Four new Buddhist schools

This article covers the four new Buddhist schools , which in Japan of the Kamakura period ( 1184 - 1333 ) have emerged. These are:

Zen for the knights and peasant warriors gave them orientation. Only then are real folk religions.
Jōdo-shū von Hōnen : Salvation through faith (not through good deeds), against learned scriptures (sutras).
Jōdo-Shinshū (Ikkō-Shū) from Shinran (became the central religion): no more priesthood; especially for ordinary people; Farmers , even prostitutes , criminals , and others. Both Jōdo schools were a challenge for the Kyoto sects and the Zen aristocracy .
Nichiren Buddhism by Nichiren : Great emphasis on religious literature in contrast to the other three above. Schools.

With the emergence of new Buddhist schools in the Kamakura period (1192-1333), the prevailing eschatology , the idea of an imminent end time ( mappō ), should not be underestimated. Because in the chronology of Buddhism a distinction was made between three phases: the first, shōbō , was the period of the "True Law", which was to last until the 1000th year after the death of Shakyamuni (the historical Buddha ). Then there would be zōbō , again 1000 years, a period of the “Falsified Law” and finally mappō, the 10,000 year period of the “Last Law”. In the mappō period only teaching still exists. According to Japanese chronologists, this phase should begin in AD 1052 . Most of the population of Japan was worried about this and looked for ways to escape the end-time mood, to give meaning to their life and the idea of life after death. Due to the slow decline of the Heian monarchy and the strengthening of the samurai (knight aristocracy), the Buddhist schools close to the imperial family also lost strength and power, such as the Shingon , the Tendai , but also the Nara monasteries and now the Zen, the Jōdō schools and the Hokke-Shū develop.

Jōdo-Shū from Hōnen

The "Pure Land School" originally comes from the Chinese Empire , where scriptures were interpreted by the Indian Mahayana Buddhist Nagarjuna (Japanese Ryūshu) according to the Amida belief. Vasubandhu's comments, in particular, mark the beginning of the "Pure Land School". The development of the Jōdō doctrine was primarily due to a free (creative) and selective reading of Buddhist scriptures that related entirely to the Amida Buddha. Tanluan (Japanese: Donran) borrowed his theory of the difference between the difficult and the easy way as taught by Nagarjuna and identified the easy way as that of the Pure Land. Daochuo (Japanese Dōshaku) described the path of the Pure Land for the mappō period as the only one still possible. Both religious leaders differentiated the way of self-enlightenment (jiriki) from that of alien enlightenment (tariki) through Amida. Shandao (Japanese Zendō) claimed that all human beings, and not just bodhisattwas, could enter the Pure Land. In the late Heian period ( 794 - 1185 ), a popular form of worship of Buddhism in the form of the Amida cult spread in Japan. The School of the Pure Land (Jōdo-Shū) emerged from it later. But the Shingon School also worshiped the Amida Buddha, albeit not as exclusively as the Pure Land School.

The beginnings

The monk Kūya (903-972) from the Tendai monastery preached the redeeming power of Amida (Amitabha) among the common people, for whom there was no Buddhist teaching until then, because the Heian schools of Shingon and Tendai were with theirs complicated esoteric teachings are not understandable for them. The mere calling of the Amida (the Nembutsu formula: Namu Amida Butsu) was in the foreground of the new movement. If this were recited, it was said, the believer would inevitably be reborn after death in the Pure Land (Paradise of the West “Jōdo”).

Another follower, Genshin (942-1017), founded societies to bring together monks, lay people, nobles and farmers. The extent to which this could be achieved is not known, but there were some supporters among the imperial family and the knight aristocracy. The Nembutsu (name invocation) was introduced into Tendai Buddhism in ritual form by the monk Ryōnin ( 1072 - 1132 ). He founded the Yūzū Nembutsu-shū , which remained insignificant. Here he publicly recited the Nembutsu accompanied by dance movements.

In the writing Ōyōden (or Ōjō Raisan by Zendō 613-681, priest of the Jōdō school in China), "The Legend of the Birth in the Pure Land", it is described how the correct practice of the Amida belief should look like:

Reading and reciting;
meditate ;
pay homage
call the name;
praise and offer sacrifices.

