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DETAILS THE HOMA RITES AND MEDITATION PRACTICES OF TENDAI BUDDHISM, IN ITS ORALLY TRANSMITTED RITUALS AND MANUALS. ... Read more

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This study moves beyond the treatment of the original enlightenment doctrine as abstract philosophy to explore its historical dimension. Drawing on a wealth of medieval primary sources and modern Japanese scholarship, it places this discourse in its ritual, institutional and social contexts, illuminating its importance to the maintenance of traditions of lineage and the secret transmission of knowledge that characterized medieval Japanese elite culture. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Benefit for Eggheads (like me)
This book was pretty weighty - real live scholarly work, rather than simple sectarian gloss.I particularly enjoyed the way Professor Stone placed the religious leaders of the time into their proper historical context and showed the way the traditions cross-pollenated with each other.The part on Nichiren was most informative, and gave an objective perspective on the events which occurred after Nichiren's death.Cool pictures of lots of mandalas, too.

Major insights into Tendai Buddhism
Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism by Jacqueline Ilyse Stone (Studies in East Asian Buddhism, No. 12:University of Hawaii Press) Being recognized as a major study in Buddhist studies and recognized as one of the best religious studies books of 2000, Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism represents some important historical and conceptual clarifications of perennial themes in Mahayana Buddhism.
From flyleaf: Original enlightenment thought (hongaku shiso) dominated Buddhist intellectual circles throughout Japan's medieval period. Enlightenment, this discourse claims, is neither a goal to be achieved nor a potential to be realized but the true status of all things. Every animate and inanimate object manifests the primordially enlightened Buddha just as it is. Seen in its true aspect, every activity of daily life?eating, sleeping, even one's deluded thinking?is the Buddha's conduct. Emerging from within the powerful Tendai school, ideas of original enlightenment were appropriated by a number of Buddhist traditions and influenced nascent theories about the kami (local deities) as well as medieval aesthetics and the literary and performing arts.
Scholars and commentators have long recognized the historical importance of original enlightenment thought but differ heatedly over how it is to be understood. Some tout it as the pinnacle of the Buddhist philosophy of absolute nondualism. Others claim to find in it the paradigmatic expression of a timeless Japanese spirituality. According to other readings, it represents a dangerous antinomianism that undermined observance of moral precepts, precipitated a decline in Buddhist scholarship, and denied the need for religious discipline. Still others denounce it as an authoritarian ideology that, by sacralizing the given order, has in effect legitimized hierarchy and discriminative social practices. Often the acceptance or rejection of original enlightenment thought is seen as the fault line along which traditional Buddhist institutions are to be differentiated from the new Buddhist movements (Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren) that arose during Japan's medieval period.
Jacqueline Stone's groundbreaking study moves beyond the treatment of the original enlightenment doctrine as abstract philosophy to explore its historical dimension. Drawing on a wealth of medieval primary sources and modern Japanese scholarship, it places this discourse in its ritual, institutional, and social contexts, illuminating its importance to the maintenance of traditions of lineage and the secret transmission of knowledge that characterized medieval Japanese elite culture. It sheds new light on interpretive strategies employed in premodern Japanese Buddhist texts, an area that hitherto has received little attention. Through these and other lines of investigation, Stone problematizes entrenched notions of "corruption" in the medieval Buddhist establishment. Using the examples of Tendai and Nichiren Buddhism and their interactions throughout the medieval period, she calls into question both overly facile distinctions between "old" and "new" Buddhism and the long?standing scholarly assumptions that have perpetuated them. This study marks a significant contribution to ongoing debates over definitions of Buddhism in the Kamakura era (1185-1333) , long regarded as a formative period in Japanese religion and culture. Stone argues that "original enlightenment thought" represents a substantial rethinking of Buddhist enlightenment that cuts across the distinction between "old" and "new" institutions and was particularly characteristic of the medieval period.

