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43-573: Genshin ( 源信 , 942 – July 6, 1017) , also known as Eshin Sōzu ( 恵心僧都 ) , was the most impactful of a number of scholar- monks of the Buddhist Tendai sect active during the tenth and eleventh centuries in Japan . Genshin, who was trained in both esoteric and exoteric teachings, wrote a number of treatises pertaining to the increasingly famous Pure Land Buddhism from a Tendai viewpoint, but his magnum opus ,

86-535: A Bhikṣu may take additional vows not related to ordination, including the Bodhisattva vows , samaya vows and others, which are also open to laypersons in most instances. The special dress of ordained people, referred to in English as robes , comes from the idea of wearing a simple durable form of protection for the body from weather and climate. In each tradition, there is uniformity in the color and style of dress. Color

129-456: A bhikkhu or bhikkhuni "fully ordained monastic" (Sanskrit: bhikṣu, bhikṣuṇī , Wylie : dge long (ma) ). Monastics take their vows for life but can renounce them and return to non-monastic life and even take the vows again later. A person can take them up to three times or seven times in one life, depending on the particular practices of each school of discipline; after that, the sangha should not accept them again. In this way, Buddhism keeps

172-650: A child at Enryakuji Temple, though the reasons are unknown. One theory is that his father died, since his mother and sisters also took tonsure at some point. While there, he studied under the controversial monk Ryōgen , who was active in strengthening his faction while intermingling with important political figures. Genshin, like many novice monks at Enryakuji , was trained in the Tendai tradition, which included study of other traditions, both exoteric and esoteric . Later, Genshin took part in debates promoted by Ryōgen to enforce academic standards, and during one debate in 974 at

215-534: A new doctrinal and functional context for the phenomenon of kusōzu (九相図, lit.  "nine-phase pictures") in which nine stages of a corpse in decay were displayed that served the purpose of liberation from sensual desires by contemplation of impurity. In addition to general practices related to the Pure Land, Genshin emphasized the practice of "deathbed nembutsu" that is to say the practices performed on one's deathbed. Genshin felt that nembutsu practices performed near

258-628: A novitiate (śrāmaṇera or sāmanera) in a rite known as the "going forth" (Pali: pabbajja ). Sāmaneras are subject to the Ten Precepts . From there full ordination (Pali: upasampada ) may take place. Bhikkhus are subject to a much longer set of rules known as the Pātimokkha (Theravada) or Prātimokṣa (Mahayana and Vajrayana ). In the Mahayana monasticism is part of the system of "vows of individual liberation". These vows are taken by monks and nuns from

301-470: A pilgrimage to Kyushu where he came into contact with Chinese Buddhist monks (and merchant escorts) who were staying there, and they exchanged works with one another. A merchant named Yang Renzhao (楊仁昭) reported that a copy of Ōjōyōshū was deposited there at Guoqingsi Temple on Mount Tiantai some time before 990. Genshin sought to further expand contacts with the parent Tiantai community in China, but due to

344-501: A secluded community at Yokawa on Mount Hiei solely devoted toward rebirth in the Pure Land , while staying largely neutral in the conflict. He was one of the thinkers who maintained that the nembutsu ritual, which was said to induce a vision of Amida, was an important hermeneutic principle in the Buddhist doctrinal system. In summarizing Genshin's teachings, he emphasized the efficacy of

387-596: A simple and meditative life and attain nirvana . A person under the age of 20 cannot be ordained as a bhikkhu or bhikkhuni but can be ordained as a śrāmaṇera or śrāmaṇērī . Bhikkhu literally means " beggar " or "one who lives by alms ". The historical Buddha, Prince Siddhartha , having abandoned a life of pleasure and status, lived as an alms mendicant as part of his śramaṇa lifestyle. Those of his more serious students who renounced their lives as householders and came to study full-time under his supervision also adopted this lifestyle. These full-time student members of

430-437: A vocal recitation was an adequate substitute. In addition, Genshin recommended auxiliary practices such as reciting sutras, maintaining wholesome conduct and repentance of past transgressions, all mainstream Mahayana Buddhist practices. However, Genshin felt these practices were helpful in supporting the visualization of Amitabha Buddha, and thus he advocated a holistic approach. Furthermore, in his work Ōjōyōshū he included

