Handbooks of World Mythology
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Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana” E‐Book
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Padmakumara website would like to gratefully acknowledge the following individuals for contributing to the production of “Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana” e‐book. Translator: Alice Yang, Zhiwei Editor: Jason Yu Proofreader: Renée Cordsen, Jackie Ho E‐book Designer: Alice Yang, Ernest Fung The Padmakumara website is most grateful to Living Buddha Lian‐sheng for transmitting such precious dharma. May Living Buddha Lian‐sheng always be healthy and continue to teach and liberate beings in samsara. May all sentient beings quickly attain Buddhahood. Om Guru Lian‐Sheng Siddhi Hum. Exhaustive research was undertaken to ensure the content in this e‐book is accurate, current and comprehensive at publication time. However, due to differing individual interpreting skills and language differences among translators and editors, we cannot be responsible for any minor wording discrepancies or inaccuracies. In addition, we cannot be responsible for any damage or loss which may result from the use of the information in this e‐book. The information given in this e‐book is not intended to act as a substitute for the actual lineage and transmission empowerments from H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng or any authorized True Buddha School master. If you wish to contact the author or would like more information about the True Buddha School, please write to the author in care of True Buddha Quarter. The author appreciates hearing from you and learning of your enjoyment of this e‐book and how it has helped you. We cannot guarantee that every letter written to the author can be answered, but all will be forwarded. -
The Kasāya Robe of the Past Buddha Kāśyapa in the Miraculous Instruction Given to the Vinaya Master Daoxuan (596~667)
中華佛學學報第 13.2 期 (pp.299-367)： (民國 89 年)， 臺北：中華佛學研究所，http://www.chibs.edu.tw Chung-Hwa Buddhist Journal, No. 13.2, (2000) Taipei: Chung-Hwa Institute of Buddhist Studies ISSN: 1017-7132 The Kasāya Robe of the Past Buddha Kāśyapa in the Miraculous Instruction Given to the Vinaya Master Daoxuan (596~667) Koichi Shinohara Professor, McMaster University Summary Toward the end of his life, in the second month of the year 667, the eminent vinaya master Daoxuan (596~667) had a visionary experience in which gods appeared to him and instructed him. The contents of this divine teaching are reproduced in several works, such as the Daoxuan lüshi gantonglu and the Zhong Tianzhu Sheweiguo Zhihuansi tujing. The Fayuan zhulin, compiled by Daoxuan's collaborator Daoshi, also preserves several passages, not paralleled in these works, but said to be part of Daoxuan's visionary instructions. These passages appear to have been taken from another record of this same event, titled Daoxuan lüshi zhuchi ganying ji. The Fayuan zhulin was completed in 668, only several months after Daoxuan's death. The Daoxuan lüshi zhuchi ganying ji, from which the various Fayuan zhulin passages on Daoxuan's exchanges with deities were taken, must have been compiled some time between the second lunar month in 667 and the third month in the following year. The quotations in the Fayuan zhulin from the Daoxuan lüshi zhuchi ganying ji take the form of newly revealed sermons of the Buddha and tell stories about various objects used by the Buddha during his life time. -
Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33/2: 269–296 © 2006 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture R. Keller Kimbrough Tourists in Paradise Writing the Pure Land in Medieval Japanese Fiction Late-medieval Japanese fiction contains numerous accounts of lay and monastic travelers to the Pure Land and other extra-human realms. In many cases, the “tourists” are granted guided tours, after which they are returned to the mun- dane world in order to tell of their unusual experiences. This article explores several of these stories from around the sixteenth century, including, most prominently, Fuji no hitoana sōshi, Tengu no dairi, and a section of Seiganji engi. I discuss the plots and conventions of these and other narratives, most of which appear to be based upon earlier oral tales employed in preaching and fund-raising, in order to illuminate their implications for our understanding of Pure Land-oriented Buddhism in late-medieval Japan. I also seek to demon- strate the diversity and subjectivity of Pure Land religious experience, and the sometimes startling gap between orthodox doctrinal and popular vernacular representations of Pure Land practices and beliefs. keywords: otogizōshi – jisha engi – shaji engi – Fuji no hitoana sōshi – Bishamon no honji – Tengu no dairi – Seiganji engi – hell – travel R. Keller Kimbrough is an assistant professor of Japanese Literature at the University of Colorado at Boulder. 269 ccording to an anonymous work of fifteenth- or early sixteenth- century Japanese fiction by the name of Chōhōji yomigaeri no sōshi 長宝 寺よみがへりの草紙 [Back from the dead at Chōhōji Temple], the Japa- Anese Buddhist nun Keishin dropped dead on the sixth day of the sixth month of Eikyō 11 (1439), made her way to the court of King Enma, ruler of the under- world, and there received the King’s personal religious instruction and a trau- matic tour of hell. -