The five practices are aimed at the Amida Buddha.

Although in the early days of the Jōdō school sins were judged very strictly and good deeds were required to settle wrongdoings in order to change bad karma , Hōnen (formerly Genkū 1133-1212, posthumously Hōnen Shōnin) broke with this Buddhist atonement practice.

He founded the "School of the Pure Land" (Jōdo-Shū) in the Kamakura period in 1198. He believed, like many of his contemporaries, that the mappō time had come, that liberation by one's own strength could no longer be possible (the jiriki) and preached complete devotion to and redemption through the Amida Buddha (tariki) as the only way of salvation.

Especially the socially outcasts found themselves in the sect. For this reason, too, it did not achieve a reputation comparable to that of the Tendai or Shingon schools. In addition, up to the time of Hōnen one had still believed in the necessity of enlightenment of the individual (jiriki) and the thought of receiving the enlightenment from outside was strange and unacceptable for scholars. Hōnen claimed that the name invocation to Amida Buddha alone would be enough to achieve one's own salvation. And although he was allegedly a learned monk himself, who mastered the Chinese script, knew all the important texts, he refused to study and learn the sutras . He justified it with the fact that learning, observance of monastic rules, temple building etc. always exclude people who could not pursue this kind of redemption path because they - especially the farmers - lacked knowledge of reading and writing or they did not have material means to To build sanctuaries. On the other hand, anyone could practice Nembutsu.

When he discovered the writing Kangyō sho (Kuan-ching hsüan-j), a commentary on the Kangyō (the meditation sutra), "Hidden Opinions on the Meditation Sutra", from Zendō, he interpreted there that just calling was enough to to get to paradise. Quotation from Zendō's writing: “Just repeat the name Amidas with all your heart, without taking into account the passage of time - whether walking or standing, whether sitting or lying down - and don't let it go - that is the act that leads to redemption leads."

Because of the great success and the "non-Buddhist" dogmas, the sect was hostile (especially starting from the capital Heian) and Honen banished. In 1207 calling the Nembutsu alone was forbidden. Hōnen is now considered a kind of Luther in Japan because he initiated a schism in the Buddhist "church"; because before there were different schools, these were in turn interwoven - and the aristocracy practiced a syncretistic Buddhism anyway. Today the school has six million believers. In addition to Japan, it also has supporters in other Asian countries, such as Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as in Europe.

Dogmas of faith

The belief is based on three early Mahayana Buddhist writings on the Pure Land (the three Sukhâvatîvyūha Sutras: "Triune Pure Land Sutra: the Greater and the Lesser Pure Land Sutra and the Meditation Sutra"), which was published by Honen 1190 have been reinterpreted. His own writing "Senchaku hongan nembutsu shū" ("Collection of statements about the original vows and the invocation of the Buddha"), in short: Senchaku Shū from 1198 was famous, but also heavily criticized, especially by Nichiren (see Risshō Ankoku Ron below). It forms the dogmatic basis of the sect. Actually was not a new sect at that time without permission from the old schools (especially the Ritsu school in Nara, as they Priest ordinations undertook) and the government are founded. Hōnen did this anyway and challenged “churches” and the state. And he even renounced the previously valid guidelines of Buddhist monasteries for the salvation of people. The Tendai School in particular felt challenged by Hōnen because he undermined the principle of the ichinen sanzen. He also rejected the mystical practices of the Shingon School and incurred their anger. The pure land is supposed to represent paradise: the residence of the Buddhas and Bodhisattwas in contrast to the unclean, polluted human world (samsara). While the mappō world must remain without the guidance of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, the Pure Land promises the permanent presence of the Buddha Amida (Amitabha: Eternal Light; Amitayus: Eternal Life) endowed with wisdom and eternity, according to his teaching. Amida is also characterized as endowed with great compassion for people. In an oath Amida is said to have promised before his becoming Buddha: “I wish that all living beings in my Pure Land (Jōdō) are reborn. I wait with my Buddhahood until I could not redeem the person who has called my name no less than ten times. ”This“ easy way ”(igyōdō) is to become the way of the Jōdō-Shū from now on. Hōnen reported in his work Senchaku Shū also of a dream in which Zendō had appeared to him to give him the task of spreading the teaching of Nembutsu as the only true one. The writing consists of 16 chapters, each of which is designed in such a way that he provided quotations from the three elementary Sutras of the Pure Land (see above) with his own commentary and response and also answered himself to hypothetical questions and criticisms that he himself raised. He recognizes the Dai muryōju kyō (Greater Sukhâvatîvyūha Sutra), the Kammuryōju (Amitâyurdhyâna Sutra) and the Amidakyō (Minor Sukhâtîvyūha Sutra) as the three-fold scripture of the Pure Land School, and the Abbots Donakuran, Zriendōshakuran, and Zriendarchen . The Nembutsu alone is sufficient and the Amida Buddha is the true Buddha. But his predecessor had written that there are two ways to overcome the bondage of life, suffering and death (samsara world):

