Medieval Japanese Buddhism: Pure Land, Nichiren and Zen Buddhism

The Kamakura period (1185 - 1333) of Japan is the period usually associated with the expansion of Japanese Buddhism into three Buddhist sects that eventually came to be among the largest and most influential of all such sects in Japan, namely the Pure Land sect, the Nichiren sect and the Zen sect.

Kamakura Buddhism arose partly in response to social and political changes in Japan. While the previous Heian period was relatively peaceful, the Kamakura period was more turbulent, with political power shifted from the court at Kyoto to ruling feudal groups headed by a shogun. Struggles between these feudal powers dominated the Kamakura period, and even Buddhist temples came to figure as economic and military forces at this time. As life became more uncertain, the Japanese began to look for more immediate answers to their questions of faith.

One of the Buddhist ideas prevalent in this period was the idea of the "decline of the law," or of Buddhist practice. Japanese Buddhists at this time thought they were living in the third of three major Buddhist ages of increasing degradation, in which no one would even bother to practice the Buddha's teaching because they felt enlightenment impossible. The realization of this decline led them to believe special measures were needed to help them escape their worldly and personal dilemmas. These "special measures" included the specific practices for Buddhist pursuit as developed in the sects of Pure Land, Nichiren and Zen Buddhism.

Amida (an important Buddha in Indian, or Mahayana, Buddhism) is a central figure in the practice of Pure Land Buddhism in Japan. In Pure Land teachings, devotion to and faith in Amida to save human beings is manifested by invoking or chanting the name of Amida, a practice known in Japan as nembutsu. Later developments have led to a shift in stress in the Pure Land sect from meditation to faith and from individual devotion to formal institutions, and the cult of Amida has become closely associated with memorials for the dead. One attractive feature of this sect of Japanese Buddhism is its emphasis on an easy path to "rebirth" for everyone, including peasants.

The most remembered founder of the Pure Land sect is Honen, who rejected complex Buddhist doctrines as being impractical for a person to gain religious peace in such troubled times as those of the Kamakura period. Honen favored an "easier" path to enlightenment than offered by some of the earlier Buddhist sects, one elicited through the invocation of Amida's name. Honen suggested nembutsu as the exclusive Buddhist practice assuring rebirth, believing people were so wicked they could only be released from this world through the mercy of the deity. Another influential founder of this sect is Shinran, who emphasized simple faith in Amida over the actual repetition of Amida's name. Shinran is also remembered for establishing the precedent for a married priesthood, being contemptuous of the celibate life of monks because it tended to detract from the power of the Buddha's hand in enlightenment and added to the power of the individual.

The Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism is named for its founder, who became convinced at an early age that the Lotus Sutra contained the essence of Buddhist teachings and who accepted the claim that the Lotus Sutra is the one true channel of Buddhism. Nichiren rejected many other Buddhist teachings, believing the true object of worship to be the teaching of Sakyamuni in the Lotus Sutra and composing a graphic representation (mandala) of the title of this sutra to serve as a "primary object of worship." Nichiren supported the idea of eliminating all other Buddhist sects and making the religion of the Lotus Sutra state religion. The exclusive faith in the Lotus Sutra developed through Nichiren Buddhism would be influential in future nationalistic movements and in the formation of important New Religions.

Zen is likely the most known, and misunderstood, aspect of Japanese Buddhism to the Western world. The Japanese sects of Zen were modeled after similar practices in China, with an emphasis on meditation as a way to gain insight into one's own experience and the surrounding world, leading to the notions of immediate or gradual enlightenment.

The two most important figures in the development of Zen Buddhism in Japan are Eisai and Dogen. Eisai was ordained a priest in a Chinese sect of Zen, and his second return to Japan from China is hailed as the point of origin for the Japanese Zen sect of Rinzai, which emphasized sudden enlightenment as "triggered by an accidental circumstance." Dogen objected to the combination of Zen and other Buddhist practices, and unlike Eisai he had little support from military rulers. Dogen founded the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan, which advocates studying the Buddhist scriptures and emphasizes a gradual entry into enlightenment, versus the immediate enlightenment offered through the Rinzai sect. Dogen emphasized the absolute importance of zazen, or "sitting in meditation," believing it superseded all other practice. He believed the entire world is filled with the "Buddha-nature," and that enlightenment lies within each person but is missed because people spend too much time thinking about enlightenment rather than practicing the way to get there. Soto Zen became popularly identified with the common people in Japanese society, while Rinzai became identified more with the ruling class.

These three sects of Japanese Buddhism are seen as a move more toward a Japanese Buddhism for the people of Japan, versus the Buddhist movements of the previous Heian period which served to develop a more Japanese Buddhism in general. They represent a shift in stress toward an emphasis on practices more for the common people, offering more immediate answers to concerns of faith than previous practices that were maybe more removed or abstract.

Sources:

Earhart, H. Byron. Japanese Religion: Unity and Diversity. 4^th ed. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2004.

Earhart, H. Byron. Religion in the Japanese Experience: Sources and Interpretations. 2^nd ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997.