New Insight on Medieval Tendai and Kamakura Buddhism
Is Enlightenment something that we acquire?Or are we really Enlightened already and just have to realize that?Is Enlightenment something that will take us uncounted ages to achieve?Or can we achieve Enlightenment inthis life and in this body?Such were some of the key issues of MedievalJapanese Buddhism.Some of the most popular conclusions, that we areEnlightened already, i.e. are Originally Enlightened, and that we canachieve Enlightenment in this life and in this body, remain both popularand controversial even today.Jacqueline Stone takes us into the littleknown world of the Tendai temples and hermitages on Mt. Hiei, the statelymountain above Kyoto, where much of the doctrine of Original Enlightenmentthought was developed -- and whence it spread to the famous founders ofKamakura Buddhism, including Honen and Nichiren.Stone gives us a panoramaof what was going on, what we known about it (not enough), and the longhistory of what happened and the debates that continue down to the present,debates that involve scholars, sectarian apologists, and the religiouspractice of many people, not just in Japan, but around the world.Afundamental book for one of the great, and still growing, religioustraditions in the world.

Invaluable for Nichiren Buddhists
Dr. Stone has provided an invaluable window into the current state of Japanese scholarship around the issues of orignal enlightenment teachings (hongaku shiso) and its role in the formation of Kamakuran Buddhism andNichiren Buddhism in particular.I believe that she quite successfullybrings out the complexities of this teaching and shows that it does notnecessarily lead to antinomian conclusions and that it was not summarilyrejected by the founders of Kamakuran Buddhism including Nichiren. Thechapter on Nichiren in this book could also stand alone as an excellentguide to Nichiren's teachings and practice.She shows that there is muchmore to Nichiren Buddhism than vainly repeating the Sino-Japanese title ofthe Lotus Sutra in order to gain worldly benefits.She really brings outthe depth and profundity of Nichiren Buddhism. This book, however, is notan apologetic for Nichiren Buddhism or even for original enlightenmentteachings.Dr. Stone maintains a very objective and impartial stancethroughout the book (which could be disturbing to those for whom thisreligion and these issues are literally a matter of life and death).Sheprovides both the pros and the cons of the issues that she addresses.Sheis not so much providing a new theory about Nichiren Buddhism or originalenlightenment so much as she is attempting to show that originalenlightenment and its impact on Japanese Buddhism needs to be reevaluatedand that the issues are far from black-and-white. I would highlyrecommend this book to serious scholars of Japanese Buddhism and to thosewho want to delve more deeply into the current state of scholarship inJapan surounding Nichiren Buddhism.This is not, however, a book for thosewho want simple answers to simple questions, or who want a primer onNichiren Buddhism.For those hard core Nichiren Buddhists and scholars whowant to find out the real truth about Nichiren Buddhism and the developmentof the Nichiren tradition, this book is worth every penny of its rathersteep price tag.

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, Ryuei Michael McCormick ... Read more

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During his nine-month stay in China, the Japanese monk Saicho (767-822) was alleged to have been initiated into an illustrious esoteric lineage starting from a prestigious Indian Esoteric patriarch. It is also believed that Saichos Chinese mentor, based on three esoteric texts translated by the Indian Patriarch, transmitted to him some particular forms of esoteric teachings, the core of which is preserved in one of the two "dharma-transmission documents" from Saichos teacher. This is the conventional view regarding the roots of Tendai Esoteric Buddhism in Japan. This book subjects this conventional view to a critical examination. It argues that the two "dharma-transmission documents" were not written by Saicho's Chinese mentor, but were prepared in Japan for strengthening the legitimacy of the initiation Saicho received from China. The three siddhi texts attributed to the Indian patriarch were also composed in Japan as the scriptural support for Saicho's esoteric transmission. The Tendai form of Esotericism in the name of Saicho was for the main part created not by Saicho himself but by his followers. These negative conclusions can be turned into a positive agenda for future research of Japanese Tendai Buddhism. Scholars can turn from a fruitless search for the roots of Tendai Esotericism in China to look more closely in Japan. This study may invite more scholarly attention to a host of Buddhist apocrypha which, long regarded as Chinese, were actually produced in Japan or Korea. This book also addresses issues of larger implications for East Asian religions, including the manufacturing process of the so-called Buddhist apocrypha and their roles, lineage construction for the purpose of religious legitimation and of overcoming borderland complexes, application of overarching theoretic patterns in different religious traditions. ... Read more

