(814–891) was a Japanese
Buddhist monk who founded of the
Jimon school of
Tendai Buddhism and Chief Abbot of
Mii-dera at the foot of
Mount Hiei. After succeeding to the post of Tendai , in 873, a strong rivalry developed between his followers and those of
Ennin's at
Enryaku-ji (note: Ennin had died in 864).
The rivalry was largely geographical, and was not based much on sectarian differences over interpretations of practice or doctrine; nevertheless, the friction between the followers of the two ''zasu'' finally broke out into a violent conflict. Rivalres between the followers of different ''zasu'' were not anything new at that time. During his twelve years on Hiei, Enchin himself saw a conflict between direct disciples of Saichō (namely
Enchō and
Kōshō) and the disciples of his own master, the second Tendai ''zasu''
Gishin. After the death of Gishin, his main follower, Enshu, was elected as the third ''zasu'', but Enchō and Kōshō objected and finally forced Enshu and his followers to leave Mount Hiei.
Most significantly, Enchin united the Tendai school's teachings with those of
Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, and interpreted the ''
Lotus Sutra'' from the point of view of esoteric teachings as well as used Tendai terminology in order to explain the esoteric ''
Mahavairocana Tantra.''
Enchin is said to have supported the worship of native gods (''
kami
are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...
'') and certain elements of
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...
. In a memorial speech in 887, he noted the respect the court of
Tang China
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
had for Japan because of Japan's encouragement and welcoming of the ideals of
''li'' () and
''yi'' (). He warned that though Enryaku-ji was founded with the native gods in mind, "no such officiating monks are provided for the main deities of the
mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...
. This is certainly a breach of Li. There ought to be two monks to worship the two gods."
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References
{{Authority control
Japanese scholars of Buddhism
814 births
891 deaths
Tendai
Japanese Buddhist clergy
9th-century Japanese calligraphers
Shugendō practitioners
Founders of Buddhist sects
Buddhist clergy of the Heian period
Tendai Buddhist monks