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Heian Period

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The Heian period spanning 794-1185 was a period of great literary, religious, and cultural accomplishments, most noteworthy in this case, Buddhism and its spread throughout Japan. The transmitters of the religion, who were primarily monks, emphasized esoteric Buddhism and its principles, which aimed to establish a bridge between the state and the school of religion in support of the aristocracy, leading to the widespread concept of ‘aristocratic Buddhism’. Arguably, the very close relationship between Buddhism principles and the imperial court led to a heavily emphasized reverence for the emperor and the nation as a collective, establishing the fundamental idea that enlightenment was and could be accessible to anyone. Much of Heian period …show more content…
More specifically, if we are all destined to grow old and die, human beings began to seek an answer the question: what is the point of life? Buddhism is based on the idea that life is infused with suffering due to personal and materialistic desire, and as such, we should strive to eliminate such emotional desires in order to free ourselves from this self-developed suffering. Although simple in words, to actually practice such a doctrine is extremely difficult and almost impossible for many. Furthermore, Buddhism also developed within the context of reincarnation. In Medieval Japan, Buddhist monks sought out after teachings based on the idea of being reborn after death. Essentially, they believed that to put an end to our human suffering would be the equivalent to putting an end to the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, which is impossible. The personal trials, tribulations, sufferings, and accomplishments in a lifetime never last and it is within this context that the idea of impermanence developed in the Heian period and mentally dominated the minds of writers of the time. In a society that highly emphasized superficial beauty, growing old was a terrible prospect, dreaded and abhorred very subtly. But it was not until the last century of the Heian period, and throughout the following Kamakura period, in which this …show more content…
Much of the literature was written by the aristocracy and as result, very little is known about the lifestyles, beliefs, and customs of the majority of the population so a focus is placed in the Heian aristocracy in terms of the social hierarchy. For the most part, the nobility was obsessed with rank and formal status. However, after the Minamoto family took over control in Japan after defeating the Taira clan, a new government was established, known as the Kamakura bakufu, marking the beginning of the Kamakura period, spanning from 1192 to

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