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Chapters: Shingon Buddhism, Tendai, Kūkai, Japanese Buddhist Pantheon, Saichō, Sōhei, Shinnyo-En, Mahavairocana Tantra, Narita-San, Samantabhadra, Adhiṣṭhāna, Charya Tantra Yana, Samaya, Homa, Sokushinbutsu, Hawaii Shingon Mission, Daigo-Ji, Tō-Ji, Mount Kōya, Enryaku-Ji, Gokoku-Ji, Hase-Dera, Jōdo-Ji, Negoro-Ji, Acala, Amoghavajra, Ennin, Twelve Heavenly Generals, Etai Yamada, Kōryū-Ji, Womb Realm, Engyō-Ji, Sagami-Ji, Vajrabodhi, Vajrasekhara Sutra, Mantra of Light, Kanjizai-Ji, Yogatantra, Enchin, Mikkyō, Ichijō-Ji, Daikaku-Ji, Hui-Kuo, Taisan-Ji, Jimon and Sammon, Rāgarāja, Ennin's Diary: the Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law, Kakurin-Ji, Sangō Shiiki, Ajari, Ryōgen, Seiryū-Ji, Shinshō, Chizan-Ha, Shingon-Shu Buzan-Ha. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 210. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Kkai (), also known posthumously as Kb-Daishi ), 774835, was a Japanese monk, scholar, poet, and artist, founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific titles of Odaishisama ) and Henj-Kong ). Kkai is famous as a calligrapher (see Japanese calligraphy) and engineer, and is said to have invented kana, the syllabary in which, in combination with Chinese characters (kanji) the Japanese language is written (although this claim has not been proven). His religious writings, some fifty works, expound the esoteric Shingon doctrine. The major ones have been translated into English by Yoshito Hakeda (see references below). According to tradition, Kkai wrote the iroha, one of the most famous poems in Japanese, which uses every phonetic kana syllable. Wood statue of Kb Daishi/ Kkai.Kkai was born in 774 in the present-day town of Zentsji in the province of Sanuki on the island of Shikoku. His family were members of the ar...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=291747 ... Read more

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Catalogue published to accompany an exhibition organized to mark the 1200 anniversary of the founding of Mt. Hiei monastery in 1986. Dual language: Essays are in English; catalogue entries on the same page as the photo are in Japanese. The List of Exhibits, with descriptions, is in English. Using the exhibit numbers, English readers may locate the appropriate photo in the photo section. Essays: "The Priest Dengyo Daishi and Hieizan (Mt. Hiei)" by Etai Yamada; "The History of the Tendai Sect" by Issaien Ikeyama; "The Art of Tendai Buddhism" by various authors. 366 pieces listed in the catalogue, including paintings, sculpture, calligraphy and applied arts. The exhibit was sponsored by Tokyo National Museum, the Kyoto National Museum, and many other institutions in Japan. Pictures of sculptures, fans, documents, paintings, carvings, scrolls, ornaments, and much more. In black-and-white and color. 400+ pp. ... Read more

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Chapters: Schools of Tibetan Buddhism, Shingon Buddhism, Tendai, Kagyu, Dzogchen, Nyingma, Bön, Kūkai, Rime Movement, Drukpa, Kadam, Drukpa Lineage, Japanese Buddhist Pantheon, Saichō, Sōhei, Shinnyo-En, Mahavairocana Tantra, Narita-San, Sakya, Gelug, Samantabhadra, Adhiṣṭhāna, Charya Tantra Yana, Samaya, Homa, Sokushinbutsu, Hawaii Shingon Mission, Daigo-Ji, Tō-Ji, Mount Kōya, Enryaku-Ji, Dagpo Kagyu, Gokoku-Ji, Hase-Dera, Jōdo-Ji, Negoro-Ji, Acala, Amoghavajra, Ennin, Twelve Heavenly Generals, Etai Yamada, Kōryū-Ji, Womb Realm, Engyō-Ji, Sagami-Ji, Vajrabodhi, Vajrasekhara Sutra, Mantra of Light, Kanjizai-Ji, Yogatantra, Enchin, Mikkyō, Ichijō-Ji, Daikaku-Ji, Hui-Kuo, Taisan-Ji, Jimon and Sammon, Rāgarāja, Ennin's Diary: the Record of a Pilgrimage to China in Search of the Law, Kakurin-Ji, Sangō Shiiki, Ajari, Ryōgen, Seiryū-Ji, Shinshō, Ari Buddhism, Chizan-Ha, Shingon-Shu Buzan-Ha, Sarma. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 296. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Part of a series on The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud Wylie: bka' brgyud pa" school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today one of four main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other three being the Nyingma ( Rnying-ma), Sakya (Sa-skya), and Gelug (Dge-lugs). Along with the later two the Kagyu is classified as one of the Sarma () or "New Transmission" schools since it primarily follows the Vajrayna or Tantric teachings based on the so-called "New Tantras" i.e. those which were translated during the second diffusion of the Buddha Dharma in Tibet. Like all schools of Tibetan Buddhism the Kagyu consider their practices and teachings to be inclusive of the full range of Buddha's teachings (or three yna) since they follow the fundamental teachings and vows of individual liberation ... Read more

