Buddhism in Japan

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Eastern pagoda of the Yakushi Temple ( Yakushi-ji ) in Nara , the main temple of the Hosso school
Japanese Buddhist priest around 1897
Tile with seated Buddha from the 7th century ( Tokyo National Museum )
Tōdai Temple ( Tōdai-ji ) in Nara , main temple of the Kegon school
Statue of Ganjin, the founder of the "regular school" Risshū, in the Tōshōdai temple at Nara)
Saichō, founder of Japanese Tendai Buddhism
The "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" ( Kinkaku-ji ) in Kyoto
Chion Temple ( Chion-in ), main temple of the Jōdo school
Shinran Shonin (portrait in Hongan Temple , Kyoto)
Eihei Temple ( Eihei-ji ), main temple of the Sōtō school
Myōan Eisai , founder of the Japanese Rinzai School
Ingen Ryūki , founder of the Japanese Ōbaku school (hanging scroll, Mampuku temple, 1671
Nichiren, founder of Nichiren Buddhism (scroll in Kuon Temple , Yamanashi Prefecture )
Drawing of a mendicant monk of the Fuke School from Sketches of Japanese Manners and Customs (London, 1867). The caption in the book reads: "A begging criminal".

The history of Buddhism ( Japanese 仏 教 , bukkyō , literally Buddha teaching) in Japan can be roughly divided into five periods: (1) the period from its introduction to the end of the Nara period (6th century to 784), shaped by the formation of the first state Buddhism and the so-called six Nara schools, (2) the Heian period (794–1185), shaped by the rise of the Shingon and Tendai schools, (3) the Japanese Middle Ages (1185 to about 1600), shaped by the emergence of new schools and upheavals, (4) the Tokugawa period (1600–1868) with increased state control and the expansion of the Danka system ) and (5) the modern age from 1868 with the separation of Shinto and Buddhism ( Shinbutsu-Bunri ) and the emergence of new groups.

The religious practice of most Japanese was and is characterized by a syncretism of many traditions (cf. Shinbutsu-Shūgō ), but until the Meiji period Buddhism dominated the indigenous traditions. In the years 1868 to 1872, in the course of the separation of Buddhism and Shinto ( Shinbutsu-Bunri ), Buddhist statues, images and relics as well as Buddhist priests were banned from Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples prohibited the worship of Shinto deities ( Kami ). At the same time, supra-regional forms of organization were created for the shrines and the foundations for Shinto as a homogeneous, national religion were created. In everyday life, however, the population retained all sorts of old habits. Although many families belong to a certain Buddhist school and are particularly connected to a temple of this direction ( Danka system ), with a few exceptions (e.g. Nichiren school) this has no influence on visits to other temples and shrines including worship of the respective deities.

Early Chinese lore

According to the Chinese "Book of the Liang Dynasty" ( Liáng-shū , 635), five monks from Gandhara traveled across the sea to the land of Fusang (Chinese 扶桑 , Japanese Fusō ), which is interpreted as a territory in the Japanese archipelago:

Fusang is over 20,000 li east of the Dahan Empire in eastern China. (…) In ancient times the people of Fusang knew nothing of the Buddha's teachings, but in the second year of the government motto Dà Míng (= 458) of the earlier Song Dynasty , five monks from the land of Jìbīn (= Kashmir ) traveled from Gandhara to Fusang Buddha's teachings, writings, and images circulated and promoted retreat from the world. Eventually the customs changed (in Fusang).

From the introduction of Buddhism to the end of the Nara period

The introduction of Buddhism in Japan is definitely dated from 552, when monks from the Korean empire Baekje came to Nara . After all kinds of disputes among influential clans, Buddhism began to spread a few years later when Empress Suiko and the mythical Crown Prince Shōtoku aroused the imperial family's interest in the new religion. In 607 an imperial embassy to the Sui Dynasty was sent to China to obtain copies of the sutras . Over time, the number of Buddhist clergymen grew, which is why spiritual ranks and hierarchies were introduced, including the important ranks Sōjō ( 僧 正 ) and Sōzu ( 僧 都 ). The early Japanese sources show all kinds of limitations. Ordinations required state approval and the number of new monks was fixed. In 627 there were 46 Buddhist temples in Japan with 816 monks and 569 nuns.

