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  • Hoodie Monks 2014 Page 1

    Shingon Buddhism The History of Buddhism. The history of Buddhism is the story of Siddhartha Gautamas spiritual journey to Enlightenment and of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it. Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal family, 624 BC, in the village of Lumbini in present day Nepal. His privileged life insulated him from the sufferings of life; such as sickness, old age and death. One day he went outside the palace and saw for the first time, an old man, a sick man and a corpse. This greatly disturbed him, and he learned that sickness, old age and death were the inevitable fate of human beings. He had also seen a monk who had given up everything he owned to seek an end to suffering, and Siddhartha decided this was a sign that he should leave his royal life and find answers to his questions about why there is suffering. He searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain by studying with religious men but this didnt provide him with an answer. He followed a life of extreme self-denial and discipline, practised meditation but concluded that he still had not escaped from the world of suffering. One day while sitting under a tree, known as the Bodhi Tree or Tree of Wisdom, Siddhartha entered into deep meditation. In this state, he believed himself to have been made aware of the fact that true happiness or contentment can only be found in a life of moderation in which one chooses to walk a middle path between extreme indulgence and self-deprivation. He was led from the pain of suffering and rebirth towards the path of Enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened one. Now the Buddha ("the Enlightened or Awakened One") began to teach others these truths out of compassion for their suffering. The most important doctrines he taught included the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path. He advised them not to accept his words on blind faith, but to decide for themselves whether his teachings are right, then follow them. He encouraged everyone to have compassion for each other and develop their own virtue, "You should do your own work, for I can teach only the way."

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    The Four Noble Truths

    The First Noble Truth is that life is suffering (Dukkha). Life as we normally live it is full of the pleasures and pains of the body and mind; pleasures, he said, do not represent lasting happiness. They are inevitably tied in with suffering since we suffer from wanting them, wanting them to continue, and wanting pain to go so pleasure can come.

    The Second Noble Truth is that suffering has a cause. The Third Noble Truth, however, states that suffering has an end

    (remove the cause and you remove the suffering). The Fourth Noble Truth offers the means to that end: the Eight-Fold

    Path and the Middle Way. If one follows this combined path he or she will attain Enlightenment, an indescribable state of all-knowing, lucid awareness in which there is only peace and joy.

    The Middle Path refers to the correct view of life that the Buddha teaches, and to the actions or attitudes that will create happiness for oneself and others. The Eight-Fold Path

    Right Views Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood/Occupation, Right Endeavour (an attempt to achieve a goal, Buddha- hood is

    attainable). Right Mindfulness (total concentration in activity) Right Concentration (meditation).

    The two main goals of Buddhism are getting to know ourselves and learning the Buddha's teachings. To know who we are, we need to understand that we have two natures. One is called our ordinary nature, which is made up of unpleasant feelings such as fear, anger, and jealousy. The other is our true nature, the part of us that is pure, wise, and perfect. In Buddhism, it is called the Buddha nature. The only difference between us and the Buddha is that we have not awakened to our true nature.

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    Buddhism in Japan Buddhism is considered to have been officially introduced to Japan in 538 AD when the ruler of a Korean kingdom presented a brilliant image of the Buddha along with scripture-scrolls and ornaments to The Japanese Emperor Kimmei.

    About 40 years later Buddhism was declared the official religion of Japan. In the beginning, the introduction of Buddhism to Japan was highly motivated by political and cultural reasons. The court wanted to establish a system in which the existing clans could be consolidated. The clans were practising Shinto and the purpose of most Shinto rituals was to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami (Shinto gods). After a few initial conflicts the two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other. Buddhist temples in those days were the centre of culture; they were not only used as places of prayers, but also as schools, hospitals, orphanages and refuges for older people. The monks were also school teachers, physicians, engineers and developers of many construction projects. Therefore, the Japanese government encouraged and supported the Buddhist Institutions. In 784 the Japanese capital was transferred from Nara to Kyoto, and became the Buddhist centre of Japan. Soon after, two new Buddhist schools were introduced from China, namely Tendai and Shingon.

