Saichō 最澄 becomes convinced that the Tripartite Lotus Sūtra 法華三部經 is the final destination, as well as the foundation of the Buddha’s Dharma…and that the interpretation of this King of Sūtras 諸經之王 preserved in the Tiantai Tradition 天台宗, represents the Living Tradition (niṣyanda 等流) set in motion by the Śākyamuni 釋迦摩尼佛 himself:
Dengyō Daishi Saichō 傳教大師 最澄 was born on the 18th of August, in the year 766 A.D. 天平神護二年 in Ōmi 近江国 (Shiga prefecture 滋賀県) Japan. His surname was Mitsu 三津, and his given name Hirono 廣野. It has often been speculated that his family were the descendants of Chinese immigrants, although we cannot say for sure. What is known is that Saichō’s father 三津之首百枝 was a deeply religious man. So much so, that we’re told that when he and his wife had difficulty conceiving, he climbed Mount Hiei 比叡山 in order to plead with the Kami 神様 of the Mountain. On receiving a son, the father then built a small shrine at the foot of said mountain, named Jingū Zen’in 神宮禪院, to give thanks to the mountain deity. This mountain was none other than the peak on which Saichō would later establish the Tendai Sect in Japan. The Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki 大日本国法華経験記 tells us that:
大師七嵗，深悟法門，兼達一切。
At the age of seven, The Great Master deeply realised the Dharma-gates, and understood all [the the other disciplines].
《大日本国法華経験記》The Record of Experiences with the Lotus Sūtra in the Great Nation of Japan
We know that it was at this age that Saichō first attended school, and so we might take the above statement to suggest that even at this young age, Saichō’s fondness for the Dharma, as well as his unusual acuity were self-evident. Although we might find it difficult to believe that such a young boy had so intense an interest in religious matters, it becomes less far-fetched when we learn that he “Left-Home” 出家 to become a monastic at the tender age of twelve. From this time until his departure for the capital of Nara 奈良 at nineteen years of age, Saichō would train under the Greater Provincial Master 大國師 Dentō Hosshi Gyōhyō 傳燈法師 行表. Under Gyōhyō’s tutelage Saichō is said to have primarily studied Yogācāra thought or vijñapti-mātratā, and so much like Zhiyi before him, Saichō would do his paces before coming to a full-fruition of his destiny:
以傳燈令習學, 唯識章疏等。
With [Master] Dentō [Hosshi Gyōhyō, he] was led to study the commentaries on vijñapti-mātratā.
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
But we can also be sure that Saichō engaged in serious meditative practice during these years, as he records Master Gyōhyō in his Naishō Buppō Kechimyakufu 內證佛法相承血脈譜 as imparting to him the teachings of Bodhidharma 達摩大師付法 (that is, the famous Chan/Zen Patriarch 禪宗). Finally, the Kokufuchō 國府牒 confirms that during this period he studied the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra), The Golden Radiant Light Sūtra (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja Sūtra), the Diamond Sūtra (Vajracchedikā prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), and the Medicine Master Sūtra (Bhaiṣajyaguru Sūtra). Just as in the life of Tiantai Dashi Zhiyi 天台大師 智顗 then, we can already see the karmic threads linking him to the texts and practices which would define the rest of his life.
This training with Master Gyōhyō took place at the Sōfukuji Temple 崇福寺, and lasted until Saichō travelled to Nara to receive the Full Precepts 具戒 of the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya 四分律. Nevertheless three months after his full ordination in Nara, we are told that Saichō experienced a life-altering appreciation 無常觀 for the hardships of Saṃsāra, and left the capital for Mount Hiei:
以延歷四年，觀世間無常，榮哀有限。慨正法陵遲，蒼生沉淪。遊心弘誓，遁身山林。
In the fourth year of Enryaku (785 A.D.), [he] observed the impermanence of the world, and [considered] the limits of [both] flourishing and sorrow. [He] lamented the gradual destruction of the True Dharma, and the drowning of mankind [beneath] the waves [of Saṃsāra]. [And so he] devoted his mind to vast vows, and retired his body to the forests of the mountain.
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
We do not know the specifics of what Saichō must have seen in the capital to warrant his complete withdrawal from society. Based on passages like the above however, we can speculate that Saichō’s upbringing in a village would not have prepared him for the scale of suffering and corruption that capital cities attract, almost as a matter of course. Indeed, the two issues hinted at in the above passage suggest that he was aggrieved by the suffering of the common folk on the one hand, and appalled by the corruption of the major monastic establishments on the other. On a subtler level however, we can already see the Lotus Sūtra manifesting in Saichō’s life. The diligent reader on hearing that Saichō ‘devoted his mind to vast vows and retired his body to the forests of the mountain’ will have recalled that in part 1, we saw the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana 一切眾生憙見菩薩 “With the power of his spiritual-penetrations he made a vow, and then ignited his own body, the radiant light of which pervasively illuminated the world-spheres [as numerous as] the sands of eighty million Gaṇgā rivers. ” Such a reader will also have not failed to notice that Zhiyi likewise fled to the mountains to undertake austerities.
Saichō put his angst with the way of the world into his own words shortly after arriving at Mount Hiei:
悠悠三界，純苦無安也！擾々四生，唯患不樂也！牟尼之日久隱，慈尊月未照。
近於三災之危，沒於五濁之㴱。加以，風命難保；露體易消。艸堂雖無樂，然老少散曝於白骨。土室雖闇迮，而貴賤爭宿於魂魄。瞻彼省己，此理必定。仙丸未服，游魂難留。
命通未得，死辰何定！？生時不作善，死日成獄薪。難得易移其人身矣！難發易忘斯善心焉！是以，法皇牟尼，假大海之針，妙高之線，喩況人身難得。古賢禹王，惜一寸之陰，半寸之暇，歎勸一生空過。
Vast is this Triple World, [which is] purely suffering and without peace! Chaotic are the four [kinds of] birth [for they are] but vexation without bliss! The sun of the [Śākya]muni has long faded away [while] the moon of the Merciful Honoured One [Maitreya] has yet to shine forth. The dangers of the three calamities are near, and we are [presently] submerged in the depths of the five turbidities. Furthermore, the breeze that is this life is difficult to maintain; the dew that is this body is easily dissipated. Though the thatched hut [for the wake] is without bliss, even so, [the bodies of] old and young are scattered [together] and bleached into white bones. Though the earthen grave is dark and cramped, yet the souls of rich and poor jostle to abide therein. In observing others and reflecting upon ourselves, [we see that] these facts are certain. Having not yet imbibed the medicine of the immortals, it is difficult to detain the wandering of my spirit. And having not yet attained the power [to control] life, how could the hour of my [body’s] death be determined!? [If, from] the time of my birth I have not done good, [then] on the day of my death I will become the kindling of hell. O difficult to obtain and easy to lose is this human form! O difficult to generate and easy to lose is this wholesome mind! Therefore, the Dharma Lord [Śākya]muni made use of the needle of the great ocean, and the thread of Sumeru as metaphors and examples of the difficulty in attaining this human body. And the ancient and venerable King Yu [of Xia] valued every second, for with the littlest of respite, he praised diligence throughout life in vain.
《願文》Vows
His recognition of impermanence had led to a visceral understanding of the oppressive nature of the human condition (人身難得觀). And like Zhiyi before him, Saichō’s choice of life atop a mountain was an austere and frugal one. The Eizan Daishi Den 叡山大師傳 tells us that during the day he would recite and study the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra), The Golden Radiant Light Sūtra (Suvarṇaprabhāsottamarāja Sūtra), and the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras, in order to repay the kindness of the four kinds of individuals who had supported him (i.e. parents 父母恩; sentient beings 衆生恩; rulers 國王恩; and the Three Treasures 三寶恩). And according to the Dengyō Daishi GyōgōKi 傳教大師行業記, he spent nights when the light was scant sitting in meditation with unwavering devotion 一心精勤禪念. All of this mirrors Zhiyi’s own asceticism on Mount Dasu in uncanny fashion.
Even at this early stage we are told that Saichō had already recognised the importance of the Lotus Sūtra, for it is singled out among the aforementioned texts as his primary concern:
又披閲一代聖教中，尚以法華經為肚心。每奉讀法華經，不覺涕泣，恆歎不悟其理。
Furthermore, in poring over the Sacred Teachings [of the Buddha’s] entire ministry, he regarded the Dharma Flower Sūtra as the core. Whenever he would read the Dharma Flower Sūtra [however], he wept because he did not understand it, and he always lamented that he could not comprehend its principles.
