How four Buddhist schools grew from the insights of Dharma Master Zhiyi
Introduction
Across East Asian Buddhism, the Lotus Sūtra has inspired some of Buddhism’s most influential schools including Tiantai in China, Tendai in Japan, Nichiren (a later offshoot of Tendai), and Cheontae in Korea.
These traditions share a common root in the teachings of Dharma Master Zhiyi (智顗, 538–597), the founder of the Tiantai school and one of the greatest systematisers in Buddhist history.
Though each school developed in its own cultural setting and evolved in distinct ways, their relationship forms a single family tree of Lotus-centred Mahayana:
- Tiantai as the original trunk,
- Tendai as the Japanese transmission,
- Cheontae as the Korean revival, and
- Nichiren Buddhism as the radical simplification and exclusive devotion to the Lotus Sūtra.
This guide explores their histories, teachings, practices, and differences, offering a clear map of how these schools connect and diverge, and how each expresses the Buddha’s teaching in its own way.
1. Shared Foundations: The Lotus Sūtra and Master Zhiyi
The common ancestor of these traditions is the Tiantai school founded by Zhiyi, often regarded as the most influential Buddhist thinker of the Sui dynasty.
Zhiyi developed:
- the Threefold Truth (emptiness, provisional existence, and the middle),
- the Ten Dharma Realms and Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought,
- the Four Samādhis,
- the integrated method of zhǐ–guān (calming and contemplation),
- and a harmonising approach to the entire Buddhist canon.
At the heart of his system lies the Lotus Sūtra, which he regarded as the highest expression of the Buddha’s intent, the teaching that reveals the universal possibility of enlightenment.
All later schools examined here build upon his grand synthesis.
2. Tiantai (China): The Original School
Origins
- Founder: Dharma Master Zhiyi (智顗法師)
- Location: Mount Tiantai, Zhejiang
- Era: Late 6th century
Doctrinal features
- Threefold Truth (空假中)
- Ten Realms and their mutual possession
- Three Thousand Realms in a Single Thought
- Integration of meditative, ethical, ritual, and doctrinal practice
- Grand classification of scriptures (五時八教 / Five Periods and Eight Teachings)
Practice
- The Four Samādhis
- Balanced engagement: meditation, chanting, daily mindfulness
- Flexible, inclusive approach suitable for both monastics and lay practitioners
Character
Tiantai is philosophically rich, contemplative, and highly inclusive, treating all Buddhist teachings as expressions of one Dharma.
3. Tendai (Japan): Transmission and Transformation
Origins
- Founder: Saichō (最澄)
- Era: Early 9th century (Heian Japan)
- Brought Tiantai teachings from China in 804–805
- Centre: Mount Hiei (Enryaku-ji)
Transformation of the tradition
Saichō imported Zhiyi’s doctrine and meditative system, but Tendai evolved in uniquely Japanese ways:
Key Features
- Integration of Esoteric Mikkyō (mantra, mudrā, mandala practices)
- Strong nembutsu (“Namu Amida Butsu”) tradition within Tendai
- Zen influence (especially through later transmission)
- Bodhisattva Ordination Platform based on the Brahmā Net Sūtra
- Twelve-year training curriculum on Mount Hiei
Character
Tendai is the most comprehensive of the four, embracing meditation, ritual, esotericism, scholarship, and ethics.
4. Nichiren Buddhism: Lotus Sūtra Exclusivity
Origins
- Founder: Nichiren (1222–1282), originally trained as a Tendai monk
- Era: Kamakura Japan
- Location: Various hermitages and temples; later global spread
Nichiren concluded that all Buddhist teachings other than the Lotus Sūtra were provisional, and that in the age of degeneration (mappō), the only effective practice was devotion to the Lotus Sūtra itself.
Key Features
- Exclusive focus on the Lotus Sūtra
- Daimoku: chanting Namu Myōhō-renge-kyō
- Gohonzon mandala as object of devotion
- Strong emphasis on faith, chanting, and missionary activity
- Minimal emphasis on classical meditation
Character
Nichiren Buddhism is devotional, vocal, and highly focused. Where Tiantai and Tendai harmonise multiple practices, Nichiren’s school distils everything to the Lotus alone.
5. Cheontae (Korea): A Parallel Revival
Origins
- Founder of revival: Uicheon (義天, 1055–1101)
- Era: 11th–12th centuries
- Location: Goryeo dynasty Korea
Though Tiantai texts reached Korea centuries earlier, Cheontae emerged as a distinct school during Uicheon’s revival movement.
Key Features
- Strong emphasis on Threefold Truth and Threefold Contemplation
- Dedicated Lotus Sūtra study
- Ritual practices influenced by Korean Buddhism
- Integration with Seon (Zen) in later periods
Character
Cheontae is doctrinally closest to classical Tiantai, and remains the Korean expression of Lotus-centred Buddhism.
6. Major Doctrinal Comparison
| Teaching / Doctrine | Tiantai | Tendai | Nichiren | Cheontae |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lotus Sūtra status | Central, harmonising | Central but integrated with esoteric and Pure Land | Exclusive supreme scripture | Central, Tiantai-aligned |
| Threefold Truth | Core doctrine | Maintained | Interpreted implicitly | Core doctrine |
| Meditation | Essential (zhǐ–guān) | Essential + esoteric + Zen influence | Minimal | Strong meditative component |
| Esotericism | None | Significant | None | Light influence |
| Precepts | Brahmā Net Sūtra | Brahmā Net + Tendai ordination | Lotus ethics + personal responsibility | Brahmā Net |
| View of other teachings | Inclusive | Broadly inclusive | Provisional → superseded by Lotus | Inclusive |
7. Practice Differences in Daily Life
Tiantai
- Balanced meditation, chanting, ethics
- Contemplation of the Threefold Truth
- Lotus Sūtra reading
Tendai
- Meditation, esoteric ritual, mantra
- Daily nembutsu
- Broad curriculum on Mt Hiei
Nichiren
- Primary practice: chanting daimoku
- Gohonzon devotion
- Lay-friendly, accessible path
Cheontae
- Meditation based on Threefold Contemplation
- Lotus Sūtra chanting
- Korean devotional and ritual styles
8. Why These Schools Matter Today
Despite their differences, these four schools display a family resemblance:
- commitment to universal Buddhahood,
- reverence for the Lotus Sūtra,
- belief in the accessibility of awakening,
- and devotion to compassionate practice.
Together, they show how a single text, the Lotus Sūtra, generated multiple, flourishing traditions, each offering its own doorway into the Dharma.
For practitioners today, they form a continuum:
- philosophical depth (Tiantai),
- ritual and contemplative breadth (Tendai),
- devotional clarity (Nichiren),
- balanced revival (Cheontae).
They are different expressions, one Dharma.
Conclusion
Tiantai, Tendai, Nichiren, and Cheontae share a deep historical relationship grounded in the insight of Dharma Master Zhiyi and the transformative vision of the Lotus Sūtra.
Their diversity demonstrates a key Mahayana principle: the Dharma manifests differently according to conditions and capacities, yet all paths return to the same awakening.
Through understanding their connections and distinctions, we gain a clearer sense of the living heritage of East Asian Buddhism and the central place of the Lotus Sūtra within it.