January-February 2005, Volume 32(PDF)
.c> Jan./Feb. 2005 Vol. 32· 00e' 0 15 .c DHARMA WORLD '"'::. 0 "" For Living Buddhism and Interfaith Dialogue ~... 8 N @ .g CONTENTS ~ g Cover photo: "Bear and Boy Silhouette," ~ Special Feature: Emerging Forms of Spirituality Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.A. Photo by Emerging Forms of Spirituality by Mark R. Mullins 2 Ken Ross. The Roots ofJapanese Spirituality: A Linguistic Exploration by Toji Kamata 5 Drifting Faith: Civil Society and Public Philosophy in Japan by Tomoya Kaji 9 DHARMA WORLD presents Buddhism as a A Vision of the Religion of the Future by Soho Machida 13 Emerging Forms of Spirituality 2 practical living religion and promotes in A Reflection: Religion and Science in Global Society terreligious dialogue for world peace. It · by Kuniko Miyanaga 15 espouses views that emphasize the dignity War, Environmental Destruction, and Religion: of life, seeks to rediscover our inner na The Spiritual World ofHayao Miyazaki's ture and bring our lives more in accord Nausicaii of the Valley of the Wind by Martin Repp 18 with it, and investigates causes of human suffering. It tries to show how religious principles help solve problems in daily life Reflections and how the least application of such Learning throughout Life by Nichiko Niwano 21 principles has wholesome effects on the Achieving Peace in a Globalized World by Nikkyo Niwano 40 world around us. It seeks to demonstrate truths that are fundamental to all reli The Stories of the Lotus Sutra gions, truths on which all people can act. The Stories of the Lotus Sutra 23 The Jewel in -
HIRATA KOKUGAKU and the TSUGARU DISCIPLES by Gideon
SPIRITS AND IDENTITY IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY NORTHEASTERN JAPAN: HIRATA KOKUGAKU AND THE TSUGARU DISCIPLES by Gideon Fujiwara A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in The Faculty of Graduate Studies (Asian Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) April 2013 © Gideon Fujiwara, 2013 ABSTRACT While previous research on kokugaku , or nativism, has explained how intellectuals imagined the singular community of Japan, this study sheds light on how posthumous disciples of Hirata Atsutane based in Tsugaru juxtaposed two “countries”—their native Tsugaru and Imperial Japan—as they transitioned from early modern to modern society in the nineteenth century. This new perspective recognizes the multiplicity of community in “Japan,” which encompasses the domain, multiple levels of statehood, and “nation,” as uncovered in recent scholarship. My analysis accentuates the shared concerns of Atsutane and the Tsugaru nativists toward spirits and the spiritual realm, ethnographic studies of commoners, identification with the north, and religious thought and worship. I chronicle the formation of this scholarly community through their correspondence with the head academy in Edo (later Tokyo), and identify their autonomous character. Hirao Rosen conducted ethnography of Tsugaru and the “world” through visiting the northern island of Ezo in 1855, and observing Americans, Europeans, and Qing Chinese stationed there. I show how Rosen engaged in self-orientation and utilized Hirata nativist theory to locate Tsugaru within the spiritual landscape of Imperial Japan. Through poetry and prose, leader Tsuruya Ariyo identified Mount Iwaki as a sacred pillar of Tsugaru, and insisted one could experience “enjoyment” from this life and beyond death in the realm of spirits. -
Religion and Culture
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 40/2: 355–375 © 2013 Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture review article Constructing Histories, Thinking Ritual Gatherings, and Rereading “Native” Religion A Review of Recent Books Published in Japanese on Premodern Japanese Religion (Part Two) Brian O. Ruppert Histories of Premodern Japanese Religion We can start with Yoshida Kazuhiko’s 吉田一彦 Kodai Bukkyō o yominaosu 古代仏 教 をよみ なお す (Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2006), since it seems in many ways like a founder and precursor of the range of works written recently concerning early and, to some extent, medieval Japanese religion. Yoshida, who has long attempted to overcome common misconceptions concerning early Buddhism, succinctly tries to correct the public’s “common sense” (jōshiki 常識). Highlights include clarifications, including reference to primary and secondary sources that “Shōtoku Taishi” is a historical construction rather than a person, and even the story of the destruction of Buddhist images is based primarily on continental Buddhist sources; “popular Buddhism” does not begin in the Kamakura period, since even the new Kamakura Buddhisms as a group did not become promi- nent until the late fifteenth century; discourses on kami-Buddha relations in Japan were originally based on Chinese sources; for early Japanese Buddhists (including Saichō, Kūkai, and so on), Japan was a Buddhist country modeling Brian O. Ruppert is an associate professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cul- tures, University of Illinois. 355 356 | Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 40/2 (2013) its Buddhism on the continent; and the term for the sovereign tennō, written as “heavenly thearch” 天皇, was based on Chinese religious sources and only used from the late seventh century. -
