Comparing and Contrasting Tendai and Shingon

Tendai and Shingon
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Comparing and Contrasting Tendai and Shingon
Introduction
Japanese Buddhism has seen the significant transition and changes from the periods of Heian and the Kamakura. Different sects of schools, revolving around Buddhism have been coined from the early periods in the Japanese Buddhism journey. For instance, during the Heian period, two major factions of Buddhism existed, Tendai and Shingon Buddhism, to the later period of Kamakura, which involved the Pure Land, Nichiren, and the Zen divisions (Dobbins, 1996). All these divisions aforementioned, from the early period of Heian to the recent period bear similarities as well as differences. The essay explains Buddhism in the Heian period, looking at the similarities between the factions that existed in this period, and then relating the same to the schools that existed during the Kamakura era.
Tendai and Shingon Buddhism bear a lot in common apart from just emerging during the same period or the era of Heian. The two are much similar to the fact that both the schools of Buddhism were introduced to Japan from China by traveling monks. For instance, Shingon Buddhism, which is considered to be counted among the major schools of Buddhism in Japan, and a few lineages still found in the Eastern part of Asia, spread from India to China and later to Japan (Sharf, 2003). The term Shingon is derived from the Chinese reading of the term “True words’. The doctrine found its way to Japan through a monk by the name Kukai, who made his way to China to request transmission of the teachings from China to Japan (Sharf, 2003). Similarly, Tendai teachings and doctrines reached or was transmitted to Japan from China by Saicho, a monk who had traveled to China on a mission.
Moreover, the two schools of Buddhism in this period were greatly followed by middle class and influential people within the society. Taking the case of Tendai sect that developed and thrived under the watch of the imperial house of Japan and noble people (Dobbins, 1996). However, it is believed that Tendai Buddhism experienced problems during the end of the Heian period, factors such as political estrangement rising from the opposing sect of society. The same is true for the Shingon faction, who had support from the strong people in the land since they partnered with the ruling power in their operations and religious practices (Sharf, 2003).
In addition to the similarities above between the two, one cannot rule out the fact that both Tendai and Shingon emerged to counter the Nara Buddhism that was in place earlier. Both the founders of Tendai and Shingon felt that the Nara tradition was inferior and had to travel to China to learn and spread new doctrines. In the quest of contradicting the Nara tradition of Buddhism, the two founders had another common intention, the intention of spreading and ensuring continuation and expansion of Buddhism from the Asian continent (Payne, 2004). The reasoning is true since the two were on a mission to learn and transmit Buddhism from a foreign land to Japan.
Even though the two schools had numerous similarities, certain differences existed. For instance, according to Payne (2004), the Tendai tra...