THE PICTORIAL LIFE OF SAINT NICHIREN

Scene 6 Debate

The Tendai Sect on Mt. Hiei was referred to as an academy and debates were quite popular there. The form of the debates was unusual as they were conducted at night in a deliberately darkened hall with only two candles providing light. The limited visibility made it convenient for a loser to exit the back way. A winner's seniority rose simultaneously with his victory in debate. In the center of the hall was a separate platform designated for an imperial observer. Ennin (794-864), the third patriarch of Mt. Hiei, had advocated the superiority of Shingon (esoterism) when dealing with practice, although he acknowledged the teachings of the Lotus Sutra (exoterism) as equal in reasoning. Rencho denounced esoterism as muddling the original principles set forth by Saicho. He believed that the teachings of the One Vehicle (Lotus Sutra Doctrine) established on Mt. Hiei by Saicho must be restored, No one challenged him. Rencho, having completed his studies, was then ready to visit the other religious centers located in and around Kyoto.