473-643: A women's march to Vesāli. and Buddha requested her to accept the Eight Garudhammas . So, Gotami agreed to accept the Eight Garudhammas and was accorded the status of the first bhikkhuni. Subsequent women had to undergo full ordination to become nuns. Theravada monasticism is organized around the guidelines found within a division of the Pāli Canon called the Vinaya Pitaka . Laypeople undergo ordination as

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516-459: Is donated to them. The robes of Tibetan novices and monks differ in various aspects, especially in the application of "holes" in the dress of monks. Some monks tear their robes into pieces and then mend these pieces together again. Upāsakas cannot wear the "chö-göö", a yellow tissue worn during teachings by both novices and full monks. In observance of the Kathina Puja , a special Kathina robe

559-493: Is made in 24 hours from donations by lay supporters of a temple. The robe is donated to the temple or monastery and the resident monks then select from their own number a single monk to receive this special robe. In English literature before the mid-20th century, Buddhist monks, particularly from East Asia and French Indochina, were often referred to by the term bonze . This term is derived from Portuguese and French from Japanese bonsō  'priest, monk'. It

602-501: Is often chosen due to the wider availability of certain pigments in a given geographical region. In Tibet and the Himalayan regions (Kashmir, Nepal and Bhutan), red is the preferred pigment used in the dyeing of robes. In Myanmar, reddish brown; In India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia, various shades of yellow, ochre and orange prevail. In China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam, gray or black is common. Monks often make their own robes from cloth that

645-585: Is originally enlightened, but unaware of it. In all, Genshin left more than 30 works which continue to influence Pure Land thought today. The image of Amida Nyorai in the main building of Yasaka-ji Temple in Shikoku is said to have been made by Genshin in the Heian Period . Bhikkhu The lives of all Buddhist monastics are governed by a set of rules called the prātimokṣa or pātimokkha . Their lifestyles are shaped to support their spiritual practice: to live

688-414: Is rare in modern literature. Buddhist monks were once called talapoy or talapoin from French talapoin , itself from Portuguese talapão , ultimately from Mon tala pōi  'our lord'. The Talapoys cannot be engaged in any of the temporal concerns of life; they must not trade or do any kind of manual labour, for the sake of a reward; they are not allowed to insult

731-464: The Ōjōyōshū ( 往生要集 , "Essentials of Birth in the Pure Land") , had considerable influence on later Pure Land teachers such as Honen and Shinran . In spite of growing political tensions within the Tendai religious hierarchy, and despite being one of the two leading disciples of the controversial Ryogen , 18th head of the Enryakuji Temple, Genshin and a small group of fellow monks maintained

774-695: The An Lushan Rebellion and internal strife within the Chinese community from 1000 onward, these efforts did not achieve the expected results. In the year 1004 he received the promotion of Gon Shōsōzu by the government. This in turn enabled him to become one of the highest ranking monks in Japan. With this he obtained the title Eshin Sōzu Genshin. By this point Genshin's fame in the Imperial court at Kyoto spread, and he

817-525: The nembutsu for rebirth in the Pure Land , but as part of a holistic approach using a number of mutually supportive practices such as visualization, chanting, personal conduct, etc., in contrast to the later, exclusive teaching of Honen . The purpose and intent of the Pure Land remained in Genshin's thought, within the larger Tendai approach, with the Lotus Sutra as its central teaching, an expedient means on

860-548: The sangha became the community of ordained monastics who wandered from town to city throughout the year, living off alms and stopping in one place only for the Vassa , the rainy months of the monsoon season. In the Dhammapada commentary of Buddhaghoṣa , a bhikkhu is defined as "the person who sees danger (in samsara or cycle of rebirth)" (Pāli: Bhayaṃ ikkhatīti: bhikkhu ). Therefore, he seeks ordination to obtain release from

903-504: The Dharma, and that the only hope for salvation lay in the reliance on the power of Amitabha . Because of this interest, and due to the worsening crisis within the Tendai monastic community, Genshin retreated from secular matters, and composed a number of treatises on Pure Land teachings, cataloging them, providing commentaries, etc. Genshin composed over 30 different documents in his lifetime. The Ōjōyōshū ( 往生要集 , "Essentials of Birth in

