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Shingon Buddhism
Shingon Buddhism ( 真⾔宗 Shingon-shū) is one of the major schools of
Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East
Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as
Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.

Known in Chinese as the Tangmi ( 唐 密 ; the Esoteric School in Tang

Dynasty of China), these esoteric teachings would later flourish in Japan
under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kūkai (空海), who traveled
to Tang China to acquire and request transmission of the esoteric teachings.
For that reason, it is often called Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, or Orthodox
Esoteric Buddhism.

The word shingon is the Japanese reading of the Chinese word 真 ⾔

(zhēnyán),[1] which is the Chinese transcription of the Sanskrit word
The center image of the Mandala of
"mantra".[2]
the Womb Realm, featuring the
central figure of Mahāvairocana, the
five Dhyani Buddhas, and attendant
bodhisattvas.
Contents
History
Lineage
Schism
Doctrines
Relationship to Vajrayāna
Mahavairocana Tathagata
Practices and features
Discipline
Goma Fire Ritual
Secrecy
Pantheon
Branches
See also
Notes
Literature
External links

History
Shingon Buddhist doctrine and teachings arose during the Heian period (794-1185) after a Buddhist monk named
Kūkai traveled to China in 804 to study Esoteric Buddhist practices in the city of Xi'an (西安), then called Chang-an, at
Azure Dragon Temple ( 青 ⿓ 寺 ) under Huiguo, a favorite student of the legendary Amoghavajra. Kūkai returned to
Japan as Huiguo's lineage- and Dharma-successor. Shingon followers usually refer to Kūkai as Kōbō-Daishi ( 弘法⼤師
Great Master of the Propagation of Dharma) or Odaishi-sama ( お⼤師様 The Great Master), the posthumous name
given to him years after his death by Emperor Daigo.

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Before he went to China, Kūkai had been an independent monk in Japan

for over a decade. He was extremely well versed in Chinese literature,
calligraphy and Buddhist texts. Esoteric Buddhism was not considered to
be a different 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 cohesive system. A Japanese monk named Gonsō ( 勤操 )
had brought back to Japan from China an esoteric mantra of the
bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha, the Kokūzō-gumonjihō ( 虚 空 蔵 求 聞 持 法
"Ākāśagarbha Memory-Retention Practice") that had been translated from
Sanskrit into Chinese by Śubhakarasiṃha ( 善無畏三蔵 Zenmui-Sanzō).
When Kūkai was 22, he learned this mantra from Gonsō and regularly
would go into the forests of Shikoku to practice it for long periods of time.
Painting of Kūkai
He persevered in this mantra practice for seven years and mastered it.
According to tradition, this practice brought him siddhis of superhuman
memory retention and learning ability. Kūkai would later praise the power and efficacy of Kokuzō-Gumonjiho practice,
crediting it with enabling him to remember all of Huiguo's teachings in only three months. Kūkai's respect for
Ākāśagarbha was so great that he regarded him as his honzon ( 本尊) for the rest of his life.
It was also during this period of intense mantra practice that Kūkai dreamt of a man telling him to seek out the
Mahavairocana Tantra for the doctrine that he sought. The Mahavairocana Tantra had only recently been made
available in Japan. He was able to obtain a copy in Chinese but large portions were in Sanskrit in the Siddhaṃ script,
which he did not know, and even the Chinese portions were too arcane for him to understand. He believed that this
teaching was a door to the truth he sought, but he was unable to fully comprehend it and no one in Japan could help
him. Thus, Kūkai resolved to travel to China to spend the time necessary to fully understand the Mahavairocana
Tantra.

When Kūkai 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 Kūkai in Chinese (in paraphrase), "At last, you have
come! I have been waiting for you! Quickly, prepare yourself for initiation
into the mandalas!" 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 and taught Kūkai everything he knew on the doctrines and
practices of the Mandala of the Two Realms as well as mastery of Sanskrit
and (presumably to be able to communicate with Master Huiguo) Chinese.
Huiguo declared Kūkai to be his final disciple and proclaimed him a
Dharma successor, giving the lineage name Henjō-Kongō (traditional
Chinese: 遍照⾦剛; ; pinyin: Biànzhào Jīngāng) "All-Illuminating Vajra".

