CHIH-I

born 538, Hunan province, China died 597, Mount T'ien-t'ai, Chekiang province Pinyin Zhiyi, also called Chih-k'ai Buddhist monk, founder of the eclectic T'ien-t'ai (Japanese: Tendai) Buddhist sect, which was named for Chih-i's monastery on Mount T'ien-t'ai in Chekiang, China. His name is frequently but erroneously given as Chih-k'ai. Orphaned at 17, Chih-i turned to monastic life and was a disciple of the great Buddhist master Hui-ssu from 560 to 567. From his first visit to Nanking (567) until his death, Chih-i was intimately associated with the imperial government, first with the Ch'en dynasty in southern China and then with the Sui dynasty, which eventually reunified the country. Confronted with the many divergent varieties of Buddhist thought that existed in his time, Chih-i exhibited skill at compromise and classification. He regarded all the varieties of Buddhist doctrine as true and assumed they had all been present in the mind of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha) from the time of his enlightenment. According to Chih-i, the Buddha unfolded his teachings gradually in five periods, taking into account the capacity of his listeners: as they became more enlightened, they could absorb progressively more profound doctrines. In the fifth and final period the Buddha preached the Saddharmapundarika-sutra (Lotus Sutra), which Chih-i helped establish as the most popular scripture of east Asia. He criticized both those who indulged in a purely intellectualized Buddhism and those who in reaction practiced a religion without a theological base. For him, study and contemplation were both indispensable for religious enlightenment. His sect, which claimed more than 5 million adherents in Japan in the late 20th century, was the leading sect in China in the 8th and 9th centuries.