《大日本国法華経験記》The Record of Experiences with the Lotus Sūtra in the Great Nation of Japan
We get the distinct impression that during this time his whole existence was geared towards the Dharma, for even when he failed to secure his essentials, he utilised such experiences in the service of his practice:
為四恩，每日讀誦法華，金光明般若等大乘經，一日不闕。無有懈怠，得衣服時，施與前人，特無慳悋，亦無嫉恚, 且坐禪之隙。
For the sake of [those who offer] the Four Kindnesses, He read and recited the Great Vehicle sūtras of the Dharma Flower (i.e. Lotus Sūtra), The Golden Radiant Light Sūtra, and the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras without missing a single day. He was without indolence, and when he [went to] receive clothing [and other offerings, if] it was given to another before him, he alone was without avarice or aversion, [for he] would [use this] as an opportunity to sit in meditation [instead of eating].
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
We might find it a little difficult to understand why Great Master Saichō saw those occasions when he went hungry or remained cold atop his mountain, as opportunities to ‘sit in meditation’. To a modern and Western ear, the connection between the two seems rather strained. But when we return to his vows, we find evidence of the deep religious humility that defined the man’s character, and discover the connection between going hungry and sitting in meditation:
無因得果，無有是處！無善免苦，無有是處！伏尋思己行迹, 無戒竊受四事之勞, 愚癡亦成四生之怨。
The attainment of a result in the absence of its cause; such a thing is impossible! [And so] avoiding suffering in the absence of [having done] good, is [likewise] an impossible thing! In reflecting upon the course of my own actions [then, I must conclude that I have] been undisciplined, [and therefore I have] stolen when accepting the offerings of the four necessities. [The cause that is my] folly, has [therefore] brought about the enmity of the four types of donors [as its result].
《願文》 Vows
In other words, rather than giving rise to jealousy and malice towards the donors when he did not receive adequate sustenance, Saichō used these occasions to meditate on the causes of his destitution 因果觀. He concluded that the results he now faced were the direct consequence of the previous karmic causes he enacted in the world. This is because if he had truly been compassionate in the past, he would have planted the seeds for the offerings he now desperately needed. In fact he goes further, by making clear that the offerings he has received were akin to stealing, for one so undeserving as he 懺悔文. The very fact that he pens these lines shortly after climbing the mountain, tells us just how difficult it was for him to secure the necessities he needed, and reminds us of Zhiyi’s inability to make offerings. When these remarks are coupled with the vows he made as a result of reflecting upon this karma, it paints the picture of a young man willing to give up all that is difficult to give up, in order to seek the Dharma 發誓願:
謹隨迷狂之心, 發三, 二之願, 以無所得而爲方便。爲無上第一義,發金剛不壞不退心願: 我自未得六根相似位, 以還不出假; 其一。自未得照理心, 以還不才藝; 其二。自未得具足凈戒, 以還不預檀主法會; 其三。自未得般若心, 以還不著世間人事緣務, 除相似位; 其四。三際中間, 所修功德, 獨不受己身, 普回施有識, 悉皆令得無上菩提; 其五。
As admonishment for my crazed and confused mind, I generate these three, and two vows (i.e. 5 vows), for these are the means by which the non-attainment [of Liberation is achieved]. For the sake of the Unsurpassed and Supreme Truth, I generate these vajra-like, indestructable and non-retrogressing aspirations [as follows]:
I have not yet attained the Stage of the Purity of the Six Senses. Before this [attainment], I will not go out into the mundane [world]; this is my first [vow].
I have not yet attained the Mind that illuminates the Truth. Before this [attainment], I will not master the [secular] arts; this is my second [vow].
I have not yet perfected the Pure Precepts. Before this [attainment], I will not take part in the Dharma-assemblies [organised by the] almsgivers; this is my third [vow].
I have not yet attained the Mind of Prajñā. Before this [attainment], I will not conduct the affairs of worldly people, with the exception of at the Stage of [Identity] in Semblance; this is my fourth [vow].
May all of the merit I have cultivated in the three times, not ripen for myself alone, but be universally transferred to sentient beings, [so that] we will all be caused to attain Unsurpassed Bodhi; this is my fifth [vow].
《願文》Vows
It is difficult to read these promises, the degree of self-denial, and desire to dedicate his merit to others 廻向 – and not bring to mind the austerities of the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana 一切眾生憙見菩薩, who also inspired Zhiyi’s own ascetic training on Mount Dasu 大蘇山. Indeed, we might imagine that the Buddhas themselves would have praised the young Saichō in the same way, intoning:
「是真精進，是名真法供養如來。」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T09, no. 262, p. 53b11-12)
“This is true diligence! This is referred to as offering the True Dharma to the Tathāgatas!”
《妙法蓮華經》卷6〈23藥王菩薩本事品〉The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma (Fascicle 6: Chapter 23: The Chapter on the Former Lives of Medicine King Bodhisattva)
For in undertaking these vows, Saichō entered into the ascetic lineage of masters who follow the spirit of Sarvasattvapriyadarśana (靈山相承), and threads through Huisi, Zhiyi, and all of the Buddha’s sons down to our own age. In giving his all for the sake of the Buddha-Dharma, Saichō in all his imperfections was nonetheless able to stand tall, and confidently proclaim to the Buddhas as Sarvasattvapriyadarśana did:
「懃行大精進， 捨所愛之身， 供養於世尊， 為求無上慧。』」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T09, no. 262, p. 53b24-25)
“Rigorously cultivating Great Vigour,
I cast off the body that I loved,
To make an offering to the World Honoured One,
In order to seek the Unsurpassed Wisdom.”
《妙法蓮華經》卷6〈23藥王菩薩本事品〉The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma (Fascicle 6: Chapter 23: The Chapter on the Former Lives of Medicine King Bodhisattva)
Saichō’s asceticism on Mount Hiei would last from 785 A.D., until he was given the title of Court Chaplain or Naigubu 内供奉 in 797 A.D., which meant that he needed to present at the Imperial Court in Kyoto 京都. The observant reader will note that this is twelve years, spent in asceticism on the mountain. Even more observant readers will have further noted in our companion article on Tiantai Dashi Zhiyi 天台大師 智顗, that the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana sought Buddhahood with single-mind for twelve-thousand years. Furthermore, His body illuminated the universe for twelve-hundred years thereafter. Naturally, our life spans do not extend into the hundreds and thousands, but we can see that even before his journey to China, Saichō already felt himself a part of this Living Tradition (niṣyanda 等流), and aimed to emulate the discipleship of the Lotus Sūtra. We know that this is not mere coincidence either, because he would go on to institute that his students should also spend twelve years on Mount Hiei. This practice continues to the present day, and is referred to as the Jūninen Rōzan Gyō 十二年籠山行 (lit. Twelve Years of Cultivation within the confines of the Mountain). In fact, the ascetic practices of the Jūninen Rōzan Gyō and the more well known Sennichi Kaihōgyō 千日回峰行 (lit. Thousand Days of Cultivation Circumambulating the Peaks), are both attempts to embody the Lotus Sūtra– the former emulating the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, and the latter imitating the Bodhisattva Sadāparibhūta or Never Despise 常不輕菩薩. It is also evident that both practices are to be conducted upon Mount Hiei, and once again, this is no accident:
我尋法華圓宗之元。由者初靈鷲，次大蘇，後天台。並皆於山，說、聽、修、學、解悟矣。是故，我宗學生初修之頃，當為國、為家、山修山學，利益有情，興隆佛法。既而世間之譏嫌，止息於巌窟，佛種之萌芽，滋茂於山林。
I have investigated the foundations of the Perfect School of the Dharma Flower [Sūtra]. Based initially on [the Buddha’s sermon at] Vulture [Peak], it then [went to Mount] Dasu [with Master Huisi], and finally [was to be found] on [Mount] Tiantai [with Master Zhiyi]. In every case [they] listened [to the teachings], expounded [the doctrines], cultivated [the practices], studied [the Dharma], [and attained] realisation in the mountains. Therefore, the disciples of my school should [also] spend the initial period of their practise cultivating on this mountain, and studying on the mountain [as well]. They ought to do this for the sake of the nation, for the sake of the people, to benefit sentient beings, and so that the Buddha-Dharma will flourish. For the contempt of the world is put to rest in the caves of the peaks, and the sprouts of Buddha-Nature grow lush in the forests of the mountain.
