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Japan The Flourishing of Buddhism
In the time of disunity and violence, deepening
pessimism
increased the appeal of the search for salvation. Kamakura
was the
age of the great popularization of Buddhism. Two new
sects, Jodo
(Pure Land) and Zen (Meditation), dominated the period.
The old
Heian sects had been quite esoteric and appealed more to
the
intellectuals than to the masses. The Mount Hiei
monasteries had
become politically powerful but appealed primarily to
those capable
of systematic study of the sect's teachings. This
situation gave
rise to the Jodo sect, based on unconditional faith and
devotion
and prayer to Amida Buddha. Zen rejected all temporal and
scriptural authority, stressing moral character rather
than
intellectual attainments, an emphasis that appealed to the
military
class. Growing numbers of the military class turned to Zen
masters,
regarded as embodiments of truth.
Data as of January 1994
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