In the twelfth month of the same year, Huiguo died and was buried next to
his master, Amoghavajra. More than one thousand of his disciples gathered
for his funeral. The honor of writing his funerary inscription on their behalf
was given to Kūkai. The main building of Shinsenen, a
Shingon temple in Kyoto founded by
Kukai returned to Japan after Huiguo's death. If he had not, Esoteric Kūkai in 824
Buddhism might not have survived; 35 years after Huiguo's death in the
year 840, Emperor Wuzong of Tang assumed the throne. An avid Daoist,
Wuzong despised Buddhism and considered the sangha useless tax-evaders. In 845, he ordered the destruction of
4600 vihara and 40,000 temples. Around 250,000 Buddhist monks and nuns had to give up their monastic lives.
Wuzong stated that Buddhism was an alien religion and promoted Daoism zealously as the ethnic religion of the Han

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Chinese. Although Wuzong was soon assassinated by his own inner circle, the damage had been done. Chinese
Buddhism, especially Esoteric practices, never fully recovered from the persecution, and esoteric elements were
infused into other Buddhist sects and traditions.

After returning to Japan, Kūkai collated and systematized all that he had learned from Huiguo into a cohesive doctrine
of pure esoteric Buddhism that would become the basis for his school. Kūkai did not establish his teachings as a
separate school; it was Emperor Junna, who favored Kūkai and Esoteric Buddhism, who coined the term Shingon-Shū
( 真⾔宗 Mantra School) in an imperial decree which officially declared Tō-ji ( 東寺 ) in Kyoto an Esoteric temple that
would perform official rites for the state. Kūkai actively took on disciples and offered transmission until his death in
835 at the age of 61.

Kūkai's first established monastery was in Mount Kōya ( ⾼野⼭ ), which has since become the base and a place of
spiritual retreat for Shingon practitioners. Shingon enjoyed immense popularity during the Heian period (平安時代),
particularly among the nobility, and contributed greatly to the art and literature of the time, influencing other
communities such as the Tendai ( 天台宗) on Mount Hiei (⽐叡⼭). [3]

Shingon's emphasis on ritual found support in the Kyoto nobility, particularly the Fujiwara clan ( 藤原⽒ ). 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 – Tō-ji and Daigo-ji ( 醍醐寺) in the south of Kyōto and Jingo-ji (神護
寺) and Ninna-ji (仁和寺) in the northwest – became ritual centers establishing their own particular ritual lineages.
Lineage
The Shingon lineage is an ancient transmission of esoteric Buddhist doctrine that began in India and then spread to
China and Japan. Shingon is the name of this lineage in Japan, but there are also esoteric schools in China, Korea,
Taiwan and Hong Kong that consider themselves part of this lineage (as the originators of the Esoteric teachings) and
universally recognize Kūkai as their eighth patriarch. This is why sometimes the term "Orthodox Esoteric Buddhism" is
used instead.

Shingon or Orthodox Esoteric Buddhism maintains that the expounder of the doctrine was originally the Universal
Buddha Vairocana, but the first human to receive the doctrine was Nagarjuna in India. The tradition recognizes two
groups of eight great patriarchs – one group of lineage holders and one group of great expounders of the doctrine.

The Eight Great Lineage Patriarchs (Fuho-Hasso 付法⼋祖)

Vairocana (Dainichi-Nyorai⼤⽇如来)
Vajrasattva (Kongō-Satta ⾦剛薩埵)
Nagarjuna (Ryūju-Bosatsu ⿓樹菩薩) – received the Mahavairocana Tantra from Vajrasattva inside an Iron Stupa
in Southern India
Nagabodhi (Ryūchi-Bosatsu ⿓智菩薩)
Vajrabodhi (Kongōchi-Sanzō ⾦剛智三蔵)
Amoghavajra (Fukūkongō-Sanzō 不空⾦剛三蔵)
Huiguo (Keika-Ajari 恵果阿闍梨)
Kūkai (Kōbō-Daishi 弘法⼤師)

The Eight Great Doctrine-Expounding Patriarchs (Denji-Hasso 伝持⼋祖)

Nagarjuna (Ryūju-Bosatsu ⿓樹菩薩)

Nagabodhi (Ryūchi-Bosatsu ⿓智菩薩)
Vajrabodhi (Kongōchi-Sanzō ⾦剛智三蔵)
Amoghavajra (Fukūkongō-Sanzō 不空⾦剛三蔵)
Śubhakarasiṃha (Zenmui-Sanzō 善無畏三蔵)