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Ryogen and Mount Hiei focuses on the transformation of the Tendai School from a small and impoverished group of monks in the early ninth century to its emergence as the most powerful and influential school of Japanese Buddhism in the last half of the tenth century--a position it would maintain throughout the medieval period. This is the first study in a Western language of the institutional factors that lay behind the school's success. At its core is a biography of a major figure behind this transformation, Ryogen (912-985). The discussion, however, extends well beyond a simple biography as Ryogen's activities are placed in their historical and institutional context.

Unlike the recluses and eccentrics that have so often attracted Western readers of Buddhism, Ryogen was a consummate politician and builder. Because he lost his major monastic sponsor at an early age, he was forced to find ways to advance his career with little support. His activities reveal much about the path to success for monks during the tenth century. Skill in debate, the performance of Esoteric Buddhist ritual, and strategic alliances with powerful lay and monastic figures were important to his advance. In 966 Ryogen was appointed head of the Tendai School and served until his death nineteen years later. He has been vilified at times for his loyalty to his own faction within Tendai at the expense of other groups. Careful analysis of the political and social factors behind his attitudes, however, places his activities in their appropriate context.

The study concludes with a discussion of the ordinations and roles of nuns during the early Heian period. An examination of Ryogen's close relation with his mother helps define the ambiguities of a school that prohibited women from the precincts of its temple yet performed rituals to insure safe childbirth and frequently attracted their patronage. A number of primary sources are translated in the appendices. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
Knowledgeable and lots of detail.I would prefer Japanese sutra names to sandscrit names, my only quarrell.

Definitive!
This Berkeley Buddhist series volume is the definitive work of the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan. This volume of the series steps you through the beginning of Saicho's life into his later years fighting for an ordination platform on Mount Hiei.Included are details concerning the rise of Tendai Buddhism away from the influential Buddhism of Nara.Saicho's views of the bodhisattva precepts and his wish to move away from the Hinayana goals of the Ssu fen lu precepts. This is a treasure of Buddhist history in the Heian period.

This work is a must for any serious Buddhist researcher. Critical for any Tendai researcher to read. ... Read more

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Essentials of the Vinaya: Translated from the Japanese by LeoPruden.This sutra gives a detailed account of the teaching andhistory of the "Risshu" or "Discipline School" and describes theactivities and lifestyles one must maintain as a Buddhistpractitioner. [Taisho Tripitaka #2348] [Jpn: Ris-shu-ko-yo]

Collected Teachings of Tendai Lotus: Translated from the Japaneseby Paul L. Swanson.This is an introduction to the doctrine andpractice of the Japanese Tendai School. [Taisho Trpitaka #2366] [Jpn:Ten-dai-hok-ke-shu-gi-shu] ... Read more

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Essentials of the Eight Traditions: Translated from theJapanese by Leo Pruden.This gives a concise accounting of the eighttraditions of Japanese Buddhism in existence at the time of itswriting.[Taishio Tripitaka Extracanonical work] [Jpn: Has-shu-ko-yo]

Candle of the Latter Dharma: Translated from the Japanese by RobertRhodes, this work by Saicho (Dengyo Daishi), founder of TendaiBuddhism in Japan, argues that non-observance of the monastic preceptsdoes not necessarily result in the disqualification of a monk.[Taisho Tripitaka Extracanonical work] [Jpn:Mappo-to-myo-ki] ... Read more

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Text in Chinese. ... Read more