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946-417: The Imperial palace impressed one Taira no Chikanobu who wrote praise in his personal diary at Genshin's debate skills. From this time, Genshin also wrote a number of works on Buddhist logic, some of which were personal notes, others were meant for wider audiences. As the tension and violence between the two factions of the Tendai sect worsened, in large part due to Ryōgen's policies overtly favoring one over

989-500: The Minamoto family. The members of the Minamoto family were provincial aristocrats. His pious mother, a Pure Land believer, is said to have wished for a son, and prayed before a statue of the bodhisattva Kannon . After receiving a vision where a monk handed her a jewel, she is said to have become pregnant and gave birth to Genshin. Genshin took tonsure with the Tendai sect of Buddhism as

1032-455: The Pure Land") , his largest work, is essentially a comprehensive analysis of the Pure Land path and existing practices. Genshin's interpretation of the nembutsu was a fairly orthodox interpretation at the time, relying upon visualization of Amitabha Buddha's features, and on the Pure Land. Elsewhere, Genshin acknowledged that if visualization of the Buddha was too difficult, then the nembutsu as

1075-462: The Tendai Buddhist tradition and his writings on the Pure Land, Buddhist logic and Tendai teachings reflected an orthodox stance: Genshin, like many Buddhist monks at the time in Japan starting with the evangelist Kūya and the scholar-monk Senkan , took an increasing interest in Pure Land teachings imported from China. The prevailing belief was that the world had entered the degenerate age of

1118-452: The age of 76 due to advanced age and probable illness. In his final days, he lay mostly bedridden, grasping a string tied to the hand of a statue of Amitabha Buddha per his own "deathbed nembutsu" practice. He recited verses with his disciples, and eventually died in his sleep. The date of his passing is still marked by an annual ceremony at the Mount Hiei 's Yokawa. Genshin was trained in

1161-495: The cycle of rebirth. The Dhammapada states: [266–267] He is not a monk just because he lives on others' alms. Not by adopting outward form does one become a true monk. Whoever here (in the Dispensation) lives a holy life, transcending both merit and demerit, and walks with understanding in this world — he is truly called a monk. Buddha accepted female bhikkhunis after his step-mother Mahapajapati Gotami organized

1204-499: The earth by digging it. Having no tie, which unites their interests with those of the people, they are ready, at all times, with spiritual arms, to enforce obedience to the will of the sovereign. The talapoin is a monkey named after Buddhist monks just as the capuchin monkey is named after the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin (who also are the origin of the word cappuccino ). Nembutsu Too Many Requests If you report this error to

1247-409: The five upāsaka and upāsikā vows ( Wylie : dge snyan (ma) , "approaching virtue"). The next step is to enter the pabbajja or monastic way of life (Skt: pravrajyā , Wylie : rab byung ), which includes wearing monk's or nun's robes. After that, one can become a samanera or samaneri "novice" (Skt. śrāmaṇera , śrāmaṇeri , Wylie : dge tshul, dge tshul ma ). The final step is to take all the vows of

1290-423: The hour of death were particularly important, as one's final thoughts before death had a disproportionate importance in determining one's rebirth. While the precedence existed in earlier Chinese texts, Genshin spent considerable time in the Ōjōyōshū discussing its importance, and how to concentrate on the Buddha, and enlisting support from friends to maintain concentration and practice. By maintaining focus until

1333-429: The last breath, Genshin felt that the practitioner would be assured of rebirth in the Pure Land, but if their mind wavered, rebirth was not certain. Genshin's influence in contemporary Japanese culture today is primarily due to his treatise, Ōjōyōshū , particularly its graphic descriptions of the Buddhist hell realms (地獄 jigoku ), which inspired a genre of horror and morality stories. The 1960 Japanese film Jigoku

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1376-566: The major themes of the 250 precepts: celibacy, non-harming, no intoxicants, vegetarian eating and reducing labor for gain. After twelve years, monastics would then use the Vinaya precepts as a provisional or supplemental, guideline to conduct themselves by when serving in non-monastic communities. Tendai monastics followed this practice. During Japan's Meiji Restoration during the 1870s, the government abolished celibacy and vegetarianism for Buddhist monastics in an effort to secularise them and promote

