Tiantai

Pagoda of the Guoqing Temple at Tiantai Mountain
Tiantai
Chinese name
Chinese天台
Hanyu PinyinPRC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntāi
ROC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntái
Literal meaningfrom "Tiantai [Heavenly Terrace] Mountain"
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinPRC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntāi
ROC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntái
BopomofoPRC: ㄊㄧㄢ   ㄊㄞ
ROC: ㄊㄧㄢ   ㄊㄞˊ
Gwoyeu RomatzyhPRC: Tiantai
ROC: Tiantair
Wade–GilesPRC: T‘ien1-t‘ai1
ROC: T‘ien1-t‘ai2
Tongyong PinyinPRC: Tiantai
ROC: Tiantái
Yale RomanizationPRC: Tyāntāi
ROC: Tyāntái
MPS2PRC: Tiāntāi
ROC: Tiāntái
IPAPRC: [tʰjɛ́n.tʰáɪ]
ROC: [tʰjɛ́n.tʰǎɪ]
Wu
RomanizationTí Tai
Yue: Cantonese
Yale RomanizationTīn-tòih
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetThiên Thai
Chữ Hán天台
Korean name
Hangul천태
Hanja天台
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationCheontae
Japanese name
Kanji天台
Transcriptions
RomanizationTendai

Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai (Chinese: 天台; pinyin: PRC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntāi, ROC Standard Mandarin: Tiāntái, Wu Taizhou dialect (Tiantai native language): Tí Taî) is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China.[1] Tiantai Buddhism emphasizes the "One Vehicle" (Ekayāna) doctrine derived from the Lotus Sūtra as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy, particularly as articulated in the works of the 4th patriarch Zhiyi (538–597 CE).[2][3] Brook Ziporyn, professor of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy, states that Tiantai Buddhism is "the earliest attempt at a thoroughgoing Sinitic reworking of the Indian Buddhist tradition."[4] According to Paul Swanson, scholar of Buddhist studies, Tiantai Buddhism grew to become "one of the most influential Buddhist traditions in China and Japan."[5]

The name of the school is derived from the fact that Zhiyi lived on Tiantai Mountain, which then became a major center for the tradition.[6][7] Tiantai in modern simplified Chinese means "platform of the sky";[1] however, according to traditional Chinese sources such as Zhanran, the 'tai' refers to stars previously worshipped on the mountain (i.e. Santai.)[8]

Zhiyi is also regarded as the first major figure to form an indigenous Chinese Buddhist system. Tiantai is sometimes also called "The Lotus School", after the central role of the Lotus Sūtra in its teachings.[9]

During the Sui dynasty, the Tiantai school became one of the leading schools of Chinese Buddhism, with numerous large temples supported by emperors and wealthy patrons. The school's influence waned and was revived again through the Tang dynasty and also rose again during the Song dynasty. Chinese Tiantai remains a living tradition to this day, being particularly strong in Hong Kong.

The Japanese Tendai school is also an influential tradition which branched off from Tiantai during the 9th century, and played a major role in the development of Japanese Buddhism. A Korean offshoot, the Cheontae school, was also established during the 12th century. Furthermore, Tiantai (and its offshoots) were very influential in the development of other forms of East Asian Buddhism, such as Chan and Pure Land.[10]

  1. ^ a b Ziporyn, Brook (Winter 2022). "Tiantai Buddhism". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The Metaphysics Research Lab, Center for the Study of Language and Information, Stanford University. ISSN 1095-5054. OCLC 643092515. Archived from the original on 13 November 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  2. ^ Groner 2000, p. 199–200.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Ziporyn (2016), p. ix.
  5. ^ Swanson (1989), p. 155.
  6. ^ Snelling 1987, p. 154.
  7. ^ Ziporyn, Brook, "Tiantai Buddhism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2020 Edition)
  8. ^ Rev. Jikai Dehn (2024-08-01). Outline of the Tendai School 天台宗概論講: PART ONE: What's in a Name?. Retrieved 2024-08-02 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Ziporyn 2004.
  10. ^ Swanson (1989), pp. x, 155.