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
We see in all this, that though Saichō was separated by vast swathes of time and place from the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, he shared with the latter a number of common characteristics which linked him to the bodhisattva in a Living Tradition (niṣyanda 等流):
- Both share the conviction that the Dharma Flower Sūtra (i.e. Lotus Sūtra) is the greatest of all the Buddha’s teachings, and that this responsibility is to be shouldered by each generation, lest beings be left wandering in darkness.
- Both understand that any realisation they have attained, is due to the power of the Dharma Flower Sūtra (i.e. Lotus Sūtra).
- Both cultivated in austere circumstances, and dedicated themselves to harsh ascetic cultivation.
- Both saw themselves as the Lamp of the Dharma in the darkness of the world (Saichō’s lament is precisely that: “The sun of the [Śākya]muni has long faded away [while] the moon of the Merciful Honoured One [Maitreya] has yet to shine forth. ” ).
- Both demonstrate complete humility in the face of this responsibility, and give themselves fully to its majesty.
- Both advise that it is by means of the power of the Lotus Sūtra, and not by means of their own power, that they achieve anything of substance.
Nevertheless, with the exception of the tacit head-nod to the sites of Huisi’s and Zhiyi’s practise, we have not yet been shown explicitly, that Saichō felt that the interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra preserved in the Chinese Tiantai Tradition 天台宗, represented the Living Tradition (niṣyanda 等流) of the Sublime Dharma 妙法 set in motion by the Śākyamuni 釋迦摩尼佛 Himself. Returning to the Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki 大日本国法華経験記 description of Saichō’s esteem for the Lotus Sūtra however, we see that it is much more than a mere recognition of that text’s centrality:
又披閲一代聖教中，尚以法華經為肚心。每奉讀法華經，不覺涕泣，恆歎不悟其理。仍書寫智者大師所説：圓頓止觀、法華玄義、法華文句、四教義為一乘指南。日夜披閲鑚仰。
Furthermore, in poring over the Sacred Teachings [of the Buddha’s] entire ministry, he regarded the Dharma Flower Sūtra as the core. Whenever he would read the Dharma Flower Sūtra [however], he wept because he did not understand it, and he always lamented that he could not comprehend its principles. And so, he copied out those [writings] spoken by Great Master Zhizhe (i.e. Zhiyi): [that is,] the Mohezhiguan (lit. The Perfect and Sudden śamatha-vipaśyanā), the Fahua Xuanyi, the Fahua Wenju and the Sijiaoyi– [for these] are the guides to the One Vehicle. And day and nighthe pored over and searched for the truth in them.
《大日本国法華経験記》The Record of Experiences with the Lotus Sūtra in the Great Nation of Japan
In calling these foundational works of the Tiantai tradition the ‘guides to the One Vehicle’, we are being told in no uncertain terms that Saichō believed that the Living Tradition (niṣyanda 等流) of the Lotus Sūtra, flowed through the Chinese Tiantai School. What’s more, we can be certain that the copying out of these Tiantai texts, was not the first time that the Great Master Saichō encountered the Tiantai teachings. The Eizan Daishi Den 叡山大師傳 tells us for example, that it was in reading the texts of the Huayan or Kegon School 華嚴宗 that he was not only first introduced to Tiantai ideas, but felt such a yearning to understand them that they were to him, akin to the Lotus Sūtra itself:
披覽起信論疏，並華嚴五教等，猶尚天台以爲指南。每見此文，不覺下淚。慨然無由披閲天台教迹。
In poring over [Fazang’s] Commentary on the Awakening of Faith Treatise and his [Essay] on the Five Teachings of the Huayan [School], it seemed as if Tiantai was regarded as the ‘guide’. Whenever [Saichō] saw these passages [referencing Tiantai], tears streamed down, for he could not understand them. He grieved that there was no way for him to examine the teachings of [Great Master] Tiantai [directly].
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
It needs also to be pointed out here that the vows which Saichō took soon after originally climbing Mount Hiei, make reference to attaining the “Stage of the Purity of the Six Senses” 六根相似位 as well as the “Stage of [Identity] in Semblance” 相似位. Both of these are terms for the fourth of the ‘Six Identities’ 六卽- which are a Tiantai division of the Stages of a Bodhisattva 菩薩位. This confirms for us, that Great Master Saichō was already familiar enough with the Tiantai system, and that he deemed it important enough to include in the wording of his own vows, when he first climbed the mountain at nineteen.
Concerned readers at this point however, might accuse me of overstating the relationship in Saichō’s mind between the Lotus Sūtra and the Tiantai texts. But when we compare the Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki 大日本国法華経験記 description of the Lotus, with the Eizan Daishi Den 叡山大師傳 representation of the Tiantai tradition, it seems it would be hard for me to be guilty of such an innovation:
| Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki 大日本国法華経験記: | Eizan Daishi Den 叡山大師傳: |
| 又披閲一代聖教中，尚以法華經為肚心。每奉讀法華經，不覺涕泣，恆歎不悟其理。 | 披覽起信論疏，並華嚴五教等，猶尚天台以爲指南。每見此文，不覺下淚。慨然無由披閲天台教迹。 |
| Furthermore, in poring over the Sacred Teachings [of the Buddha’s] entire ministry, He regarded the Dharma Flower Sūtra as the core. Whenever he would read the Dharma Flower Sūtra [however], he wept because he did not understand it, and he always lamented that he could not comprehend its principles. | In poring over [Fazang’s] Commentary on the Awakening of Faith Treatise and his [Essay] on the Five Teachings of the Huayan [School], it seemed as if Tiantai was regarded as the ‘guide’. Whenever [Saichō] saw these passages [referencing Tiantai], tears streamed down, for he could not understand them. He grieved that there was no way for him to examine the teachings of [Great Master] Tiantai [directly]. |
Even if we were to take a text-critical approach to both passages regarding the veracity of their representation of Saichō, the latter was written a few years after the Master’s death in approximately 822 A.D., while the former was compiled sometime between 1040-1044 A.D.. Given that it is the earlier source which claims Saichō’s fealty to the Tiantai tradition rather than the latter, the later work then merely points towards the text upon which said tradition is based, and would hardly need fabricating. What’s more, when we read the full account of the procurement of the Tiantai texts in the Eizan Daishi Den, it confirms the idea set out in the Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki, that Saichō saw the tradition and the Sūtra as interchangeable:
披覽起信論疏，並華嚴五教等，猶尚天台以爲指南。每見此文，不覺下淚。慨然無由披閲天台教迹。是時邂逅值遇，知天台法文所在人。因兹得寫取圓頓止觀、法華玄義、並法華文句疏、四教義、維摩疏等。此是故，大唐鑒真和上將來也。適得此典，精勤披閲，義理奧賾，彌仰彌高，隨鑚隨堅。本佛本懷，同開於三乘之門戶。内證内事，等付於一乘之寳車。
In poring over [Fazang’s] Commentary on the Awakening of Faith Treatise and his [Essay] on the Five Teachings of the Huayan [School], it seemed as if Tiantai was regarded as the ‘guide’. Whenever [Saichō] saw these passages [referencing Tiantai], his tears streamed down for he could not understand them. He grieved that there was no way for him to examine the teachings of [Great Master] Tiantai [directly]. At that time [however,] he unexpectedly met an individual who knew the whereabouts of Tiantai Dharma-texts. As a result of this [meeting] he was able to acquire and copy out the Mohezhiguan (lit. The Perfect and Sudden śamatha-vipaśyanā), the Fahua Xuanyi, the Fahua Wenju, the Sijiaoyi and the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra. This is because Precept Master Jianzhen (JP. Ganjin) of the Great Tang [Empire] had brought them [a generation earlier]. Having acquired these texts, he examined them assiduously, for the profundity of their principles got more exalted the more he reviewed them, and the further he went in them the more detailed they became. [He understood from them, that the Lotus Sūtra is] the original intent of the original Buddha, which equally opens up the methods of the Three Vehicles. [And that the Lotus Sūtra constitutes] the contents of the personal realisation [of the all the Buddhas,] for it equally entrusts the Bejeweled Cart of the One Vehicle [to all].
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
In any case, the Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki and the Eizan Daishi Den explain that Saichō copied out Zhiyi’s Mohezhiguan 摩訶止觀, Fahua Xuanyi 法華玄義, Fahua Wenju 法華文句 and Sijiaoyi 四教義, in order to clarify his understanding of Tiantai thought. The latter also mentioned Zhiyi’s Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra 維摩疏. But given that the Sijiaoyi is an earlier draft of Zhiyi’s Commentary on the Vimalakīrti, we will see below that thid is likely a duplicate reference to the Sijiaoyi. This is because the Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra is not mentioned among the Tiantai texts brought to Japan by Master Kakai Daishi Jianzhen 過海大師 鑒真.
