Yamaga student ceremony - Sange gaku shoushiki

These are the rules for training Tendai Buddhist monks that Saicho tried to establish. Saicho believed that training pure Mahayana monks (Bodhisattva monks) was essential to ensure smooth transitions in natural phenomena and a nation free of disasters. He therefore left the system of Tendai Buddhist monks receiving ordination based on the Hinayana precepts that had been practiced in Nara, and instead established a new Mahayana precept platform on Mount Hiei, where monks would receive ordination based on the Mahayana precepts and be qualified as monks. After receiving the ordination, he created rules for them to study and train on Mount Hiei for 20 years, and sought permission from the Imperial Court. First, he submitted the Tendai Hokkeshu Annual Student Ceremony (Rokujoshiki) on May 13, 818 (Kōnin 9), followed by the Kansho Tendaishu Annual Student Ceremony (Hachijōshiki) on August 27 of the same year, and the Tendai Hokkeshu Annual Student Ceremony (Shijōshiki) on March 15 of the following year. These three ceremonies are collectively called the Yamaga Student Ceremonies. However, due to opposition from the Buddhist community in Nara, it was not approved, and Saichō wrote books such as Kenkairon to argue for the legitimacy of his precepts. However, he was not approved during his lifetime, and it was not until June 10, 822, seven days after his death, that he was approved, and the following year, the Tendai sect began to give precepts under the new system.

[Tamura Kosuke]

"Japanese Thought Series 4: Saicho, edited by Toshio Ando and Koyo Sonoda (1974, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "Study of the Precepts in Japanese Buddhism, by Mizumaro Ishida (1963, Lay Buddhist Association)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

最澄(さいちょう)が樹立しようとした、天台宗の僧の養成についての規則。最澄は、自然現象の順調な推移、災害なき国家を実現するためには、純粋な大乗の僧（菩薩(ぼさつ)僧）の養成が不可欠と考えた。そこで、天台宗の僧には、奈良で行われていた小乗の戒律による受戒の制度を離れて、比叡(ひえい)山上に新たに大乗戒壇を設けて大乗の戒によって授戒のうえ僧の資格を与え、授戒後は20年間を比叡山上で学問修行させる規則をつくって朝廷の許可を求めた。最初に天台法華宗(ほっけしゅう)年分(ねんぶん)学生式（六条式）を818年（弘仁9）5月13日に、ついで勧奨(かんしょう)天台宗年分学生式（八条式）を同年8月27日に、天台法華宗年分度者回小向大(えしょうこうだい)式（四条式）を翌年3月15日に提出した。以上三つの式を総称して山家学生式という。しかし奈良の仏教界の反対があって許可されず、最澄は『顕戒論(けんかいろん)』などの著作を行って、その戒律思想の正統性を訴えた。しかし彼の生存中にはついに許されず、没後7日目の822年6月10日に至って許され、翌年から天台宗では新制度による授戒が行われた。

［田村晃祐］

『安藤俊雄・薗田香融校注『日本思想大系4　最澄』（1974・岩波書店）』▽『石田瑞麿著『日本仏教における戒律の研究』（1963・在家仏教協会）』

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