noun
Tendai sect; Tendai school of Buddhism
Refers specifically to the Japanese Buddhist school founded by Saichō, based on the Chinese Tiantai tradition. Often used in historical, religious, and cultural contexts.
比叡山は天台宗の総本山です。
Mount Hiei is the head temple of the Tendai sect.
天台の教えは法華経を中心としている。
The teachings of Tendai center on the Lotus Sutra.
From Chinese 天台 (Tiāntái), referring to Mount Tiantai in Zhejiang, China, where the Tiantai school originated. The Japanese reading てんだい is the on'yomi of the characters.