Medieval Sōtō School Precepts and Lineage

Abstract

Dōgen’s Busso shōden bosatsukai sahō 仏祖正伝菩薩戒作法 （Instructions on the Bodhisattva Precepts correctly transmitted by the Buddhas and ancestors） is centered on entries about Dōgen 道元 receiving the Bodhisattva precepts and lineage from Nyojō 如浄. Only a few monks appear alongside the master and disciple.

Furthermore, after returning to Japan, Dōgen not only used the Sōtō lineage but also the lineage he received from Myōzen 明全 of the Rinzai school. Meanwhile, there is an entry in the Goyuigon kiroku 御遺言記録 （Record of Dōgen’s Will and Other Instructions） suggesting that Dōgen stopped using the Rinzai lineage during his lifetime. While the Goyuigon kiroku recognizes the lineages of Gikai 義介 and Keizan 瑩山 as legitimate successors permitted to receive these teachings secretly, it seems that it also attempted to position other monks, including Gien 義演, at a lower level. The ceremony of passing down the precepts mentioned in the Goyuigon kiroku was conducted in secret, being completed with only the master and the disciple present. The shift to this style of succession would later resemble the secret initiations of the late medieval period.