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    History of Shingon Buddhism Shingon Buddhism is an ancient transmission of Esoteric Buddhist (Mikkyo) doctrine that began in India; spread to China and Japan. Shingon (True Word) is the name of this esoteric lineage in Japan, but there are also esoteric schools in China, Korea, Taiwan, Tibet and Hong Kong. Shingon Buddhism maintains that the expounder of the doctrine was originally the universal Buddha Vairocana (Dainichi Nyorai in Japan). Lineage of Esoteric Buddhism:

    Mahavairocana (Universal Buddha) Vajrasattva Nagarjuna (first human to receive the Mahavairocana sutra from

    Vajrasattva inside an iron stupa in southern India) Nagabodhi Vajrabodhi Amoghavajra Huiguo Kukai

    Kukai Kukai also known as Kobo-Daishi (The Grand Master Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching), 774835, was a Japanese monk, civil servant, scholar, poet and calligrapher, and founder of the Shingon or "True Word" school of Buddhism. Kkai was born in 774 in the present-day Zentsu-ji precincts in the province of Sanuki (now called Kagawa) on the island of Shikoku. His family were members of the aristocratic Saeki family, a branch of the ancient tomo clan. Kkai was born in a period of important political changes with Emperor Kammu (781806) seeking to consolidate his power and to extend his realm, taking

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    measures which included moving the capital of Japan from Nara ultimately to Kyoto. Around the age of 22, Kkai was introduced to a Buddhist practice known as Gumonjiho which involves chanting the mantra of the Bodhisattva Akasagarbha (Kokuzo). During this period Kkai frequently sought out isolated mountain regions where he chanted the kasagarbha mantra relentlessly. At age 24 he published his first major literary work, Sango Shiiki (Essentials of the Three Teachings), in which he quotes from an extensive list of sources, including the classics of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. The Nara temples, with their extensive libraries, possessed these texts. During this period of private Buddhist practice, Kkai had a dream, in which a man appeared and told Kkai that the Mahavairocana Sutra is the scripture which contained the doctrine Kkai was seeking. Though Kkai soon managed to obtain a copy of this sutra which had only recently become available in Japan, he immediately encountered difficulty. Much of the sutra was in un-translated Sanskrit written in the Siddham script. Kkai found the translated portion of the sutra very cryptic. Because Kkai could find no one who could explain the text for him, he resolved to go to China to study the text there. In 804 Kkai took part in a government-sponsored expedition to China in order to learn more about the Mahavairocana Sutra. The Tang court in China granted Kkai a place in the Ximingsi temple where his study of Chinese Buddhism began in earnest as well as studies of Sanskrit. It was in 805 that Kkai finally met Master Huiguo (746 805) the man who would initiate him into the Esoteric Buddhism tradition. Huiguo came from an illustrious lineage of Buddhist masters, famed especially for translating Sanskrit texts into Chinese, including the Mahavairocana Sutra. Whereas Kkai had expected to spend 20 years studying in China, in a few short months he was to receive all the initiations, and become a master of the esoteric lineage. Huiguo died shortly afterwards, but not before instructing Kkai to return to Japan and spread the esoteric teachings there, assuring him that other disciples would carry on his work in China. Kkai arrived back in Japan in 806 as the eighth Patriarch of Esoteric Buddhism, having learnt Sanskrit and its Siddham script, studied Indian Buddhism, as well as having studied the arts of Chinese calligraphy and poetry, all with recognized masters. He also arrived with a large number of texts, many of

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    which were new to Japan and were esoteric in character, as well as several texts on the Sanskrit language and the Siddham script. However in Kkai's absence Emperor Kammu had died and was replaced by Emperor Heizei who exhibited no great enthusiasm for Buddhism. Little is known about Kkai's movements until 809 when the court finally responded to Kkai's report on his studies, which also contained an inventory of the texts and other objects he had brought with him, and a petition for state support to establish the new esoteric Buddhism in Japan. That document, the Catalogue of Imported Items, is the first attempt by Kkai to distinguish the new form of Buddhism from that already practiced in Japan. The court's response was an order to reside in the Takaosanji (later Jingo-ji) Temple in the suburbs of Kyoto. This was to be Kkai's headquarters for the next 14 years. The year 809 also saw the retirement of Heizei due to illness and the succession of the Emperor Saga, who supported Kkai and exchanged poems and other gifts. In 810 Kkai emerged as a public figure when he was appointed administrative head of Todai-ji, the central temple in Nara, and head of the Sg (Office of Priestly Affairs). Shortly after his enthronement Saga became seriously ill, and while he was recovering, Heizei fomented a rebellion, which had to be put down by force. Kkai petitioned the Emperor to allow him to carry out certain esoteric rituals which were said to "enable a king to vanquish the seven calamities, to maintain the four seasons in harmony, to protect the nation and family, and to give comfort to him and others". The petition was granted. Prior to this, the government relied on the monks from the traditional schools in Nara to perform rituals, such as chanting the Golden Light Sutra to bolster the government, but this event marked a new reliance on the esoteric tradition to fulfil this role. In 813 Kkai outlined his aims and practices in the document called The admonishments of Konin. It was also during this period that he completed many of the seminal works of the Shingon School:

    Attaining Enlightenment in This Very Existence The Meaning of Sound, Word, Reality Meanings of the Word Hm

    All of these were written in 817. His popularity at the court only increased, and spread.

