Meditation in Tendai

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Minobu
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Re: Meditation in Tendai

Post by Minobu »

Seishin wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 8:59 am With regards to the word 'Dai', there are many words in Japanese that sound the same, but are actually completely different words. Just like in English we have 'where' and 'wear'. DGA has given you the Kanji for Tendai '天台'. The first character (Ten 天) can mean 'heaven' or 'god'. The second character (dai 台) can mean 'terrace', 'platform', 'table' etc I believe '天台' is usually translated in to English as 'Heavens Terrace'.

The Kanji for 'Dai Shonin' is '大聖人'. You will notice the first character is different to the 'dai' in Tendai. '大' can mean 'big' or 'great'. I hope that helps.

With regards pureland practice in Tendai; I have found that, with Tendai's focus on Shikan meditation and the philosophy of Ichinen sanzen, the Pureland practices can be practiced without any requirement to believe in the Pureland.
thanks for that..
now that i got you.... a few months back you mentioned a sort of debate conflict in TenDai of Hongaku..not understanding hongaku in the least i sort of went to the comatose aspect of reading something...
now i would love to know...can you direct me to a thread where this could be discussed.
i think you said some believe in hongaku and others don't..if they don't...what do they believe it is all about..when i say that i am saying from a person who sees it all as hongaku...or maybe this is exactly the problem..it's not a matter of seeing one or what ever the other is...arghhh i can't discuss something i don't know...what is the other view in TenDai ?
narhwal90
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Re: Meditation in Tendai

Post by narhwal90 »

Stone takes up the hongaku question in considerable detail in her book. Its a complex issue going back a to the early days of Tendai and was not resolved by Nichiren's time. I don't know how modern Tendai views the question.
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rory
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Re: Meditation in Tendai

Post by rory »

with regard to the Pure Land, Tendai would view it through the understanding of Tendai philosophy, meaning: the Truth of the Middle
So the Pure Land is provisionally real and at the same time empty.

And here is the great Tendai Pure Land Master Genshin with his esoteric meditation on Amida, saying just that:
The Sanskrit character A 1) is none other than the Principle of Emptiness. 2) The character of MI is the Ten Dharma Realms resulting from causes and conditions. 3) That is to say, it is none other than the Principle of Provisionality. 4) To which the Hundred Realms are in eternal compliance. 5) The character TA is none other than the Principle of the Mean. 6) This Middle Way is identical with the Dharmakaya. It has been formerly said, that the sentient beings of the Ten Realms all call on Amida Buddha.
viewtopic.php?f=64&t=25310

gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
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