The most important charges against Honen's sect, however, were doctrinal. The established sects felt that the new sect was wrong in its claim that personal conduct and morality were not important in determining one's fate after death. Honen's disciples were known to break the moral code of Buddhism in public in order to demonstrate the unimportance of morality. This naturally offended the traditional Buddhists, who were afraid that Honen's teachings would completely undermine morality in the country, leading to an even greater state of chaos than the country was already in.

Although the opposition of the established sects made life difficult for Honen, it was not capable of stopping the expansion of his religious movement, which divided into various sects and has long been the most popular form of Buddhism in Japan.

Developments in Established Sects

A major reform movement occurred in the Nara schools in reaction to the development of the Pure Land sect. The Nara schools were also trying to address the theological problem posed by living in the age of mappo. However, the Nara schools moved in the opposite direction from the Pure Land sect. Pure Land thought was that since this was an age in which proper practice of the teachings was impossible, the appropriate thing to do was stop trying to practice and trust in the saving power of Amida. The Nara schools, on the other hand, thought that since this was an age in which the proper practice of the teachings was not occurring, the appropriate thing to do was study the teachings, and practice them as well as was humanly possible. If the Buddhist community practiced well enough in the traditional manner, then a brighter era would be restored, and attainment of enlightenment would once again be possible through proper practice.

The Nara schools revived the strict rules for monks and followed them. They studied and venerated the historical Buddha, following his guidelines for practice to the best of their ability. Nara schools had tended to separate faith and theology, but in the new revival the two became intertwined.

The Nara reforms were directed towards the practice of monks. The Nara schools never made an effort to reach the common people, so the schools never grew much.

Neither Tendai nor Shingon changed much during the twelfth century. Tendai did begin to write down the teachings which had traditionally been orally transmitted. Most of the Tendai monks who disliked the corruption of the sect did not try to change Tendai, but instead left it and either practiced on their own or joined another sect. Although all the major new Buddhist sects which began during the Kamakura era had their roots in Tendai, Tendai itself did not prosper. The development of the Pure Land sect only changed Tendai in that most of the Tendai monks who were attracted to Pure Land worship left Tendai and joined the Pure Land sect. Pure Land worship within Tendai declined.

In Shingon, there was an increase in all varieties of nembutsu practice. Then, a bit later, there was a movement to stop emphasizing rituals and nembutsu, and to restore the teachings of Kukai, the founder of Shingon.

By the end of the century, the golden age of the eight sects of Heian Buddhism was over.

The Beginnings of Rinzai Zen

Eisai (1141-1215) was the first person to arouse Japanese interest in Zen. He was trained as a Tendai monk and was ordained when he was fourteen. He also received training in Tantric practices. Eisai was disgusted by the corruption in Japan, and was convinced that the true teachings of Buddhism could be rediscovered in China