The Intellectual Development of the Cult of Śākyamuni: What is "Modern" About the Proposition that the Buddha Did Not Preach the Mahayana?

An essay is presented that discusses devotion to Sākyamuni (Siddhārtha Guatama, the Buddha) among Vinaya monks in Japan during the Meiji period of Japanese history, noting the development of their belief that the Buddha did not preach the Mahayana, a series of religious texts. This is said to have been a modern rejection of Mahayana Buddhism, which was predominant in Japan, by the developing cult of Sākyamuni, which viewed Hinayana Buddhist precepts as more authentic.