Ancient Magic and Modern Accessories: Developments in the Omamori Phenomenon
Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-2015 Ancient Magic and Modern Accessories: Developments in the Omamori Phenomenon Eric Teixeira Mendes Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Asian History Commons, Buddhist Studies Commons, and the History of Religions of Eastern Origins Commons Recommended Citation Mendes, Eric Teixeira, "Ancient Magic and Modern Accessories: Developments in the Omamori Phenomenon" (2015). Master's Theses. 626. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/626 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANCIENT MAGIC AND MODERN ACCESSORIES: DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OMAMORI PHENOMENON by Eric Teixeira Mendes A thesis submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Comparative Religion Western Michigan University August 2015 Thesis Committee: Stephen Covell, Ph.D., Chair LouAnn Wurst, Ph.D. Brian C. Wilson, Ph.D. ANCIENT MAGIC AND MODERN ACCESSORIES: DEVELOPMENTS IN THE OMAMORI PHENOMENON Eric Teixeira Mendes, M.A. Western Michigan University, 2015 This thesis offers an examination of modern Japanese amulets, called omamori, distributed by Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan. As amulets, these objects are meant to be carried by a person at all times in which they wish to receive the benefits that an omamori is said to offer. In modern times, in addition to being a religious object, these amulets have become accessories for cell-phones, bags, purses, and automobiles. -
The Miare Festival Is an Expression of the Living Faith of Local Fishermen. Chapter 3 Justification for Inscription
The Miare Festival is an expression of the living faith of local fishermen. Chapter 3 Justification for Inscription 3.1.a Brief Synthesis 3.1.b Criteria Under Which Inscription is Proposed 3.1.c Statement of Integrity 3.1.d Statement of Authenticity 3.1.e Protection and Management Requirements 3.2 Comparative Analysis 3.3 Proposed Statement of Outstanding Universal Value The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region Chapter 3 Justification for Inscription Justification for Inscription 3.1.a Brief Synthesis The Sacred Island of Okinoshima and Associated Sites in the Munakata Region is located in the western coastal area of Japan. It is a serial cultural property that has eight component parts, all of which are linked to the worship of a sacred island that has continued from the fourth century to the present day. These component parts include Okitsu-miya of Munakata Taisha, which encompasses the entire island of Okinoshima and its three attendant reefs, located in the strait between the Japanese archipelago and the Korean peninsula; Okitsu- miya Yohaisho and Nakatsu-miya of Munakata Taisha, located on the island of Oshima; and Hetsu-miya of Munakata Taisha and the Shimbaru-Nuyama Mounded Tomb Group, located on the main island of Kyushu. Okinoshima has unique archaeological sites that have survived nearly intact, providing a chronological account of how ancient rituals based on nature worship developed from the fourth to the ninth centuries. It is of outstanding archaeological value also because of the number and quality of offerings discovered there, underscoring the great importance of the rituals and serving as evidence of their evolution over a period of 500 years, in the midst of a process of dynamic overseas exchange in East Asia. -
The Story of IZUMO KAGURA What Is Kagura? Distinguishing Features of Izumo Kagura
The Story of IZUMO KAGURA What is Kagura? Distinguishing Features of Izumo Kagura This ritual dance is performed to purify the kagura site, with the performer carrying a Since ancient times, people in Japan have believed torimono (prop) while remaining unmasked. Various props are carried while the dance is that gods inhabit everything in nature such as rocks and History of Izumo Kagura Shichiza performed without wearing any masks. The name shichiza is said to derive from the seven trees. Human beings embodied spirits that resonated The Shimane Prefecture is a region which boasts performance steps that comprise it, but these steps vary by region. and sympathized with nature, thus treasured its a flourishing, nationally renowned kagura scene, aesthetic beauty. with over 200 kagura groups currently active in the The word kagura is believed to refer to festive prefecture. Within Shimane Prefecture, the regions of rituals carried out at kamikura (the seats of gods), Izumo, Iwami, and Oki have their own unique style of and its meaning suggests a “place for calling out and kagura. calming of the gods.” The theory posits that the word Kagura of the Izumo region, known as Izumo kamikuragoto (activity for the seats of gods) was Kagura, is best characterized by three parts: shichiza, shortened to kankura, which subsequently became shikisanba, and shinno. kagura. Shihoken Salt—signifying cleanliness—is used In the first stage, four dancers hold bells and hei (staffs with Shiokiyome paper streamers), followed by swords in the second stage of Sada Shinno (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural (Salt Purification) to purify the site and the attendees. -
