Sandai soron
Encyclopedia
The sandai sōron or third-generation differentiation, was a dispute over the orthodoxy and succession of Sōtō
Zen
Buddhism
. The major figures involved were Jakuen
, Gikai
, Gien, and Giin, all of whom claimed the right to serve as abbot of Eihei-ji
. The story of the sandai sōron does not appear until 150 years after it supposedly occurred, which makes interpretation of it difficult. It seems to have been used as a just-so story to explain how Jakuen's line eventually wound up in control of Eihei-ji. The obscure term sōron (相論, a translation of the Sanskrit laksana) may have been a euphemism for a third-generation schism
.
named Koun Ejō
as his successor, but Ejō did not name a definite successor. The four monks who received dharma transmission
from Ejō all made claims of friendship with Dōgen and Ejō, with various levels of honesty, and adherence to the principles of Sōtō, which were interpreted in varying ways.
It is clear that Jakuen voluntarily left Eihei-ji by himself. His monks at first remained behind, possibly contributing to the fragmentation of Jakuen's line.
Giin and Gikai also left Eihei-ji under unclear circumstances, but with more followers than Jakuen or Gien. Gikai's successor Keizan
became the most famous figure of Sōtō after Dōgen, and by the early modern era, Keizan's version of Sōtō had become the only one practiced in Japan.
Gien (義演) was eventually decided to be the rightful third abbot of Eihei-ji, but he failed to make any other impact on history. In fact, by the time monastic histories were compiled, nobody remembered anything about Gien other than his role in the power struggle. The power of Eihei-ji quickly dwindled, eventually being taken over by Jakuen's disciple Giun. The Jakuen line continued to control Eihei-ji until 1468.
. When Gikai returned Gien had died, but he disputed the title with Gien's supporters. Unable to resolve it, the monks took the issue to the local shogun
, who ruled both Gikai and Gien "former abbot"—making Jakuen, the next in line, the true abbot although he had already left Eihei-ji.
Two other contemporary Rinzai monks related that Gikai and Gien disputed which of them was senior monk, Gikai saying that he had studied longer, and Gien saying that he was older.
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
. The major figures involved were Jakuen
Jakuen
Jìyuán , better known to Buddhist scholars by his Japanese name Jakuen, was a Chinese Zen monk and a disciple of Rujing. Most of his life is known to us only through medieval hagiography, legends, and sectarian works. It is generally agreed, though, that during his time at Tiāntóng Mountain he...
, Gikai
Tettsu Gikai
Tettsū Gikai received dharma transmission from Koun Ejō and is considered his spiritual successor by the Sōtō school of Zen...
, Gien, and Giin, all of whom claimed the right to serve as abbot of Eihei-ji
Eihei-ji
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō sect of Zen Buddhism. Its founder was Eihei Dōgen. Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.- History :...
. The story of the sandai sōron does not appear until 150 years after it supposedly occurred, which makes interpretation of it difficult. It seems to have been used as a just-so story to explain how Jakuen's line eventually wound up in control of Eihei-ji. The obscure term sōron (相論, a translation of the Sanskrit laksana) may have been a euphemism for a third-generation schism
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
.
Historical context
Sōtō's founder DōgenDogen
Dōgen Zenji was a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyōto, and the founder of the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan after travelling to China and training under the Chinese Caodong lineage there...
named Koun Ejō
Koun Ejo
Koun Ejō was initially a disciple of the short-lived Darumashū sect of Japanese Zen under Nōnin, but later studied and received dharma transmission under Dōgen and is considered his spiritual successor by the Sōtō school. His transmission is the final koan chronicled in the Denkoroku...
as his successor, but Ejō did not name a definite successor. The four monks who received dharma transmission
Dharma transmission
Dharma transmission refers to "the manner in which the teaching, or Dharma, is passed from a Zen master to their disciple and heir...
from Ejō all made claims of friendship with Dōgen and Ejō, with various levels of honesty, and adherence to the principles of Sōtō, which were interpreted in varying ways.
It is clear that Jakuen voluntarily left Eihei-ji by himself. His monks at first remained behind, possibly contributing to the fragmentation of Jakuen's line.
Giin and Gikai also left Eihei-ji under unclear circumstances, but with more followers than Jakuen or Gien. Gikai's successor Keizan
Keizan
-Biography:Keizan Jōkin 螢山紹瑾 , also known as Taiso Jōsai Daishi, was the second of the great founders of the Sōtō Zen sect in Japan. While Dōgen Zenji, as founder of Japanese Sōtō, is known as , Keizan is often referred to as Taiso , or Greatest Patriarch...
became the most famous figure of Sōtō after Dōgen, and by the early modern era, Keizan's version of Sōtō had become the only one practiced in Japan.
Gien (義演) was eventually decided to be the rightful third abbot of Eihei-ji, but he failed to make any other impact on history. In fact, by the time monastic histories were compiled, nobody remembered anything about Gien other than his role in the power struggle. The power of Eihei-ji quickly dwindled, eventually being taken over by Jakuen's disciple Giun. The Jakuen line continued to control Eihei-ji until 1468.
Jakuen school account
Kenkō, a monk from Jakuen's line, wrote a history of Sōtō in the 15th century, in which he claimed that Jakuen was posthumously made Eihei-ji's third abbot due to the "sandai sōron". His disciple Kenzei elaborated on the claim, saying that after the death of Ejō, Gien occupied the abbacy by fiat while Gikai was in the city of KamakuraKamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
. When Gikai returned Gien had died, but he disputed the title with Gien's supporters. Unable to resolve it, the monks took the issue to the local shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
, who ruled both Gikai and Gien "former abbot"—making Jakuen, the next in line, the true abbot although he had already left Eihei-ji.
Rinzai sect accounts
The Rinzai monk Taikyokyu, also writing in the 15th century, gave an alternate account. According to his source, when Gikai returned from Kamakura, Gien and Ejō were both alive and Gien offered him the abbacy, but Gikai refused because Gien was below him in rank. Ejō then served a second abbacy to allow Gikai to receive it from a higher ranking monk, but Gikai continued to dispute that Gien ever rightfully held the title of abbot. This account concludes by saying that Gikai left Eihei-ji voluntarily because he had enough supporters to strike out on his own.Two other contemporary Rinzai monks related that Gikai and Gien disputed which of them was senior monk, Gikai saying that he had studied longer, and Gien saying that he was older.