Shingon Magic
Jun. 5th, 2012 11:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusRecently, this "Zen Master" Andrew Wilson threatened my temple with "Shingon Magic."
He removed his "Shingon magic" threat from his blog after I started making fun of it on Twitter. *cough* You see, the temple practices Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.
Shingon is the Japanese version of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Shingon Magic
The Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church is only one of three Shingon centers of this tradition in the United States, begun as a missionary temple (i) in typical Buddhist fashion. Shingon was founded in 804 CE by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) during the classical Heian period in Japan.(ii) Shingon focuses on the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra,(iii) brought to Japan from China by Kukai during the T'ang Dynasty, just fifty years before the destruction of Chinese esoteric Buddhism and subsequent rise of Neo-Confucianism under the Song.
According to Seattle Koyasan's priest, Shingon is a "cousin of Tibetan Buddhism."(iv) Although it has had centuries to adapt to Japanese culture, it is also the nearest descendent of the Chinese vajrayana tradition that flourished under the T'ang. It has not enjoyed the same popularity among Americans as Japanese Zen or Tibetan Buddhism. There are few translations of Shingon texts into English, and those that exist are deemed to be of low quality.(v) With services mostly in Japanese, the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church is clearly aimed at the American Japanese community.
The service is partially in broken English, switching to Japanese. The English portion of the service described an expansion meditation where each and every being is a "full moon" and part of the Seattle Koyasan mandala - instruction on the Gachirinkan or Moon Disc meditation, where one realizes the uncreated, natural state, seeking enlightenment in one lifetime.(vi) The priest explained that "if you feel you are handsome, then imagine yourself as the center of the mandala. If you feel you have a good mind, then you can imagine yourself on the edge of the mandala. But it doesn't make any difference, there is no hierarchy of Buddhas. The center of the mandala is the same as the Buddhas on the sides. They are all Buddhas."(vii) The mostly Japanese audience evidenced impatience during the English portion, shifting in their seats, and a teenage girl slumped with boredom. The Shingon priest switched to Japanese language moments later, re-engaging his audience.
The main US temple in Los Angeles has a direct tie to the Koyasan temple in Japan. The director of the Seattle Koyasan temple explains with a wince that the US Koyasan temples are owned by the congregation, apparently an awkward breach from tradition and a disconnect between American and Shingon religious practice. In Japan, the head priest owns the temple, but due to laws governing 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations this tradition cannot be continued in the US.(viii) The Los Angeles temple sends a priest to administer the Seattle temple and helps them financially when they cannot make ends meet. In terms of the Seattle programs, however, Seattle Koyasan is independent. Founded in 1984, the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church used to attract Shingon Buddhists from all over Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, but interest has declined over the years and now their services are largely attended by local Japanese.(ix) A Sunday visit found fourteen members in attendance, most in their fifties, one teenage girl, and one American visitor. Teaching in Japanese, the Shingon priest has a dynamic manner and is apparently eloquent and amusing, as the congregation – including their youngest member – chuckled many times and were fully engaged. Young and a whirlwind of enthusiasm, their priest seems the source of the temple's continuation. In his absence next week, services will be suspended.
Koyasan keeps their lineage pure, but acknowledges that their congregation mixes various Buddhist teachings, especially Nichiren and Shingon. The director of Koyasan explains that people have difficulty finding time in their busy lives for Buddhism. "It is mostly a social event."(x) Indeed, the impressive Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Church, a Seattle architectural landmark, lies just across the street, adjoined by a garden in between the two temples. Schedules accommodate this mixing of traditions. The Seattle Buddhist Church has Sunday services at 10am, while Koyasan has theirs at 1pm. Koyasan's monthly Goma ceremony, in which one writes down wishes on pieces of bark which are then burned in the ritual, is quite popular, an evident connection to Vedic fire rituals, and similar to Tibetan Buddhist fire pujas. Funerals occupy much of the temple's weekday activities. This and the observed age of its regular members suggests an aging congregation.
Koyasan is in some ways Americanized although the members are Japanese. One does not take ones shoes off in the foyer as one would at a shrine in Japan, and there are rows of padded pews. The priest stands at a lectern, rather than teaching seated on a pedestal or throne. The Seattle Buddhist Church has the similar westernized format. In contrast, at the Tibetan Buddhist Sakya Monastery of Seattle, the congregation is largely American, the services in English, and yet the teacher speaks from a traditional throne and the congregation either sits on padded mats on the floor with square cushions with perhaps some folding chairs provided. It is as if the Asian Buddhist congregations have adopted cues to make their temples similar to Christian churches, while American Buddhist congregations have sought cues to set themselves apart.
There was only one American visitor, who was greeted afterward and given a tour. Based on his questions it seemed he was unfamiliar with Shingon. The Koyasan director later lamented that they had little to offer Americans because of the lack of English translations.
Notes
i Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
ii Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Paths of the East. 251.
iii Fukuda, Reverend Ichiyo. Kosayan website, March 9, 2008
iv Shingon priest, personal communication, March 2008.
v Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
vi Fukuda, Reverend Ichiyo. Kosayan website, March 9, 2008
vii Shingon priest, Sunday service, March 2008.
viii Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
ix Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
x Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
If Wilson knows so little about Shingon "magic", which he claimed to practice ... how likely is he to be a real zen master?
