A Short History of Esoteric Buddhism

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A Short History of Esoteric Buddhism

Introduction

Shingon Buddhism ( Shingon sh?) is one of the mainstream major schools of

Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving Esoteric Buddhist lineages thatstarted in India from the third to fourth century C.E that originally spread toChina and Korea. The esoteric teachings would later flourish in Japan under the

auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kkai, who traveled to Tang DynastyChina to acquire and request transmission of the esoteric teachings. For tha t

reason, it is often called "Japanese Esoteric Buddhism", or "Orthodox EsotericBuddhism". The word Shingon is the Japanese reading of the Kanji for theChinese word Zhnyn, literally meaning "True Words", which in turn is the

Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word Mantra.

History

Shingon Buddhist doctrine and teachings arose during the Heian period (794-

1185) when a Buddhist monk named Kkai traveled to China in 804 to study

Esoteric Buddhist practices in the city of Xi'an (then called Chang -an) under theChinese Esoteric Buddhist master Huiguo, a favorite student of the legendary

Amoghavajra and returned to Japan as his lineage and Dharma successor.Shingon followers usually address Kkai as Kb-Daishi( lit. "Great Master ofthe Propagation of Dharma") or Odaishisama ( "The Great Master"), the

posthumous name given to him years after his death by Emperor Daigo. Before

he went to China, Kkai had been an independent Buddhist monk in Japan forover a decade. He was extremely well versed in classical Chinese prose,calligraphy and Buddhist sutras. Esoteric Buddhism was not considered to be adifferent sect or school yet at that time. Huiguo was the first person to gather the

still scattered elements of Indian and Chinese Esoteric Buddhism into a cohesivesystem. A Japanese monk named Gons had brought back to Japan an esoteric

mantra of Akasagarbha known as the Kokuz-gumonjiho (lit. AkasagarbhaMemory Sadhana) that was translated from Sanskrit into Chinese by Buddhistpatriarch Subhakarasimha (Zenmui-Sanzo ). This mantra has the effect of

greatly strengthening one's memory and concentration when practiced diligently.

When Kkai was 22, he learnt this from Gons and would go into the forests ofShikoku regularly to practice this mantra for long periods of ti me. He perseveredin this mantra practice for seven years and mastered it, gaining siddhis ofsuperhuman memory retention and learning ability. His respect for the

Bodhisattva Akasagarbha was so great that he would regard him as his Honzonor main deity, the single most important divinity to him, for the rest of his life. It

was also during this period of intense mantra practice that he dreamt of a mantelling him to seek out the Mahavairocana Tantra for the doctrine that he sought.


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The Mahavairocana Tantra was only recently made available in Japan. He was

able to obtain a copy in Chinese but large portions were in Siddham Sanskritwhich he did not know and even the Chinese portions were too cryptic and"esoteric" in the truest sense of the word for him to understand. He knew that

this teaching was a door to the truth he sought but he was unable to fully

comprehend it and there was no one else in Japan who could help him with it.Thus, he made his resolve to travel to China to spend the time necessary to full yunderstand the Mahavairocana Tantra.

When Kkai reached China and first met Huiguo on the fifth month of 805,Huiguo was age sixty and on the verge of death from a long spate of illness.

Huiguo exclaimed to Kkai in Chinese, "At last, you have come! I have beenwaiting for you! Quickly, prepare yourself for intiation into the mandalas!" orsomething to that effect. Huiguo had foreseen that Esoteric Buddhism would not

survive in India and China in the near future and that it was Kukai's destiny to

see it continue in Japan. In the short space of three months, Huiguo initiated andtaught Kkai everything he knew on the doctrines and practices of the Mandalas

of the Two Realms as well as mastery of Siddham Sanskrit and (presumably tobe able to communicate with Master Huiguo) Chinese language. Huiguo

declared Kkai to be his final disciple and proclaimed him to be his Dharmasuccessor, and was given the lineage name Henj-Kong ( binzho jngng),

meaning "illuminating adamantine vajra". In the twelfth month o f the same year,Huiguo died and was appropriately buried next to his master Amoghavajra.

More than one thousand of his disciples gathered for his funeral. The honor ofwriting his funerary inscription on their behalf was given to Kkai. Kukai

returned to Japan after Huiguo's death. If he had not, Esoteric Buddhism mightnot have survived because thirty-five years after Huiguo's death in the year 840,the infamous Emperor Wuzong of Tang assumed the throne. An avid Taoist, the

new emperor despised Buddhism and thought of monks as useless tax-evaders.In 845 he ordered the destruction of 4,600 Buddhist monasteries and 40,000

temples. Around 250,000 Buddhist monks and nuns had to give up theirmonastic lives. Wuzong cited that Buddhism was an alien religion and promoted

indigenous Taoism zealously. Shortly, he was assassinated by his own innercircle but the damage had been done. After returning to Japan, Kkai collatedand systemized all that he had learnt from Huiguo into a cohesive doctrine of

pure esoteric Buddhism that would become the basis for the Shingon school.Originally, he did not establish his doctrine as a separate school and did notspecifically name it "Shingon-Sh" as it is known now. It would be the Emperor

Junna, who favored Kkai and Esoteric Buddhism who would coin the term"Shingon-Sh" ("The Mantra School") in his imperial decree which officially

declared T-ji Temple in Kyoto as a purely Shingon temple that would performofficial rites for the state.


