Enryaku-ji Monastery
Enryaku-ji Monastery, one of the most significant Japanese monasteries, is located near the city of Kyoto on the slopes of the picturesque Hiei Hill. Its founder is the monk Site, also known as Denge Daishi. Construction of the building began in 788 and continued for several years.
History of Enryaku-ji Monastery
Site is the founder of the Tendai school, the Japanese nobility showed great interest in it. The basis for Tendai was the Chinese Tiantai school, which considers modesty and meditation to be the main values. Based on the Enryaku-ji Monastery, a number of other Buddhist schools were created, for example, “Nichiren” and “Pure Lands”. The monastery is still an important center of the Tendai school today. Supported by Emperor Kammu, Saite gathered a hundred disciples in 807. They became monks and had to study and meditate under iron discipline for 12 years. The best students were entrusted with important positions in the monastic hierarchy or in the government.
In its best times, the monastery complex consisted of three thousand churches. There was a whole army of warrior monks to protect him. They often took part in fierce battles with other monasteries and even opposed politicians. In 854, the monk Ennin, known by the posthumous name Jikaku Daishi, became the abbot of the temple. Between him and the monk Entin, the sixth patriarch of Tendai-shu, in the 10th century a serious conflict arose over the inheritance, which ended in an armed confrontation. One side was occupied by monks from Hiei Hill, and the other from Mii-dera Monastery. Militant monasteries began to use mercenaries in their armies. They began to make demands and threats even to the capital.
Features of Enryaku-ji Monastery
The military leader Nobunaga banned the existence of monastic armies in 1571. He set about unifying the country, creating stability by eliminating uprisings. Nobunaga stormed Enryaku-ji Monastery and destroyed 3,000 monks who rose to the defense. The military leader ordered the destruction of the monastery. Almost 40 years later, when the government in the country changed, the monastery began to be restored. It was practically rebuilt. The restoration lasted almost 300 years. Currently, the monastery complex has three main temples - eastern Todo, which previously housed the abbot, western Saito, which also housed the departed abbot, and Yekawa - the farthest part. The main temples and buildings are located in Todo. Among them are the Konpon Chu-do Temple, a treasury with ancient relics, and sports grounds for monks. In Saito, the Ninai Hall houses a collection of paintings. The entire territory is decorated with tall slender pine trees.
In April 2006, a ritual was performed at Enryaku-ji Monastery for former yakuza leaders from the Yamaguchi-gumi group. The ritual is usually performed to raise money and demonstrate the power of the yakuza. The police asked not to hold the ceremony, but the abbot did not comply with the request. More than 100 influential members of the group attended the ceremony. The monastery was generously rewarded by the Yakuza for the ritual. Japanese media reported about the ceremony. As a result, a huge scandal broke out across the country. In May, the monastery's leaders resigned and publicly apologized through the media. Apologies were also sent to 3 thousand branches of the monastery. The monastery is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