He removed his "Shingon magic" threat from his blog after I started making fun of it on Twitter. *cough* You see, the temple practices Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.
Shingon is the Japanese version of Vajrayana Buddhism.
Shingon Magic
The Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church is only one of three Shingon centers of this tradition in the United States, begun as a missionary temple (i) in typical Buddhist fashion. Shingon was founded in 804 CE by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) during the classical Heian period in Japan.(ii) Shingon focuses on the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra,(iii) brought to Japan from China by Kukai during the T'ang Dynasty, just fifty years before the destruction of Chinese esoteric Buddhism and subsequent rise of Neo-Confucianism under the Song.
According to Seattle Koyasan's priest, Shingon is a "cousin of Tibetan Buddhism."(iv) Although it has had centuries to adapt to Japanese culture, it is also the nearest descendent of the Chinese vajrayana tradition that flourished under the T'ang. It has not enjoyed the same popularity among Americans as Japanese Zen or Tibetan Buddhism. There are few translations of Shingon texts into English, and those that exist are deemed to be of low quality.(v) With services mostly in Japanese, the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church is clearly aimed at the American Japanese community.
The service is partially in broken English, switching to Japanese. The English portion of the service described an expansion meditation where each and every being is a "full moon" and part of the Seattle Koyasan mandala - instruction on the Gachirinkan or Moon Disc meditation, where one realizes the uncreated, natural state, seeking enlightenment in one lifetime.(vi) The priest explained that "if you feel you are handsome, then imagine yourself as the center of the mandala. If you feel you have a good mind, then you can imagine yourself on the edge of the mandala. But it doesn't make any difference, there is no hierarchy of Buddhas. The center of the mandala is the same as the Buddhas on the sides. They are all Buddhas."(vii) The mostly Japanese audience evidenced impatience during the English portion, shifting in their seats, and a teenage girl slumped with boredom. The Shingon priest switched to Japanese language moments later, re-engaging his audience.
The main US temple in Los Angeles has a direct tie to the Koyasan temple in Japan. The director of the Seattle Koyasan temple explains with a wince that the US Koyasan temples are owned by the congregation, apparently an awkward breach from tradition and a disconnect between American and Shingon religious practice. In Japan, the head priest owns the temple, but due to laws governing 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations this tradition cannot be continued in the US.(viii) The Los Angeles temple sends a priest to administer the Seattle temple and helps them financially when they cannot make ends meet. In terms of the Seattle programs, however, Seattle Koyasan is independent. Founded in 1984, the Seattle Koyasan Buddhist Church used to attract Shingon Buddhists from all over Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, but interest has declined over the years and now their services are largely attended by local Japanese.(ix) A Sunday visit found fourteen members in attendance, most in their fifties, one teenage girl, and one American visitor. Teaching in Japanese, the Shingon priest has a dynamic manner and is apparently eloquent and amusing, as the congregation – including their youngest member – chuckled many times and were fully engaged. Young and a whirlwind of enthusiasm, their priest seems the source of the temple's continuation. In his absence next week, services will be suspended.
Koyasan keeps their lineage pure, but acknowledges that their congregation mixes various Buddhist teachings, especially Nichiren and Shingon. The director of Koyasan explains that people have difficulty finding time in their busy lives for Buddhism. "It is mostly a social event."(x) Indeed, the impressive Jodo Shinshu Buddhist Church, a Seattle architectural landmark, lies just across the street, adjoined by a garden in between the two temples. Schedules accommodate this mixing of traditions. The Seattle Buddhist Church has Sunday services at 10am, while Koyasan has theirs at 1pm. Koyasan's monthly Goma ceremony, in which one writes down wishes on pieces of bark which are then burned in the ritual, is quite popular, an evident connection to Vedic fire rituals, and similar to Tibetan Buddhist fire pujas. Funerals occupy much of the temple's weekday activities. This and the observed age of its regular members suggests an aging congregation.
Koyasan is in some ways Americanized although the members are Japanese. One does not take ones shoes off in the foyer as one would at a shrine in Japan, and there are rows of padded pews. The priest stands at a lectern, rather than teaching seated on a pedestal or throne. The Seattle Buddhist Church has the similar westernized format. In contrast, at the Tibetan Buddhist Sakya Monastery of Seattle, the congregation is largely American, the services in English, and yet the teacher speaks from a traditional throne and the congregation either sits on padded mats on the floor with square cushions with perhaps some folding chairs provided. It is as if the Asian Buddhist congregations have adopted cues to make their temples similar to Christian churches, while American Buddhist congregations have sought cues to set themselves apart.
There was only one American visitor, who was greeted afterward and given a tour. Based on his questions it seemed he was unfamiliar with Shingon. The Koyasan director later lamented that they had little to offer Americans because of the lack of English translations.
Notes
i Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
ii Ludwig, Theodore M. The Sacred Paths of the East. 251.
iii Fukuda, Reverend Ichiyo. Kosayan website, March 9, 2008
iv Shingon priest, personal communication, March 2008.
v Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
vi Fukuda, Reverend Ichiyo. Kosayan website, March 9, 2008
vii Shingon priest, Sunday service, March 2008.
viii Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
ix Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
x Kosayan director, personal communication, March 2008.
If Wilson knows so little about Shingon "magic", which he claimed to practice ... how likely is he to be a real zen master?