation agrees with T'ien-t'ai's view of Amida as shown in his commentary to the Meditation Sutra. Again, in explaining how the sin committed by the lowest grade of men in the lowest class is to be extinguished, he resorted to the Tendai (18) theory of 100 worlds in 1,000 thusnesses'. Although he insisted consistently (19) on the practice of the Nembutsu accompanied ay the Three Minds, his attitude was not so exclusive as his master's. He admitted meditative goods' in the Meditation Sutra as causal practices for Birth in the Pure Land on

(13) 隆寛(1148-1227). (14)「極樂浄土宗義」.

(15)「九品往生義」by Ryogen良源.

(16) Cf. Sanzen Gi M: ondo「散善義問答」, 6, Gohuraku Jodo Shugi, Vol. II, and

Genru Sho「源流章」.

(17)「彌陀本願義」.

(18) 百界千如, cf. Metsuzai Kosu Gi 「滅罪劫数義」.

(19)The Three Minds三心, set forth in the Meditation Sutra, are the following: 1. Shiloshin至誠心, Sincere Mind, 2. Jinshin深心, Deep Mind, and 3.

Eko-Hotsuganshin廻向獲願心, Mind of Merit-transference and Aspiration.

-801- Tendai elements in the doctrinal systems of Honen's disciples (M. Ishida) (77) (20) sis that the Three Minds were supposed to attend meditative goods He. went so far as to maintain that other miscellaneous practices abandoned by Honen as futile could become efficient pdactices for attaining Birth if (21) accompanied by the Three Minds of the Other-Power. He, of course, had ample reason for asserting such a view, sinceShan-tao remarked that any practice was conducive to the attainment of Birth if accompanied by the (22)Th ree Minds. But from Ryukan's frequent recourse to the Tendai termino- logies and theories, we may assume that he made a conscious effort to adopt Tendai elements into his system. (23) Shoku, a noted disciple of Honen, did not draw so expressly on the Tendai doctrine in order to systematize his Jodo system as Ryukan did. (24) But, from what we find in his Kangyo Sho Kammon Gi and Kangyo Sho, (25) Taii, he obviously had recourse to the Tendai theory of the One Vehicle teaching' in presenting the basic tenets of Pure Land Buddhism. He considered the Meditation Sutra to be the conclusion of all the teachings of Path of Sages and looked upon the Nembutsu practice as embodying all meritorious goods. He maintained that the principle of the One Vehicle of the Lotus Sutra was merely an abstract noumenon and that Amida's Vow was the genuine One Vehicle teaching which could lead even a common man to Enlightenment. In Shoku's system, all the miscellaneous practices which Honen cast aside were revived so that, when accompanied by the Three Minds, they assumed the same status as that of the Nembutsu. Kosai (26) doctrine can be traced in his only extant book, Gengi Bun (27) and also in Gyonen's Genru Sho. He conceives that the three sutras of Pure Land Buddhism, i. e. Dai Muryoju Kyo (Larger Sutra), Kan Muryoju Kyo (Meditation, Sutra), and Amida Kyo (Smaller Sutra), reveal the true teach- (28) ing of the implicit One Vehicle, which is contrasted to the explicit One

(20) Cf. Gokuraku Jodo She Gi, Vol. II, Gu Sanshin Gi, Vol. II. (21) Cf. Gu Sanshin Gi, Vol. I. (22) Cf. Sanzen Gi. (23)謹室(1177-1247). (24)「観経疏観門義」. (25)「観経疏大意」. (26)幸西(1163-1247). (27)「玄義分抄」. (28) 隠一乗.

-800- (78) Tendai elements in the doctrinal systems of Honen's disciples (M. Ishida) (29)V ehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The latter One Vehicle teaching in- culcates the difficult practices, whereas the former sets forth the Easy Practice of the Nembutsu based on the Original Vow. He emphasizes the practice of the Nembutsu Samadhi with singleness of mind, or with a mind pervaded by Buddha's Wisdom, in which the aspirant becomes united with the Buddha. He states that the Buddha's true intent for appearing in this world is to provide the way of deliverance for the deluded sentient beings, and that with this view in mind He taught, at first, the difficult One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra. By preaching the Meditation Sutra, Sakyamuni opened the gate of Pure Land Buddhism for common men. The sutra ex- pounds the contemplative practices as expedients for leading the aspirants finally to the single practice of the Nembutsu. (30) (31) (32) Bencha's view is shown in the Tetsu Senjaku Shu and Jodo Shu Yosho. (33) He employed the Tendai theories of the Oneness of all things' and the 'inclusion of the Three Vehicle teachings into the One Vehicle teaching'(34)

to clarify the relationship between the Nembutsu and other miscellaneous

practices. Speaking from a broad view-point, the Nembutsu and other practices are not distinct; but, speaking from a narrow view-point, the Nembutsu stands for the utterance of Amida's Name. The teaching of the exclusive

practice of the Nembutsu propounded by Shan-tao and Honen was, in his view, the One Vehicle Pure Land teaching which embodies all the other Buddhist doctrines and practices. (35) Chosai was another leading disciple of Honen. As his doctrine revealed (36) in his Kangyo Sho Komyo sho et al had little Tendai influence, we shall not describe it here.

III

Honen's disciples, whose doctrines we have just seen, made great efforts

(29)顯一乗. (30)辮長(1162-1238). (31)「徹選澤集」. (32)「浮土宗要集」. (33)萬法一如. (34)會三編一. (35) 長西(1184-1266). (36) 「観経疏光明抄」.

-799- Tendai elements in the doctrinal systems of Honen's disciples (M. Ishida) (79) to develop their respective systems by adopting the Tendai theories overtly or covertly. By doing so they defended Jodo Buddhism from criticism by Koben and others. But it appears that their attemts resulted in weakening Honen's basic standpoint of discarding all the practices of Path of Sages and exclusively practicing the Nembutsu'. (37) Shinran was also among Honen's disciples. As he had been trained on Mt. Hiei before coming to Honen, everybody naturally expected his doctrine to have a Tendaitint. Indeed, Tendai concepts such as the One Vehicle', complete dissolution of evil passions into merit',' essential equality of (38) passions with Bodhi','perfect teaching for the abrupt awakening','etc., are employed in his system, but they all serve to explain the profound Dharma of Amida Buddha. The Tendai ideals which ordinarily are too lofy and too difficult for the common man, now came within the reach of the common man, for all the truths and merits of Buddhahood became endowed to them by Amida Buddha. Shinran enriched his Pure Land system by in- troducing these Tendai ideologies and other Mahayanistic theories. In his view, all the self-power teachings aiming at the realization of Truth were provided by the Buddha to show the superior qualities of Amida's One Vehicle teaching, and actually they were not intended to be performed by man. Whereas his fellow-disciples tended to accept practices other than the Nem- butsu as conducive, in a way, to attaining Birth into the Pure Land, Shinran followed his master faithfully in casting miscellaneous practices aside and taking the single practice of the Nembutsu. Moreover, Shinran sought to explain that Amida's Name embodied all the merit and virtue of Truth and that His salvation Law was the highest and most efficient of all One Vehicle (39) teachings.

(37) 親鷺 (1(173-1262). (38) Cf. Kyogyoshinsho「敬行信言登」,chap. on“Practice”; Wason「和讃」; yuishin- sho. Mm'i「唯信鋤文意」. (39) Cf. My article, "On the Formation of the Central Concepts in Shinran's Religious System", JIBS, Vol. 10, No. 1.

-798-