In his Shinjin Hongen Sho (身心本元鈔), the 14th Century Shingon Esoteric Buddhism Monk Raiho (頼宝) debated whether or not the body or the mind is the basis of enlightenment.
Therefore, my aim here is to examine in what way the Shinjin Hongen Sho portrayed the Zen School. To date, Raiho's views on the Zen sect have not been explored.
In this work, Raihho decided that the doctrine of ‘the body as the basis of enlightenment’ is the basic doctrine of the Shingon (真言) sect.
Raiho classified the other five schools (the Hosso 法相, Sanron 三論, Tendai 天台, Kegon 華厳, and Jodo 浄土) as schools which establish the mind as the basis of enlightenment.
Further, Raiho's line of thought as a Shingon monk is unique in that he considered not only the Zen School but also the Jodo School.
My conclusion is that the Shinjin Hongen Sho judges the Zen sect as having established the mind as the basis for enlightenment.