1419-790: The newly created State Shinto . Japanese Buddhists won the right to proselytize inside cities, ending a five-hundred year ban on clergy members entering cities. Currently, priests (lay religious leaders) in Japan choose to observe vows as appropriate to their family situation. Celibacy and other forms of abstaining are generally "at will" for varying periods of time. After the Japan–Korea Treaty of 1910 , when Japan annexed Korea, Korean Buddhism underwent many changes. Jōdo Shinshū and Nichiren schools began sending missionaries to Korea under Japanese rule and new sects formed there such as Won Buddhism . The Temple Ordinance of 1911 ( Korean :  사찰령 ; Hanja :  寺刹令 ) changed

1462-422: The ordinary sangha, in order to develop personal ethical discipline. In Mahayana and Vajrayana, the term "sangha" is, in principle, often understood to refer particularly to the aryasangha ( Wylie : mchog kyi tshogs ), the "community of the noble ones who have reached the first bhūmi ". These, however, need not be monks and nuns. The vows of individual liberation are taken in four steps. A lay person may take

1505-507: The other, Genshin retired to more remote Yokawa region of Mount Hiei by 981, and evidence shows increasing interest in Pure Land Buddhist teachings than before. Other disciples of Ryōgen such as Zōga (増賀, 917-1003) similarly retired in disgust with some leaving Mount Hiei entirely. It was at Yokawa that Genshin completed the Ōjōyōshū in 985, but not before completing other, smaller works on meditation methods of Amitabha Buddha. It

1548-623: The path to Buddhahood . Further, Genshin's teachings on the "deathbed nembutsu" ritual were highly influential in Heian Period Buddhist practice. Genshin's life is somewhat obscure despite four different biographies written about him in the Heian Period , but what is known is that Genshin was born in Yamato Province , in Taima, to one Uraba no Masachika and his wife from the Kiyohara clan, of

1591-554: The practice of celibacy varies. The two sects of Korean Seon divided in 1970 over this issue; the Jogye Order is fully celibate while the Taego Order has both celibate monastics and non-celibate Japanese-style priests. In Tibet , the upāsaka, pravrajyā and bhikṣu ordinations are usually taken at ages six, fourteen and twenty-one or older, respectively. Tibetan Vajrayana often calls ordained monks lama . In Mahayana traditions,

1634-562: The traditional system whereby temples were run as a collective enterprise by the Sangha, replacing this system with Japanese-style management practices in which temple abbots appointed by the Governor-General of Korea were given private ownership of temple property and given the rights of inheritance to such property. More importantly, monks from pro-Japanese factions began to adopt Japanese practices, by marrying and having children. In Korea,

1677-429: The turbulent of the declining age of the Dharma they believed they were living in. It is unclear if Genshin was a founding member or not, however. Genshin was both active in research and writing at this time, until around 1001 when he began participating in ceremonies at the Imperial court again. Between 984 and 985 he composed the Ōjōyōshū. He seems to have written it within five months. In 986, Genshin did journey on

1720-521: The vows "clean". It is possible to keep them or to leave this lifestyle, but it is considered extremely negative to break these vows. In 9th century Japan, the monk Saichō believed the 250 precepts were for the Śrāvakayāna and that ordination should use the Mahayana precepts of the Brahmajala Sutra . He stipulated that monastics remain on Mount Hiei for twelve years of isolated training and follow

1763-580: Was also during this time that Genshin joined fellow monks dwelling in Yokawa established a " nembutsu fellowship" called the nijūgo zanmaie ( 二十五三昧会 , "The Fellowship of the Twenty-five Samadhis ") . According to the records from the time, the stated goal of the Fellowship was for its members to mutually assist one another in their efforts to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha and away from

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1806-554: Was influenced by Genshin's Ōjōyōshū, and in the manga and anime Jujutsu Kaisen , the corpse of Genshin functions as a "prison realm," likely playing on the themes of the underworld within Genshin's works. In Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, he is considered the Sixth Patriarch . Genshin is credited as the founder of the Enshin school of Tendai Buddhism, and for espousing the "original enlightenment" teaching, or hongaku (本覚), where one

1849-436: Was invited for lectures, events, a promotion by the court to "supernumerary minor bishop", and so on. The powerful Fujiwara no Michinaga sought him out for private religious services, but Genshin politely refused. The Tale of Genji also mentions a "bishop of Yokawa", which is thought to refer to Genshin. In his final years, he resigned his title and position and took up more writing, before he finally passed away in 1017 at

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