“What is the treasure of a nation? It is the spirit seeking for the Buddha Path.” This is a well-known statement made 1,200 years ago by Dengyō-Daishi Saichō (766 or 767-822), founder of the Japanese Tendai Denomination. The words mean that only those who bring into full play their abilities in accordance with their positions and surroundings, refrain from selfishly seeking personal gains, and ceaselessly work for the welfare of others, are truly assets to a nation. Sachō also said that we should shake ourselves free from our own worldly desires. His objective was to have us, both Buddhist priests and lay people, exercise our faculties to be this treasure.
Saichō was born in the year Tenpyō-jingo 2 (766 A.D.) in Ōmi, present-day Ōhtsu City, Shiga Prefecture. He was called Hirono during his youth. According to the family register, the date of his birth was in 766, but another version said in the year Jingo-keiun 1 (767).
His father was called Mitsu no Obito Momoe. His ancestors were said to be the descendants of the emperors of the post-Han Dynasty (25-220) in China. At the age of 13, he went to the Kokubunji Temple in Ōmi to become a disciple of Gyōhyō. He was allowed to attend the ceremony of entrance to the Buddhist priesthood and became a novice at 14. This was the first step in the process of government certification. Then he started to study Buddhism in earnest. On this occasion, he received the Buddhist name Saichō.
In the fourth month (according to lunar calendar) of Enryaku 4 (785), the then 20-year-old Saichō received the Small Vehicle precepts at Tōdaiji Temple in Nara to qualify as an official priest. In a sense he had embarked on the path of a promising young monk, a member of the elite in the capital city of Nara. Only three months after receiving the precepts, however, he retreated to Mt. Hiei. Mt. Hiei, located near Saichō’s homeland, was known as a sacred mountain from olden times. There are still many opinions about his motives for retreating to Mt. Hiei. One of the most credible of these is that he fully understood the impermanence of worldly things in Nara and he retreated to the mountain in order to engage in intense self-reflection. He believed that his understanding of Buddhism was still shallow, so he was determined to pursue further studies on Mt. Hiei, which was close to his hometown and had been known as the dwelling place of Kami (Japanese spirits and gods) and Buddhas since ancient times.
Shortly after moving to the mountain, Saichō took five vows, which are found in his Ganmon (Vows: Saichō’s Prayer), to show his determination to perfect his study and practice.
1. So long as I have not attained the stage where my eyes and heart are pure and close to Buddha, I will not venture out into the world.
2. So long as I have not realized the absolute, I will not acquire any other teachings except for Buddha’s.
3. So long as I have not kept the precepts purely, I will not participate in any ceremonies for lay donors.
4. So long as I have not attained the Buddha’s wisdom free from any attachment, I will not participate in worldly affairs.
5. May any merit from my practice in the present be given not to me, but to all sentient beings so that they may attain supreme enlightenment.
We Can see his very serious will through these vows.
Saichō moved to Mt. Hiei and devoted himself to the study of Buddhism. Gradually, many monks gathered around him. In the year Enryaku 7 (788), Saichō decided to establish the Hieizanji Temple on Mt. Hiei as a new fundamental practice hall based upon Tendai teachings. Saichō carved an image of Yakushi Nyorai (Medicine Buddha), and enshrined it in the hall. On this occasion, he lit a lamp, dedicated it to Yakushi, and prayed that this light would burn eternally. This Dharma Lamp has been burning over 1,200 years in the Konpon Chūdō Hall. It is called the Fumetsu-no-Hōtō which means the inextinguishable Dharma Lamp. At first this hall was called Ichijō-shikanin, and later became Konpon Chūdō.
