Shingon

Shingon
/shin"gon, sheen"-/, n. Buddhism.
a Japanese form of syncretistic Buddhism founded in the 9th century by Kukai (A.D. 774-835) and stressing the oral transmission of mystic formulas from master to disciple.
[1895-1900; < Japn < MChin, equiv. to Chin zhenyán truth(-speaking)]

* * *

Esoteric Japanese sect based on an interpretation of 9th-century Chinese Buddhism.

It holds that the Buddha's secret wisdom can be developed through special ritual means (see Yoga) employing body, speech, and mind, including the use of symbolic gestures, mystical syllables, and mental concentration. The whole is intended to arouse a realization of the spiritual presence of the Buddha inherent in all living things. Shingon's main scripture, the Mahavairocana Sutra ("Great Sun Sutra"), is not canonical in other Buddhist schools. Shingon is properly considered a form of Vajrayana, though it was much modified and systematized by Kūkai.

* * *

(Japanese: “True Word”), Chinese  Ch'en-yen,  

      esoteric Buddhist sect that has had a considerable following in Japan since its introduction from China in the 9th century. Shingon may be considered an attempt to reach the eternal wisdom of the Buddha that was not expressed in words and, thus, not in his public teaching. The sect believes that this wisdom may be developed and realized through special ritual means employing body, speech, and mind, such as the use of symbolical gestures (mudras), mystical syllables (dhāraṇī), and mental concentration (yoga). The whole is intended to arouse a sense of the pervading spiritual presence of the Buddha that lies inherent in all living things.

      The principal scripture of the school is the Dainichi-kyō (Sanskrit: Mahāvairocana-sūtra, “The Great Sun Sūtra”), a late text known only in its Chinese version. The whole universe is conceived to be the body of the Buddha Mahāvairocana (the “Great Illuminator”). He has two aspects, known as the kongō-kai (“diamond world”) and the taizō-kai (“womb world”), each of which has its characteristic depiction in the mandala, the ritual diagram often painted on the Shingon altar. Entry into the mandala is called kanjō (Sanskrit: abhiṣekha), an initiation ceremony involving sprinkling with water.

      Shingon esotericism is a part of Vajrayāna, or Tantric Buddhism, which spread in the 8th century from northeastern and northwestern India to Tibet and Java as well as to China and from there to Japan. In Japan, however, the doctrine was much modified and systematized by the great religious leader Kūkai, known posthumously as Kōbō Daishi.

      Kōbō Daishi studied the doctrine in China under a Tantric master and returned to found the Kongōbu Temple monastic centre at Mount Koya, south of Kyōto, in 819; he later established the Tō Temple in Kyōto as the sect's headquarters. By the end of the Heian period, it was, like the other Heian-founded sect, the Tendai, both rich and powerful.

      The genius of Kōbō Daishi lay in appropriating the philosophical insights of the Chinese version of the doctrine for his own worldview, which is set forth in his theory of the 10 stages of spiritual development. This scheme not only ranked all the major Buddhist schools according to what he considered their degree of insight but also included Hinduism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The Shingon school took a conciliatory attitude toward Shintō and provided the theoretical basis for a rapport with Ryōbu (Ryōbu Shintō) (“Two Aspects”) Shintō, a Shintō-Buddhist amalgamation.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shingon — Kūkai, fondateur de l école Shingon Shingon (眞言 ou 真言, Shingon …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Shingon — Garbhadhatu (sanskrit) bzw. Taizo kai (jp.) – Mandala Shingon shū (jap. 真言宗, wörtlich: Schule des wahren Wortes, gemeint ist: Schule des Mantra) ist eine von Kūkai (空海, 774–835) – genannt Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師, Großmeister der Lehrverbreitung) – im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shingon —    One of the two major schools of esoteric Buddhism in Japan (the other is Tendai) introduced from India via China by the Japanese monk Kukai (774 835) a Buddhist master and culture hero better known by his posthumous name of Kobo Daishi.… …   A Popular Dictionary of Shinto

  • Shingon — Secta esotérica japonesa basada en una interpretación del budismo chino del s. IX. Sostiene que la sabiduría secreta de Buda puede desarrollarse a través de prácticas rituales especiales (ver yoga) usando el cuerpo, el habla y la mente, tales… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Shingon Buddhism — (眞言, 真言 ) is a major school of Japanese Buddhism, and is the other branch of Vajrayana Buddhism besides Tibetan Buddhism. It is often called Japanese Esoteric Buddhism . The word shingon is the Japanese reading of the kanji for the Chinese word… …   Wikipedia

  • Shingon-Schule —   [ʃ ; japanisch »Schule des wahren Wortes«], buddhistische Schulrichtung in Japan, begründet 816 von Kūkai, der die Lehren und Praktiken des esoterischen Buddhismus (exklusive Weitergabe der Lehre in der Lehrer Schüler Sukzession) in Japan… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Shingon-shū — Garbhadhatu (sanskrit) bzw. Taizo kai (jp.) – Mandala Shingon shū (jap. 真言宗, wörtlich: Schule des wahren Wortes, gemeint ist: Schule des Mantra) ist eine von Kūkai (空海, 774–835) – genannt Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師, Großmeister der Lehrverbreitung) – im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shingon-Buddhismus — Garbhadhatu (sanskrit) bzw. Taizo kai (jp.) – Mandala Shingon shū (jap. 真言宗, wörtlich: Schule des wahren Wortes, gemeint ist: Schule des Mantra) ist eine von Kūkai (空海, 774–835) – genannt Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師, Großmeister der Lehrverbreitung) – im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shingon-shu — Garbhadhatu (sanskrit) bzw. Taizo kai (jp.) – Mandala Shingon shū (jap. 真言宗, wörtlich: Schule des wahren Wortes, gemeint ist: Schule des Mantra) ist eine von Kūkai (空海, 774–835) – genannt Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師, Großmeister der Lehrverbreitung) – im… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Shingon-shū Chizan-ha — Chizan ha (智山派?) or Chizan is a Japanese grouping of Shingon Buddhism. Among the other groupings of Shingon Buddhism is Buzan ha. It is headquartered in Chishaku in Temple in Kyoto. [1] Naritasan Shinshōji Temple in Narita is also an important… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”