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⼀⾏禅師)
Yi Xing (Ichigyō-Zenji
Huiguo (Keika-Ajari 恵果阿闍梨)
Kūkai (Kōbō-Daishi 弘法⼤師)

Schism
Like the Tendai School, which branched into the Jōdo-shū ( 浄⼟宗) and Nichiren Buddhism (⽇蓮系諸宗派 Nichiren-
kei sho shūha) during the Kamakura period, Shingon divided into two major schools – the old school, Kogi Shingon
(古義真⾔宗 Ancient Shingon school), and the new school, Shingi Shingon (新義真⾔宗 Reformed Shingon school).
This division primarily arose out of a political dispute between Kakuban (覚鑁), known posthumously as Kōgyō-Daishi
(興教⼤師), and his faction of priests centered at the Denbō-in ( 伝法院 ) and the leadership at Kongōbu-ji ( ⾦剛峰寺 ),
the head of Mount Kōya and the authority in teaching esoteric practices in general. Kakuban, who was originally
ordained at Ninna-ji ( 仁和寺) in Kyōto, studied at several temple-centers including the Tendai complex at Onjō-ji (園城
寺 ) before going to Mount Kōya. Through his connections he managed to gain the favor of high-ranking nobles in
Kyoto, which helped him to be appointed abbot of Mount Kōya. The leadership at Kongōbuji, however, opposed the
appointment on the premise that Kakuban had not originally been ordained on Mount Kōya.

After several conflicts, Kakuban and his faction of priests left the mountain for Mount Negoro ( 根 来 ⼭ ) to the
northwest, where they constructed a new temple complex now known as Negoro-ji ( 根 来 寺 ). After the death of
Kakuban in 1143, the Negoro faction returned to Mount Kōya. However, in 1288, the conflict between Kongōbuji and
the Denbō-in came to a head once again. Led by Raiyu, the Denbō-in priests once again left Mount Kōya, this time
establishing their headquarters on Mount Negoro. This exodus marked the beginning of the Shingi Shingon School at
Mount Negoro, which was the center of Shingi Shingon until it was sacked by daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi ( 豊⾂秀吉)
in 1585.

Doctrines
The teachings of Shingon are based on early Buddhist tantras, the
Mahāvairocana Sūtra (⼤⽇経 Dainichi-kyō), the Vajraśekhara Sūtra ( ⾦
剛頂経 Kongōchō-kyō), the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra ( 理趣
経 Rishu-kyō), and the Susiddhikara Sūtra ( 蘇 悉 地 経 Soshitsuji-kyō).
These are the four principal texts of Esoteric Buddhism and are all tantras,
not sutras, despite their names.

The mystical Vairocana and Vajraśekhara Tantras are expressed in the two
main mandalas of Shingon, the Mandala of the Two Realms – The Womb
Realm (Skt. Garbhadhātu, Japanese 胎蔵界曼荼羅 Taizōkai) mandala and
the Diamond Realm (Skt. Vajradhātu, Japanese ⾦剛界曼荼羅 Kongōkai)
mandala.[2] These two mandalas are considered to be a compact expression
of the entirety of the Dharma, and form the root of Buddhism. In Shingon
temples, these two mandalas are always mounted one on each side of the Garbhadhātu maṇḍala. Vairocana is
located at the center
central altar.

The Susiddhikara Sūtra is largely a compendium of rituals. Tantric

Buddhism is concerned with the rituals and meditative practices that lead to enlightenment. According to Shingon
doctrine, enlightenment is not a distant, foreign reality that can take aeons to approach but a real possibility within this
very life,[4] based on the spiritual potential of every living being, known generally as Buddha-nature. If cultivated, this
luminous nature manifests as innate wisdom. With the help of a genuine teacher and through proper training of the
body, speech, and mind, i.e. "The Three Mysteries" ( 三密 Sanmitsu), we can reclaim and liberate this enlightened
capacity for the benefit of ourselves and others.

