Final Review Flashcards
Describe Saicho’s life
- received ordination in Todaiji at 19
- created foundation of Enryaukuji temple on mt. Hiei
- appointed as naigubu monk
- promoted Lotus sutra
- tiantai master
- received zen transmission and esoteric initiation
- 1st person to bring zen to japan
Describe the basis of tendai buddhism
practice - study of doctrine, meditative concentration, esoteric and pure land chanting, vinyasa discipline
- mandate rigorous study of lotus sutra and esoteric texts/practices
- taught realization of threefold truth through meditation
Buddhist vocabulary: Samsara Nirvana Karma Anitya Dukkha Anatman
Samsara - birth and rebirth, a cycle we want to escape
Nirvana - release from rebirth
Karma - drives the cycle of birth and rebirth, want it completely depleted
Anitya - impermanence
Dukkha - suffering
Anatman - non self
What are the buddhist 3 modes of practice
Sravaka - voice hearer: disciple of buddha
Prayukabuddha - solitary buddha: become buddha on own
Bodhisattva - detached from self, liberate others
Describe the tendai story burning house
Explains that there is one true vehicle, but the rich man uses other means to get the other kids out of the burning house
- true vehicle: lotus sutra
- lesson: adapt teachings for certain students according to their level of understanding
Describe universal buddhahood
promise of buddhahood for everyone, even women
- Devadatta chapter
- dragon girl
describe primordial buddha
sakyamuni achieved enlightenment billions of eons ago
- emanation of a cosmic buddha: had better teachings
- multiple buddhas can exist at once - identical to historical buddha
What did Saicho teach?
- mahayana precepts (enkai) and ordination platform on mt. hiei
- one vehicle and perfect teachings (engyo) - lotus sutra
- direct path to enlightenment (jikido) or sudden teachings (tonkyo)
- sokushin jobutsu - enlightenment in this body: not necessarily this lifetime
What religion is saicho associated with?
Tendai Buddhism
Describe Kukai
- went to china to study with Huigo
- received esoteric consecration (kanjo)
- granted temple Toji by saga
- joined gov’t prelates office
What type of buddhism served as the infrastructure for other forms of buddhism?
esoteric buddhism
What did Kukai teach?
- efficacy of extraordinary language (mantra)
- buddha nature
- possibility of becoming buddha in one’s body
- the three mysteries: speech (mantra), body (mudra), mind (mandala)
- Buddha Mahavairocana: by speaking, you preach mahavairocana
- we are small constituents that make up the whole
Describe esoteric buddhist practice
- consecrations: for ppl who want to become masters
- fire rituals
- ajikan meditation
- confessionals, memorial services, offerings to specific deities
- sexual rituals
- womb mandala, diamond mandala
Describe the power shifts after the 10th century (heian period)
- Fujiwara regents
- retired emperors era: no longer had any power
- emergence of tax-free manors (shoen): changed economy of japan. land given to monk and courtiers - more powerful
- military supremacy in the provisional regions
Describe the time before and during the Kamakura period
- before the kamakura period: mega conflict between two warrior clans, Minamoto and Taira
- Kamakura shogunate, ruled by minamoto no yoritomo est. capital in Kamakura
- emergent school of Kamakura buddhism: focus on single practice
What religion is kukai associated with?
esoteric buddhism
What religion is honey associated with?
pure land buddhism
Describe Honen’s life
- tendai monk at mt. hiei
- convinced japan entered final age of Dharma
- Senchacku Hongan nenbutsu: argued that the nenbutsu is the highest form of buddhist practice
What is the final age of the dharma?
- aka mappo, people no longer able to practice buddhism
- true dharma: 1000 years after buddha died
- semblance of buddha: next 1000 years
- final age of the dharma: next 10000 years, started in 1052
- claimed that practitioners should become devoted to amida buddha
What is the nenbutsu?
- chanting namu amida butsu: intoning the name of amida as the sole path of salvation
- do it as often as you can
- have mind geared toward faith/devotion
What is Senju nenbutsu?
single minded attention to nenbustu
What did Honen believe about the relationship between religion and faith
believed that practice is the base for faith, and that faith is not the basis of practice
What is raigo (the coming of amida buddha)?
- chant this on your deathbed
- him and other bodhisattvas come and will take your soul and lead you to the west
- practice buddhism properly
What did Honen believe about the salvation of low people?
for low people, ignorant people, warriors and farmers, honed believed that they can attain enlightenment through nenbutsu