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    In 816, Emperor Saga accepted Kkai's request to establish a mountain retreat at Mount Koya as a retreat from worldly affairs. He could not stay, however, as he had received an imperial order to act as advisor to the secretary of state, and he therefore entrusted the project to a senior disciple. As many surviving letters to patrons attest, fund-raising for the project now began to take up much of Kkai's time, and financial difficulties were a persistent concern; indeed, the project was not fully realised until after Kkai's death in 835. Kkai's vision was that Mt. Kya was to become a representation of the two mandalas that form the basis of Shingon Buddhism: the central plateau as the Womb Realm mandala, with the peaks surrounding the area as petals of a lotus; and located in the centre of this would be the Diamond Realm mandala in the form of a temple which he named Kongobu-ji the Diamond Peak Temple. At the centre of the temple complex sits an enormous statue of Mahavairocana Buddha who is the personification of Ultimate Reality. In 823 the soon-to-retire Emperor Saga asked Kkai, experienced in public works projects, to take over T-ji Temple and finish the building project. Saga gave Kkai free reign, enabling him to make T-ji the first Esoteric Buddhist centre in Kyoto, and also giving him a base much closer to the court, and its power. The new emperor, Emperor Junna (r. 823-833) was also well disposed towards Kkai. In response to a request from the emperor, Kkai, along with other Japanese Buddhist leaders, submitted a document which set out the beliefs, practices and important texts of his form of Buddhism. In his imperial decree granting approval of Kkai's outline of esoteric Buddhism, Junna uses the term Shingon-sh (True Word School) for the first time. An imperial decree gave Kkai exclusive use of T-ji Temple for the Shingon School, which set a new precedent in an environment where previously temples had been open to all forms of Buddhism. It also allowed him to retain 50 monks at the temple and train them in Shingon. This was the final step in establishing Shingon as an independent Buddhist movement, with a solid institutional basis with state authorization. Shingon had become legitimate. In 827 Kkai was promoted to be Daiszu (Office of Priestly Affairs as Senior Director) in which capacity he presided over state rituals, the emperor and the imperial family.

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    Kkai completed his masterpiece: The Jjshinron (Treatise on The Ten Stages of the Development of Mind) in 830. Because of its great length, it has yet to have been fully translated into any language. A simplified summary, Hiz Hyaku (The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury) followed soon after. Toward the end of 832 Kkai was back on Mt. Kya and spent most of his remaining life there. In 834 he petitioned the court to establish a Shingon chapel in the palace for the purpose of conducting rituals that would ensure the health of the state. This request was granted and Shingon ritual became incorporated into the official court calendar of events. In 835, just two months before his death, Kkai was finally granted permission to annually ordain three Shingon monks at Mt. Kya the number of new ordainees being still strictly controlled by the state. This meant that Kya had gone from being a private institution to a state-sponsored one. In 835 Kukai died at the age of 62. Kkai was not given the traditional cremation, but instead, in accordance with his will, was entombed on the eastern peak of Mount Kya. Legend has it that Kkai has not died but entered into an eternal samadhi and is still alive on Mount Kya, awaiting the appearance of Maitreya, the future Buddha. Monks today still bringing food to Kb Daishi on Mount Koya, as they believe he is not dead but rather meditating. They feed him every day and change his clothes. No one except the highest monks are allowed to see him. Kukai left 10 chief disciples of whom the most celebrated was Shinga who stood high in the favour of the Emperor Seiwa , and in the second generation from him were the two eminent Yakushin (827-906) and Shobo (832-909). Yakushin was the head of the Ninna-ji Temple.