This state-regulated and at the same time used by the state to strengthen the system of rule Buddhism experienced its heyday in the Nara period (710-784) under the Tennō Shōmu . This could not only be ordained, but also initiated the construction of the Tōdai temple ( Tōdai-ji ) in the capital Nara and various provincial temples to protect the country. As a result of his efforts, the Kegon and Risshū schools were also introduced and assigned to the Tōdai Temple with four other already established schools. These "six schools of the southern capital" ( 南 都 六 宗 , Nanto rokushū , also Nanto rikushū ) are:

  1. Risshū ( Vinaya ),
  2. Jōjitsu-shū ( Satyasiddhi ),
  3. Kusha-shu ( Abhidharma )
  4. Sanron-shū ( Madhyamika ),
  5. Hossō-shū ( Yogacara ),
  6. Kegon-shu ( Hua-yen ).

As far as the meager sources indicate, these are not schools with a clear demarcation, but rather “study groups”. The temples also tried to recruit monastic scholars who were familiar with several schools.

Risshu

Founded by Dào Xuān ( 道 宣 , Japanese Dōsen, 596–667) in China around 650 , this direction was conveyed to Japan in 753 by the Chinese monk Jiàn Zhēn ( 鑒真 , Japanese Ganjin ). This school, associated with Hinayana Buddhism, was particularly concerned with Vinaya , i.e. H. the monastic rules in Tripitaka (Japanese Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō ). The basic text is the "Four Types of Rules of Conduct" ( 四分 律 , Japanese Shibun-ritsu ), a Chinese translation of the Vinayapitaka by the monk Buddhayaśa ( 仏 陀 耶 舎 , Japanese Butsudayasha). Important Japanese representatives of this direction are Eizon (1201-1290) and his pupil Ninshō (1217-1303).

Jōjitsu-shū

The basic text of the "School of Realization of Truth" introduced between 600 and 625 is the "Discourse on the Establishment of Truths" written by the Indian philosopher Harivarman (Skt. Satyasiddhi-śastrā , Chinese. Chéngshí-lùn , Japanese Jōjitsu-ron ) . The Chinese translation conveyed to Japan was made by the monk scholar Kumārajīva from Kuqa . The text deals particularly with the so-called " Four Noble Truths ". According to him, the dharma (phenomena) exist only as words.

In Japan, this school only lasted for a short time at the beginning of the 8th century. The Satyasiddhi school is considered to be a split from the Sautrantika school, which is assigned to the Indian Nikaya Buddhism . She rejects the third part or basket of the Buddhist Pali canon, the Abhidharma , which was not accepted as "the word of the Buddha".

Kusha-shu

Introduced from China to Japan in the Nara period (710–784), this school ( 倶 舎 宗 ) derived its name from the "treasury of dogmatics" (Japanese Abidatsuma-kusha-ron ). This text (skt. Abhidharma-kośa ) was written by the Indian philosopher Vasubandhu in the 4th or 5th century and commented on by him (skt. Abhidharma-kośa-bhāṣyam ). The Chinese translation (651-54) goes back to the pilgrim monk Xuán Zàng . The extensive text presents the teachings of the Sarvastivada and Sautrantika schools in detail, with a tendency towards the latter. In 793 this direction went on in the Hosso school ( Hosso-shu ).

Sanron-shu

The “school of the three discourses” ( 三 論 宗 , Chinese Sānlùn-zōng , Japanese Sanron-shū ) has its roots in the school of the “Middle Way” ( Madhyamaka ) of Mahayana Buddhism. It came to Japan at the beginning of the 7th century and, as its name indicates, builds on three discourses or discussions (Skt. Śāstra , Japanese ron ): (1) the "Discourse on the Middle Way" (Skt. Madhyamaka-śastrā , Japanese Chūron ), (2) the “Discourse on the Twelve Approaches ” (Skt. Dvādaśa-nikāya-śāstra , Japanese Jūnimon-ron ) and (3) the “Discourse in a Hundred Stanzas” (Skt. Śata-śastrā , jap . Hyaku-ron ). The first text, written in the 4th century, is a commentary on Nagarjuna's "Verses of the Middle Way" ( Mūla-madhyamaka-kārikā ). The authorship is controversial. The second text comes from the Indian philosopher Nagarjuna (Japanese Ryūju), the third from his disciple Aryadeva (Japanese Daiba). The Chinese translation from Sanskrit was made by the monk scholar Kumārajīva (Japanese Kumarajū), who came from the Central Asian Empire of Kuqa .

