| Research Abstract |
Since the 2nd year of Heisei (1990), I have been studying for three years the interrelation between Kamakura Pure Land Buddhism and Medieval Tendai Buddhism.
The process and the results of the study so far are as follows. First, I researched the background of Honen's masters in Tendai Buddhism. I examined various schools within Medieval Tendai Buddhism that were influential during the days of Honen's masters Koen and Eiku, and their works and commentaries. Second, I took up five main works on Hongaku thought that seem to have been accessible to Honen, the Honritaikoshu, the Tendaihokkeshu-gozuhomon-yosan, Hongakusan-shaku, the Shinnyokan, and the Shijushikanokotogaki, explicated the characteristics of ideas mentioned in these works, and estimated whether they had any influence on Honen's thought or not. Thirdly, I divided Honen's disciples into two groups ; those who are regarded to have been influenced by Hongaku thought and those who criticized it or at least who are regarded not have
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been influenced much by it. To begin with, as a typical examples of the latter, I took up Shoko and Ryochu and their doctrine Chinzeigi, and examined the characteristics of the Pure Land doctrines elucidated by them. In the course of the study, I took up Hochi-bo Shoshin, who harshly criticized Hongaku thought. I made a close reference between Ryochu's three commentaries on Shan-tao's Kuan wu-liang-shou ching su and surviving passages of Shoshin's Kangyosho-shiki(the Personal Commentary on the Kuan wu-liang-shou ching su, which is no longer extant in its entirety). Next I took up Ryukan and Shoku as typical figures of the former group. As regards Ryukan, I examined the relation between his Pure Land thought and the thought of the Toyo and Sugio schools(Toyo-ryu, Sugio-ryu)in Medieval Tendai Buddhism. Then with respect to Shoku, who is thought to have been deeply influenced by Hongaku thought together with Ryukan, I examined the relation between his thought and the thought of the Ohara school(Ohara-ryu)of Medieval Tendai. Then I considered the influence of Tendai thought, namely of both exoteric and esoteric Tendai Buddhism, on all of Shoko's writings. As to this topic we have concluded as follows : In his early work, the Kangyosho jihitsu-sho, I can clearly recognize the influence of Tendai esoteric teachings, however the influence of Hongaku thought gradually increases in his later works. Then finally in his Kangyosho shakugaku sho, his thought is completely influenced by Hongaku thought. Less
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