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Kūkai also systematized and categorized the teachings he inherited from Huiguo into ten bhūmis or "stages of spiritual
realization". He wrote at length on the difference between exoteric, mainstream Mahayana Buddhism and esoteric
Tantric Buddhism. The differences between exoteric and esoteric can be summarised:

1. Esoteric teachings are preached by the Dharmakaya (法⾝ Hosshin) Buddha, who Kūkai identifies as Vairocana
(⼤⽇如來 Dainichi Nyorai). Exoteric teachings are preached by the Nirmanakaya (応⾝ Ōjin) Buddha, which in our
world and aeon, is the historical Gautama Buddha (釈迦牟尼 Shakamuni) or one of the Sambhoghakaya (報⾝
Hōjin) Buddhas.
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.
3. Kūkai held that exoteric doctrines were merely upāya "skillful means" teachings on the part of the Buddhas to help
beings according to their capacity to understand the Truth. The esoteric doctrines, in comparison, are the Truth
itself and are a direct communication of the inner experience of the Dharmakaya's enlightenment. When Gautama
Buddha attained enlightenment in his earthly Nirmanakaya, he realized that the Dharmakaya is actually reality in
its totality and that totality is Vairocana.
4. Some exoteric schools in the late Nara and early Heian period 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.
Kūkai held, along with the Chinese Huayan school ( 華嚴 Kegon) and the Tendai schools, that all phenomena could be
expressed as 'letters' in a 'World-Text'. Mantra, mudra, and mandala are special because they constitute the 'language'
through which the Dharmakāya (i.e. Reality itself) communicates. Although portrayed through the use of
anthropomorphic metaphors, Shingon does not see the Dharmakaya Buddha as a separate entity standing apart from
the universe. Instead, the deity is the universe properly understood: the union of emptiness, Buddha nature, and all
phenomena. Kūkai wrote that “the great Self embraces in itself each and all existences.”[5]

Relationship to Vajrayāna
When the teachings of Shingon Buddhism were brought to Japan, Esoteric Buddhism was still in its early stages in
India. At this time, the terms Vajrayāna ("Diamond Vehicle") and Mantrayāna ("Mantra Vehicle") were not used for
Esoteric Buddhist teachings.[6] Instead, esoteric teachings were more typically referred to as Mantranaya, or the
"Mantra System." According to Paul Williams, Mantranaya is the more appropriate term to describe the self-
perception of early Esoteric Buddhism.[6]

The primary difference between Shingon and Tibetan Buddhism is that there is no Inner Tantra or Anuttarayoga
Tantra in Shingon. Shingon has what corresponds to the Kriyā, Caryā, and Yoga classes of tantras in Tibetan
Buddhism. The Tibetan system of classifying tantras into four classes is not used in Shingon.

Anuttarayoga Tantras such as the Yamantaka Tantra, Hevajra Tantra, Mahamaya Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara Tantra,
and the Kalachakra Tantra were developed at a later period of Esoteric Buddhism and are not used in Shingon.

Mahavairocana Tathagata
In Shingon, Mahavairocana Tathagata (Dainichi Nyorai ⼤⽇如來) is the universal or Adi-Buddha that is the basis of
all phenomena, present in each and all of them, and not existing independently or externally to them. The goal of
Shingon is the realization that one's nature is identical with Mahavairocana, a goal that is achieved through initiation,
meditation and esoteric ritual practices. This realization depends on receiving the secret doctrines of Shingon,
transmitted orally to initiates by the school's masters. The "Three Mysteries" of 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.

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Shingon places emphasis on the Thirteen Buddhas ( ⼗三仏 Jūsanbutsu), [7]

a grouping of various buddhas and bodhisattvas; however this is purely for

lay Buddhist practice and Shingon priests generally make devotions to
more than just the Thirteen Buddhas.

Wisdom King Acala (Fudō Myōō 不動明王)

Gautama Buddha (Shaka-Nyorai 釈迦如来)
Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (Monju-Bosatsu ⽂殊菩薩)
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (Fugen-Bosatsu 普賢菩薩)
Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva (Jizō-Bosatsu 地蔵菩薩)
Maitreya Bodhisattva (Miroku-Bosatsu 弥勒菩薩)
Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddha (Yakushi-Nyorai 薬師如來)
Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva (Kannon-Bosatsu 観⾳菩薩)
Mahāsthāmaprāpta Bodhisattva (Seishi-Bosatsu 勢⾄菩薩 )
Amitābha Buddha (Amida-Nyorai 阿弥陀如来) Samantabhadra is one of the
Akṣobhya Buddha (Ashuku-Nyorai 阿閦如来) Thirteen Buddhas of Shingon
Mahavairocana Buddha (Dainichi-Nyorai ⼤⽇如来)
Buddhism.

Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva (Kokūzō-Bosatsu 虚空蔵菩薩)

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. Kūkai wrote that “the
great Self is one, yet can be many.”[8] Each Buddhist figure is symbolized by its own Sanskrit "seed" letter.

Practices and features

One feature that Shingon shares in common with
Tendai, the only other school with esoteric teachings
in Japan, is the use of bīja or seed-syllables in
Sanskrit written in the Siddhaṃ alphabet along with
anthropomorphic and symbolic representations to
express Buddhist deities in their mandalas.
The siddhaṃ
letter a.
There are four types of mandalas:

Mahāmaṇḍala ( ⼤曼荼羅, Large Mandala) A typical Shingon shrine set up for

Bīja- or Dharmamaṇḍala (法曼荼羅) priests, with Vairocana at the center
Samayamaṇḍala (三昧耶曼荼羅), of the shrine, and the Womb Realm
representations of the vows of the deities in the (Taizokai) and Diamond Realm
form of articles they hold or their mudras (Kongokai) mandalas.
Karmamaṇḍala ( 羯磨曼荼羅 ) representing the
activities of the deities in the three-dimensional
form of statues, etc.
The Siddhaṃ alphabet (Shittan 悉曇, Bonji 梵字) is used to write mantras. A core meditative practice of Shingon is
Ajikan ( 阿 字 觀 ) "meditating on the letter a" written using the Siddhaṃ alphabet. 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 Mahavairocana Tantra) and Gosōjōjingan (五相成⾝觀, Pañcābhisaṃbodhi "Series of
Five Meditations to attain Buddhahood") from the Vajraśekhara Sutra.

The essence of Shingon practice is to experience Reality by emulating the inner realization of the Dharmakaya through
the meditative ritual use of mantra, mudra and visualization, i.e. "The Three Mysteries" (Japanese. Sanmitsu 三密). All
Shingon followers gradually develop a teacher-student relationship, formal or informal, whereby a teacher learns the

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disposition of the student and teaches practices accordingly. For lay

practitioners, there is no initiation ceremony beyond the Kechien Kanjō (結
縁 灌 頂 ), which aims to help create the bond between the follower and
Mahavairocana Buddha. It is normally offered only at Mount Kōya twice a
year, but it can also be offered by larger temples under masters permitted
to transmit the abhiseka. It is not required for all laypersons to take, and no
assigned practices are given.

Discipline Video showing prayer service at

Kōshō-ji in Nagoya. A monk is
In the case of disciples wishing to train to become a Shingon ācārya or
rhythmically beating a drum while
"teacher" (Ajari 阿闍梨, from ācārya Sanskrit: आचाय), it requires a period chanting sutras.
of academic study and religious discipline, or formal training in a temple
for a longer period of time, after having already received novice ordination
and monastic precepts, and full completion of the rigorous four-fold
preliminary training and retreat known as Shido Kegyō (四度加⾏).[9] Only
then can the practitioner be able to undergo steps for training,
examination, and finally abhiṣeka to be certified as a Shingon acarya and
continue to study more advanced practices. In either case, the stress is on
finding a qualified and willing mentor who will guide the practitioner
through the practice at a gradual pace. An acharya in Shingon is a
committed and experienced teacher who is authorized to guide and teach A priest from the Chuin-ryu lineage
practitioners. One must be an acharya for a number of years at least before at Shigisan Chosonshi Temple ( 朝護
one can request to be tested at Mount Kōya for the possibility to qualify as a 孫⼦寺 )
mahācārya or "great teacher" (Dento Dai-Ajari 傳燈⼤阿闍梨), the highest
rank of Shingon practice and a qualified grand master.

Apart from the supplication of prayers and reading of sutras, there are mantras and ritualistic meditative techniques
that are available for any laypersons to practice on their own under the supervision of an Ajari. However, any esoteric
practices require the devotee to undergo abhiṣeka (initiation) (Kanjō 灌 頂 ) into each of these practices under the
guidance of a qualified acharya before they may begin to learn and practice them. As with all schools of Esoteric
Buddhism, great emphasis is placed on initiation and oral transmission of teachings from teacher to student.

