Founder or eminent monk
Dengyō Daishi Saichō
伝教大師 最澄
Saichō was a monk who practiced on Mount Hiei and studied Tendai and other teachings in Tang China. He founded the Japanese Tendai school, aiming at learning centered on the Lotus Sutra and at training monks as bodhisattvas who work for the sake of people.
Based on the official explanation of the Tendai school, this page introduces Saichō's life and his aspiration to train people.
English pages are the site’s own translations of its Japanese pages. The sources cited are in Japanese. 日本語で読む
Teachings spreading from Mount Hiei
Saichō built the Ichijō Shikan'in on Mount Hiei and established a place for practice and study. It later led to the Konpon Chūdō of Enryaku-ji. After going to Tang China in 804, he studied esoteric Buddhism, Zen, and the precepts in addition to Tendai doctrine.
Source: 天台宗
So that everyone may walk the Buddha's path
The Tendai school explains that Saichō valued the teaching of the One Vehicle, which leads all people to buddhahood. At the core of that teaching is his aspiration to nurture people who face the suffering of others, rather than keeping learning to themselves.
Source: 天台宗
Twelve years of study and practice
In the Sange Gakushō Shiki, Saichō envisioned the education of monks who would live on Mount Hiei and study and practice for twelve years. His call for an ordination system based on the Mahayana bodhisattva precepts was also tied to the training of such people.
Source: 天台宗
Related shrines and temples
Related kami and buddhas
Sources (in Japanese)
- 天台宗「伝教大師 最澄：ご生涯」（2026-10-15 確認）
- 天台宗「伝教大師 最澄：めざした仏教」（2026-10-15 確認）