The Origins of Japanese Culture Uncovered Using DNA ―What Happens When We Cut Into the World of the Kojiki Myths Using the Latest Science
The Origins of Japanese Culture Uncovered Using DNA ―What happens when we cut into the world of the Kojiki myths using the latest science Miura Sukeyuki – Professor, Rissho University & Shinoda Kenichi – Director, Department of Anthropology, Japanese National Museum of Nature and Science MIURA Sukeyuki: The Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) has one distinguishing feature in the fact it includes a mixture of both Southern and Northern style myths. This is proof that Japanese culture was originally not only one culture, but rather came into existence while being influenced by its various surroundings; but when it comes to trying to seek out the origins of that culture, as we would expect, there are limits to how far we can get using only an arts and humanities-based approach. That’s where your (Professor Shinoda’s) area of expertise— molecular anthropology—comes in and corroborates things scientifically for us. Miura Sukeyuki , Professor, Rissho By analyzing the DNA remaining in ancient human skeletal remains, University your research closing in on the origins of the Japanese people is beginning to unravel when the Jomon and Yayoi peoples and so on came to the Japanese archipelago, where they came from, and the course of their movements, isn’t it? In recent times we’ve come to look forward to the possibility that, by watching the latest developments in scientific research, we may be able to newly uncover the origins of Japanese culture. SHINODA Kenichi: Speaking of the Kojiki , during my time as a student my mentor examined the bones of O-no-Yasumaro, who is regarded as being the person who compiled and edited it. -
The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’S Subjugation of Silla
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 1993 20/2-3 The Myth of the Goddess of the Undersea World and the Tale of Empress Jingu’s Subjugation of Silla Akima Toshio In prewar Japan, the mythical tale of Empress Jingii’s 神功皇后 conquest of the Korean kingdoms comprised an important part of elementary school history education, and was utilized to justify Japan5s coloniza tion of Korea. After the war the same story came to be interpreted by some Japanese historians—most prominently Egami Namio— as proof or the exact opposite, namely, as evidence of a conquest of Japan by a people of nomadic origin who came from Korea. This theory, known as the horse-rider theory, has found more than a few enthusiastic sup porters amone Korean historians and the Japanese reading public, as well as some Western scholars. There are also several Japanese spe cialists in Japanese history and Japan-Korea relations who have been influenced by the theory, although most have not accepted the idea (Egami himself started as a specialist in the history of northeast Asia).1 * The first draft of this essay was written during my fellowship with the International Research Center for Japanese Studies, and was read in a seminar organized by the institu tion on 31 January 199丄. 1 am indebted to all researchers at the center who participated in the seminar for their many valuable suggestions. I would also like to express my gratitude to Umehara Takeshi, the director general of the center, and Nakanism Susumu, also of the center, who made my research there possible. -
Childbearing in Japanese Society: Traditional Beliefs and Contemporary Practices
Childbearing in Japanese Society: Traditional Beliefs and Contemporary Practices by Gunnella Thorgeirsdottir A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Sheffield Faculty of Social Sciences School of East Asian Studies August 2014 ii iii iv Abstract In recent years there has been an oft-held assumption as to the decline of traditions as well as folk belief amidst the technological modern age. The current thesis seeks to bring to light the various rituals, traditions and beliefs surrounding pregnancy in Japanese society, arguing that, although changed, they are still very much alive and a large part of the pregnancy experience. Current perception and ideas were gathered through a series of in depth interviews with 31 Japanese females of varying ages and socio-cultural backgrounds. These current perceptions were then compared to and contrasted with historical data of a folkloristic nature, seeking to highlight developments and seek out continuities. This was done within the theoretical framework of the liminal nature of that which is betwixt and between as set forth by Victor Turner, as well as theories set forth by Mary Douglas and her ideas of the polluting element of the liminal. It quickly became obvious that the beliefs were still strong having though developed from a person-to- person communication and into a set of knowledge aquired by the mother largely from books, magazines and or offline. v vi Acknowledgements This thesis would never have been written had it not been for the endless assistance, patience and good will of a good number of people.