These works would have been a solid start, as the former three are known collectively as the Three Great Works of Tiantai 天台三大部, and the final work is the first of what are called the Four Beginner Works of Tiantai 新學四書.
The Eizan Daishi Den also tells us not only how these texts made their way to Japan, but also that Saichō was informed of their existence by “an individual” who knew their whereabouts. Venerable Jianzhen (JP. Ganjin) 鑒真和上 had come to Japan in 754 A.D. for the express purpose of establishing an Ordination Platform 戒壇 for Japanese monastics. Nevertheless, Master Jianzhen was a Tiantai Monk, and so by the hand of fate he had brought a number of Tiantai texts with him to Nara. Master Gyōnen’s 凝然 Record of the Conditions for the Transmission of Buddha-Dharma in the Three Lands 三國佛法傳通緣起 makes it clear that Jianzhen was both respected as a Tiantai, and Vinaya master:
《三國佛法傳通緣起》卷3：「鑒真和尚, 是天台宗第四祖師 (從天台取，若從南岳取者, 是第五世。) 隨弘景禪師，受具足戒，并學台教。弘景是南山律師，親度授具弟子, 隨章安大師學天台宗。」(CBETA 2023.Q4, B32, no. 186, p. 669b2-4)
Precept Master Jianzhen, was a Fourth-generation Lineage Holder of the Tiantai Sect (I have taken [the lineage] from [Master] Tiantai. If it were taken from [Master] Nanyue [Huisi], then he would be fifth-generation). From Meditation Master Hongjing, [Jianzhen] received the Full Precepts as well as studied the Teachings of Tiantai. [His master] Hongjing, personally received the Full Precepts from Precept Master Nanshan [Daoxuan], and studied [the teachings of] the Tiantai Sect under Great Master Zhang’an [Guanding].
《三國佛法傳通緣起》Record of the Conditions for the Transmission of Buddha-Dharma in the Three Lands
Jianzhen was therefore not merely someone who had dabbled in a little bit of Tiantai study somewhere. He was a lineage-holder whose teacher had studied under Zhiyi’s own disciple Guanding 灌頂. Though Master Jianzhen is not officially part of the Japanese Tendai lineage per se then, his role in the bringing of Tiantai texts to Japan which Saichō subsequently read, cannot be overstated and must be considered the work of the Buddhas. For this reason, a scroll with his image is housed in the Enmitsuji Temple 圓密寺 in Sydney, Australia, and his Wasan 和讃 is recited in remembrance on 06/06 each year. Many have praised Master Jianzhen for his efforts to establish the Vinaya in Japan, and this is as it should be. But for us, he was also a crucial figure in the establishing of our Tiantai/Tendai lineage. What’s more, Jianzhen was far-sighted enough to have foreknown this, even before Saichō was born. When Precept Master Jianzhen was first entreated by two Japanese Monks to help send preceptors to Japan, he is said to have responded:
《遊方記抄》「大和上答曰: 昔聞南岳思禪師, 遷化之後, 託生倭國王子, 興隆佛法, 濟度眾生。又聞: 日本國長屋王, 崇敬佛法, 造千袈裟, 棄施此國, 大德眾僧。其袈裟緣上, 繡著四句曰:
山川異域;
風月同天;
寄諸佛子;
共結來緣。
以此思量, 誠是佛法興隆, 有緣之國也! 今我同法眾中, 誰有應此遠請, 向日本國傳法者乎? 時眾默然, 一無對者。良久有僧, 祥彥進曰: 彼國太遠, 性命難存, 滄海淼漫。百無一至, 人身難得, 中國難生。進修未備, 道果未剋。是故, 眾僧咸默, 無對而已。大和上曰: 為是法事也! 何惜身命! 諸人不去, 我即去耳! 祥彥曰: 大和上若去, 彥亦隨去。」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T51, no. 2089, p. 988b17-29)
The Great Precept Master [Jianzhen] responded by saying: “In the past I heard that Meditation Master Nanyue Huisi had been reborn as a prince in Japan, after having passed away [here]. [This is because he wanted] to promulgate the Buddha-Dharma, and liberate the sentient beings [there].
I’ve also heard that King Nagaya of Japan so deeply revered the Buddha-Dharma, that he had made a thousand kāṣāya-robes which he offered to the praiseworthy sangha of this land. On the hem he had embroidered four lines:
[Though] the mountains and rivers are different [in our] lands,
The wind [we feel] and the moon [we see, course] in the same sky.
I convey these to all the Buddha’s sons,
[In the hope that these] shared bonds will be future connections.
Considering these [reports, Japan] is indeed a land possessing the conditions for the promulgation of the Buddha-Dharma! Among our Dharma-assembly [here], who will go to the Land of Japan to promulgate the Dharma at the behest of this distant request?” At that time the assembly was silent, for no one responded. After a good while there was a Monk [named] Xiangyan, who proceeded to say: “That land is extremely far away, and it is difficult to keep one’s life on the waves and swells of the vast ocean. This human form is difficult to attain, and it is difficult to be born in China [with access to the Dharma]; of the hundred [who go] not even one will arrive [there]. [furthermore] our progress in the cultivation of the Path is still incomplete, and we have yet to gain the Fruits of the Path. It is only for these reasons therefore, that this assembly of monks is totally silent, and no one responds.” The Great Precept Master [Jianzhen] responded: “This is a matter of Dharma! How could you begrudge your body and life! As everyone here will not go, then I will go!” Xiangyan responded: “If the Great Precept Master goes, then I, Xiangyan, will also go.”
《唐大和上東征傳》A Record of the Great Precept Master of the Tang’s Journey East
We as Tendai Buddhists, would do well to realise that not only did Master Jianzhen bring Tiantai texts to Japan, but when he was asked to bring said precepts, he not only spoke of our Master Huisi, but repeated Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana’s immortal words in chiding his disciples:
「懃行大精進， 捨所愛之身， 供養於世尊， 為求無上慧。』」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T09, no. 262, p. 53b24-25)
“Rigorously cultivating Great Vigour,
I cast off the body that I loved,
To make an offering to the World Honoured One,
In order to seek the Unsurpassed Wisdom.”
《妙法蓮華經》卷6〈23藥王菩薩本事品〉The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma (Fascicle 6: Chapter 23: The Chapter on the Former Lives of Medicine King Bodhisattva)
Jianzhen’s words and his actions then, confirm his place in the Lineage of Vulture Peak. Linguistically too, it seems that Master Jianzhen’s use of the expression “In the past I heard 昔聞” is intentionally chosen to bring to the reader’s mind Huisi’s own words to Zhiyi: “In days of yore [we]…heard 昔日…聽“. Returning to the texts conveyed by this great bodhisattva to our Master Saichō, the Tōdaiwajō Tōsei Den 唐大和上東征傳 tells us explicitly which Tiantai texts he had with him:
《遊方記抄》：「天台: 止觀法門, 玄義, 文句, 各十卷。四教義, 十二卷。次第禪門, 十一卷。行法華懺法, 一卷。小止觀, 一卷。六妙門, 一卷。」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T51, no. 2089, p. 993a15-17)
Of Tiantai [they had]:
The Zhiguanfamen (i.e. the Mohezhiguan), the [Fahua] Xuanyi, and the [Fahua] Wenju each of ten fascicles. The Sijiaoyi in twelve fascicles. The Cidichanmen in eleven fascicles. The Xing Fahua Chanfa (i.e. the Hokke Senbō 法華懺法) in one fascicle. The Xiaozhiguan in one fascicle. And the Liumiaomen in one fascicle.
《唐大和上東征傳》A Record of the Great Precept Master of the Tang’s Journey East
These texts match closely with the texts that the Eizan Daishi Den and the Dainihonkoku Hokkekyō Kenki advise Saichō had access to. As for the individual who knew the whereabouts of the Tiantai texts, both the Eizan Daishi Den and the Dengyō Daishi GyōgōKi give no name. But the fact that multiple sources leave out such a detail, should not be thought of as a mistake, but intentional. For the Buddhas appear where they are needed, and the work of the Bodhisattvas cannot be impeded. And in this case, a bodhisttva provided Master Saichō with the whereabouts of fifty-six fascicles of Tiantai texts. If the number of texts which were available to Saichō strike us as small, it is worth bearing in mind that fifty-six fascicles of text far outweighs the number modern English-speaking Tiantai/Tendai Buddhists have at their disposal!
