Mount Hiei and the Tendai Sect
Tiantai is a Buddhist tradition in Japan, China, Korea, and Vietnam that reveres the Lotus Sutra as the highest teaching in Buddhism. It was founded by Zhiyi (Chigi in Japanese; 538–597 CE) in China. His teachings were first brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Ganjin (鑑眞) in the middle of the 8th century: these became the short-lived Ritsu school. In 805, Saichō , also called Dengyō Daishi, returned from China with new Tiantai texts and built a temple, Enryaku-ji, on Mount Hiei. This place became the center for the study and practice of the Japanese Tendai sect. Saichō was also the man who brought tea to Japan; Emperor Saga welcomed the growing of tea plants in the country.
The Tendai school did not deviate much from the original teachings and beliefs that had been created by the Tiantai school in China. The teachings of Saichō from China was, however, not exclusively Tiantai. It also included the arcane Mikkyō (concepts of the Shingon Buddhist school and related practices) and Vinaya School (regulatory framework for the monastic Buddhist community) elements. The inclusion of a range of teachings became more prominent in the doctrines of Saichō’s successors, such as Ennin (Jikaku Daishi ) and Enchin (founder of the Jimon School of Tendai Buddhism).
In later years the range of teachings began to form sub-schools within Tendai Buddhism. IN the 10th century during Ryōgen’s time as chief abbot of Enryaku-ji Temple, there were two distinct groups on Mount Hiei: the Sammon “Mountain Group” who followed Ennin, and the Jimon “Temple Group” who followed Enchin.
Mount Hiei (比叡山 Hiei-zan) is the prominent mountain northeast of Kyoto, bordering Kyoto and Shiga prefectures. Enryaku-ji temple was the first outpost of the Tendai sect of Buddhism. Hōnen (the religious reformer and founder of the first independent branch of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism called Jōdo-shū), Nichiren (known for his sole devotion to the Lotus Sutra), and Shinran (a pupil of Hōnen and the founder of what ultimately became the Jōdo Shinshū), all studied at the temple before leaving to start their own practices.
The Lotus Sutra is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential sacred scriptures, of Buddhism. Its key message is that Buddhahood, the supreme state of life characterized by boundless compassion, wisdom, and courage, is inherent within every person without distinction of gender, ethnicity, social standing, or intellectual ability.
The temple complex was destroyed by Oda Nobunaga in 1571 to stop the rise of the Tendai warrior monks (sōhei). The complex was rebuilt and remains the Tendai headquarters until this day, a lasting testament to the culture and history of the Japanese people.