Goma Fire Ritual

The Goma (護摩) Ritual of consecrated fire is unique to Esoteric Buddhism
and is the most recognizable ritual defining Shingon among regular
Japanese persons today. It stems from the Vedic Agnicayana Ritual and is
performed by qualified priests and acharyas for the benefit of individuals,
the state or all sentient beings in general. The consecrated fire is believed to
have a powerful cleansing effect spiritually and psychologically. The central
deity invoked in this ritual is usually Acala (Fudō Myōō 不 動 明 王 ). The
ritual is performed for the purpose of destroying negative energies,
detrimental thoughts and desires, and for the making of secular requests A Goma ritual performed at
and blessings. In most Shingon temples, this ritual is performed daily in the Chushinkoji Temple in Japan
morning or the afternoon. Larger scale ceremonies often include the
constant beating of taiko drums and mass chanting of the mantra of Acala
by priests and lay practitioners. Flames can sometimes reach a few meters high. The combination of the ritual's visuals
and sounds can be trance-inducing and make for a profound experience.

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The ancient Japanese religion of Shugendō (修験道) has also adopted the Goma Ritual, of which two are prominent:
the Saido Dai Goma and Hashiramoto Goma rituals.[10]

Secrecy
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 Tang
China over 1100 years ago, its doctrines have always been closely guarded secrets, passed down orally through an
initiatic chain and never written down. 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 Mikkyō
"secret teachings", in stark contrast to all other Buddhist schools, and were called upon to perform mystical rituals that
were supposedly able to summon rain, improve harvests, exorcise demons, avert natural disasters, heal the sick and
protect the state. The most powerful ones were thought to be able to render entire armies useless.

Even though Tendai also incorporates esoteric teachings in its doctrines, it is still essentially an exoteric Mahayana
school. Some exoteric texts are venerated and studied in Shingon as they are the foundation of Mahayana philosophy
but the core teachings and texts of Shingon are purely esoteric. From the lack of written material, inaccessibility of its
teachings to non-initiates, language barriers and the difficulty of finding qualified teachers outside Japan, Shingon is in
all likelihood the most secretive and least understood school of Buddhism in the world.

Pantheon
A large number of deities of Vedic, Hindu and Indo-Aryan origins have
been incorporated into Mahayana Buddhism and this synthesis is especially
prominent in Esoteric Buddhism. Many of these deities have vital roles as
they are regularly invoked by the practitioner for various rituals and
homas/pujas. In fact, it is ironic that the worship of Vedic-era deities,
especially Indra (Taishakuten 帝 釈 天 ), the "King of the Heavens," has
declined so much in India but is yet so highly revered in Japan that there
are probably more temples devoted to him there than there are in India.
Chinese Taoist and Japanese Shinto deities were also assimilated into
Mahayana Buddhism as deva-class beings. For example, to Chinese
Mahayana Buddhists, Indra (synonymous with Śakra) is the Jade Emperor
of Taoism. Agni (Katen ⽕天), another Vedic deity, is invoked at the start of
every Shingon Goma Ritual. The average Japanese person may not know
the names Saraswati or Indra but Benzaiten 弁 財 天 (Saraswati) and
Taishakuten 帝 釈 天 (Indra) are household names that every Japanese
person knows.

In Orthodox Esoteric Buddhism, divine beings are grouped into Acalanatha, the wrathful
six classes. manifestation of Mahavairocana,
and the principal deity invoked
Buddhas (Butsu 仏) during the goma ritual.
Bodhisattvas (Bosatsu 菩薩)
Wisdom Kings or Vidyarajas (Myōō 明王)
Deities or Devas (Ten 天)
Avatars (Keshin 化身)
Patriarchs (Soshi 祖師)

The Five Great Wisdom Kings

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The Five Great Wisdom Kings are wrathful manifestations of the Five
Dhyani Buddhas.

