Dàrì jīng jiàozhǔ běndì jiāchí fēnbié 大日經教主本地加持分別
Distinguishing the Fundamental-Ground and Empowerment Aspects of the Mahāvairocana-sūtra’s Teaching-Master by 杲寶 (草)
About the work
A single-fascicle doctrinal-disputational treatise addressing the medieval Shingon Teaching-Master (教主) question with specific focus on the fundamental-ground / empowerment distinction (běndì jiāchí 本地加持 / honji kaji), by Gōhō 杲寶 (1306–1362) of Tō-ji. The header signature is explicit: “Draft by Gōhō” 杲寶草.
Abstract
Authorship. Gōhō.
Date. Within Gōhō’s mature career, mid-14th century.
Content. The work opens with the foundational citation from the Mahāvairocanasūtra:
“The Mahāvairocanasūtra chapter 1 says: ‘Vairocana Buddha told the Vajra-Holding Secret-Master, saying: …’ [Same passage in] chapter 6: ‘Furthermore, the Bhagavān Vairocana…‘”
(大日經第一云。毘盧遮那佛告持金剛祕密主言○文同經第六復次薄伽梵毘盧遮那)
The doctrinal-disputational question is: when the Mahāvairocana-sūtra says “Vairocana told…”, which mode of Mahāvairocana is speaking? The fundamental-ground (本地) Mahāvairocana — the svabhāva-kāya in its primordial reality — or the empowering (加持) Mahāvairocana — the saṃbhoga-kāya manifesting in the act of teaching?
The work proceeds through:
- The two-modes distinction — honji (本地, “fundamental-ground”) kaji (加持, “empowering”) as the two principal modes of the Mahāvairocanasūtra teaching-master.
- The scriptural foundation — citations from the Mahāvairocanasūtra establishing both modes.
- The doctrinal-philosophical articulation — how the two modes are related, whether they are different Buddhas or different aspects of the same Buddha.
- The Tō-ji settled position — Gōhō’s articulation of the proper Tō-ji scholastic-doctrinal resolution of the question.
Significance. The work is a key documentary source for the medieval Tō-ji Teaching-Master doctrinal tradition, complementing the other texts in this cluster (KR6t0151, KR6t0153, KR6t0161, KR6t0163) and Gōhō’s other companion works.
Translations and research
- No Western-language translation located.
- Ryūichi Abé, The Weaving of Mantra (Columbia, 1999).