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A Japanese mandala of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.
A Japanese mandala of the Five Dhyani Buddhas.

Shingon Buddhism (眞言, 真言 "true words") is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and is the other branch of Vajrayana Buddhism besides Tibetan Buddhism. The history of Buddhism in Japan can be roughly divided into three periods namely the Nara period (up to 784 the Heian period (794–1185 and the post-Heian period Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including It is often called "Japanese Esoteric Buddhism". The word shingon is the Japanese reading of the kanji for the Chinese word zhen yan, literally meaning "true words", which in turn is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word mantra. is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language

Contents

History

Shingon Buddhism arose in Japan's Heian period (794-1185) when the monk Kūkai went to China in 804 and studied tantric practices in the city of Xian and returned with many texts and art works. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. Events By Place Asia Kyoto becomes the Japanese capital ending the Nara period, and beginning the Heian period. Kūkai (ja 空海 or also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (ja 弘法大師 774&ndash835 CE was a Japanese monk, Scholar China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National This article is about the year AD 804 For other uses of the term see 804 (disambiguation. Tantra ( Sanskrit: तन्त्र; " Weave " denoting continuity) tantricism or tantrism is any of several esoteric UserEl_C --> Xi'an ( Postal map spelling: Sian is the Capital of the Shaanxi province in the In time, he developed his own synthesis of esoteric practice and doctrine, centered on the universal Buddha Vairocana (or, more accurately, Mahavairocana Tathagata). In Buddhism, buddhahood ( Sanskrit: buddhatva. Pali: buddhatta. Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana; वैरोचन Sanskrit or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or In time, he established a monastery on Mount Koya, which became the head of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. This article is about the mountain in Japan For the historical Haida chief in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia see Koyah.

Shingon enjoyed immense popularity during the Heian Period, particularly among the Heian nobility, and contributed greatly to the art and literature of the time, as well as influencing other communities, such as the Tendai sect on Mt. Hiei. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. History The Tiantai teaching was first brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (鑑眞 Jp Ganjin in the middle of the 8th century, but is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto city lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga prefectures Japan. [1]

Also, Shingon's emphasis on ritual found support in the Kyoto nobility, particularly the Fujiwara clan. (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. The Fujiwara clan (藤原氏 Fujiwara-shi) descending from the Nakatomi clan, was a powerful family of Regents in Japan that monopolized the regent positions This favor allotted Shingon several politically powerful temples in the capital, where rituals for the imperial family and nation were regularly performed. Many of these temples such as Toji, Ninnaji and Daigoji to the south of Kyoto became ritual centers establishing their own particular ritual lineages. is a large Omuro-ha Shingon Buddhist temple complex in eastern Kyoto, Japan, founded in 888 Ad by the retired Emperor Uda Daigo-ji (醍醐寺 is a Shingon Buddhist Temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan.

Schism

Like the Tendai School that branched into the Jōdo, Zen and Nichiren Schools in the Kamakura period, Shingon also divided into two major branches; Kogi Shingon, or "old Shingon," and Shingi Shingon, or "New Shingon. also known as Jodo Buddhism is a branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Japanese ex- Tendai monk Hōnen. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Nichiren (日蓮 ( February 16, 1222 &ndash October 13, 1282) born, later, and finally Nichiren, was a Buddhist The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura Shogunate, officially established in 1192 by the first Kamakura Shogun " This division primarily arose out of a political dispute between Kakuban and his faction of priests centered at the Denbōe and the leadership at Kongōbuji, the head of Mt. Kōya. Kogyo-Daishi (興教大師 (1095-1143 or Kakuban (覚鑁 was widely renowned as the restorer of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan Kongōbuji (金剛峰寺 is the head temple of the Shingon sect of Buddhism, located on, Wakayama prefecture, Japan. This article is about the mountain in Japan For the historical Haida chief in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia see Koyah. Kakuban, who was originally ordained at Ninnaji in Kyoto, studied at several temple-centers (including the Tendai temple complex at Onjiyōji) before going to Mt. is a large Omuro-ha Shingon Buddhist temple complex in eastern Kyoto, Japan, founded in 888 Ad by the retired Emperor Uda Kōya. Through his connections, he managed to gain the favor of high ranking nobles in Kyoto, which helped him to be appointed abbot of Mt. Kōya. The leadership at Kongōbuji, however, opposed the appointment on the premise that Kakuban had not originally been ordained on Mt. Kōya. After several conflicts Kakuban and his faction of priests left the mountain for Mt. Negoro to the northwest, where they constructed a new temple complex, now known as Negoroji. The complex of Buddhist temples stands on the side of and is surrounded by the sacred peaks of the Katsuragi Mountains which dominate the horizon at the northern end of the city of After the death of Kakuban in 1143, the Negoro faction returned to Mt. Kōya. However in 1288, the conflict between Kongōbuji and the Denbōe came to a head once again. Led by Raiyu, the Denbōe priests once again left Mt. Kōya, this time establishing their headquarters on Mt. Negoro. This exodus marked the beginning of the Shingi Shingon School at Mt. Negoro, which was the center of Shingi Shingon until sacked by Hideyoshi Toyotomi in 1585.

