Another sect which made its appearance in Japan during the Nara period was the Kegon, or Avatamsaka sect, which was introduced in 736. It was one of purely Chinese origin, though the books on which it was based came originally from India, and had been founded at the end of the Sui and beginning of the Tang dynasties, between 600 and 660, by a priest whose name the Japanese pronounce as Tojun (). It represented, when it arose, one of the latest developments of Chinese Buddhist thought (it came into prominence a little after the Hosso). The Japanese have always wanted to have the very latest in every department of human thought.

Like the Hosso, the Kegon went back for its origin to the very beginnings of the Mahayana. When Nagarjuna, in his wanderings, had reached the Himalayas, he was taken to the Dragon Palace under the Sea, out of which he fetched the wonderful book known as the Avatamsaka Sutra, which was to form the basis of the new sect. It is a very difficult book, and very long: many translators in earlier times had tried their hands at it, but had only produced fragmentary versions of individual chapters. Now at last, in the Tang period, a version of the whole was accomplished. The enterprise had the warmest encouragement from the Court, and one of the Tang empresses early in the eighth century, not only sent to Khotan to procure a complete copy of the Sanskrit Sutra,

but also wrote a preface for the Chinese version when it came out. It may have been that, in view of the close proximity once more of Christianity, Buddhism felt the need of advancing supernatural claims. The Avatamsaka Sutra is full of the supernatural. In the days of S'akyamuni's life, immediately after he had, under the Bo-tree, attained to Enlightenment, he had (so it was said) remained in a trance of awe and wonder for the space of two weeks. It was now alleged that during that time he had in spirit ascended to the highest heaven, where, in a kind of Transfiguration, he had conversed with the two great Bodhisattvas--Manjus'ri and Samantabhadra--in the very presence of the Supreme and Everlasting Buddha Vairoc'ana. The doctrines thus delivered had been of a very deep and mysterious character, too deep for the ordinary mind of men to comprehend. S'akyamuni had therefore laid them aside for a while, and had not reverted to them again until towards the close of his ministry, when the disciples were sufficiently advanced to receive them.

We have thus, as it were, three different Buddhist