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    The teachings of Shingon The teachings of Shingon are based on early Buddhist Tantras (=Buddhist religious literature written in Sanskrit and concerned with powerful ritual acts of body, speech, and mind), the Mahavairocana sutra (Japanese. Dainichi-ky), the Vajrasekhara sutra (Kongch-ky), the Adhyardhasatika Prajnaparamita sutra (Rishu-ky), and the Susiddhikara sutra (Soshitsuji-ky). These are the four principal texts of Esoteric Buddhism. The Dainichi-kyo teaches the fundamental doctrines of Shingon while the Kongocho-kyo teaches the practical aspects of becoming a Buddha in this body. The two Mandalas The mystical Vairocana and Vajraekhara Tantras are expressed in the two main mandalas of Shingon: The Womb Realm mandala (Jp Taizkai) and The Diamond Realm mandala (Jp Kongkai). These two mandalas and the two sutras express the dual nature of Shingon teachings. Herein lies the fundamental teaching and practice of Shingon Buddhism. Our body, speech and mind become the Body, Speech and Mind of the Mahavairocana Buddha, and thereby we become a Buddha. The Diamond Realm mandala represents the true nature of Reality from the standpoint of Wisdom (chi). It represents the path to Enlightenment. The Womb realm mandala represents Principle (ri), the phenomenal world, whose true nature can be understood utilizing the wisdom of the Diamond Realm mandala. In Shingon temples, these two mandalas are mounted one on each side of the central altar. Mahavairocana Buddha (Dainichi Nyorai) is the fundamental deity of Shingon Buddhism. He is seen as the Ultimate Reality, the life force that is the origin of everything and that illuminates all. His name means: Great Shining Buddha. According to Shingon, each of us has a Buddha nature and that nature is part of the Ultimate Reality that is Mahavairocana.

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    The differences between Exoteric and Esoteric Buddhism

    Exoteric Buddhism is revealed by the historical Buddha. Esoteric Buddhism is revealed by the Universal Buddha Mahavairocana

    who is timeless and eternally present in a state of bliss. Exoteric Buddhism is taught through the use of textbooks. Esoteric Buddhism emphasizes that teaching through experience is the

    way to attain enlightenment. Exoteric Buddhism is typically taught in a large group setting Esoteric Buddhism is taught from master to student. Exoteric Buddhism holds that the ultimate state of Buddha-hood is too

    great or extreme to be expressed or described in words, 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.

    Exoteric Buddhism state that attaining Buddha-hood is possible but requires a huge amount of time (three aeons) of practice to achieve.

    Esoteric Buddhism teaches that Buddha-hood can be attained in this very lifetime by anyone.

    The goal of Shingon Buddhism The goal of Shingon Buddhist practice is to achieve enlightenment in this very existence. The essence of Shingon practice is to experience Reality through the meditative rituals by use of mantra, mudra and visualization, i.e. "The Three Mysteries" (Jp Sanmitsu). Shingon places emphasis on the Thirteen Buddhas, a grouping of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas; however this is purely for lay Buddhist practice and Shingon priests generally make devotions to not just the Thirteen Buddhas. Mahavairocana is the Universal Buddha which underlies all Buddhist teachings, according to Shingon Buddhism, so other Buddhist figures can be thought of as manifestations with certain roles and attributes. Each Buddhist figure is symbolized by its own Sanskrit "seed" syllable.

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    The present. Today, there are very few books on Shingon in the West and until the 1940s, not a single book on Shingon had ever been published anywhere in the world, not even in Japan. Since this lineage was brought over to Japan from China over 1,100 years ago, its doctrines have always been closely guarded secrets, passed down orally. Throughout the centuries, except for the initiated, most of the Japanese common folk knew little of its secretive doctrines and of the monks of this "Mantra School" except that besides performing the usual priestly duties of prayers, blessings and funeral rites for the public, they practiced only Mikkyo, literally "secret teachings" in stark contrast to all other Buddhist schools. Mount Kya is the name of mountains in Wakayama Prefecture to the south of Osaka. Also, Kya-san is a modifying word for Kongbu-ji. There is no one mountain officially called Kya-san in Japan. Kongbu-ji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on Mount Kya, Wakayama prefecture, Japan. Its name means Temple of the Diamond Peak Mountain In the last 1200 years, the teachings, rituals and traditions in Koyasan have not changed. Through the efforts of countless people, the community has been able to preserve its rich heritage and its customs, but there have been some notable changes that have occurred over time. Today there are 117 temples in Koyasan, but there used to be many more. Although many of the ancient buildings have survived for many years, some of the original buildings have been lost due to fire. Another significant change occurred in 1872. This was the year that the law prohibiting women to enter Koyasan was removed. This change not only brought women to Koyasan, but with them many other common people and children came to the mountain community. What was once a place only for male priests gradually transformed into a small town.

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    Koyasan World Heritage site. In 2004, Koyasan was registered through UNESCO as a World Heritage site. The official title is the Sacred Sites and pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. Since being registered as a World Heritage site, more and more visitors from diverse countries have come to Koyasan to appreciate the rich history and its unique atmosphere. Although the essence of Koyasan has remained the same, nowadays all walks of life are able to live in peace at the site where Kobo Daishi founded this sacred place 1,200 years ago.