When Master Saichō descended from Mount Hiei to perform his duties as Court Chaplain 内供奉 in 797 A.D. then, he had already studied the primary Tiantai texts, cultivated asceticism on the mountain in the spirit of Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, and felt himself in communion with the Assembly on Vulture Peak. But it was not until 802 A.D. that Saichō would come to the attention of the court for his mastery of Tiantai, when he was invited to lecture on the Three Great Works of Tiantai 天台三大部 at Takaosanji 高雄山寺 Temple. As Dr Paul Groner’s marvellous biography of the master puts it: “The many years that Saichō had devoted to the study of Tendai texts must have enabled him to make a strong and lasting impression at the lectures.”
So strong was the impression in fact, that Emperor Kammu 桓武天皇 expressed his interest in Saichō establishing the Tiantai school in Japan. Master Saichō declined at this juncture however, for one very important reason.
Before diving into the reason for his refusal however, we must advise that Dr Paul Groner’s otherwise wonderful biography on Saichō, makes a small but significant error on this matter. Groner advises on page 38 that the two reasons for Saichō’s refusal, were a) that the Tiantai texts available in Japan contained copyist errors, and b), that he wished to receive the orthodox transmission from a Tiantai master. Dr Jinhua Chen repeats the claim in his book, Legend and Legitimation. The error is with the first of these two claims, but to understand what is at stake, it is best to look at the full reasoning in context:
沙門最澄言：最澄早預玄門，幸遇昌運，希聞至道，遊心法筵。每恨法華深旨，尚未詳釋。幸求得天台妙記，披閲數年，字謬行脫，未顯細趣。若不受師傳，雖得不信。誠願差留學生，還學生各一人，令學此圓宗，師師相續，傳燈無絕也。
The śramaṇa Saichō [responded to the request] saying: “I, Saichō , have in the past been entrusted with the Profound Gates [of the Dharma], been fortunate-enough to encounter the Marvelous Vehicle, [listened to] the rarely-heard Supreme Path, and devoted myself to the Dharma Throne. [However] I have always lamented that I have yet to [attain an understanding] of the finer-details of the Profound Import of the Dharma Flower [Sūtra]. [Furthermore, though] I’ve been fortunate-enough to seek and obtain the Sublime Writings of Tiantai, and pored over them for many years, there are mistakes in the words, and sentences are missing, [and so] I have yet to uncover their finer-meanings. If I do not receive the Transmission from a Master, though I have attainments they are not to be trusted. [Therefore] I sincerely hope that one long-term and one short-term student can be [sent to] study this Perfect [Tiantai] School, [and receive] the transmission from teacher to teacher which has transmitted the Lamp [of the Dharma] without interruption.”
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
Groner and Chen’s error is easy to make, for Saichō does indeed mention copyist errors in the Tiantai texts. But we as practitioners are compelled to look closer. As we have already seen, Saichō understands the Tiantai tradition and the Lotus Sūtra to be mirrors of each other. Looking at the context then, Saichō is not complaining about the quality of the Tiantai texts per se, but expressing his limitations in both the ‘finer-details’ of the Lotus Sūtra on the one hand, and the ‘finer-meanings’ of the Tiantai texts on the other. And this is why the answer to both, is the single solution of travelling to China and receiving the orthodox Tiantai Transmission from a Tiantai master. In short, just as the Buddha Candrasūryavimalaprabhāsaśrī was crucial to the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, and Zhiyi required the confirmation of Master Huisi, and Prince Yangguang needed the acknowledgement of Zhiyi- it was necessary for Saichō to likewise secure the Transmission from a Present Master 今師相承. If we are still inclined to cleave to the mention of ‘textual-errors’, we would do well to keep in my mind that Saichō’s refusal would have been discussed by members of the court- politicians who would have had little sympathy for religio-mystical transmissions and therefore required placating.
We have seen thus far then, that Saichō shared much in common with the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, Huisi, Zhiyi, Prince Yangguang 煬帝 and Guanding (all mentioned in Part One). In all of these cases, we have seen individuals who are characterised by faultless humility, possess conviction in the supremacy of the Lotus Sūtra, felt a duty to be the light for beings, and possessed a commitment to the cultivation of austere asceticism.
We can perhaps say therefore, that Master Saichō would have had reason to believe that he was already in possession of the Transmission from the Golden Mouth 金口相承, due to his unwavering conviction in the Lotus Sūtra. That is, he could have observed that like Huisi and Zhiyi before him, he himself displayed the signs of having heard the Sūtra atop Vulture Peak directly, from the ‘golden mouth’ of the Śākyamuni. He could also look to confirm this fact, via the words of the Sūtra itself, which would constitute assurance of possessing the Transmission of Vulture Peak 靈山相承 as well. This is because the unique and indispensable role of the Lotus Sūtra, is precisely to exist as the words of the Buddhas that independently verify the veracity of the other two transmissions. Nevertheless, without the confirmation of a master in the present (i.e. the Transmission from a Present Master 今師相承), Saichō could not have been certain of his possession of the other two Transmissions at all. And this is why he felt compelled to say in very unequivocal language that:
若不受師傳，雖得不信。
If I do not receive the Transmission from a Master (今師相承), though I have attainments (i.e. the other two transmissions, (金口相承 + 靈山相承)) they are not to be trusted.
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
That is, without this verification, the other two transmissions cannot be assured. In concrete terms, these three transmissions are none other than the single transmission of the Way of the Buddhas from one mind to another 佛祖之道, 以心傳心. And the teacher-disciple relationship is central to this:
「唯佛與佛, 乃能究盡, 諸法實相」(CBETA 2022.Q3, T09, no. 262, p. 5c10-11)
Only a Buddha together with a Buddha is able to fully fathom the True Characteristic of all dharmas.
《妙法蓮華經》卷1〈2 方便品〉The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma Fascicle 1: Chapter 2: Skilful Means)
Just as Zhiyi needed Huisi’s verification atop Mount Dasu, and Prince Yangguang required Zhiyi’s recognition in the palace, Saichō would be obliged to travel to China in search of his confirmation. And crucially, as in the aforementioned examples this would have to be a recognition among equals of the kind shared only by a Buddha together with a Buddha.
We might be tempted to think of this step as a mere formality, which Saichō simply would have liked in order to strengthen his own position in the mediaeval world of Japanese Buddhism. But if we are so tempted, we ought to recall Venerable Jianzhen’s disciples voicing their concern at the inherent dangers of crossing the seas between China and Japan, and remember that Saichō’s remarks occur in response to the Court requesting that he establish the Tiantai school in Japan immediately. When we specifically remember that Jianzhen’s disciple said: “of the hundred [who go,] not even one will arrive [there]” Saichō’s insistence is very telling. What’s more, the Master insisted upon undertaking the perilous journey in the full knowledge that he would have to make a second return journey to Japan afterwards! When we consider these facts seriously, any thought that this is a mere formality to him or some sort of ploy for influence, becomes absurd in the extreme. This is no mere formality, nor is it a mere political expediency. In the face of much risk, Saichō was willing to say:
「懃行大精進， 捨所愛之身， 供養於世尊， 為求無上慧。』」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T09, no. 262, p. 53b24-25)
“Rigorously cultivating Great Vigour,
I cast off the body that I loved,
To make an offering to the World Honoured One,
In order to seek the Unsurpassed Wisdom.”
《妙法蓮華經》卷6〈23藥王菩薩本事品〉The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma (Fascicle 6: Chapter 23: The Chapter on the Former Lives of Medicine King Bodhisattva)
And this is why the posthumous title awarded to Saichō by the Court after his death, was “Dengyō Daishi 傳教大師” (i.e. the Great Master “Transmitter of the Teachings”). The only reason one would undertake such risks, is because their karmic links required it. Perhaps we can think of this as something like the Buddhist equivalent to Luther’s “Here I stand. I can do no other.” at the Diet of Worms.
