Nara Buddhism

Mahayaha Buddhism #4
Early Japan and Arrival of
Buddhism (Nara Buddhism)
Masayo Urasaki
12 July 2012
Today’s schedule
1) Explain history of bringing
Buddhism in ancient Japan
2) Video Clip (Todai-ji Temple)
3) Characteristics how acceptance of
Mahayana Buddhism in Japan
Keywords
State Buddhism 国家仏教
 Prince Shotoku 聖徳太子
 The Six Nara School 南都六宗
 Nara no Daibutsu (a huge statue of
Buddha) 奈良の大仏
 Kegon sect ( Huayan )
 The Flower Garland Sutra
 Boddhisattva

政 matsurigoto

matsuri まつり / masturu まつる
祭る festival 祀る enshrine
奉り dedicate/devote 政
politics

State Buddhism（国家仏教）
Religion as protector of the State
Aristocratic Buddhism（貴族仏教）
Arrival of Buddhism in Japan
Formally introduced from Korea
(Baekje 百済）to Emperor Kinmei
（欽明天皇）in 538 yr.


Two Political Leaders,
Clan Soga（蘇我氏）and Clan Mononobe
（物部氏）argued Buddhism should accept
or not.
Should Buddhism accept in Japan?
Two clans battle

Soga（蘇我氏）
・Agree to
accept Buddhism
・Positive attitude from
foreign country
・related to Korean
(or Chinese )?

Mononobe（物部氏）
・Not agree to
accept Buddhism
Respect to Shito（神道）
・Negative attitude
about foreign country
・Deal with Ceremony
of State
Prince Shotoku 聖徳太子
Clan Soga won the battle and
supported Prince Shotoku （574-622）
 Seventeen-Article Constitution
( 十七条の憲法)
1 The most valuable thins is Peace and harmony.
( 和をもって尊しとなす)
2 Reverently worship the Three Treasures.
（篤く三法を敬え)
・Sangyo Gisyo 三経義疏(commentary on the
3 sutra) Lotus-Sutra.Vimalakiri-Sutra. Queen
Srimala Sutra)
The Six Nara School 南都六宗
Actually, there are just like academic schools
Name of school
Other name
Focus on …
①San-lun
Madhyamika
Sanron （三論宗）
ThreeDiscourse School
What is “Sunyata” ?
What is “Middle –way”?
②Ch’eng-shih
Satyasiddhi
Jojitsu（成実宗）
How to become “Sunyata” ?
③Yogacara
Hossho（法相宗）
Fa-hsiang
What is “Consciousness”?
Analyze “mind”
④Kosha
Abhidharma
Kusha（倶舎宗）
Analyze “Mind “and ‘The
Universe”
⑤Lu
Vinaya
Ritsu（律宗）
How to behave as a monk?
What it “Vinaya”?
⑥Huayan
Kegon（華厳宗）
Magnificent Cosmology
Everything is already integrated
Nara （奈良）
Oldest Capital city of Japan
710-794
Nara --- means “Plain”
Yamato（大和）
A System of centralized Government
based on Statue and Law（律令政治）
People and Land is belong to
Emperor(Government) Emperor
occupied directly.
Gov. lent people lands for cultivate
rice. Tax crops to Gov. 3%
Kegon :Avatamsaka-Sutra （華厳経）
Huayan (in chinese) – The Flower Garland Sutra
Vairocana (毘廬舎那）Buddha
 founded by Dushun (杜順, Jp. Dojun), China,
c. 600 AD, and introduced to Japan by
Bodhisena in 736 AD.
 Contents are very simple, but difficult to
understand deeply. be regarded as contents
after Buddha was enlightened soon.
 Interdependence (All is one, one is all)
 Bodhisattva way (how to practice)
Nara no Daibutsu (a huge statue of
Buddha) 奈良の大仏
The emperor “Shomu” attracted this
great power to protect their land.
→ it need to show “huge” power
Todai-ji 東大寺 (752)
Based on “Kegon-Sutra”
Vairocana (毘廬舎那）Buddha
→ Ideal Realm of the Law in
which phenomena
interpenetrate without
hindrance.
Vairocana Buddha as the great
light and governs all things.
Characteristics how acceptance of
Mahayana Buddhism in Japan
1)Sutra through China/Korea
accept Sutra written by Kanji（漢字）without
difficulty for Japanese
2)Buddha as one of the Kami
Foreign Kami (Guest Kami)
3)Special emphasis on Buddha than Dhamma
and Sangha
“This world –ism （現世主義）”
About the Vinaya（Precept / 戒）

Gan-jin(688-763) 鑑真
Precepts Transmitter from China
Very hard trip to Japan (succeeded at 5
times/spent 11 years )
Give the precepts (Hinayana precepts 250)
to Japanese Monk on 755 at Todai-ji（東大寺）
Began “Risshu（律宗）/ Lu /Vinaya School”
What is Bodhisattvas ?

One who is becoming a buddha,
mainly by being a compassionate
teacher of Buddha-dharma, and is
characterized by having the wisdom
to know that one can be saved only
by saving others.
Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara
Guan yin / Guan shi yin


Bodhisattva who embodies the
compassion of all Buddhas.
Avalokitesvara is the bodhisattva
who has made a great vow to
assist sentient beings in terms of
difficulty, and postpone his
budhhahood until he has assisted
every being on Earth in
achieving Nirvana.
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra



Samantabhadra means
“Universal Compassion”
In AvatamsakaSutra(Kegon),
Samantabhadra is the most
ideal boddhisattva. It is the
symbol not only compassion
but also Wisdom.
To save the people in the
world , he vowed to practice
riding the back of elephant.
Bodhisattva Maitreya (Metteyya)



Maitreya is foretold as a
“future Buddha” of this
world.
After Buddha died,
5,670,000,000 years, he
become the buddha.
Until that year,Maitreya
currently resides in the
Tusita Heaven.He is always
Dharma preaching .
Workshop

Abstruct and Embodyment

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