Sankaikyo - Sankaikyo

A sect of Buddhism that was popular in China from the Sui to Tang dynasties. It is also called the Three-Tier Sect or the Fuho Sect. Its founder was Shingyo. It was formed based on a unique understanding of various teachings such as the Lotus Sutra, the Ten Wheels of the Buddha, the Nirvana Sutra, and the Avatamsaka Sutra. With the awareness that we are living in the Latter Days of the Law and the Latter Days of the World, it distinguishes between three stages of Buddhist teachings, and preaches that the third stage, "Fubuppo," is what will save people with wrong views in the Latter Days of the World. The central doctrine of the "Public Buddhism" is "Public Respect" (the belief and respect that all sentient beings are originally Buddhas and will surely become Buddhas in the future), and "Recognition of Evil" (recognizing evil) (reflection in oneself and acknowledging oneself as an evil person who has only accumulated wrong views and evil deeds), and that practicing these will lead to rebirth in the Pure Land or to Buddhahood. From this standpoint, they also placed emphasis on financial assistance to the poor and weak, and carried out endless alms (a type of financial business) on a fairly large scale. However, due to their heretical doctrines and these economic activities, the sect was intermittently suppressed shortly after Shin'yo's death (594), and was destroyed at the beginning of the Song dynasty.

[Kimura Kiyotaka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国隋(ずい)～唐代に流行した仏教の一派。三階宗、普法(ふほう)宗ともいう。開祖は信行(しんぎょう)。『法華経(ほけきょう)』『大方広十輪経(だいほうこうじゅうりんきょう)』『涅槃経(ねはんぎょう)』『華厳経(けごんきょう)』などの諸教説の独自の把握に基づいて形成されたもので、末法・末世の自覚のもとに、仏の教えに3段階を区別し、第三階の「普仏法(ふぶっぽう)」こそ末世の邪見の人を救うものであると説く。その「普仏法」の中心的教義は、一切の衆生(しゅじょう)はもともと仏であり、かつまた未来にはかならず仏となると信じてこれを敬う「普敬(ふきょう)」と、内に省みて自分は邪見と悪行を重ねるばかりの悪人であると認める「認悪(にんあく)」とであり、これらの実践によって往生(おうじょう)ないし成仏(じょうぶつ)が実現されるとする。このような立場から、貧しい者や弱い者への経済的援助も重視され、無尽蔵施(むじんぞうせ)（一種の金融事業）がかなり大規模に行われた。しかし、その異端的な教義とこうした経済活動のために、教団は信行没（594）後まもなくから断続的に弾圧され、宋(そう)代の初めころ滅亡した。

［木村清孝］

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