Pei-ying Lin 林佩瑩 is currently an Assistant Professor at Chengchi University. Her research interests are Chan Buddhism, ordination rituals, Bodhisattva precepts, and Buddhist discourse on cultural identity.
This article looks into ninth-century Japanese Tendai manuscripts, including official letters and certificates concerning Saichō’s 最澄 (767–822) trip to China. A particular focus is on the Kanjō Ajari senji kanchō 灌頂阿闍梨宣旨官牒 [Official Documents of the Edicts for Abhiṣeka-ācārya], a small collection of the official letters between the court and Tendai monks including Saichō and Ennin 圓仁 (794–864), which was appended to the Bukong biaozhi ji (Jp. Fukū Sanzō hyōseishū) 不空三蔵表制集, originally copied in 1087 or 1088, and is currently stored in Kyoto Shōren’in 青蓮院. These sources concentrate on the narratives about the Chinese Monk Daosui 道邃 (fl. 805). These display how the Tendai monks vindicated their rightful lineage from China. By twisting the transmission line, Monk Daosui, an obscure figure to Chinese Buddhists, was elevated to a prominent representative of the Chinese Tiantai school. These official documents from the Tendai circle illustrate a captivating story of Buddhist use of official documents in a Sino-Japan context during the ninth century.
2. Historical Context 261 2.1. Saichō’s Landing in Southern China 261 2.2. Buddhist Networks in Taizhou 262 2.3. Biography of Daosui 265 2.4. Qianshu’s Ethnicity 270 2.5. Daosui’s Title 273
3. Saichō’s Representation of Daosui 278 3.1. Domestic Competition in Japan 278 3.2. Integration of Precepts 279