By striving to live a pure life and attain enlightenment
or to put trust in the pledge to Amida-Buddha that he might bring one to the Pure Land.

Since only the latter path was possible in the time of the mappō, Hōnen claimed, the supplication of the Nembutsu is completely sufficient for a rebirth in the Pure Land. The Senchaku Shū initiated a movement that was independent and separate from the other religions.

Nichiren's reply in the Risshō Ankoku Ron

In the Senchaku Shū it is written: “The Chinese priest Daochuo distinguished between the Shōdō or the teachings of the sacred way and the Jōdō or the teachings of the pure land and urged people to give up the first and to immediately accept the latter. First of all, a distinction must be made between two types of teaching on the sacred path (Mahayana and Hinayana). On this basis, we can assume that the esoteric Mahayana doctrine of Shingon and the teachings of the true Mahayana of the Lotos Sutra are both included in the sacred path. If so, then today's sects are Shingon, Zen, Tendai, Kegon, Sanron, Hossō, Jiron and Shōron, all of these 8 schools included in the sacred path that is to be abandoned. ”“ The Chinese priest Shandao (Zendō) distinguished between correct and wrong practices and urged people to embrace the former and give up the latter. Regarding the first of the wrong practices, reading and reciting sutras, he says that accepting and reciting all sutras - be they Mahayana or Hinayana, exoteric or esoteric - should be considered a wrong practice, with the exception of the recitation of the kammuryōju Sutra and the other sutras of the pure land. Regarding the third of the wrong practices, that of worship, he says, with the exception of worshiping Amida Buddha, worshiping or worshiping any other Buddha, bodhisattva, or any other deity in the heavenly and human world should be considered a wrong practice. In the light of this section it becomes clear that one should give up such wrong practices and concentrate on the teaching of the pure land. What reason should we have for abandoning the correct practice of the pure land teachings that ensure that out of 100 people all 100 are reborn in Western Paradise and instead cling to the various erroneous practices and behaviors that cannot save even one person in 1,000? ? Followers of this path should think about this carefully. ”“ In the Jōgen Nyūzō Roku (a list of the sutras prepared by the priest Yüan-chao) we find records that out of the 600 volumes of the Daihannya Sutra (Great Wisdom Sutra) to the Hōjōjū Sutra, the exoteric and esoteric sutras of Mahayana Buddhism comprise a total of 637 works in 2,883 volumes. All of these should now be replaced by reciting the single Mahayana phrase (the Nembutsu). You should understand that the Buddha taught the two methods of focused meditation and the unfocused method (see footnote 47) for a time, according to the capacity of his diverse listeners. But later, after revealing his own enlightenment, he stopped teaching these two methods. The only doctrine which, once revealed, is to be taught on and on is the one and only doctrine of Nembutsu. "" If one desires to escape the sufferings of life and death quickly, one should confront the two superior doctrines and then give up all those who are wrong and give all your attention to those who are correct. "