The “school of the three discourses” radicalized the logic of the tetralemma and postulated that appearances are neither really existent nor absolutely non-existent, but are characterized by a lack of permanence and substance. It reached Japan at the beginning of the 7th century by the Korean monks Hyeja ( 恵 慈 , Japanese Eji), Hyechong ( 慧 聡 , Japanese Esō) and Hyegwan ( 慧 灌 , Japanese Ekan) brought to Japan.

Hosso-shu

The Yogacara schools ( 瑜伽 行 派 , Japanese Yugagyō-ha ) are based on early Indian Buddhist ideas, which were largely developed by the Indian patriarch Vasubandhu (Japanese Seshin) and his older half-brother Asaṅga . They are also called “schools of consciousness only” (skt. Vijñānavāda ) because of their postulate that all appearances are merely appearances of the mind, which turns to the true reality only insofar as it remains objective.

The Hossō school (about: School of Dharma properties) was founded around 630 by the Chinese monk Xuanzang ( 玄奘 , Japanese Genjo) and around 653 to 660 by the Japanese monk Dōshō ( 道 昭 ), who was founded in China by Xuánzàng and Kuī Jī had been taught spread throughout Japan. The most important text in this direction, Xuang Zang's “Discourse that everything is just consciousness” ( 成 唯識 論 , Japanese Jōyuishiki-ron ), is largely a transmission of the Dharmapala ( 護法 , Japanese) spoken by the brahminic scholar . Gohō) written text Vijñaptimātratā-siddhi-śāstra . This school postulates, among other things, the concept of “ memory or basic consciousness ” ( 阿 頼 耶 識 , Japanese arayashiki ; also 無 没 識 , mumotsushiki ), a kind of supra-individual and constantly changing continuum of karma-forming forces, which the way of the experience of World determined by a living being.

The Hosso school was connected to the Fujiwara family and had its headquarters in the family temple of this powerful clan. From here she also controlled the province in the centuries after the rulers moved to Heian-kyō ( Kyōto ).

Kegon-shu

Founded by Dùshùn (杜 順; Japanese Dojun) in China around 600 under the name Huāyán zōng , the teachings of the Kegon School ( 華 厳 宗 , Japanese Kegon-shū ; "School of glorifying flowers") were introduced in 736 by the Korean monk Simsang ( 審 祥 , Japanese Shinshō) brought to Japan. This is the only school of the Nara period that is based on a sutra , the Kegongyō ( 厳 厳 経 , Skt. Avataṃsaka-sūtra ). The text legitimizes rulers who promote Buddhism and promises them protection and prosperity. The school received strong support from the Tennō Shōmu , who let her build the Tōdai Temple and ruined the state budget.

Heian period

In the early Heian period, esoteric or tantric Buddhism ( Vajrayana ; Chinese mìzōng , 密宗 , Japanese mikkyō , 密 教 ) came to Japan from China by the monks Saichō and Kūkai .

Tendai-shu

The Tiandai School ( 天台 宗 , Chinese Tiāntái zōng , Japanese Tendaishū ) was founded around 550 in China by Zhì Yǐ ( 智 顗 , Japanese Chigi). In the year 804 the Japanese monk Saichō ( 最澄 ) traveled to the monastery mountain Tiantai in China. After his initiation, he returned to Japan in 805 with a large number of sutras and commentaries. The main text of his school is the Lotus Sutra ( H 華 経 , Japanese Hokkekyō ). Saichō also included the study and practice of Vajrayana with a focus on the Mahavairocana Sutra (Japanese Dainichikyō , 大 日 経 ).

Shingon-shu

When Saichō set out for China in 804 at the head of an official embassy, ​​the thirty-year-old monk Kūkai ( 空 海 ) was in his tour group . He studied esoteric Buddhism with Huìguǒ (Japanese Keika) in Chang'an , the capital of the Chinese Tang Dynasty (now Xi'an ). After his initiation and the death of Huìguǒ, Kūkai returned to Japan, where he succeeded in establishing the Shingon School ( 真言 宗 , Japanese Shingon-shū ) as an independent school. Kūkai took on two lines of teaching: one based on the Mahavairocana Sutra (Japanese Dainichikyō ), and another based on the Vajrashekhara (Japanese Kongōchōgyō , 金剛 頂 経 ). In this school, the concrete world represents the highest reality. The aim of the practice is to “become a Buddha” supported by esoteric ritualism.