    Introducing the Japan Buddhist Federation (JBF)

    According to recent national census conducted in 2003, there are approximately 96 million Buddhists belonging to over 77,000 temples and associations. The Japan Buddhist Federation (JBF) is the only federation of traditional Buddhist denominations in Japan. It consists of all the major denominations and sects (including the 58 main denominations), prefectural Buddhist associations, and promotional Buddhist organizations. The members of our affiliated 103 denominations and associations account for more than 90 percent of all Buddhist organizations in Japan.

    Our federation has its origins in the Buddhist Interfaith Organization, founded in 1900 to oppose the control of religion by the Japanese government. The Japanese Buddhist Federation was created in 1957 out of the Greater Japan Buddhist Association and the Japan Buddhist Confederation.

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    Shingon Denomination

    Koyasan Shingon shu The Buzan Denomination of Shingon Buddhism Shigisan Shingon Shu Shingi Shingon Shu Shingon Sanpo Shu Shingon Shu Chizan-ha Shingon Shu Daigo-ha Shingon Shu Daikakuji-ha Shingon Shu Inunaki-ha Shingon Shu Kokubunji-ha Shingon Shu Nakayamadera-ha Shingon Shu Omuro-ha (Our teacher Gomyo is a full-time priest here) Shingon-Shu Sennyuji-ha Shingon Shu Yamashina-ha Shingon Shu Zentsuji ha (Our teacher Gomyo had his Tokudo here). Sumadera-ha Toji Shingon Shu

    Shingon shu Omuro ha branch. The head temple of the Omuro school of Shingon Buddhism is the Ninna-ji temple (north-west of Kyoto) and is classified as one of the historic monuments of ancient Kyoto as a UNESCO world heritage site. Originally a summer home for the Imperial Family (called the Old Imperial Palace of Omuro), which sought to escape the summer heat of the centrally located palace, it was founded as a temple in 886 by the Emperor Uda, who became its first head priest. Ninna-ji Temple was also the first of Kyoto's monzeki (temples whose abbots came from the imperial family), with retired emperor Uda being its first abbot. Afterwards, it became tradition for a member of the Imperial Family to act as head priest, a custom which lasted until 1869, when the Imperial household moved to Tokyo. The tradition of having aristocratic or persons of imperial lineage serve as chief of the temple ended with the 30th Monzeki, Junnin Hosshinn in the late Edo period.

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    The nationally renowned Omuro School of Flower Arrangement is also housed on the temple complex. In 1467, Ninnaji was destroyed by fire and fighting during the Onin War. It was rebuilt some 150 years later.

    In the hills just behind Ninnaji is the Hachi-ju Haka-sho (88 Temple Pilgrimage), a short hike around mini-temples mirrored on the more famous 88 Temple Pilgrimage around Shikoku. The entire walk can be done in less than an hour and affords a great view of Kyoto.

    Yugasan Rendaiji Temple. Our Temple is the sub head temple of Ninna-ji, located in Kurashiki, Okayama Precinct. In 733, priest Gyoki began to worship the two statues of Amida Nyorai and Yakushi Nyorai here as "Yuga Daigongen". On the request of Emperor Shomu Tenno (701 - 756) he built a temple called Yuga-ji, now known as Rendai-Ji. Rendai-Ji is part of a big shrine-temple complex on Mount Yuga. The site was once an important place of pilgrimage as pilgrims heading across the channel to Konpira-San would stop here first. After the Edo Period its popularity faded. The temple is now number 6 on the Chugoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage.

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    Main hall The sacred objects of worship, such as statues, are displayed in the main hall. Main halls are called Kondo, Hondo, Honden, Butsuden, Amidado or Hatto in Japanese. Lecture hall Lecture halls are for meetings and lectures and often also display objects of worship. Lecture halls are called Kodo.

    Pagoda The pagoda, a structure that has evolved from the Indian stupa, usually comes with three (sanju no to) or five (goju no to) stories. Pagodas store remains of the Buddha such as a tooth, usually in form of a representation. Gates Gates mark the entrance to the temple grounds. There is usually one main gate, and possibly several additional gates, along the temple's main approach. Bell On New Years Eve, temple bells are rung 108 times, corresponding to the Buddhist concept of 108 worldly desires.

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    Cemetery Most cemeteries in Japan are Buddhist and are located at a temple. The Japanese visit their ancestors' graves on many occasions during the year, especially during the Obon week, the equinoctial weeks and anniversaries. Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during Obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.

    Fudo Myo statue at Rendaiji Temple.

    The sculpture, including the base and the surrounding flames is almost 8 meters tall.

    Fudo himself is exactly 366 centimeters, one for each day of the year with an extra one to take you into the next year. It was completed and installed in 2006 at the mountain temple of Rendai-Ji in southern Okayama. The statue was carved by Kyoto sculptor Araki Keiun.