UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Santa Barbara The Flower of Dharma Nature: Sexual Consecration and Amalgamation in Medieval Japanese Buddhism A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies by Or Porath Committee in charge: Professor Fabio Rambelli, Chair Professor José Ignacio Cabezón Professor Luke S. Roberts Professor Sabine Frühstück September 2019 The dissertation of Or Porath is approved. _____________________________________________ José Ignacio Cabezón _____________________________________________ Luke S. Roberts _____________________________________________ Sabine Frühstück _____________________________________________ Fabio Rambelli, Committee Chair August 2019 The Flower of Dharma Nature: Sexual Consecration and Amalgamation in Medieval Japanese Buddhism Copyright © 2019 by Or Porath iii Contents Contents ................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgments..................................................................................................................... v VITA OF OR PORATH ........................................................................................................ viii Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... x Introduction: Male-Male Sexuality in Medieval Japanese Monasteries .................................. 1 Chapter 1: Child Acolytes (Chigo) and Male-Male Sexuality in Medieval Japan ................. 51 Chapter 2: The Consecration of Acolytes (Chigo Kanjō): Introduction to Texts, Authors, Places, and Lineages in Medieval Tendai Seminaries .......................................................... 107 Chapter 3: The Ritual Procedures of Chigo Kanjō ............................................................... 170 Chapter 4: Doctrinal Foundations and Bodily Transformation in a Buddho-Shinto Sexual Initiation ................................................................................................................................ 209 Conclusion: Deflowering Dharma Nature ............................................................................ 279 Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 301 iv Acknowledgments When I began my undergraduate studies at Tel-Aviv University, I knew that I was interested in Japanese studies in a broad sense, but it was the pedagogical fervor of Irit Averbuch that sparked my interest in Japanese religion. Trained as a historian at Tel-Aviv, I later chose to pursue a history major in the department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University. There, I was exposed to the brilliant mind of Gregory Pflugfelder. His pioneering study on male-male sexuality in Japan, and his bodhisattva-like compassion inspired me to pursue a doctoral degree in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. At Columbia, I also had the privilege of studying with Bernard Faure, whose work continues to resonate in me and has significantly informed this dissertation. I am also indebted to Haruo Shirane and Tomi Suzuki who taught me Classical Japanese; without their instruction it would have been impossible for me to read Muromachi-period tales. Many people at the University of California, Santa Barbara were instrumental in the completion of this dissertation. José Cabezón taught me the intricacies of Buddhism and sexuality in the Indo-Tibetan tradition. Luke Roberts provided unending counsel and assistance in reading unpublished manuscripts; his mastery of premodern Japanese and insights into historical social structures and hierarchies has influenced me tremendously. Sabine Frühstück has become my academic inspiration and true friend; her advice on theory and scholarship and how to navigate the academic field has always been invaluable. Dominic Steavu-Balint introduced me to classical Chinese texts and Daoist embryological theories. I wish to thank Kate Saltzman-Li for all her help and support. John Nathan, a dear friend, contributed greatly to my understanding of the waka which I translate in this study. Finally, Fabio Rambelli, whose scholarship I had read in my undergraduate years, has inspired me to become a scholar of Japanese religion. His endless encouragement in pursuing new scholarly grounds and delving deep into doctrinal texts, however difficult they may seem, has provided a constant stimulus for research and personal growth. I owe everything I have achieved during my doctoral years to his support and friendship, and I am grateful to him. v Teachers and friends in Japan as well deserve much gratitude. I thank my adviser at Nagoya University, Abe Yasurō, for his generous help in introducing