Author: tendaiuk

What do we mean when we talk about a “Buddhist lineage”? Simply summed up, a lineage is a line of transmission that is [theoretically] traced back to the Buddha. But what is meant by “transmission” and why is lineage important? TRANSMISSION When we speak about transmission, we are talking about two things; 1 – the… Continue reading The importance of Lineage

A BASIC GUIDE TO TENDAI SHIKAN

Light up one corner By Seishin Clark   In the “Sange-gakushoshiki” Ven Saicho said; "What are a nation's treasures? True riches are one's faith in Buddha, and those who call it so, and therefore it has from times long ago been said that true riches are not material things but that which shines light into… Continue reading 一隅を照らす ICHIGU WO TERASU

‘SKILL IN MEANS’ The Sanskrit word ‘upāya’, or ‘Hōben 方便’ in Japanese, is translated as ‘expedient means’, or ‘skill in means’, or simply ‘skilful means’ (upāya kauśalya). This teaching features prominently in the Lotus Sutra, and also is a key component in Tendai philosophy. Simply put, upāya means to use wisdom to teach in a… Continue reading UPĀYA

ICHINEN SANZEN 一念三千 3000 worlds in a single thought By Seishin Clark ‘3000 worlds in a single thought’ is a Tendai/Tientai doctrine created by the founder of Chinese Tientai, Chih-i (Zhiyi). In the following essay I hope to give a simple explanation of this incredibly important Tendai doctrine, although I feel I will not be… Continue reading Ichinen Sanzen

AMIDA BUTSU 阿弥陀仏 (AMITABHA BUDDHA) Originally, Amida was a Bodhisattva monk called Dharmakāra (Hōzō 法蔵). He was a king who, like Shakyamuni, gave up his thrown to become a monk. After eons of practice, he became Dharmakāra Bodhisattva, who then made 48 vows. Having fulfilled them, he became known as Amitābha Buddha. This story doesn’t… Continue reading Amitabha Buddha

WHAT IS ‘MIKKYO’? Do not expect to be taught mikkyo in the following article. Instead, I want to explore the etymology of ‘mikkyo’ and hopefully dispel some misunderstandings surrounding its practice. ‘Mikkyo’ 密教 literally means “secret teachings” or “secret doctrine”, and mostly refers to the practices of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism within the Tendai, Shingon, Shugendo… Continue reading TENDAI MIKKYO

TIANTAI – FOUR WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS By Seishin Clark The Four Noble Truths are the first teachings of the historic Shakyamuni Buddha. They are; 1. The truth of dukkha* 2. The truth of the cause of dukkha 3. The truth of the end of dukkha 4. The truth of the way/path… Continue reading FOUR WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING THE FOUR NOBLE TRUTHS