Saicho, who was a disciple of the Administrator of Priests Gyohyo of Yamashinadera temple. (He later came to be known as the Great Teacher Dengyo.) He made a thorough study of the six schools that had been introduced to Japan earlier, as well as of the Zen doctrine, but none of these seemed to satisfy him. Earlier, in the reign of Emperor Shomu, the Reverend Chienchen [Ganjin] of T’ang China had come to Japan and brought with him the commentaries of T’ien-t’ai. Forty or more years had passed, and Saicho was the first person to peruse them and understand the profound meaning of Buddhism.
In the fourth year of the Enryaku era (785), Saicho founded a temple on Mount Hiei in order to insure the continuance of peace in heaven and on earth. Emperor Kammu paid honor to the new establishment, designating it as a place of worship where prayers could be offered to the guardian star of the ruler. He ceased to heed the teachings of the six schools and instead gave wholehearted allegiance to the perfect doctrines of the Tendai school.
In the thirteenth year of the Enryaku era, the emperor moved the capital from Nagaoka to the city of Heian.2 In the twenty-first year of the same era, on the nineteenth day of the first month, the emperor summoned fourteen great scholars of the six schools from the seven major temples of Nara, including such priests as Gonso and Choyo, to Takao-dera temple, and ordered them to engage Saicho in debate. These masters of the six schools were not able to hold their own against Saicho even for a single exchange of opinions, to the extent that their mouths became as incapable of speech as their noses. The five teachings of the Flower Garland school, the three periods of the Dharma Characteristics school, and the two storehouses and three periods propounded by the Three Treatises school3—all of
these doctrines were demolished by Saicho. Not only were the doctrines of the six schools refuted, but it was demonstrated how they all go against the correct teaching. On the twenty- ninth day of the same month, the emperor handed down an edict severely criticizing the fourteen debaters who had confronted Saicho. These priests in turn drew up a letter apologizing for their conduct and submitted it to the emperor.
Thereafter, one sovereign after another paid allegiance to Mount Hiei, treating it with even greater deference than a filial son shows toward his father and mother, regarding it with greater awe than the common people manifest before the might of the ruler. At times the rulers issued edicts to honor it; at other times they were obliged to give their approval to its unjust demands. We may note in particular that Emperor Seiwa was able to ascend the throne as a consequence of the powerful prayers of the Reverend Eryo of Mount Hiei.4 The emperor’s maternal grandfather, the Minister of the Right Kujo, for this reason submitted a written pledge of his fidelity to Mount Hiei. The General of the Right Minamoto no Yoritomo [the founder of the Kamakura shogunate], it will be recalled, was a descendant of Emperor Seiwa. And yet the government authorities in Kamakura, though they may or may not be following the right course in their administration, ignore and turn their back on Mount Hiei. Have they no fear of the punishment of heaven?
In the time of the Retired Emperor Gotoba, during the Kennin era (1201–1204 ), there were two arrogant men, Honen and Dainichi. Their bodies were possessed of demons, and they went about deluding the people of both high and low station throughout the country, until everyone had become a Nembutsu believer or else