literature and performing arts to my study of Buddhism and sexuality. I thank him and Abe Mika for facilitating access to some of the chigo kanjō manuscripts in Jōbodai’in temple and Hikone Castle Museum, and the Tennōji’s Fukuda Gyōei archive in Tokyo. I would also like to thank Abe’s graduate students: Eguchi Keiko, Suematsu Misaki, Kaku Kanei, and Kim Tamy. I thank the staff at the Nagoya University Library for granting me access to Rikkyō University’s Edogawa Ranpo archive. I also owe deep gratitude to Paul Swanson who took me under his wing at the Nanzan Institute for Religion and Culture, and to many of his colleagues at Nanzan University, such as James Heisig and Esben Petersen. At Nagoya City University, Yoshida Kazuhiko invited me to his history seminars, where I was able to present my research and engage with fellow graduate students, including Asaoka Etsuko and Teshima Daisuke. I thank priests Shibata Kenryō of Eizan Gakuin and Hasegawa Yūhō of Enryakuji temple, who have provided access to chigo kanjō manuscripts in Eizan Bunko library on Mount Hiei. I formed many friendships during my master’s and doctoral studies. At Columbia University, Tristan G. Brown, Frank Feltens, and Runxiao Zhu were the most cherished friends and colleagues. At the University of California, Santa Barbara, Emm Simpson helped more than I can say throughout my years at graduate school, both professionally and as a friend. I am thankful for my time learning from Peter Romaskiewicz, who helped me to become a better student and teacher. Special thanks are owed to William Chavez, who in addition to providing scholarly suggestions and profound theoretical input, accompanied me along with his wife, Stefany Olague, to watch horror movies as I finished writing. Jesse Drian of the University of Southern California provided countless valuable insights and much support over the last two years, including editorial and academic advice. Support for research and writing this dissertation was provided by a Japan Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, 2015–2016, and by the American Council of Learned Societies, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies Dissertation Fellowship, 2017–2018. vi Finally, this doctoral dissertation is dedicated to my family in Israel. To my brothers Rani and Dani who always supported me even though my academic field was foreign to them. To my sister Michal Tal, who even though I chose a path far from home, called me every night. To my grand-parents, Rachel and Mordechai Neumann, who were a constant source of encouragement. And most importantly, to my dear parents Itzhak and Shoshana, who have always believed in me. vii VITA OF OR PORATH September 2019 EDUCATION Bachelor of Arts in East Asian Studies and History, Tel-Aviv University, May 2010 (summa cum laude) Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Cultures, Columbia University, May 2012 (departmental honors) Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, September 2019. PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 2018–2019: Instructor of Record, Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara 2013–2019: Teaching Assistant, Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara University of California, Santa Barbara, Instructor of Record Religion and Japanese Culture (spring 2019) Introduction to Zen Buddhism (summer 2018) University of California, Santa Barbara, Teaching Assistant East Asian Traditions (winter 2019) Masterpieces of Japanese Literature (fall 2018) Introduction to Religion in Asian America (spring 2015) Religious Approaches to Death (winter 2015) Zen Buddhism (spring 2013, winter 2014) Introduction to the Study of Religion (spring 2014) Introduction to Asian Religious Traditions (fall 2014) Introduction to Chinese Buddhism (winter 2013) viii PUBLICATIONS “Nasty Boys or Obedient Children? Childhood and Relative Autonomy in Medieval Japanese Pedagogical Texts.” In Child’s Play: Histories of Children and Childhood in Japan, eds. Sabine Frühstück and Anne Walthall, 17–40. Oakland: University of California Press, 2017. “The Cosmology of Male-Male Love in Medieval Japan: Nyakudō no Kanjinchō and the Way of Youths,” Journal of Religion in Japan, 4, no. 2 (2015): 241–271. “Introduction to the Religious Discourse on Male-Male Love in Medieval Japan” (in Hebrew), Zmanim: A Historical Quarterly 131 (2015): 98–107. Abe Yasurō, “Buddhas from Across the Sea: Legends on the Transmission of Buddhism in Ancient and Medieval Origin Narratives.” In The Sea and the Sacred in Japan: Aspects of Maritime Religion, ed., Fabio Rambelli. London and New York: