The Hossō teaching that only a few people could attain buddhahood not only discouraged people from hoping for enlightenment; it also was in close agreement with the court’s policy that Buddhism was primarily for the protection of the state and its high officials and was not to be propagated among commoners.

By the end of the ninth century, this situation had radically changed due to the establishment of two new schools, Tendai and Shingon. Large numbers of monks and lay believers had come to accept the position that buddhahood could be attained during a person’s lifetime through intense practice. Moreover, monks from these traditions, especially the Tendai school, argued that buddhahood was a real possibility for everyone, including commoners, not just a chosen few in the nobility. In order to make the rapid realization of enlightenment possible, new religious practices were introduced, developed, and interpreted.