RELIGST 2TT3 Lecture Notes - Gongen, Kami, Mount Hiei

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

Document Summary

Kukai is the founder of shingon buddhism, a type of esoteric buddhism. Tendai buddhism: every single buddhism sect after shingon was trained at mount hiei: marks the transition between the nara and heian period, founded by saicho; buddhist priests were trained to work for the government. Saicho was shut down by the establishment (nara) to create his own place at mount hiei; kukai worked with the shintoism establishment to create his shingon buddhism. Kukai introduced this concept through working with shintoism, instead of fighting it: kukai did not overturn shintoism, and he comes with new technology from esoteric. Buddhism; while saicho wanted to establish his own form of buddhism and was shut down. Sutra because he is being sought after by the ghost warriors. Avatar: descent, manifestation, incarnation, embodiment, representation: sacred things of the world are personified manifested in a form of a deity or a person. Gongen: power/authority + manifestation: kami as manifestations of buddha.