Kamakura, Muromachi and modern times

In the Kamakura period , very influential schools emerged. The teachings of the Pure Land , shared by preachers like Genshin and explained by monks like Hons , focus on salvation through trust in Amitabha . They developed into the largest Buddhist schools in Japan (and Asia) and were particularly popular among the common people. In contrast, the philosophically oriented Zen schools were mainly accepted into the upper social classes and thus exerted a strong influence on Japanese culture .

Amidist schools

Jōdo-shū

The root of this direction is the "School of the Pure Land" ( 浄土 宗 , Chinese Jìngtǔzōng , Japanese Jōdo-shū ) founded in the 5th century by the Chinese monk Huì Yuàn ( 慧遠 , Japanese Eon ). It was spread in Japan in 1175 by the monk Hōnen ( 法 然 ) who came from the Tendai school . At the center of her teaching is trust in the transcendent Buddha Amitabha (Japanese Amida, 阿 弥陀 ) and the hope of rebirth in the "Pure Land" (Skt. Sukhāvatī ), an area of ​​existence outside the cycle of birth and rebirth (Skt. Samsara ) , in which all conditions for attaining Buddhahood are given. From this school emerged in the 13th century the larger school of Jōdo-Shinshū . Among the texts, the “Sutra of Infinite Life” ( 無量 壽 経 , Japanese Muryojukyō ) plays an important role, in practice the nembutsu ( 念 仏 , Chinese niànfó , “Buddhas made present”) called invocation of Amida .

Jōdo-Shinshu

The "True School of the Pure Land" ( 浄土 真宗 , Jōdo-Shinshū ) is one of the four new schools of the Kamakura period. It was founded by Shinran ( 親 鸞 ) and further developed by Rennyo ( 蓮 如 ) in the 15th century . The school, which is related to the Jōdo-shū , invokes the Sûtra of the Land of Bliss (Skt. Sukhâvatîvyuûhasûtra , Japanese Amida-kyō , 阿 弥陀 経 ). At the center of their teaching is the trust in the transcendent Buddha Amitabha (Japanese Amida, 阿 弥陀 ) and the hope of a rebirth in his “Pure Land”.

Zen schools

Chán (禅, Japanese Zen ), which originated in China around the 5th century and was influenced by Daoism , derives its name from the Sanskrit word Dhyna (Chinese Chán'na , 禅 那), which means something like "state of meditative immersion" means. The word Zen master ( Zenji ) already appears in Japanese writings from the Nara period , but was then used for all unofficial ordained persons who practiced Buddhist rituals. Independent Zen schools ( 禅宗 , Zen-shū ) only emerged from the 12th century.

Sōtō-shū

The Sōtō school refers to the Chinese Chan patriarchs Dòngshān Liángjiè ( 洞山 良 价 , Japanese Tōzan Ryōkai ) and his pupil Cáoshān Běnjì ( 曹 山 本 寂 , Japanese Sōsan Honjaku ), whose names are in the name of the school ( 曹洞宗 , Chinese Cáodòng zōng , Japanese Sōtō-shū ) received.

The Japanese monk Dōgen ( 道 玄 ) brought the teachings of this school from China to Japan and founded the Eihei Temple ( Eihei-ji ) in 1243 . The second main temple Sōji-ji was opened in 1321 by Keizan Jōkin ( 瑩 山 紹瑾 ). The school emphasizes the immanent Buddha nature of all beings as well as the identity of exercise and enlightenment and places great emphasis on the meditative practice of "just sitting" ( 只管 打坐 , Japanese shikantaza ) or zazen ( 座 禅 ). Especially the Prajnaparamita -Sutras comes to great weight.