During the initial stages of his predication in Japan, the Catholic missionary Francis Xavier was welcomed by the Shingon monks since he used the word Dainichi for the Christian God. Saint Francis Xavier ( Konkani / Konknni: Sam Fransisku Xavier/ Sanv Fransisk Xavier Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa Spanish: San Francisco The term "Godhead" The term Godhead is a term denoting deity or divinity As Xavier learned more about the religious nuances of the word, he changed to Deusu from the Latin and Portuguese Deus. The monks also realized by that point that Xavier was preaching a rival religion.

Teachings

The teachings of Shingon are based on esoteric Vajrayana texts, the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra (Diamond Sutra). Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and The Mahāvairocana Tantra is an important Vajrayana Buddhist text The Vajrasekhara Sutra is an important Buddhist Tantra used in the Vajrayana schools of Buddhism particularly the Japanese Shingon school These two mystical teachings are shown in the main two mandalas of Shingon, namely, the Womb Realm (Taizokai) mandala and the Diamond Realm (Kongo Kai) mandala. Mandala ( Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड "essence" + ल "having" or "containing" In Vajrayana Buddhism the Diamond Realm ( Skt vajradhātu, Jp Vajrayana Buddhism is concerned with the ritual and meditative practices leading to enlightenment. Bodhi (बोधि is both the Pāli and Sanskrit word traditionally translated into English as "enlightenment According to Shingon, enlightenment is not a distant, foreign reality that can take aeons to approach but a real possibility within this very life, based on the spiritual potential of every living being, known generally as Buddha-nature. The word aeon, also spelled eon or æon, means "age" "forever" or "for Eternity " Luminous mind in the Nikayas There is a clear reference in the Anguttara Nikaya to a " Luminous mind " present within all people be they corrupt or pure whether If cultivated, this luminous nature manifests as innate wisdom. With the help of a genuine teacher and through properly training the body, speech, and mind, we can reclaim and liberate this enlightened capacity for the benefit of ourselves and others.

Kūkai also systematized and categorised the teachings he inherited into ten stages or levels of spiritual realisation. Kūkai (ja 空海 or also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (ja 弘法大師 774&ndash835 CE was a Japanese monk, Scholar The Bodhisattva 's path to awakening in the Mahayana tradition progresses through ten hierarchically arranged stages referred to as the "Bodhisattva Bhumis" ( He wrote at length on the difference between exoteric (both mainstream Buddhism and Mahayana) and esoteric (Vajrayana) Buddhism. Exoteric refers to knowledge that is outside of and independent from anyone's experience and can be ascertained by anyone Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and The differences between exoteric and esoteric can be summarised as:

  1. Esoteric teachings are preached by the Dharmakaya Buddha which Kūkai identifies with Mahavairocana. The Trikaya doctrine ( Sanskrit, literally "Three bodies or personalities" 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin) Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana; वैरोचन Sanskrit or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or Exoteric teachings are preached by the Nirmanakaya Buddha, also known as Gautama Buddha, or one of the Sambhoghakaya Buddhas. The Trikaya doctrine ( Sanskrit, literally "Three bodies or personalities" 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin) Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder The Trikaya doctrine ( Sanskrit, literally "Three bodies or personalities" 三身 Chinese: Sānshén, Japanese: sanjin)
  2. Exoteric Buddhism holds that the ultimate state of Buddhahood is ineffable, and that nothing can be said of it. Esoteric Buddhism holds that while nothing can be said of it verbally, it is readily communicated via esoteric rituals which involve the use of mantras, mudras, and mandalas. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language A mudrā ( Sanskrit: मुद्रा lit "seal" is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. Mandala ( Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड "essence" + ल "having" or "containing"
  3. Kūkai held that exoteric doctrines were merely provisional, skillful means (upaya) on the part of the Buddhas to help beings according to their capacity to understand the Truth. Upaya ( Sanskrit: उपाय "Expedient Means" is a term in Mahayana Buddhism which comes from the word upa√i and refers to something The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality The esoteric doctrines by comparison are the Truth itself, and are a direct communication of the "inner experience of the Dharmakaya's enlightenment".
  4. Some exoteric schools in late Nara and early Heian Japan held (or were portrayed by Shingon adherents as holding) that attaining Buddhahood is possible but requires a huge amount of time (three incalculable aeons) of practice to achieve, whereas esoteric Buddhism teaches that Buddhahood can be attained in this lifetime by anyone. The of the History of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185.

