Roben
Encyclopedia
also known as Ryōben, was a Japanese
Buddhist monk of the Kegon
sect, and clerical founder of the Tōdai-ji
temple in Nara
, Japan. He is popularly known as the .
According to tradition, he was born in Sagami Province
, but as a young baby, was snatched by an eagle and dropped off over a pine tree in front of what is now the Nigatsudo Hall. Rōben was raised as a monk, and reunited with his mother 30 years later. In one version of the story, Rōben wore an amulet of Kannon Bodhisattva since he was a baby, which his mother recognized when she came to Nara as a pilgrim. Records with the Ministry of Justice in Nara at the time, do record Rōben as having been raised as a monk since infancy, but do not state anything further as to his origins.
In the fifth year of Tenpyo
(733), with government approval, Rōben oversaw expansion and construction of and the massive bronze statue of Vairocana
Buddha. In 740, the twelfth year of Tenpyo
, an eminent Korean monk named Simsang was invited by Rōben to Japan to help establish a new sect based on the Huayan school of thought, which led to the foundation of the Kegon
school with permission from Emperor Shomu
.
Rōben later presided over the drawing of the eyes ceremony of the Great Buddha statue at Tōdai-ji in 751.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Buddhist monk of the Kegon
Kegon
Kegon is the name of the Japanese transmission of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism.Huayan studies were founded in Japan when, in 736, the scholar-priest Rōben originally a monk of the Hossō tradition invited Shinshō to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra at...
sect, and clerical founder of the Tōdai-ji
Todai-ji
, is a Buddhist temple complex located in the city of Nara, Japan. Its Great Buddha Hall , the largest wooden building in the world, houses the world's largest bronze statue of the Buddha Vairocana, known in Japanese simply as Daibutsu . The temple also serves as the Japanese headquarters of the ...
temple in Nara
Nara, Nara
is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture...
, Japan. He is popularly known as the .
According to tradition, he was born in Sagami Province
Sagami Province
was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...
, but as a young baby, was snatched by an eagle and dropped off over a pine tree in front of what is now the Nigatsudo Hall. Rōben was raised as a monk, and reunited with his mother 30 years later. In one version of the story, Rōben wore an amulet of Kannon Bodhisattva since he was a baby, which his mother recognized when she came to Nara as a pilgrim. Records with the Ministry of Justice in Nara at the time, do record Rōben as having been raised as a monk since infancy, but do not state anything further as to his origins.
In the fifth year of Tenpyo
Tenpyo
, also romanized as Tempyō, was a after Jinki and before Tenpyō-kanpō. This period spanned the years from August 729 through April 749. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
(733), with government approval, Rōben oversaw expansion and construction of and the massive bronze statue of Vairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
Buddha. In 740, the twelfth year of Tenpyo
Tenpyo
, also romanized as Tempyō, was a after Jinki and before Tenpyō-kanpō. This period spanned the years from August 729 through April 749. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
, an eminent Korean monk named Simsang was invited by Rōben to Japan to help establish a new sect based on the Huayan school of thought, which led to the foundation of the Kegon
Kegon
Kegon is the name of the Japanese transmission of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism.Huayan studies were founded in Japan when, in 736, the scholar-priest Rōben originally a monk of the Hossō tradition invited Shinshō to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra at...
school with permission from Emperor Shomu
Emperor Shomu
was the 45th emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Shōmu's reign spanned the years 724 through 723.-Traditional narrative:...
.
Rōben later presided over the drawing of the eyes ceremony of the Great Buddha statue at Tōdai-ji in 751.