Acala or Acalanatha (Fudō Myōō 不動明王 ) "The Immovable One" –

Manifestation of Buddha Mahavairocana
Amrtakundalin (Gundari Myōō 軍荼利明王) "The Dispenser of
Heavenly Nectar" – Manifestation of Buddha Ratnasambhava
Trailokyavijaya (Gōzanze Myōō 降三世明王) "The Conqueror of The
Three Planes" – Manifestation of Buddha Akshobhya
Yamāntaka (Daiitoku Myōō ⼤威徳明王) "The Defeater of Death" –
Manifestation of Buddha Amitabha
Vajrayaksa (Kongō Yasha Myōō ⾦剛夜叉明王) "The Devourer of
Demons" – Manifestation of Buddha Amoghasiddhi
Other well-known Wisdom Kings

愛染明王)
The Five Wisdom Kings is the most
Ragaraja (Aizen Myōō important grouping of Wisdom Kings
Mahamayuri (Kujaku Myōō 孔雀明王) in Esoteric Buddhism.
Hayagriva (Batō Kannon ⾺頭観⾳)
Ucchusma (Ususama Myōō 烏枢沙摩明王)
Atavaka (Daigensui Myōō ⼤元帥明王)

The Twelve Guardian Deities (Deva)

Agni (Katen ⽕天) – Lord of Fire ; Guardian of the South East

Brahmā (Bonten 梵天) – Lord of the Heavens ; Guardian of the Heavens (upward direction)
Chandra (Gatten ⽉天) – Lord of the Moon
Indra (Taishakuten 帝釈天) – Lord of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven and The Thirty Three Devas ; Guardian of the
East
Prthivi or Bhūmī-Devī (Jiten 地天) – Lord of the Earth ; Guardian of the Earth (downward direction)
Rakshasa (Rasetsuten 羅刹天) – Lord of Demons ; Guardian of the South West (converted Buddhist rakshasas)
Shiva or Maheshvara (Daijizaiten ⼤⾃在天 or Ishanaten 伊舎那天) – Lord of The Desire Realms ; Guardian of
the North East
Sūrya (Nitten ⽇天) – Lord of the Sun
Vaishravana (Bishamonten 毘沙⾨天 or Tamonten 多聞天) – Lord of Wealth ; Guardian of the North
Varuṇa (Suiten ⽔天) – Lord of Water ; Guardian of the West
Vāyu (Fūten ⾵天)- Lord of Wind ; Guardian of the North West
Yama (Emmaten 焔魔天) – Lord of the Underworld ; Guardian of the South

Other Important Deities (Deva)

Marici (Marishi-Ten摩⾥⽀天) – Patron deity of Warriors

Mahakala (Daikokuten ⼤黒天) – Patron deity of Wealth
Saraswati (Benzaiten 弁財天) – Patron deity of Knowledge, Art and Music
Ganesha (Kangiten 歓喜天) Patron deity of Bliss and Remover of Obstacles
Skanda (Idaten 韋駄天 or Kumaraten 鳩摩羅天) Protector of Buddhist Monasteries and Monks

Branches
The Orthodox (Kogi) Shingon School ( 古義真⾔宗)
Kōyasan ( ⾼野⼭真⾔宗)
Chuin-Ryu Lineage (中院流)
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真⾔宗善通寺派)
Zentsūji-ha (
Daigo-ha (真⾔宗醍醐派)
Omuro-ha (真⾔宗御室派)
Shingon-Ritsu (真⾔律宗)
Daikakuji-ha (真⾔宗⼤覚寺派)
Sennyūji-ha (真⾔宗泉涌寺派)
Yamashina-ha (真⾔宗⼭階派)
Shigisan (信貴⼭真⾔宗)
Nakayamadera-ha (真⾔宗中⼭寺派)
Sanbōshū (真⾔三宝宗) Located in Kyoto, Japan, Daigo-ji is the

Sumadera-ha (真⾔宗須磨寺派)
head temple of the Daigo-ha branch of

Tōji-ha (真⾔宗東寺派)
Shingon Buddhism.

The Reformed (Shingi) Shingon School ( 新義真⾔宗)

Chizan-ha ( 真⾔宗智⼭派)
Buzan-ha (真⾔宗豊⼭派)
Kokubunji-ha (真⾔宗国分寺派)
Inunaki-ha (真⾔宗⽝鳴派)

See also
Chinese Buddhism
Religion in Asia
Religion in Japan
Sokushinbutsu
Shinjō Itō
Shinnyo-en
Tachikawa-ryu
Rishu

