RELIGST 2TT3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Kami

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Religious Studies
• Course: RELIGST 2TT3
• Professor: Nick Rowe

Document Summary

Last time we talked about kukai and saicho and they both went to china to get esoteric buddhist texts which are seen as the most efficient of getting ritual power and hence the best for defence of state. Saicho battled and died in opposition to the nara establishment. Kukai was the opposite, he kinda lived in the nara sect. he didn"t deny nara or anything, he just said his version was better. Like esoteric chants, etc are more effective in all matter. And we know kukai was effective cuz he rose to the top of the nara bureaucracy. In 834, he performed a 7 day ritual that gives the emporer power and turns the emporer in kinda of a buddhist king. But the fact that he could do this ritual in the palace, shows to what degree esoteric buddhism was accepted by the elites.