The “Ox Cart” in the Third Volume of the Second Fascicle of the Shugo kokkaishō 守護国界章

Abstract

The Shugo kokkaishō 守護国界章 was written by Saichō 最澄 in the course of his controversy with Tokuitsu 徳一. What has not been taken up in previous research regarding this text is the section surrounding the interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra in the third volume of the second fascicle. In this paper, I take up Saichō’s discussion about the essence of the “Ox Cart” that appears in the Lotus Sūtra’s parable on the burning house and the three carts and examine its contents.