Annen’s Interpretation of zhenru suiyuan 真如随縁 in Terms of the Perfect Teaching

Abstract

Annen 安然 （841-between 889 and 897）, a prominent scholar of the Tendai school of Japan, interpreted the concept of zhenru suiyuan/shinnyo zuien 真如随縁 （tathatā, suchness or the truth that accords with changing circumstances） from the engyō gi 円教義 （viewpoint of the Perfect Teaching） in his Kyōji mondō 教時問答 （Dialogue on the Teaching and the Time） and Bodaishin gi shō 菩提心義抄 （On the Meaning of the Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment）. Annen’s interpretation appears to have been influenced by Tiantai/Tendai masters Zhanran 湛然 （711-782）, Saichō 最澄 （766[767]-822） and Ennin円仁 （794-864）.

The concept of zhenru suiyuan was first used by Fazang 法蔵 （643-712） of the Huayan school in his Dasheng qi xin lun yiji 大乗起信論義記 （Commentary on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna）. On the other hand, Zhanran reinterpreted and used this concept of zhenru suiyuan from the viewpoint of the Perfect Teaching in his Jingang pi 金剛錍 （Adamantine Scalpel）. Based on Zhanran’s idea, Saichō further developed this concept in reference to the Perfect Teaching in his Shugo kokkai shō 守護国界章 （An Essay on the Protecting of the Nation）. Furthermore, based on Zhanran and Saichō’s ideas, Ennin offered his own explanation of zhenru suiyuan in relation to the Perfect Teaching in his Kongōchōgyō sho 金剛頂経疏 （Commentary on the Diamond Peak sūtra）.

While inheriting the interpretations of these three predecessors （Zhanran, Saichō and Ennin） in reference to the Perfect Teaching, Annen developed his own understanding of zhenru suiyuan from the viewpoint of the Perfect Teaching. By stating that “the entity of the truth is all phenomena; and the entity of all phenomena is the truth” in the Kyōji mondō, vol. 1, he extensively developed the idea of zhenru suiyuan （the truth that accords with changing circumstances） in terms of the Perfect Teaching. In the Bodaishin gi shō, vol. 2, he attempted to theorize the identity of the “truth related to changing phenomena” referred to in the Dasheng qi xin lun 大乗起信論 （Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna） with the yinian sanqian/ichinen sanzen 一念三千 （three thousand realms in a single moment） of the Tiantai/Tendai doctrine. Furthermore, he specified the Dasheng qi xin lun itself as a work of the Perfect Teaching in the Kyōji mondō, vol. 1.

In a nutshell, based on the ideas elaborated by his Tiantai/Tendai precursors, Annen developed the concept of the “truth that accords with changing circumstances” as part of the Perfect Teaching.