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Shingon (真言) occurs as major school of Japanese Buddhism, and a first school of Vajrayana Buddhism outside of the Himalayan region. A word Shingon occurs as Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese term Zhen Yan meaning "True Word", which itself occurs as representation of the Sanskrit word for mantra. Shingon arose around Japan's Heian period (794-1185) when a monk Kukai went to China in 804 where he studied a tantra & returned armed with several texts & art works, & developed his have synthesis of esoteric practice and philosophical system, centred on the universal Buddha Vairocana (or, further accurately, Mahavairocana Tathagata).

A teachings of Shingon come according to a Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrashekhara Sutra. These deuce orphic teachings come shown in the independent 2 mandalas of Shingon, namely, a Womb Realm mandala and a Diamond Realm mandala. Vajrayana Buddhism is caring by using a ritual & brooding practices leading to enlightenment. according to data from Shingon, enlightenment is non the distant, foreign reality that could require eons to approach however my birth-best, a rattling possibility in this super life, based on the spiritual likely of each dwelling existence, known usually when Buddha-nature. Whenever cultivated, this lucent nature and severity manifests when unconditioned wisdom. Sustaining a assist of a echt teacher & across properly expert instruction the system, speech, & mind, i might reclaim & liberate this enlightened capacity for the gain of ourselves & others.

Withinside Shingon a Mahavairocana Tathagata is held to exist as a source & basis of 100% phenomena, present in each & every of the children, & eventually beyond completely phenomena. A goal of Shingon is the realization that a single's nature and severity is monovular by having Mahavairocanthe, a goal that is achieved across initiation, meditation and esoteric ritual practices. This realizatiin depends on getting a secret doctrine of Shingon, transmitted orally to initiates per school's masters. Immune system, speech, & mind participate at a same time in the subsequent run of telling it used to be that nature and severity: the system across devotional gestures (mudra) and a utilise of ritual instruments, speech across sacred system (mantra), and mind across meditation.

A single feature that sets Shingon apart from either a more living schools of esoteric Buddhism inside Tibet is the use of calligraphy, along with extra park pictorial representations, to represent Buddha numbers in their mandalas. Such syllable-mandala is referred to as dharma-mandala. More forms come samaya-mandala (symbolic representation), karma-mandala (statues) & maha-mandala (antropomorphic). " An ancient Indian Sanskrit syllabary script known as siddham (Jap. bonji 梵字) is used to write mantras. A core meditative practice of Shingon is ajikan (阿字觀), "Gazing at a Letter 'Ah'", which uses the siddham letter representing that sound as a [http://pics.livejournal.com/stonemirror/pic/0001hk1x/g4 visual focus]. This is a practice cognate to others found in, e.g. Vajrayana Buddhism, such as a-khrid, as well as certain qabalistic meditative practices. Other Shingon meditations are Gachirinkan ("good moon" visualization), Gojigonshinkan (five elements visualization) and Gosojoshinkan (five step transformation).

Kukai also systematised and categorised the teachings he inherited into ten stages or levels of spiritual realisation. He wrote at length on the difference between exoteric (Mahayana) and esoteric (Vajrayana) Buddhism, developing a sophisticated jargon which can make understanding the Vajrayana difficult at first. The differences between exoteric and esoteric can be summarised as:

  • Esoteric teachings are preached by the Dharmakaya Buddha which Kukai identifies with Mahavairocana. Exoteric teachings are preached by the Nirmanakaya Buddha, also known as Gautama Buddha, or one of the Sambhoghakaya Buddhas.
  • Exoteric Buddhism holds that the ultimate state of Buddhahood is ineffable, and that nothing can be said of it. Esoteric Buddhism holds that it is not ineffable, and that it is readily communicated via esoteric rituals which involve the use of mantras, mudras, and mandalas.
  • Kukai held that exoteric doctrines were merely provisional, skillful means on the part of the Buddhas to help beings according to their capacity to understand the Truth. The esoteric doctrines by comparison are the Truth itself, and are a direct communication of the "inner personal experience of the Dharmakaya's enlightenment".
  • Exoteric schools, in early Heian Japan at least, held that Buddhahood required three incalculable aeons of practice to achieve, whereas esoteric Buddhism holds that Buddhahood can be attained in this lifetime by anyone. Kukai held, along with the Hua-yen (Jp. Kegon) school that all phenomena were 'letters' in a 'world-text'. 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 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 via a succession of mythic and historical patriarchs.

    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. the three mysteries). In order to accurately reproduce this innermost realization it is necessary to be initiated into the practice by a qualified teacher.

    Esoteric Buddhism is also practised, although to a lesser extent, in the Japanese Tendai School founded at around the same time as the Shingon School in the early 9th century (Heian period) as well as by shugenja, practitioners of shugendo, a form of mountain asceticism.

    Just as the Tibetans incorporated Bön elements into Buddhism, the Japanese incorporated aspects of their native Shinto religion. In particular the central Buddha figure of Mahavairocana (Jp. Dainichi), whose name means "Awesome Informative Sun", was identified with the sun goddess Amaterasu in popular usage.

    de:Shingon es:Budismo Shingon fr:Shingon ja:真言宗

    • Shingon Buddhist International Institute
    The institute was set up to promote the understanding Japanese Shingon Buddhism. The pages here include Shingon Buddhist history and deities, rituals and teachings.

    Daigoji Temple
    Gives tourist information about this main temple for the Ono Branch of the Shingon School.

    Shingon-shu Buzan-ha
    Shingon-shu Buzan-ha is based on the teachings of three great Buddhist masters: Kobo Daishi, who systematized the esoteric teaching of Shingon Sect, Kogyo Daishi, who restored his teachings in the 12th century, and Senyo Sojo (Archbishop Senyo), who founded the Buzan Division in the 16th century.

    Shingon Buddhism Introduction
    One page intro.

    Shingon Buddhism
    Japanese history - Shingon, a major Japanese school of esoteric Buddhism.

    A Short Biography of Kobo Daishi


    Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Studies
    With Asunam Sensei. The Shingon School, Kobo Daishi, Koyosan, and Three Secrets.




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