Kegon sect

Japanese: 華厳宗 - けごんしゅう

A Buddhist sect established in China during the Tang Dynasty. It is also called the Xianshu Sect. Its founder was Du Shun, and its master was Fa Zang. Its scripture is the Avatamsaka Sutra, and it is said to be one of the two great pillars of Chinese Buddhism along with the Tendai sect. At the end of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Avatamsaka Sutra was translated by the northern Indian monk Buddhabhadra, and since then, research on the Avatamsaka Sutra has flourished. In particular, in 511, the Indian commentator Vasubandhu's Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Avatamsaka Sutra (a treatise that provides an interpretation of the Ten Stages chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, which was circulated separately as the Ten Stages Sutra) was translated by two men, Leknamadhi and Bodhiruci. The Jiron sect was established during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period based on the "Ten Stages of Sutras." Eon of Joyo-ji Temple, who came from the Nando branch of the Jiron sect, wrote the "Mahayana Gisho" and established the doctrine of the Jiron sect. The doctrine of the Jiron sect became the academic foundation for the establishment of the Kegon sect.

Meanwhile, groups that believed in the Avatamsaka Sutra were formed, and the foundations for the establishment of the Huayan sect were matured. Then, Du Shun, a man of mysticism, appeared and was considered the founder of the Huayan sect in terms of faith. The second founder of the Huayan sect, Zhiyan (602-668), adopted the Yogacara theory of Xuanzang, which had recently been introduced to China, and developed the traditional theory of the Jiron sect. It was Master Xianshu Hozang who perfected the philosophy of the Huayan sect after learning from Zhiyan. After that, Chokan and Shumitsu emerged and revived the Huayan sect, but they were unable to find a worthy successor, and it fell into decline due to the rise of Zen Buddhism. It was briefly revived during the Song dynasty, but has since declined.

[Shigeo Kamata]

Japan

It was introduced to Japan during the Nara period by Dosen of the Tang Dynasty and Shinsho of Silla. Roben inherited the lineage, built Todaiji Temple, and made it the main training center of the Kegon sect, making it one of the Nara Rokushu schools. In the Kamakura period, Sosho (1202-1278) and Gyonen revived the sect, and Koben (Myoe) opened Toganoo Kosanji Temple and promoted the Kegon sect's style. However, after the Edo period, the sect's influence was weak among sects that were mainly based on parishioners.

The doctrine of the Kegon sect teaches the harmonious and unobstructed relationship of all things, and represents the ultimate development of the Mahayana Buddhist doctrine of dependent origination. The background of the doctrine of Esoteric Buddhism is the Kegon thought, which is also present in Zen thought.

The Kegon sect, which flourished around Todaiji Temple, was once under the jurisdiction of the Jodo sect in the early Meiji period, but became independent as a sect in 1886 (Meiji 19), and remains so to this day. There are 62 temples, 20 churches, 30 missionary stations, 625 teachers, and 38,983 believers (Religious Yearbook, 2014 edition).

[Shigeo Kamata]

"Studies on the History of Chinese Huayan Thought" by Shigeo Kamata (1965, University of Tokyo Press)

Kegon sect / Brief family tree
©Shogakukan ">

Kegon sect / Brief family tree

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

中国、唐代に成立した仏教宗派。賢首宗(げんじゅしゅう)ともいう。宗祖は杜順(とじゅん)、大成者は法蔵(ほうぞう)。『華厳経』を所依の経典とし、天台宗と並んで中国仏教の双璧(そうへき)といわれる。東晋(とうしん)末、北インド出身の僧ブッダバドラ（仏駄跋陀羅(ぶっだばっだら)）によって『華厳経』が翻訳されてから、『華厳経』の研究が盛んとなり、とくに511年にはインドの論師バスバンドゥ（世親(せしん)）の著書『十地経論(じゅうじきょうろん)』（『十地経』として単独で流布した『華厳経』十地品(じゅうじぼん)に解釈を施した論書）が、勒那摩提(ろくなまだい)と菩提流支(ぼだいるし)の2人によって伝訳された。この『十地経論』を所依として南北朝時代に成立した学派が地論宗(じろんしゅう)である。地論宗南道派から出た浄影寺(じょうようじ)の慧遠(えおん)は、『大乗義章(だいじょうぎしょう)』を著して地論宗の教義を大成した。その地論宗の教義が華厳宗成立の学問的基礎となった。

　一方、『華厳経』を信仰するグループもつくられ、華厳宗成立の基盤が成熟した。そこに現れたのが神秘を現ずる杜順であり、彼が華厳宗の信仰面における宗祖とされた。また新しく中国に伝えられた玄奘(げんじょう)の唯識(ゆいしき)説を採用しながら、従来の地論宗の学説を発展させたのが、華厳宗の第二祖とされる智儼(ちごん)（602―668）である。この智儼の学問を受けて華厳宗の哲学を大成させたのが賢首大師法蔵であった。それ以後、澄観(ちょうかん)、宗密(しゅうみつ)が出て華厳宗を中興させたが、優れた後継者が得られず、禅宗の勃興(ぼっこう)に押されて衰亡した。宋(そう)代に一時復興したが、その後は衰微。

［鎌田茂雄］

日本

日本には奈良時代に唐の道璿(どうせん)や新羅(しらぎ)の審祥(しんじょう)によって伝えられた。良弁(ろうべん)が法統を嗣(つ)ぎ、東大寺を建立し、華厳宗の根本道場としたことによって、南都六宗の一つとなった。鎌倉時代には宗性(そうしょう)（1202―1278）、凝然(ぎょうねん)が出て中興し、また高弁(こうべん)（明恵(みょうえ)）が栂尾(とがのお)高山寺を開き、華厳の宗風を宣揚した。しかし江戸以降は檀信徒(だんしんと)主体の宗派のなかで宗勢は振るわなかった。

　華厳宗の教理は、すべてのものの円融無碍(えんゆうむげ)なる関係を説くもので、大乗仏教の縁起説(えんぎせつ)の究極的な発展形態を示す。密教の教理の背景は華厳思想で、さらに禅の思想のなかにも生きている。

　東大寺を中心として栄えた華厳宗は、明治初年に浄土宗の所轄となったことがあったが、1886年（明治19）に一宗として独立し現在に至っている。寺院数62、教会数20、布教所数30、教師数625、信者数3万8983（『宗教年鑑』平成26年版）。

［鎌田茂雄］

『鎌田茂雄著『中国華厳思想史の研究』（1965・東京大学出版会）』