Kūkai held, along with the Huayan (Jp. Kūkai (ja 空海 or also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (ja 弘法大師 774&ndash835 CE was a Japanese monk, Scholar Kegon) school that all phenomena could be expressed as 'letters' in a 'World-text'. For the Japanese waterfall see Kegon Falls. Kegon (華厳 ( or in some dialects) is the name of the Japanese transmission "The world " is a proper noun for the planet Earth envisioned from an Anthropocentric or Human Worldview, as a place TEXT is the band founded by Kristofer Steen David Sandström Fredrik Bäckström and Jon F Brännström Mantra, mudra, and mandala are special because they constitute the 'language' through which the Dharmakaya (i. e. Reality itself) communicates. Although portrayed through the use of anthropomorphic metaphors, Shingon does not see the Dharmakaya Buddha as a god, or creator. The Dharmakāya (lit Truth Body or Reality Body is a central concept in Mahayana Buddhism forming part of the Trikaya doctrine that was first expounded in the God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. The Dharmakaya is in fact a symbol for the true nature of things which is impermanent and empty of any essence. The teachings were passed from Mahavairocana. Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana; वैरोचन Sanskrit or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or

Mahavairocana Tathagata

In Shingon, Mahavairocana Tathagata is the universal or primordial Buddha that is the basis of all phenomena, present in each and all of them, and not existing independently or externally to them. Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana; वैरोचन Sanskrit or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or In Buddhism, the Adi-Buddha is the "Primordial Buddha." The term refers to a self-emanating self-originating Buddha present before The goal of Shingon is the realization that one's nature is identical with Mahavairocana, a goal that is achieved through initiation (for ordained followers), meditation and esoteric ritual practices. Initiation is a Rite of passage Ceremony marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness This realization depends on receiving the secret doctrine of Shingon, transmitted orally to initiates by the school's masters. Body, speech, and mind participate simultaneously in the subsequent process of revealing one's nature: the body through devotional gestures (mudra) and the use of ritual instruments, speech through sacred formulas (mantra), and mind through meditation. A mudrā ( Sanskrit: मुद्रा lit "seal" is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. A mantra ( Devanāgarī मन्त्र (or mantram is a religious or mystical syllable or poem typically from the Sanskrit language Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness

Shingon places special emphasis on the Thirteen Buddhas[2], a grouping of various Buddhas and boddhisattvas:

Mahavairocana is the Universal Principle which underlies all Buddhist teachings, according to Shingon Buddhism, so other Buddhist figures can be thought of as manifestations with certain roles and attributes. The Thirteen Buddhas ( Jp. 十三仏 jūsanbutsu) is a purely Japanese grouping of important Buddhist deities particularly in the Shingon Also known as Ācalanātha Āryācalanātha Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva (Chinese 虛空藏菩薩 Xūkōngzàng púsà is one of the eight great Bodhisattvas His name can be translated as "boundless space treasury" In Vajrayana Buddhism Akshobhya ( Sanskrit: "Immovable One" ( Japanese: 阿閃如来 Ashuku nyorai; Chinese A Jiu Rulai Amitābha ( Sanskrit: अमिताभ Amitābha (wordstem pronunciation; Chinese: 阿彌陀佛 Ēmítuó Fó; Tibetan: འོད་དཔག་མེད་ Avalokiteśvara ( Nepali: अवलोकितेश्वर, lit Bhaiṣajyaguru (藥師佛 Ch Yàoshīfó, 薬師 Jp Yakushi) more formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabha (Jp Kṣitigarbha is a Bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in The Orient. Mahāsthāmaprāpta ( Ch 大勢至 Da Shì Zhì, Jp. 勢至 Seishi Vi Đại Thế Chí Bồ tát is a Bodhisattva Manjusri ( Ch: Maitreya ( Sanskrit) or Metteyya ( Pāli) is a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. Samantabhadra ( Wylie: Kun-tu bzang-po, Mongolian Qamugha Sain, Chinese 普[[wiktionary 賢|賢]] 菩[[wiktionary 薩|薩]] Pinyin Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana; वैरोचन Sanskrit or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or Each Buddhist figure is symbolized by its own Sanskrit "seed" letter as well.

