Zen Buddhism during the Tokugawa Period: The Challenge to Go beyond Sectarian Consciousness

The transformation of Buddhism during the Tokugawa period has not been sufficiently explored by modern scholars. In this essay I will attempt to sketch an overall view of Tokugawa-period sectarian consciousness as expressed in the relations between the various obediences of what is popularly called...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Japanese journal of religious studies 1994-12, Vol.21 (4), p.341-372
Main Author: Mohr, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abbots
Buddhism
Dharma
Hereditary succession
Japan
Lamps
Orthodoxy
Priests
Religious history
Religious reform
Religious studies
Sectarianism
Zen
Zen Buddhism
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Summary:The transformation of Buddhism during the Tokugawa period has not been sufficiently explored by modern scholars. In this essay I will attempt to sketch an overall view of Tokugawa-period sectarian consciousness as expressed in the relations between the various obediences of what is popularly called "the Zen sect, " namely the Sōtō, Rinzai, and Ōbaku schools. The question of lineage and identity is of central importance here, as this issue is intimately connected with sectarian developments during the Tokugawa period, and thus with the way in which the Japanese sects view themselves today. By examining certain figures and their writings, I will focus on the extent to which Buddhist sectarianism grew stronger during the Tokugawa period.
ISSN:0304-1042
DOI:10.18874/jjrs.21.4.1994.341-372