Rinzai-shu

The name of this school goes back to its founder, the Chinese monk Línjì Yìxuáni ( 臨濟 義 玄 , Japanese Rinzai Gigen). The teachings and practices that emerged in the 9th century were brought to Japan in the 12th century by the Japanese Tendai monk Myōan Eisai ( 明 菴 栄 西 , usually shortened to Eisai). The Rinzai School ( 臨濟 宗 , Chinese Línjì zōng , Japanese Rinzai-shū ) exerted a great influence on Japanese culture through its tea ceremony ( Sadō ), its garden art and the strict practical exercises that were carried out in addition to sitting meditation ( zazen ), meditative walking ( 経 行 , Chinese Jīngxíng , Japanese Kinhin ) and meditative physical work ( 作 務 , Japanese Samu ).

Ōbaku-shū

This Zen school, which has close ties to the Rinzai school, was founded by the Chinese monk Yǐnyuán Lóngqí ( 隠 元 隆 琦 , Japanese Ingen Ryūki). At the age of 64 he accepted an invitation to Japan and landed in Nagasaki in 1654 with numerous Chinese students and artisans . In 1661 he received permission to take his seat in a temple in Uji, to which he named the temple Wànfúsì ( 萬 福寺 , Japanese Mampuku-ji ) located in the Chinese mountains Huángbò ( 黄 檗 , Japanese 檗 baku ). The teachings are - like those of Chan Buddhism after the Song era in general - syncretistic and include the practice of Nembutsu taken from Amitabha Buddhism as well as the mantra and Dhāraṇī of Tantric Buddhism.

Fuke-shu

The Fuke School ( Fuke-shū , 普 化 宗) was a movement within Japanese Zen Buddhism, which was based on the Chinese Chan master and wandering monk Pǔhuà, ( 普 化 , Japanese Fuke) It is said to have been brought to Japan by Shinji Kakushi ( 心地 覚 心 ) in the 17th century . However, it was not established as an independent school until the 17th century. The wandering monks belonging to her were initially called komosō ( 薦 僧 , "straw mat monks"), later komusō ( 虚無 僧 , "monks of emptiness"). The main headquarters were the Ryōhō Temple ( 鈴 法 寺, Ryōhō-ji ) in Musashi Province , the Ichigatsu Temple ( 一月 寺 , Ichigatsu-ji) in Shimousa Province and the Myōan Temple ( 明暗 寺 , Myōan-ji) in Shirakawa, Kyoto . The loose organization and the unsteady wandering life of many followers, among whom were many abandoned samurai, repeatedly aroused the suspicion of the Tokugawa authorities, who dissolved the temples in 1847 and subordinated the monks to the Rinzai school . In 1871 the new Meiji government banned the Fuke School by a cabinet decision . As far as can be seen from the sources, the study of the scriptures played a subordinate role. Making music with the bamboo flute Shakuhachi was of central importance . This should lead to enlightenment in connection with a high level of concentration, which is why one speaks of "blow zen" (吹 禅, Japanese suizen ).

Nichiren Buddhism

The schools of Nichiren Buddhism refer to the monk Nichiren ( 日 蓮 , "sun lotus") and his teachings, which were first proclaimed in 1253 . Nichiren saw the Lotus Sutra ( 妙法 蓮華 経 , Myōhō renge-kyō ; abbreviated 法 華 経 , Hokkekyō ) the only perfect expression of the true teaching of Shakyamuni ( Siddhartha Gautama ) and put the mantra Nam (u) myōhō rengekyō ( 南 無 妙法 蓮華 経 ) at the center of his practice. Nichiren, who came from the Tendai School , hadn't intended to start a new one himself. Official schools of Nichiren Buddhism did not emerge until the 19th century: first the tradition-oriented "Nichiren School" ( Nichiren-shū ) and in 1912 the "True Nichiren School" ( Nichiren Shōshū ). Other denominations followed such as the Sōka Gakkai ("value-creating society"), Risshō Kōseikai ("society for the establishment of law and human relationships") and Reiyūkai ("society of friends of spirits"), which belong to the group of the "new religions" ( Shin -shūkyō ).

chronology

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Buddhism in Japan  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Remarks

  1. ↑ Original text: 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.
  2. ↑ A detailed list can be found under Nichiren Buddhism
  1. ↑ Jacqueline I. Stone, Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism (Studies in East Asian Buddhism), University of Hawaii Press 2003, ISBN 978-0-8248-2771-7 , page 239