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Kkai's first established monastery was in Kyasan ( "Mount Kya"), which has

since become the base and a place of spiritual retreat for Shingon practitioners.Shingon enjoyed immense popularity during the Heian Period , particularlyamong the Heian nobility, and contributed greatly to the art a nd literature of the

time, as well as influencing other communities, such as the Tendai School on

Mount Hiei (Hiei-zan ). Also, Shingon's emphasis on ritual found support in theKyoto nobility, particularly the Fujiwara clan . This favor allotted Shingonseveral politically powerful temples in the capital, where rituals for the ImperialFamily and nation were regularly performed. Many of these temples such as T -

ji and Daigo-ji in the South of Kyto and Jingo-ji and Ninna-ji in the Northwestbecame ritual centers establishing their own particular ritual lineages.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shingon_Buddhism, WikipediA, Shingon Buddhism,

1. Caiger, Mason. A History of Japan, Revised Ed.

2. "Jusan Butsu - The Thirteen Buddhas of the Shingon School ". Retrieved 5 July 2007.

History of Vajrayana

There are differing views as to where in the Indian sub -continent Vajrayana

began. Some believe it originated in Bengal,[50] now divided between theRepublic of India and Bangladesh, with others claiming it began in Uddiyana,

located by some scholars in the modern day Swat Valley in Pakistan, or in South

India. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, it is claimed that the historicalShakyamuni Buddha taught tantra, but that since these are 'secret' teachings,

confined to the guru/disciple relationship, they were generally written downlong after the Buddha's other teachings, the Pali Canon and the Mahayana sutras.

The earliest texts appeared around the early 4th century. Nalanda University ineastern India became a center for the development of Vajrayana theory, although

it is likely that the university followed, rather than led, the early Tantricmovement. India would continue as the source of leading -edge Vajrayana

practices up until the 11th century producing many renowned Mahasiddha.

(Vajrayana) Buddhism had mostly died out in India by the 13th century, and

tantric religions of Buddhism and Hinduism were also experiencing pressure

from invading Islamic armies. By that time, the vast majority of the practiceswere also available in Tibet, where they were preserved until recently. In the

second half of the 20th century a sizable number of T ibetan exiles fled theoppressive, anti-religious rule of the Communist Chinese to establish Tibetan

Buddhist communities in northern India, particularly around Dharamsala.

Newar Buddhism


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Newar Buddhism is practiced by Newars in Nepal. This is the only for m of

Vajrayana Buddhism in which the scriptures are written in Sanskrit. Its priestsdo not follow celibacy and are called Vajracharyas.

Vajracharya

A Bajracharya or Vajracharya is a Vajrayana Buddhist priest among the Newarcommunities of Nepal. Vajracharya means 'vajra holding priest'. They are alsocommonly called Guru-ju or Gu-bhaju (a short form for Guru Bhaju) which are

Nepali terms related to the Sanskrit term guru, and translate as 'teacher' or'priest'. The Bajracharya is the highest ranking of the Newar castes that are born

Buddhist.[1] To become a professional Guruju, a person of the bajracharya caste

must go through a number of rituals. The bajracharya boy goes through aritualistic process of initiation known as Bajravishekha[2], including shaving off

the head as the buddha and asking for alms, at a minimum of seven houses a dayin different places, in the tradition of monks since the time of Gautama Buddha.

Sometimes tantric Newar Buddhism is referred to as 'Vajracharya Buddhism'.The writers of Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth-century Nepal explore the unusual relationship of the Vajracharyas and their

assistant Shakyas with Buddhist monasticism:

Unlike Vajracharyas, Shakya men may not be priests for others, but together

with Vajracharya men they are the members of the traditional Newar Buddhistmonasteries, known honorifically as vihara and colloquially as baha or bahi. In

so far as Shakya and Vajracharya men filled their roles in the monastery, theywere monks. In effect, they were married, part-time monks. [3]

Conclution

Shingon Buddhist doctrine and teachings arose during the Heian period (794-

1185) when a Buddhist monk named Kkai traveled to China in 804 to studyEsoteric Buddhist practices in the city of Xi'an (then called Chang-an) under theChinese Esoteric Buddhist master Huiguo, a favorite student of the legendary

Amoghavajra and returned to Japan as his lineage and Dharma successor. ABajracharya or Vajracharya is a Vajrayana Buddhist priest among the Newar

communities of Nepal. Vajracharya means 'vajra holding priest'.

References

1. ^ Hattaway, Paul (2004). Peoples of the Buddhist World: A Christian Prayer

Diary. William Carey Library.http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OzEOKNPsv2EC&dq=Bajracharya+Buddhist&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0.


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2. ^ "A Brief Introduction of Distinctive Features of Nepalese Buddhism". 2002.

http://www.bajracharya.org/nepalibuddhism.htm.

3. ^ Rebuilding Buddhism: The Theravada Movement in Twentieth -century

Nepal. Harvard University Press.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=e9C1iF3MAYgC&.

A Short History of Esoteric Buddhism

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