Notes
1. "Zhēnyán" (http://www.encyclopedia.com/article-1G2-3424503431/zhenyan.html). Cite web requires
|website= (help)
2. Kiyota, Minoru (1987). "Shingon Mikkyō's Twofold Maṇḍala: Paradoxes and Integration" (https://web.archive.o
rg/web/20140125214858/http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/ojs/index.php/jiabs/article/viewFile/8710/2617).
Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies. 10 (1): 91–92. Archived from the original (http://ar
chiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/ojs/index.php/jiabs/article/viewFile/8710/2617) on 25 January 2014. Cite uses
deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help)
3. Caiger, Mason. A History of Japan, Revised Ed. pp. 106–107.
4. Inagaki Hisao (1972). "Kukai's Sokushin-Jobutsu-Gi (https://web.archive.org/web/20150323091907/http://ww
w2.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/file/1764KKMvqcz.pdf)" (Principle of Attaining Buddhahood with the Present Body), Asia
Major (New Series) 17 (2), 190-215
5. Hakeda, Yushito S. (1972). Kūkai: Major Works. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-
231-03627-2.
6. Williams, Paul, and Tribe, Anthony. Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition. 2000.
p. 271
7. Shingon Buddhist International Institute. "Jusan Butsu – The Thirteen Buddhas of the Shingon School" (http
s://web.archive.org/web/20130401193122/http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/jusanbutsu.html).
Archived from the original (http://www.shingon.org/deities/jusanbutsu/jusanbutsu.html) on 1 April 2013.

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9/4/2019 Shingon Buddhism - Wikipedia
Retrieved 5 July 2007. Cite uses deprecated parameter |deadurl= (help); Cite web requires |website=
(help)
8. Hakeda, Yushoto S. (1972). Kūkai: Major Works. New York, NY: Columbia University Press. p. 258. ISBN 0-
231-03627-2.
9. Sharf, Robert, H. (2003). Thinking through Shingon Ritual (https://web.archive.org/web/20131231104623/htt
p://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/ojs/index.php/jiabs/article/viewFile/8931/2824), Journal of the International
Association of Buddhist Studies 26 (1), 59-62
10. "Ascetic Practice of Fire" (http://www.shugendo.fr/en/ascetic-practice-fire). Shugendo. Retrieved 23 February
2018.

Literature
Giebel, Rolf W.; Todaro, Dale A.; trans. (2004). Shingon texts (https://web.archive.org/web/20150322041156/http://
www.bdk.or.jp/pdf/bdk/digitaldl/dBET_ShingonTexts_2004.pdf), Berkeley, Calif.: Numata Center for Buddhist
Translation and Research. ISBN 1886439249
Giebel, Rolf, transl. (2006), The Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sutra (https://web.archive.org/web/20130210115017/http://
www.bdkamerica.org/digital/dBET_T0848_Vairocana_2005.pdf), Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and
Research, Berkeley, ISBN 978-1-886439-32-0
Giebel, Rolf, transl. (2006). Two Esoteric Sutras: The Adamantine Pinnacle Sutra (T 18, no 865), The
Susiddhikara Sutra (T 18, no 893) (http://www.bdkamerica.org/system/files/pdf/dBET_Alpha_TwoEsotericSutras_2
001.pdf?file=1&type=node&id=470), Berkeley: Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research. ISBN 1-
886439-15-X
Hakeda, Yoshito S. trans. (1972). Kukai: Major Works with an account of his life and a study of his thought, New
York: Columbia University Press, ISBN 0-231-03627-2.
Matsunaga, Daigan Lee, Matsunaga, Alicia Orloff (1974). Foundation of Japanese Buddhism; Vol. I; The
aristocratic age. Buddhist Books International, Los Angeles und Tokio. ISBN 0-914910-25-6.
Kiyota, Minoru (1978). Shingon Buddhism: Theory and Practice. Los Angeles/Tokyo: Buddhist Books International.
Payne, Richard K. (2004). Ritual Syntax and Cognitive Theory (https://web.archive.org/web/20100707035840/htt
p://www.shin-ibs.edu/documents/pwj3-6/13Payne36.pdf), Pacific World Journal, Third Series, No 6, 105-227.
Toki, Hôryû; Kawamura, Seiichi, tr, (1899). "Si-do-in-dzou; gestes de l'officiant dans les cérémonies mystiques des
sectes Tendaï et Singon" (https://archive.org/details/sidoindzougeste00millgoog), Paris, E. Leroux.
Yamasaki, Taiko (1988). Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, Boston/London: Shambala Publications.

External links
The International Shingon Institute (http://www.shingon.org/)
Koyasan Shingon Temples (http://www.koyasan.org/)

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