Tiantai
Chinese Buddhist school that was founded by Zhiyi. Believed in a fourfold division within the teachings of Buddhism. The systemization they undertook serves as an example of the order required by the Chinese mind. Believed that all phenomena were empty and without intrinsic existence. It existed simply due to their interdependence on one another. Yinian Sanquin was their worldview. The absolute mind was the underlying framework of the universe. Has two natures, pure and impure. Buddha is the
pure, while the phenomena of day-to-day existence is impure.
Wonhyo
Silla Buddhist monk who had a profound influence in the creation of Korean Buddhism. On his way to China, he and his companion stopped to rest in a cave during a rainstorm. Thirsty, Wonhyo searched in the dark and found a vessel filled with rainwater. The next day, to his horror he found the vessel was actually a skull, and they had spent the night in a grave opened by robbers. Wonhyo then realized the relativity and temporary nature of all things, and thus achieved enlightenment. He felt then that going to china was irrelevant and returned to Silla. When he returned, he attempted to unite the divergent schools of Buddhism that were developing. Did not believe in the effectiveness of scripture, meditation or monastic discipline. Balanced approach to practice and learning was most effective. His movement became known as the Ilsung Pulgyo, Buddhism of the Single vehicle, or T'ong Pulgyo, Unified Buddhism. Believed in a life of wandering, Preached wherever he could find a crowd. Taught Chongt'o Pulgyo, the Buddhism of the pure land.
Xinxing
Concept supported by the Sanjie Jiao school which argued that the propagation of Buddha followed a three stage pattern. First, the teachings of Buddha were properly understood and rigorously followed, embodied in the teachings of the Buddha as exemplified in the Pali Buddhist's canonical literature. Second, innovations and false doctrines crept into the religion and inauthentic expressions of Buddhism became the norm, represented by the development of different schools of thought, such as theravada and mahayana. Third, the true teachings of the Buddha disappeared altogether, and it was necessary for a new Buddha to manifest himself in order for the cycle to repeat itself, Xinxing believed this to be his own time, only his own teachings represented the authentic message of Buddhism. The third phase included asceticism and strict adherence to monastic discipline.
Yinian Sanqian
"One thought equals three thousand worlds." The sum of the Tantai world view. The world was composed of vast vistas of interactive phenomena. Such a view sacralizes the physical world so that the average Buddhist or layperson becomes as real and important as the Buddha.
Zhanran
Later Tiantai leader who argued that even inanimate objects such as mountains and rivers possessed the Buddha nature. Rose from the concept of the universal mind in which all things, in their essential core, are the same thing.
Zhi Dun
Chinese monk who was representative of the melding of Buddhist and Daoist thought. One of his best known works was a Buddhist commentary on the Zhuangzi. Rejected fatalist view in favor of karmic freedom to change one's nature. Endowed the term li with metaphysical meaning similar to that of Neo-Confucianism. Li came to symbolize the absolute nature of the universe, in contradistinction to shi, the manifestations of the phenomenal world of the senses. Shi was similar to qi in Neo-Confucianism.
Zhiyi
Monk whose history is shrouded in miracles and wonders. Took the lotus sutra as his primary text, which by that time had been amended greatly in the Chinese environment. Tried to find the authoritative text of Buddhism. Solved this by coming up with banjiao, a division of the literature into a series of historical periods and metaphysical profundity. His basic principles for interpretation of Buddhist texts became normative in all later schools of Chinese Buddhism. Stated that there were five periods of Buddhist thought and eight teachings.