Needless to say, Saichō’s trips to China in 804 A.D., and return journey in 805 A.D. were filled with danger. The biography talks of black winds 黑風 (i.e. dark storms) and evil winds 惡風 (i.e. fierce gales), and of the four ships in the fleet, only two would arrive in China. The boat on which Saichō travelled made landfall in Mingzhou 明州, northern Zhejiang 浙江省, while the boat ferrying Great Master Kōbō Daishi Kūkai 弘法大師空海 sailed further south into Fuzhou 福州, Fujian 福建省. Once again, the work of the Bodhisattvas cannot be impeded. Saichō arrived in China on the 03/09 804A.D. 延暦二十三年, and although an illness 疾病 waylaid him briefly, he set out for Mount Tiantai 天台山 on the 15/09, and arrived there on the 26/09. It seems that the monks on Mount Tiantai held Saichō in some esteem for his efforts:
天台山國清寺眾僧，遞來慰勞。歸寺歎曰：昔聞西域, 騰、蘭、馱梵, 來於白馬，降邪道於南郊。今見東域闍梨，渡妙法於滄波，極蒼生於水陸，各竭禮敬, 頂載隨喜。
The monks of the Guoqingsi Temple on Mount Tiantai, came out in order bearing gifts. On returning to the temple they praised [Saichō] saying: “In the past we had heard of Mātaṅga, Gobharaṇa, and the Brahman Bodhidharma coming to the Baimasi Temple [from] the Western Regions, [and who all] subdued the mistaken ways of the south. Now we see an ācārya of the Eastern Regions [who will] ferry the Sublime Dharma over the ocean waves, and liberate sentient beings from the land and seas. For accomplishing either of these we would pay our respects, for these are the supreme sources of joy!”
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
It is of course easy to write off such laudatory descriptions, as ‘hagiographic accretions’. But then again, we might remember that Master Jianzhen’s belief that Tiantai Master Huisi had predicted his own future rebirth in an eastern region, was ample enough evidence to convince him to make six attempts to reach Japan, before he was finally successful. If Master Jianzhen was aware of such stories, then it is highly likely that the monks on Mount Tiantai were as well. Once again, we would be wise to notice the use of the expression “In the past we had heard…” 昔聞 as we have seen how it has signified a recognition of equals since Master Huisi’s time.
In China Saichō would have two Tiantai Masters, Langya Heshang Daosui 瑯琊和上 道邃 and Gusu Heshang Xingman 姑蘇和上 行滿 (though he would of course bring back other transmissions from other masters as well, such as Esoteric Buddhism 密教 for example). Both of these masters, were disciples of the Ninth Patriarch of the Tiantai School, Miaole Dashi Zhanran 妙樂大師 湛然, with Daosui acting as the Tenth Patriarch of the School itself 十祖. If their estimations of Saichō are to be believed, such a reception from the common monks of the mountain is hardly surprising. Xingman introduces us to another story passed down by the monks of the mountain:
佛隴寺僧，行滿座主，見求法深心，自相語言： “昔聞智者大師，告諸弟子等 ‘吾滅後二百歲，始於東國，興隆我法。聖語不朽。今遇此人矣。我所披閲法門，捨與日本闍梨，將去海東，當紹傳燈。’”
Observing [Saichō’s] sincere aspiration to seek the Dharma, the Abbot Xingman of the Folongsi Temple himself spoke these words: “In the past I was informed that Great Master Zhizhe (Zhiyi), told all of the disciples: “two hundred years after my passing, I will start propagating the Buddha-Dharma in an eastern land.” And these prophetic words were passed down the generations. I am now meeting this person [Saichō]! [And so, all of] the Dharma-gates which I have investigated, I entrust to this Japanese ācārya, who will go over the sea to the east, and will introduce the Transmission of the [Dharma] Lamp.”
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
In other words, Xingman claims that a story similar to the one Jianzhen transmitted about Master Huisi, had been preserved regarding Master Zhiyi’s future appearance in an eastern land. Once again the expression “In the past I was informed…” 昔聞 makes its appearance, and by doing so, makes the nature of this interaction completely unambiguous. What’s more, we have Xingman stating: “I am now meeting this person [Saichō]!” 今遇此人矣, which is likely meant in a similar vein to Master Huisi’s: “If it were not you, this would not have been experienced. If it were not me, this would not be confirmed.” 非爾弗感，非我莫識 If this was the only such account, we might assume that this was simply an error regarding the former story about Huisi and transmitted by Master Jianzhen. However, Master Daosui repeats this story, and includes a date as well:
於是，古德相傳曰：昔智者大師，隋開皇十七年，仲冬二十四日早旦，告諸弟子曰：吾滅後二百餘嵗，生於東國，興隆佛法。若有感應，先呈瑞靈。則一法鑰投空，倐忽而入空。擧衆雖慕瞻，終不知所屆也云云。而今聖語有微矣。遇最澄三藏，不是如來使，豈有堪難幸乎。
Hence, the patriarchs of yore transmitted from generation to generation as follows: In the past Great Master Zhizhe (Zhiyi) in the 17th year of Sui Kaihuang (597 A.D.), on the 24th day of the eleventh month in the early morning, told all of the disciples the following: “two hundred odd years after my passing, I will be reborn in an eastern land, to propagate the Buddha-Dharma. If this comes to pass, there will first be a display of auspicious portents. ” He then threw a single Dharma-key into the air, which immediately flew up into the sky. Though the assembly watched carefully, in the end they did not know where it had landed. And now these prophetic words have their significance! For I have met with Trepiṭaka Saichō, and is he not the Servant of the Tathāgata!? For what else could account for this rare good fortune!?
《道邃和尚付法文》Document on the Dharma-transmission from Venerable Daosui
It may therefore be the case that both stories were passed down, with Zhiyi predicting his own journey to the east in emulation of his master. In fact the Tendai Hokkeshū Shōchimyōgo Ketsu 天台法華宗生知妙悟決 has Saichō posing questions to Master Daosui, at the beginning of which he mentions the rebirth of Master Huisi in the east. If Master Daosui was surprised by this version of the tale, the text gives no such indication. And yet again we have expressions such as “in the past” 昔 as well as “And now these prophetic words have their significance! For I have met with Trepiṭaka Saichō” 而今聖語有微矣。遇最澄三藏 which make the intention of these interactions very clear for those with eyes to see!
The further term of ‘Servant of the Tathāgata’ 如來使 which Daosui uses to refer to Saichō when giving him the transmission, is taken from the tenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, and constitutes the proof Saichō required from a Master in the present, that he was indeed part of the Assembly on Vulture Peak:
「「藥王！當知是人自捨清淨業報，於我滅度後，愍眾生故，生於惡世，廣演此經。若是善男子、善女人，我滅度後，能竊為一人說法華經，乃至一句；當知是人則如來使，如來所遣，行如來事。何況於大眾中廣為人說？」(CBETA 2023.Q4, T09, no. 262, p. 30c24-29)
“Medicine King! You ought to know that these individuals abandon their own pure karmic-recompense, and after my Extinction are born into the evil world out of their compassion for sentient beings, and extensively expound this Sūtra. If there are good sons and good daughters, who after my extinction, are able to expound even a single line of the Dharma Flower Sūtra for the sake of even one person; you ought to know that these people then, are the Servants of the Tathāgata; [that is,] those who are sent by the Tathāgata, to do the work of the Tathāgatas. How much more so is he who for the sake of beings expounds it amidst a great assembly!?
《妙法蓮華經》卷4〈10 法師品〉“The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma ” (Fascicle 4: Chapter 10: “Dharma Teachers (dharmabhāṇaka)”)
We should not look at these stories as mere fanciful re-tellings of tales past. For when Master Daosui reminded Saichō of his original vow (i.e. to propagate in the east), he was performing the sublime sacred duty of a teacher. And in doing so, he caused the assembly of Vulture Peak to eternally remain 常在靈鷲山. Saichō likewise participated in this sublime eternal dance, by propagating the Lotus Sūtra beyond the sea, in such a way that he gave his all, and verified Daosui and Xingman’s words. His actions in the present, transformed his past and future.
The content of that which Saichō transmitted beyond the seas, and that which Sarvasattvapriyadarśana, Huisi and Zhiyi realised then, should not be thought of as differing in even the smallest way. For we are told:
邃和上，親開心要，咸決義理，如瀉瓶水，似得寶珠矣。
Venerable Daosui personally explained the essentials [to him], and clarified all the doctrines. Like water poured into a vessel [from another, with nothing lost], it was as if he attained the precious jewel [from the lining of his coat].
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
The first allusion to the pouring of water, assures us of the uniformity and preservation of the transmission; the second allusion to the jewel in the coat taken from the Lotus Sūtra itself, reminds us that this transmission was nothing more than a reminder of what he always possessed. This is the sublime and intimate duty of a teacher and student- for in this context, the teacher and student are equals: i.e. a Buddha together with a Buddha. Indeed Daosui, recognised and invoked this duty when he transmitted to Saichō the Three Contemplations in a Single Thought with a Single-word 一心三觀傳於一言 :
此謂一言，唯佛與佛，知一切法教本。
This [transmission in a] Single-word [occurs] only [between] a Buddha together with a Buddha, [for they are] able to comprehend the essence of all the Dharma-teachings.
