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Define the term setsuwa
A short story/narrative usually a part of a larger
collection of stories.
Give the titles of 4 other setsuwa collections
written during the periods we’re studying
Sambō Ekotoba, Gōdanshō, Uji Shūi,
Hosshinshū, etc.
How many sect of Buddhism were active when
Keikai compiled the Nihon Ryōiki?
8
What were the eight sects?
Kushashū, Jōjitsushū, Sanronshū, Hosshōshū,
Ritsushū, Kegonshū (aka The Six Nara Schools)
plus Tendaishū and Shingonshū
Why did the provincial
governors gain power?
The imperial system was set up that courtiers got rights
(shiki) to property along with their positions at court
Shiki were like IOUs, granting payments in land and
items produced from the land
As Shirane points out, courtiers didn’t pay attention to
the actual on-site administration
The governors who went to the land and did the
management were able to take the excess share of the
property
Why would a courtier
become a provincial
governors?
Positions at court were supposed to be merit-based but
over time became hereditary
This in term meant the shiki were kept in and passed
down through families
Being a governor was an alternate way of making money
Another way was to have some skill needed at court
Waka poetry and Chinese poetry were two such skills
These skills similarly became hereditary
The Ki, Ariwara, and certain members of
Minamoto and Fujiwara houses are examples of
hereditary waka houses
The Sugawara and Ōe families are examples of
hereditary Chinese poetry/texts houses
Why did women’s literature
become important?
Daughters become important to gaining control of the Emperor
The Northern branch of the Fujiwara family make their
daughters consorts to the Emperor
The daughter has a son with the Emperor
The grandfather gets his grandson named Crown Prince and
then forces the Emperor to abdicate
The grandfather rules in place of the child Emperor as regent
(sesshō) or chancellor (kanpaku)
To attract the Emperor’s attention daughters need to have
ladies-in-waiting who can keep the Emperor entertained
Ladies-in-waiting like Murasaki Shikibu who can produce
tales (monogatari)
Ladies-in-waiting like Ono no Komachi, Lady Ise, and
Izumi Shikibu who can produce good waka poetry
Ladies-in-waiting like Sei Shōnagon who can produce
texts like The Pillow Book
Women and the literature they write play a role in the
power dynamics of the Heian period
Women in Heian do have some knowledge in Chinese
Murasaki Shikibu and Sei Shōnagon could read
Chinese
Court women did have access to basic dictionaries of
Chinese
How does Buddhism factor into this?
(What does Buddhism do for the
system?)
Serves as a means for preparing for death/next life
Serves as another means of dealing with the hereditary nature
of court
Serves as a means for displaying wealth and power
Serves as a auxiliary extension of the court
What is Karma?
• Karma’s base meaning in Indian philosophy
and religion is action
• It is speaks to performing ritual actions laid
out in the Vedas (The central Hindu texts) and
the effects those actions bring
• Correct ritual actions bring desired effects;
incorrect actions bring undesired effects
• Karma links causes with effects, that is every
cause must have an effect and vice versa
Samsāra & Moksa
• Samsāra means bondage
• In the Vedas karma is the source of
samsāra
• Moksa means liberation, release
The Four Noble Truths
• First the illness is dukkha (dis-ease,
dissatisfaction)
• The Origin of the illness: Tanha
(Selfish Cravings)
• Tanha can be treated and stopped
• The treatment for tanha: Eightfold
Path
The Eightfold Path
• Right View
• Right Thought
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness
• Right Concentration
• Right View-Right Way of Looking at Things
• Right Thought-Thinking about the Situation
before Acting
• Right Speech-Speaking truthfully and
compassionately
• Right Action-Practicing philanthropy
• Right Livelihood-Living life in an orderly and
harmonious manner
• Right Effort-Striving for increasing that which is
good and preventing that which is bad
• Right Mindfulness-Avoid forgetting the ideas
• Right Concentration-Keeping the mind calm
and focused on acquiring true knowledge
Nirvana
• Following the Four Noble Truths and
the Eightfold Path leads to nirvana
• Nirvana mean “extinction,” “going out”
• This is referring to the illness of dukkha
• A person who achieves nirvana by
following the Buddha’s path is called an
arhat
This approach is philosophical and likely to be above the
heads of the people Keikai encounters
So he speaks of karma in terms of direct causes and effect
Doing good/bad here and now has effects in this lifetime
in Keikai’s stories
Keikai is using a strategy of speaking in conventional
truths
He speaks in a way people can understand and start
carrying out the ultimate truth of Buddhism