This paper investigates the doctrinal arguments in the Sōtō school from the early to mid Edo period through the lens of the Itsudō Kanchū’s 乙堂喚丑 Shōbōgenzō zokugenkōgi 正法眼蔵続絃講議. The work is cast as a critique of Tenkei Denson’s 天桂伝尊 (1648–1735) Shōbōgenzō benchū 正法眼蔵弁註. Under the influence of Dōgen’s 道元 Bendōwa 弁道話, building on the germ of the expression “wondrous practice rooted in innate realization” (honshō myōshu 本証妙修) he investigated the Aspiration to Awakening.
Although Itsudō examined Tenkei’s critique of the Aspiration to Awakening in detail, it is not clear how he himself thought. Furthermore, regarding their points of agreement and disagreement, Tenkei emphasized the idea of unity (ichinyo 一如), and wove together the transmission of the Dharma and the attainment of Buddhahood with the Aspiration to Awakening, while Itsudō stressed a process of practice.
