Chapter 4
A Short History of Buddhism in Japan
1. INTRODUCTION OF BUDDHISM INTO JAPAN
Buddhism was first made known to the Japanese in 552 A.D. when a Korean king presented brilliant Buddhist images, scripture-scrolls, and ornaments to the Japanese Emperor. In those days, Japan was ruled by the Emperor Kimmei and his court nobles. He immediately consulted the court for a decision as to whether or not Japan should accept the foreign cult of Buddhism. The orthodox Mononobe and Nakatomi families strongly opposed this on the ground that Japan already had the traditional religion of Shinto. On the other hand, the Soga family favored Buddhism since they thought it had something to offer for the enrichment of Japanese culture. Endless disputes took place, and the Emperor finally deferred the matter to the Soga family.
2. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF BUDDHISM AS JAPANESE RELIGION
About forty years later when the Prince Regent Shotoku (574-622) succeeded to the throne after the Emperor Yomei's death, Buddhism was officially recognized as the Japanese religion. He was a great stateman and a devout Buddhist. He felt deeply that only with Buddhist teachings could he make Japan a centrally unified and culturally refined country. In order to carry out his plan, Prince Regent Shotoku issued the Seventeen-Article Constitution in 604 and stressed in it that every subject should faithfully respect the Three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and Samgha) as the supreme and unmistakable guidance. He ordered the government to build many Buddhist temples among which the most famous one is Horyuji Temple, the world's oldest wooden structure now standing near the then capital of Nara. Besides his official work, he lectured on the Buddhist scriptures known as the Saddharma Pundarika (Hokkekyo in Japanese), Srimala (Shomangyo), and Vimalakirti (Yuimakyo). It was because of his patronage and devotion that Buddhism was firmly established on Japanese soil and became the national religion of the Japanese.
3. BUDDHISM IN THE NARA PERIOD
(710-783 A.D.)
After the death of Prince Regent Shotoku, Buddhism continued to flourish among the court nobles, monks and artisans. Buddhist temples, called Kokubunji, were built by the Emperor Shomu in every province, the headquarters of which was at Todaiji Temple in Nara. Buddhist scriptures were introduced from China and without much modification they were studied by the Japanese monks. Buddhist images and ornaments were made by the Japanese artisans, some of which can still be seen in the older temples in Japan. Buddhist temples in those days were the center of culture; they were not only used as places of worship, but also as schools, hospitals, dispensaries, orphanages, and refuges for older people. The monks were also school teachers, physicians, engineers, and developers of many construction projects. Therefore, the Japanese government encouraged and supported the Buddhist institutions and monks spiritually and materially, so that they could work with the government and the people more effectively.
As the numbers of monks increased, they were gradually classified into six Buddhist schools; namely, the Sanron, Hosso, Kegon, Ritsu, Kusha, and Jojitsu. These schools were direct importations from China and were studied at the various government-established temples. The main tenets of these schools can be summarized as follows:
(a) The Sanron School was introduced to Japan in 625 by the Korean monk, Ekwan. As its name implies [San meaning three] this school has three canonical texts; namely Nagarjuna's Madhyamika Shastra (Churon), Sata Shastra (Hyakuron), and the Aryadeva's Dvadasa-Nikqya-Shastra (Junimonron). This school teaches that only by negating the belief in existence as well as the non-existence of things can we approach the Middle Way where our spirit identifies itself with the Absolute Reality.
(b) The Hosso School was introduced to Japan in 652 by the Chinese monk, Dosho. Although the texts are numerous, the most important one is the Vijnaptimatrata-Siddhi-Shastra (Joyuishikiron). This school teaches that nothing exists but our thought. Because our thought creates the world, it is real, and therefore since the latter is a projection of thought it is only a dream.
(c) The Kegon School was introduced to Japan in 736 by Ryoben. The main text is the Avatamsaka Shastra (Kegonkyo). This school teaches that one speck of life, no matter how insignificant it may seem, is the manifestation of Buddha-nature, and has its meaning in the over-all universe.
(d) The Ritsu School was introduced to Japan in 738 by the Chinese monk, Ganjin. The main text is the Vinaya (Ritsu) of Tripitaka, the collection of Buddhist scriptures. This school teaches that the strict observance of Buddhist precepts is necessary in order to attain the state of Dhyana and Samadhi, the highest enlightenment. Ganjin established by himself, the Kaidan (ordination platform) at Todaiji Temple in Nara where ordinations for all Japanese Buddhist monks took place. Later on, two more Kaidans were established for the convenience of monks residing in the countryside.
(e) The Kusha School was introduced to Japan in 658 by Chitsu and Ghitatsu. The main text is Vasubandhu's Abhidharma-Kosa-Shastra (Abidarma Kusharon). This school teaches that our "ego" does not exist. It is merely an illusion. Man is only the aggregate of diverse elements such as sensation, memory, intelligence, which constitute reality. These elements are called dharmas which really exist. Therefore, the ego must be dissolved into the sea of dharmas although distinct from them.
(f) The Jojitsu School was introduced to Japan in 625 by the Korean monk, Ekwan. The main text is Harivarman's Satya-Siddhi-Shastra (Jojitsuron). This school teaches that the past and future state of things are not real, but only the present state is real. Therefore, each moment cannot be neglected, but should be lived meaningfully.
The front picture shows the image of Infant Buddha enshrined at Kofukuji Temple in Nara.
These six schools were not independent sects, but existed in one temple side by side just like various departments in a college, and each school contributed much to the development of later Buddhist thought in Japan.
4. BUDDHISM IN THE HEIAN PERIOD
(794-1185 A.D.)
In 782 the Japanese capital was transferred from Nara to Kyoto, and accordingly became the Buddhist center of Japan. Soon after, two new Buddhist sects were introduced from China, namely, Tendai and Shingon. The six Buddhist schools gradually lost their popularity and were over-shadowed by these two sects.
Saicho (767-822) established himself a Japanese Tendai Sect on Mt. Hiei, near Kyoto, and tried to synthesize all the then existing philosophical concepts. While in China, he studied Esoteric, Zen, and Joe Buddhism along with the T'ien T'ai Buddhism. He also studied the Brahmajala Sutra (Bonmokyo), a modification of Hinayana precepts. Upon his return to Japan he refuted the standpoints of all other schools, particularly of the Sanron and Hosso schools, and instead expounded the Ekayana doctrine based on the Saddharma Pundarika Sutra. It emphasized the belief that all forms of life stood on an equal basis in attaining Buddhahood, so that even conciliation between Buddhism and Shinto was made possible.
In those days all the Buddhist monks had to accept the Hinayana precepts at the Kaidan, otherwise they were not admitted or