During the Tokugawa period, conflict within or between Buddhist groups was tightly controlled by the government. Generally speaking, Buddhist groups restrained themselves and thus avoided the need for direct government intervention in their disputes. This article contrasts the general restraint characterizing conflicts between the Obaku sect and Rinzai Zen with a sharply contrasting example of a dispute between an individual Obaku monk and members of the Shin sect. This episode escalated to such a degree that the government stepped in to separate the parties and prevent an outbreak of violence.The article details the episode itself, including the preceding events and subsequent sectarian responses, and discusses the doctrinal and personal issues that underlie it. A former Shin monk, Tetsugen, offended Shin believers with sermons on the Surangama Sutra in which he portrayed monastic observance of the precepts, especially those related to sexual misconduct and the consumption of meat and alcohol, as an absolute requirement regardless of sectarian affiliation. Shin believers interpreted this as a direct attack on their sect and its practices, and targeted Tetsugen as an enemy to be opposed through writings and face-to-face confrontation.