Practices and features

A typical Shingon shrine.
A typical Shingon shrine.

One feature that Shingon shares in common with the other surviving school of Esoteric Buddhism (Tendai) is the use of seed-syllables or bija (bīja) along with anthropomorphic and symbolic representations, to express Buddhist deities in their mandalas. In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term bīja ( Jp. 種子 shuji literally Seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause Mandala ( Sanskrit maṇḍala मंड "essence" + ल "having" or "containing" There are four types of mandalas: mahā-maṇḍala (大曼荼羅, anthropomorphic representation), the seed-syllable mandala or dharma-maṇḍala (法曼荼羅), the samaya-maṇḍala (三昧耶曼荼羅, representations of the vows of the deities in the form of articles they hold or their mudras), and the karma-maṇḍala (羯磨曼荼羅 ) representing the activities of the deities in the three-dimensional form of statues, etc. An ancient Indian Sanskrit syllabary script known as siddham (Jap. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Siddhaṃ ( Sanskrit सिद्धं "accomplished" or "perfected" — is the name of a North Indian script used for writing Sanskrit during the period shittan 悉曇 or bonji 梵字) is used to write mantras. A core meditative practice of Shingon is ajikan (阿字觀), "Meditating on the Letter 'A'", which uses the siddham letter representing that sound as a. Siddhaṃ ( Sanskrit सिद्धं "accomplished" or "perfected" — is the name of a North Indian script used for writing Sanskrit during the period Other Shingon meditations are Gachirinkan (月輪觀, "full moon" visualization), Gojigonjingan (五字嚴身觀, "visualization of the five elements arrayed in the body" from the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi-sūtra) and Gosōjōjingan (五相成身觀, pañcābhisaṃbodhi "series of five meditations to attain Buddhahood" from the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha).

The essence of Shingon Mantrayana practice is to experience Reality by emulating the inner realization of the Dharmakaya through the meditative ritual use of mantra, mudra and visualization of mandala (ie. Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness A ritual is a set of actions often thought to have Symbolic value the performance of which is usually prescribed by a Religion or by the Traditions the three mysteries). All Shingon followers gradually develop a teacher-student relationship, whereby a teacher learns the disposition of the student and teaches practices accordingly. For lay practitioners, there is no initiation ceremony beyond the Kechien Kanjō (結縁潅頂), which is normally offered only at Mt. Koya, but is not required. This article is about the mountain in Japan For the historical Haida chief in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia see Koyah. In the case of disciples wishing to ordain as priests, the process is more complex and requires initiations in various mandalas, rituals and so on. In either case, the stress is on finding a qualified and willing mentor who will guide you through Shingon practice at a gradual pace.

Esoteric Buddhism is also practiced, in the Japanese Tendai School founded at around the same time as the Shingon School in the early 9th century (Heian period). History The Tiantai teaching was first brought to Japan by the Chinese monk Jianzhen (鑑眞 Jp Ganjin in the middle of the 8th century, but The 9th century is the period from 801 to 900 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The term used there is Mikkyo. Introduction for Mikkyo Mikkyo is the contraction for Himitsu-Bukkyo which translates into esoteric buddism

Branches of Shingon

Located in Kyoto, Japan, Daigo-ji is the head temple of the Daigo-ha branch of Shingon Buddhism.
Located in Kyoto, Japan, Daigo-ji is the head temple of the Daigo-ha branch of Shingon Buddhism. (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Daigo-ji (醍醐寺 is a Shingon Buddhist Temple in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan.

Notes

  1. ^ Caiger, Mason. This article is about the mountain in Japan For the historical Haida chief in the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia see Koyah. is a Japanese Shingon Buddhist sect founded in the 16th century by the priest. A History of Japan, Revised Ed. , 106-107.  
  2. ^ Jusan Butsu - The Thirteen Buddhas of the Shingon School <Internet>. Retrieved on 5 July, 2007.

External links

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