《道邃和尚付法文》Document on the Dharma-transmission from Venerable Daosui
Saichō for his own part, recognised that such past karmic connections as intimated by both Xingman and Daosui must have indeed been so. For he remarked to Daosui:
若又非宿昔有緣，安得今日相見。仰願和尚，以慈悲示如來心印，授智者内證。
Should we have been without past karmic-connections, how could we have met today? [And so] I beseech Venerable [Daosui] to compassionately reveal to me the Mind-seal of the Tathāgatas, and impart to me the Inner-realisation [of Master] Zhizhe (Zhiyi).
《天台法華宗生知妙悟決》Determining the innate Sublime Awakening of the Tiantai Dharma Flower School
That is, on recognising their past connections, Saichō requested that Master Daosui confer on him the “finer-details of the Lotus Sūtra”- which is referred to as the Mind-seal of the Tathāgatas), and the “finer-meanings of the Sublime Writings of Tiantai” (which is referred to as the Inner-realisation [of Master] Zhizhe (Zhiyi)). These are precisely the two reasons for which he had originally been compelled to make his journey to the Great Tang Empire. And this confirms that the ‘textual-errors’ theory misses the point. Indeed, we know that Daosui consented to these requests, for he tells us the following:
而今聖語有微矣。遇最澄三藏，不是如來使，豈有堪難幸乎。然則，開宗、示奧、以法傳心。化隔滄海，相見杳然，共持佛慧，同會龍華。
And now these prophetic words [of Zhiyi] have their significance! For I now meet with Trepiṭaka Saichō. If he were not the Servant of the Tathāgata, what else could account for this rare good fortune!? This being so, I open-up the doctrines (of the Lotus Sūtra) and reveal the innermost [intricacies of our Tiantai school], by transmitting the Dharma to him (以法傳心). [Though his] propagation will be beyond the vast ocean, and our meeting [here] is unfathomable, we both uphold the Wisdom of the Buddhas, and so will meet again in the Dragon Flower [Assembly of Maitreya].
《道邃和尚付法文》Document on the Dharma-transmission from Venerable Daosui
Dengyō Daishi Saichō would return to Japan in either the late sixth, or early seventh month of 805 A.D.. This means that he spent only ten months in China, with approximately 20 weeks at Mount Tiantai itself, and half a year nearby in Taizhou 台州. Scholarship has sometimes considered itself novel and ‘cutting-edge’ by pointing out that the master’s trip was so short. Nevertheless, this ought not to cause us anxiety anymore, for we know that his was a journey of remembrance, not of initial-study. Indeed, if Saichō truly did receive the Transmission of the Three Contemplations in a Single Thought with one-word 一言一心三觀, then perhaps ten months was more than enough time for him to discover the jewel already within his coat 以無價寶珠, 繫其衣裏.
Saichō would bring back with him approximately 157 works in 406 fascicles. On his return, Emperor Kammu 桓武天皇 would remain Saichō’s faithful patron, just as Prince Yangguang 煬帝 had been for Zhiyi. And our Great Master would then spend the rest of his life establishing the Tendai School in Japan 日本國之天台宗. Though he enjoyed the patronage of the court, he would never forget the two lamentations which precipitated his retreat to Mount Hiei in the first place, and remained acutely sensitive to the suffering of the people on the one hand, and the transmission of the Buddha-Dharma on the other:
問曰：何故立此學生式?
答曰: 為傳法華經，仁王，金光明諸大乘經等故立此式。
問曰:何故傳法華經等?
答曰: 為守護國家，利益萬民，斷一切惡，修一切善，轉通大乘經!
“Question: “Why do you establish these student regulations?”
Answer: “In order to promulgate the Dharma Flower Sūtra, the Benevolent Kings, Golden Light and all of the Great Vehicle Sūtras, I therefore establish these regulations.””
“Question: “Why do you promulgate the Dharma Flower Sūtra and so forth?”
Answer: “In order to protect the nation and its rulers, benefit all the common people, sever all that is ill, and cultivate all that is good. [This is why] I recite and explain the Great Vehicle Sūtras!””
《天台法華宗學生式問答》Questions and Answers [Regarding The] Regulations for Students of the Tendai Dharma Flower Sect
Great Master Dengyō Daishi Saichō 傳教大師 最澄 would pass into nirvāṇa while on his right side 右脇入滅, on the fourth day of the sixth month of 822 A.D., at the age of fifty-six. When speaking of himself Saichō was not a boastful man, and he always carried himself with the humility we have seen from his lineage predecessors:
於是, 愚中極愚, 狂中極狂, 塵秃有情, 底下最澄。上違於諸佛, 中背於皇法, 下闕於孝禮。
And so I, am the most foolish among fools, the most deranged among the deranged, and of the many monastics, I, Saichō, am the lowest of the low. For upwardly I go against all the Buddhas, middlingly I defy the Emperor’s laws, and downwardly I am remiss in filial piety.
《願文》Vows
Recalling to our minds the example of the Bodhisattva Sarvasattvapriyadarśana from the Lotus Sūtra, we will recall that after having made extensive offerings with all and sundry, the value of which exceeds the universe many times over, the Bodhisattva lamented to himself saying:
『我雖以神力供養於佛，不如以身供養。』
“Though I’ve made offerings to the Buddha by means of my spiritual power, this is not equal to making an offering by means of my body. ”
In other words until he had given his all, as Zhiyi did before him, there was still more to be given. On his deathbed, he told his disciples:
若我滅後，皆勿着俗服，一又我同法。不得飲酒。若此者，非我同法，亦非佛弟子！
After my passing, you all must not wear lay clothing, [for in refraining from this] you are united with me in the same Dharma. Nor should you drink alcohol. If you do [either] of these, you will not be [united] with me in the same Dharma, and what’s more, you will not be the disciples of the Buddha!
《根本大師臨終遺言》Parting Words
In his last days he hoped that his disciples would remember that within the Buddha-Dharma they were all kith and kin. And so, it was not by wearing lay ‘mourning-clothes’, nor by drinking to his memory that they would honour him, but rather by remaining his brothers in the Dharma. For if they should turn away from this counsel, they would turn from the Buddha’s admonitions, and no longer be his brothers and sisters. Our other Great Father, Zhiyi, said the same shortly before his own passing:
我等非佛子，不念此遺囑，乘緩內無道，戒緩懼三途。由不問觀心，令他信漸薄！
We are not the Buddha’s sons,
[If we] are inattentive to His Departing Instructions,
[For] lax in meditation, the Way is absent within [us],
[And] lax in the precepts, [we should] fear the Three [Lower] Destinies.
Due to [our] disregard for the [practice of] contemplation of mind,
We cause other’s faith to seep gradually away!
《觀心論》Treatise on the Contemplation of Mind
This no longer surprises us, because we have seen time and again, that the assembly of Vulture Peak abides eternally 常在靈鷲山. Because we now have sufficient information to make sense of the examples we have to draw upon. Even with his end approaching, Saichō was concerned only with the discernment of the Dharma (dharmapravicaya 擇法), and that he would continue to be instrumental in causing the continuation of the teachings (niṣyanda 等流):
但我鄭重，託生此間，習學一乘，弘通一乘。若同心者，守道，修道，相思，相待。
My only [desire] is that I be repeatedly reborn in this place, to study the One Vehicle repeatedly, and spread this One Vehicle. If there are those of like-mind, they must preserve the Way, cultivate the Way, reflect on it, and depend on it.
《叡山大師傳》The Record of the Great Master of Mount Hiei
The Servant of the Tathāgata in the Lotus Sūtra “abandons his own pure karmic-recompense, and after the Buddha’s Extinction is born into the evil world out of their compassion for sentient beings, to extensively expound this Sūtra“. On his deathbed Great Master Zhiyi cried out: “I vow that my mind will return to the Buddha-Dharma, and enquiring after supreme virtue, ensure that the doctrines will not disappear. ” And the Great Saichō hoped to “be repeatedly reborn in this place, to study the One Vehicle repeatedly, and spread this One Vehicle“. The thread remained strong across these men, and so the world was not left wandering in darkness. But Master Saichō’s words beg for more than just mere appreciation for this unity:
若同心者，守道，修道，相思，相待。
If there are those of like-mind, they must preserve the Way, cultivate the Way, reflect on it, and depend on it.
