The "Lotus Sutra" as the Core of Japanese Buddhism: Shifts in Representations of its Fundamental Principle
Much of the foundational thought of Japanese Buddhism derives from the Lotus Sutra. This article explores how the sutra's essence or fundamental principle was variously understood by some of its foremost interpreters. It examines the Chinese Tiantai master Zhiyi's concept of "three th...
| Published in: | Japanese journal of religious studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Contributors: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Nanzan Institute
[2014]
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| In: |
Japanese journal of religious studies
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| Further subjects: | B
Objects of contemplation
B Religious Studies B Mind B Dharma B Suchness B Treatises B Syllables B Teaching conditions |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | Much of the foundational thought of Japanese Buddhism derives from the Lotus Sutra. This article explores how the sutra's essence or fundamental principle was variously understood by some of its foremost interpreters. It examines the Chinese Tiantai master Zhiyi's concept of "three thousand realms in a single thought-moment" (ichinen sanzen) and its reception in Japan; Saichō's notion of all dharmas as Suchness according with conditions (zuien shinnyo); and Ennin's reading of Saichō's concept of suchness in terms of the esoteric A-syllable as the ground of all phenomena. Lastly, the essay turns to Nichiren, who made Zhiyi's "three thousand realms in a single thought-moment" the foundation of his doctrine and practice, equating this principle with the daimoku or title of the Lotus Sutra and the Wonderful Dharma (myōhō) itself. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Japanese journal of religious studies
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