最澄(Saicyou)

When I visit Tokyo National Museum etc, I often see people who are just looking at statues designated as a national treasure as if looking at an oil painting. Also I sometimes see people who are just looking at national treasure statues in temples. They don't pray in front of the statues. I think they may not look at the national treasure. That is, the treasure is not the statues. The statues are just a material object. What the national treasure is? It is the heart of Buddhism. When people pray in front of the statues from the heart, the statues can be a real national treasure. Well, Today's topic is 最澄(Saicyou) who defined what national treasure is.





最澄(Saicyou), his honor title is 伝教大師(Dengyou-daishi), is an axis of Japanese buddhism. He is one of the most important person when we talk about Japanese buddhism. He is the founder of Japanese Tendai Buddhism. Japanese buddhist sects developed grounded in Tendai Buddshim. 延暦寺(Enryakuji), the head temple, is called as "Mother of Japanese buddshim". Many sects born from Tendai Buddhism. And more, Japanese emperors are a behaver of Tendai Buddshim. Therefore, if Emperor is the center or symbol of Japan, the sect has been always ling centrally in Japanese culture.



Saicyou, Chinese-Japanese, was born in Oumi province(Shiga prefecture). He became a priest when a boy, studied as student of 行表(Gyouhyou, a monk). Saicyo was a monk of Nara Buddhism but he balked of his hope due to corruption of Nara Buddhism and he didn't pursued his career further, then secluded himself in the mountain called 比叡山(Hiei-mountain).



At the time, 桓武天皇(Emperor Kanmu) planed to transfer the capital to Kyoto from Nara. The emperor thought he have to do religious reform because Buddhism in Nara had been deteriorate. He didn't want to bring Nara Buddhism into new capital. The emperor heard the reputation of Saicyou, he began acquaintance with Saicyou.



Opinion about Saicyou's human qualities by Buddhist scholars is very good. He is very Japanese too. 最澄(saicyou)'s 最 means most, 澄 means pure. His names and his natures agreed. He became a monk of authority.



Saicyou was picked out as a 還学生(Gengakushou), he went to China to study China's advanced Buddhism for two years. He studied Chinese Tendai Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, Zen buddhism mainly at 天台山(Tendai-mountain).



After that he returned to Japan, he started a study to integrate Tendai Buddhism, 戒(Kai), Zen Buddhism and Tantric Buddhism to one. As Japanese Tendai made advances in its studies, it became a big university. The nature of university is the mother of Japanese buddhist sects.



The study was completed by his students, 円澄(Encyou), 円仁(Ennin), 円珍(Enchin) and 安然(Annen). The age of his students, it was completed. 円仁(Ennin) is famous as the author of 入唐求法巡礼行記(Nittou-guhou-jyunrei-kouki). He wrote about Tang's culture, society and religious oppression etc. This is a valuable data for study China. Someone said this is one of three major book of travel in the world history.



Japanese Tendai buddhism fructified as Tendai Tantric Buddhism.　It protects Kyoto and Japan by Buddhism including magic. Hieizan-Enryakuji-temple is face northeast(demon's gate).



Tendai sect has only 600 thousand behaviors now. In fact, Tendai sect was supported by mainly imperial families and noble families and their descendants, for example Samurais. Common folks mostly couldn't become a behaver because of high offering cost and ancestry. Even now the monk who holds funeral rites for Emperor are Tendai's monks. This is a important feature for mentioning Japanese buddhist history. That is, in that age, Buddhism was not for common people barring exceptions. Solely, I've met a friend who belongs to Tendai, she was also Kanmu emperor's Taira clan.



It actively has contact with Latin Church etc. Tendai doesn't have a large number of behaviors but it bears heavy responsibility as the mother of Japanese Buddhism. It holds summit conference of religion at Hieizan-mountain. The aim is that religions make an effort to cease any religious war. Leaders of religion in all over the world come. However, alas, Tendai sect has not much money. It costs only 20 million yen($0.166 million) but money runs low. Too many national treasures and important cultural properties it has. They incur much maintenance cost. Too small number of behaviors it has. Maybe it can't hold it now. Originally Japanese imperial families are not such rich. Most of noble men too in through most of history.



Amid the summit conference, Pope John Paul II said, in Japan, in 1981 "If I cite a word by Saicyo who was a great teacher in Japan, the spirit that it is the ultimate mercy to do good with no adhering to one's self is most important word for this cooperation between many religions.



Today I cite 山家学生式(Sankegakushoushiki). I think you would see this at Tendai's temples.



山家学生式。

国宝何物。宝道心也。有道心人。名為国宝。

故古人言。径寸十枚。非是国宝。照于一隅。

此則国宝。古哲又云。能言不能行。国之師

也。能行不能言。国之用也。能行能言。国之

宝也。三品之内。唯不能言不能行。為国之

賊。乃有道心仏子。西称菩薩。東号君子。悪

事向己。好事与他。忘己利他。慈悲之極。



『国宝とは何物ぞ、宝とは道心なり、道心あるの人を名付けて国宝となす。

故に古人の言わく、径寸十枚(金銀財宝）これ国宝にあらず、一隅（いちぐう）を照らす、これすなわち国宝なりと。

古哲また言はく、能く言いて行うこと能わざるは国の師なり、能く行いて言うこと能わざるは国の用（ゆう）なり、能く行い能く言うは国の宝なり。 三品（さんぼん）の内、ただ言うこと能わず行うこと能わざるざるを、国の賊と為すと。

乃ち道心あるの佛子、西には菩薩と稱（しょう）し東には君子と號（ごう）す。

悪事を己に向かえ好事を他に与え、己を忘れて他を利するは慈悲の極みなり。』



Sanke Gakushou shiki (I translated this)

What national treasure is? It is the way of Buddhism(I think this also means Confucianism too). I define a person walks the way as the national treasure. The ancient said silver, gold and jewels are not national treasure but illuminating where the person is by the wisdom is the national treasure.

The ancient philosopher also said that person who proactively make good mention and doesn't implement good stuff is the teacher of country, person who proactively implement and doesn't make good mention is the function(useful person) of country, person who proactively implement good stuff and make good mention is the national treasure. Which of those three kind, person who doesn't make good mention and doesn't proactively implement is the rebel of country.

The person who walk Buddhist way is called bodhisattva in west(India) and is called wise man in east(China).

It is the supreme mercy to pass happiness to others, to willingly accept hardship, not to adhere to one's self and to give boon to others. (it is the ultimate mercy to do good with no adhering to one's self)



As for other words,



道心の中に衣食あり、衣食の中に道心なし。

Food and clothing is in way of Buddha, but the way isn't in food and clothing.



因なくして果を得る、この処あることなし。

There is no consequent without cause.



古師、謬あらば、新師、改むべし。

If ancient teacher was wrong, teacher of the moment must fix what must be fixed.





When we talk about Tendai, we can mention many things about Japan. For example ascetic training called Sennichi-kaihougyou, ghosts, Shugen-do, thought of hell, armed priest, Buddha statue, spirituality, Oda Nobunaga who was a war lord, corruption curse etc. I'll talk about them later. Today's blog has become bit too long.



It is a photo of Sanzenin, a Monzeki temple of Tendai.

Monzeki: a temple whose head priest is a member of the Imperial family.

When you come to Kyoto, you would visit some of Monzeki temples of Tendai and of others.