If we are of like-mind, then we must follow in their footsteps. If we wish to meet again in the Dragon Flower Assembly of Maitreya, and hold our heads high in spite of all of our failings, we should take note of the accounts of those who came before us with the same commission. If we don’t even look, let alone notice, then we are not the Buddha’s children- “for we are inattentive to His Departing Instructions”. If the examples of these Servants of the Tathāgata inspire you; if in reading them, and the Lotus Sūtra, it ignites within you a fire equal to the conflagration at the end of a kalpa; if you can cry out: “here I stand. I can do no other!”; and if you feel the lineage of masters sitting before you, united in One Dharma, One Vehicle, and One Great Matter…then stand with us. Preserve, cultivate, reflect and depend upon the Way with us…
My treatment of our Great Master Saichō in this article, like my treatment of Master Zhiyi in part one, has by necessity been brief. I have omitted much that would give an overview of their efforts, and have attempted to include only those episodes from which one might gain a measure of what is means to be Servants of the Tathāgata. I’ve further tried to highlight the immense importance of the lineage which they have passed down to us today, in an attempt to communicate that although we find ourselves distant in time and place from these masters, they sit before our very eyes- if only we’d look.
In all my study of Saichō and Zhiyi before him, I must confess that I’ve grown to love both of these men as a son loves a father. Training with their descendants, I saw in my own master, the late Archbishop Ara Ryokan 荒了寛, the very same spirit which I cannot help but see in these two men. I claim no objectivity in my appraisal of their achievements, and it is one of my sincerest desires in life to make known what they stood for. I do not know if these articles will be of any use to others, who have yet to find in this eternal lineage, the nobility that I cannot help but see. In the end however, I could do nothing but write them. For although I am a shallow worldling who has heard little, and seen scant, I have been reminded of my original vow. And now, my only desire is to be repeatedly reborn here, to study and spread the One Vehicle again and again… I will rely solely on their strength, for mine is weak…And I fervently hope to see you all in Maitreya’s Assembly.
「從佛聞所未聞未曾有法，斷諸疑悔，身意泰然，快得安隱。今日乃知真是佛子，從佛口生，從法化生，得佛法分。」」(CBETA 2022.Q3, T09, no. 262, p. 10c10-14)
…hearing this Dharma which I had not heard before from the Buddha, I have severed all doubts and regrets, and my body and mind are calmed, for I have happily attained peace and tranquillity. Today I finally know that I truly am the Son of the Buddhas! Who from the Buddha’s mouth was born, from the Dharma’s transformativity was born, [and thereby] attains a share in the Buddha-Dharma.”
妙法蓮華經》卷2〈3 譬喻品〉“The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma ” (Fascicle 2: Chapter 3: “The Parable”)
Having been reminded of my original vow, I now know myself to be a member of this Eternal Lineage. In light of this realisation, I compose the following short reflection, on the Transmission of this Great Commission:
此妙法蓮華實經王，久遠實成法佛内證。此妙法蓮華三昧勝，度脫衆生一乘値道。妙法之體，略言一念，廣言三千。 搜其妙體，則普括一代五時，普遍一切權實法。尋其本懷，我令憶念本願。
佛爲衆生愛父，今知真是佛子。子見其父，有大力勢，即懷恐怖，悔來至此。雖吾所止，猶在本處，領知眾物，今子與父，唯佛與佛，便為不異。然我不敢輕於汝等，信解如來誠諦語故。但自作是意：以何令眾生，入諸佛祕要，速解法實相。
若不傳此經前事，則何勵後相承乎？於是，下座中底下慈海, 輒依師師三寶力, 集見聞錄為記事。雖我凡淺寡聞少見，意啻爲我等愚而作，不爲他賢哲而書寫。
南無：久遠實成，妙覺本迹，三身即一，四土不二，一乘教主，釋迦摩尼名毗盧遮那佛。
南無：本佛本懷，開權顯實，唯佛與佛，一乘祕要，開示悟入，諸法實相名妙法蓮華經。
南無：靈山親承，大蘇妙悟，法華玄文，摩訶止觀，願留心法，祖智顗名天台智者大師。
南無：圓融三諦，始終心要，統一切法，立一切法，泯一切法，相師圓教名天台宗教觀。
南無：真如來使，入唐求法，智者後身， 教化東土，託生此間，祖最澄名根本傳教大師。
南無：総合四宗，圓密禪戒，本覺値道，圓密一致，即身成佛，日本台教名天台法華宗。
南無：天台列祖，奉酬慈恩，天竺大唐，倭國此間，自捨淨報，値遇學弘一乘菩薩頂載。
合掌，
塵秃有情, 底下慈海。
This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma is indeed the King of Sūtras, for it is the Inner-realisation of the Dharmakāya Buddha, who truly attained Awakening in the distant past. This Samādhi of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma is supreme, for it is the Direct-Path of the One-Vehicle which liberates sentient beings. This Sublime Dharma is in brief, a single-thought-moment; and at length, it is the three thousand dharmas. [When one] investigates this Sublime Essence, it is found to pervasively encompass the Five Periods of the Buddha’s Ministry, and permeates all provisional and real dharmas. And on scrutinising the [Buddha’s] original intent, I am caused to remember my original vow.
The Buddha is the loving father of beings, and I now know that I truly am the Buddha’s son. A son [may] became afraid in his heart, on seeing his father possessed of great majesty, and so regret having come to this place. But though the place in which he resides, is still his former abode, he is caused to know of all the goods [in the Secret Treasury]. For now the son and the father, are merely a Buddha together with a Buddha, and there is no difference between them. And so I dare not belittle any of you, because I believe and understand the truth of the Tathāgata’s words. I have only this thought: “how can I cause sentient beings to enter the Secret Essence of all the Buddhas, and speedily comprehend the True Characteristic of dharmas?”
If I do not transmit the former matters concerning this Sūtra, how can I encourage its future transmission!? And so, I, Jikai, who am the lowest among the low, have relied exclusively on the strength of the Masters and the Three Jewels, to gather the accounts of what has been seen and heard [of the transmission of this Sūtra,] into these articles. As I am a lowly pṛthagjana who has heard little and seen scant, I have only written this for we the ignorant, and it has not been composed for those other Āryas.
I pay homage to: the Śākyamuni, who is called Mahāvairocana Buddha; the one truly awakened in the distant past; the Sublimely Awakened One of the Original [Ground] and the Trace [Manifestations]; the one in whom the Three Bodies are One; the one for whom the Four Realms are Non-dual; the Expounder of the One Vehicle!
I pay homage to: the True Characteristic of all dharmas, which is called the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Sublime Dharma; the Original Intent of the Original Buddha; which opens-up the provisional to reveal the Real; [understood] only by a Buddha together with a Buddha; The Secret Essence of the One Vehicle; that which opens-up, reveals, awakens one to, and causes entry into [the Knowledge and Insight of the Buddhas]!
I pay homage to: the Patriarch Zhiyi, who is called Great Master Tiantai Zhizhe; the one who personally received the Transmission on Vulture Peak; the one who attained Sublime Awakening on Mount Dasu; he who [transmitted these in] the Profound Meanings and the Words and Phrases of the Dharma Flower; as well as in the Great Calming and Contemplation; and the one who vowed that his heart would return to this Dharma!
I pay homage to: the Perfect Teachings transmitted by the Masters, which are called the Doctrines and Practise of the Tiantai School; the Perfectly Interpenetrating Three Truths; which are the essentials from beginning to end; are that which unify all dharmas; are that which establishes all dharmas; and that which extinguishes all dharmas!
I pay homage to: the Patriarch Saichō, who is called Great Master Konpon Dengyō; the True Servant of the Tathāgatas; he who went to the China in search of the Dharma; the later manifestation of Zhizhe; he who propagated in the Eastern Lands; and he who [vowed to be repeatedly] reborn in this place!
I pay homage to: the Teachings of the Japanese Tendai School, which is called the Tendai Hokke Shū; to the integration of the Four Lineages; of the Perfect, Esoteric, Meditation and the [Bodhisattva] Precepts; to the Direct Path of Original Enlightenment; to the Unity of the Perfect and the Esoteric; and to the Attainment of Buddhahood in this Body!
I pay homage to: to the Lineage of Tiantai/Tendai Patriarchs; those who Respond with Compassion and Kindness; those of India and China; and of Japan and these lands; to those who abandon their pure-recompense [to be reborn in this place]!
May I encounter those Bodhisattvas who Study and Spread the One Vehicle, for to them I pay obeisance!
With palms together,
The lowest of all the bald-headed ones, Jikai.
《妙法傳承略觀》A Brief Contemplation on the Transmission of the Sublime Dharma by the Dahara, Jikai Dehn 小師 慈海
My response to this Dharma which I had not heard before, is to throw myself into the Sea of the Dharma… Now that you have been reminded of your original vow, what will your response be?
