Lay Religiosity in Medieval Sōtō Zen Buddhism

In the medieval Sōtō school, with Keizan Jōkin (1268-1325), a policy of popularization was adopted. With this policy, by moving away from the meditation-based monastic life of the school’s founder, Dōgen, the religious lives of both monks and lay peopleunderwent an important transformation. The laity, whose basic religious activities were considered to consist of the material support of the monastery and monks in tradition, additionally had the opportunity to engage in new activities for their ownsalvation. This study deals with lay religiosity in the Medieval Sōtō Zen school, and claims that in the context of Keizan’s policy of popularization, the difference between being monastic and being lay faded away in terms of rituals practiced and their desired salvation. The main sources of the study are the works of Dōgen and Keizan, particularly those related to the monastic rule literature. The subject is discussed by comparatively examining the Eihei Shingi written by Dōgen and the Keizan Shingiwritten by Keizan. At the end of the study, it is understood that in the medieval Sōtō school with Keizan, the distinction between the monastic community and the lay community in terms of the rituals they performed and attainment of salvation largely disappeared, and the two communities differed predominantly in form. In this context, it is seen that the lay people who continued to live a family life had the opportunity to reach the very same status with monastics.