Saicho's earnest desire was to establish the building of Daijo-Kaidan (Mahayana ordination center) and those who received Mahayana precepts were admitted as the bodhisattva priest of Tendai sect and they secluded themselves at Mt. Hiei and underwent ascetic training there for twelve years, and due to this scheme he came into conflict with vested interests of Nanto Buddhism which dominated Kaidan-in of the commandment of Theravada Buddhism brought by Ganjin (Jianzhen) (688 – 763) in Ritsu sect.
最澄の悲願は大乗戒壇の設立であり、大乗戒を授けた者を天台宗の菩薩僧と認め、12年間比叡山に籠って修行させるという構想によって、律宗の鑑真（688年-763年）がもたらした小乗戒の戒壇院を独占する南都仏教の既得権益との対立を深めていた。