Tiantai

Tiantai or '''T'ien-t'ai''' ( Tiāntāi, Tiāntái, Tí Taî}}) is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. Tiantai Buddhism emphasizes the "One Vehicle" (''Ekayāna'') doctrine derived from the ''Lotus Sūtra'' as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy, particularly as articulated in the works of the 4th patriarch Zhiyi (538–597 CE). Brook Ziporyn, professor of ancient and medieval Chinese religion and philosophy, states that Tiantai Buddhism is "the earliest attempt at a thoroughgoing Sinitic reworking of the Indian Buddhist tradition." According to Paul Swanson, scholar of Buddhist studies, Tiantai Buddhism grew to become "one of the most influential Buddhist traditions in China and Japan."

The name of the school is derived from the fact that Zhiyi lived on Tiantai Mountain, which then became a major center for the tradition. Tiantai in modern simplified Chinese means "platform of the sky"; however, according to traditional Chinese sources such as Zhanran, the 'tai' refers to stars previously worshipped on the mountain (i.e. [https://zh.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%8F%B0_(%E6%98%9F%E5%AE%98) Santai].)

Zhiyi is also regarded as the first major figure to form an indigenous Chinese Buddhist system. Tiantai is sometimes also called "The Lotus School", after the central role of the ''Lotus Sūtra'' in its teachings.

During the Sui dynasty, the Tiantai school became one of the leading schools of Chinese Buddhism, with numerous large temples supported by emperors and wealthy patrons. The school's influence waned and was revived again through the Tang dynasty and also rose again during the Song dynasty. Chinese Tiantai remains a living tradition to this day, being particularly strong in Hong Kong.

The Japanese Tendai school is also an influential tradition which branched off from Tiantai during the 9th century, and played a major role in the development of Japanese Buddhism. A Korean offshoot, the Cheontae school, was also established during the 12th century. Furthermore, Tiantai (and its offshoots) were very influential in the development of other forms of East Asian Buddhism, such as Chan and Pure Land. Provided by Wikipedia