Nichiren's criticism

Hōnen describes the statements made by Donran, Dōshaku and Zendō as "difficult to practice" and, in contrast, as "easy to practice" way. For the difficult path to pursue, he subsumed all Mahayana sutras (including the Lotus Sutra) and the Shingon scriptures, together with all Buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities of the heavenly and human world. All of this should now be given up, put down, closed and ignored, and instead only the Nembutsu should be practiced. Hōnen speaks of the Buddhist monks from India, China and Japan as a "band of robbers". By ignoring the holy scriptures, he misled people, and by insulting the Buddhist monks, he misled people to slander, writes Nichiren. In addition, Hōnen disregarded a statement in his own sutras that those who defame the True Law would be exempted from salvation through Amida. Because of the Senchaku Shū, Shakyamuni should now forget the Buddha, and all honor should be given to the Amida Buddha. Temples that are not dedicated to Amida Buddha are falling into disrepair. Alms are no longer given to monks who do not recite Nembutsu. In addition, Hōnen does not seem to know the Mahayana texts properly because he cannot tell them apart in his writing. In addition, the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra represent the heart of the Buddhist doctrine that Shakyamuni preached during his life. Even the fingers of Shayamuni statues would be cut off and the hands reshaped for the gesture of the Amida Buddha. The ceremony of copying the Lotus Sutra on Mount Hiei, which had a tradition of 400 years, was abolished and the copying of the three Amida Sutras was introduced in its place. Hōnen invent his own explanations and take no notice of those in the traditional scriptures. He only takes the three sutras of the Pure Land and rejects all others. The blocks of wood that were used to print Hōnen's writing were confiscated and burned.

Jōdō-Shin-Shū from Shinran

His student Shinran Shonin (1173-1263) believed even more strongly in the grace of Amida. He interpreted the invocation not as a religious practice for attaining rebirth, but as an expression of thanks to the Amida Buddha. The real reason to enter the Pure Land is not the invocation, but only belief in the vow of Amida Buddha. Faith, however, is not an individual “achievement”, but a gift from the Buddha.

He became the spiritual father of the "True School of the Pure Land" (Jōdō-Shinshū). His “reforms” consisted of abolishing celibacy for the priesthood, combating esoteric practices (including shamanism) and denying morally intended actions as a way of changing one's karma. Instead, later commentaries (especially in the Tannishō) showed the will of the Amida Buddha, especially to lead the bad people to the Pure Land, the good people would come there anyway.

He did not want to found a new school, but to explain the teachings of his master Hons in all comprehensibility, hence shin, true teaching. Nevertheless, it became a sect of its own.

His main script, Kyōgyōshinshō, from 1224 initiated the separation from his teacher. He wrote it after he came to Kyoto long after his exile to find that his master's teaching, completely misinterpreted, was circulating in various temples. He wanted to lead them back to the "truth" with his writing.

Shinran's youngest daughter, Kakushin-ni, continued to run the school after his death and built a tomb for him, which became a memorial and pilgrimage site. As a result, her grandson Kakunyo took over this office and made the mausoleum the temple Hongan-ji , which became the central temple of the Jōdō-Shinshū - and under Rennyo one of the power centers of the country.

The descendants of Shinran, who established family ties with the house of the Tennō and the Shōgun by marriage, exercised barely limited religious and political power until the 16th century, which, however, stood in the way of efforts to unite Japan. In 1592, the centralist forces used a follow-up dispute to split the Hongan-ji into two branches, the Nishi Hongan-ji (western temple) and the Higashi Hongan-ji (eastern temple).

Today the two Jōdō-Shinshū temples include more than 10,000 temples in Japan and still have a large following: 13 million believers. The Nishi Hongan-ji has maintained intensive foreign contacts since the 19th century and is the mother temple for the followers of the Jōdō-Shinshū in Europe, Australia and Latin America. The North American believers of the Jōdō-Shinshū broke away from Japan in the course of the Second World War and are a separate organization, namely the "Buddhist Churches of America" or the independent organization in the state of Hawaii: "Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii". However, they also recognize the 24th descendant of Shinran Shonin, His Eminence Koshin Ohtani, Monshu, as the spiritual leader. In Europe Harry Pieper (1907-1978) introduced the teaching and practice of Jōdō-Shinshū.

literature

Horst Hammitzsch : Japan Handbook , Stuttgart 1998.
Kodansha: Encyclopedia of Japan , Tokyo 1983.
Nichiren Daishonin: The Gosho. Volume 2, Walldorf 1991 (Rissho Ankoku Ron)