What is Shingon — the esoteric Buddhism behind Reiki

Shingon 真言 is a school of esoteric Mahāyāna Buddhism, founded in Japan in the 9th century by Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi). The word shingon is the Japanese translation of the Sanskrit word mantra and literally means "true word". That already says a lot about this tradition, in which words, sounds and syllables are not simply spoken but carry a power.

The school itself is called Shingon-shū 真言宗, and it still preserves rituals, meditations and initiations that have been passed on for more than 1,200 years. For me Shingon is also one of the most important roots of Reiki, alongside Shugendō, Shintō and shamanic Daoism. In this article I'd like to give you an overview.

Kūkai 空海

The story of the Shingon school begins with Kūkai 空海, born in 774 and honored after his death with the title Kōbō Daishi 弘法大師. As a young man he practiced in the mountains, among other things the Gumonji meditation with the mantra of the bodhisattva Kokūzō. In 804, at about thirty, he sailed to China to receive the esoteric teachings at their source.

In Chang'an he met Huiguo (jap.: Keika), the seventh patriarch of the esoteric lineage. Within a few months Huiguo transmitted to him the teachings of both mandalas, the initiations, the mantras, the Siddham script (Bonji in Japanese) and the rituals. When Kūkai returned to Japan in 806, he brought a great many texts, mandalas and ritual objects with him.

At the heart of Shingon practice are the three mysteries (jap.: sanmitsu 三密): body through hand gestures (Skr.: mudrā), speech through mantra, and mind through meditation and visualization. You find the same structure in the instruction that goes with Usui's life principles.

What "esoteric" means here 密教

Esoteric Buddhism (jap.: mikkyō 密教, "secret teaching") has nothing to do with modern Western esotericism. In my book Reiki in der therapeutischen Praxis I explain that the term refers to the secret teachings of Buddhism, in which complex meditations and rituals with mantras, mudras and Siddham are added to basic meditations such as mindfulness. "Esoteric" comes from Greek and "tantric" from Sanskrit, and both mean almost the same thing.

Why secret? Because certain experiences only open up through direct transmission and practice, and you can't really understand them from a book. That is why initiations are so central in Shingon. An initiation is called kanjō 灌頂, literally "pouring onto the crown". You can read more about it in the article on Reiki initiations.

Kaji 加持

One central term in Shingon is kaji 加持. Kūkai explains it with an image: the sun of the Buddha is reflected in the water of the human heart, and that is ka, adding. That the water can take in and hold the sunlight is ji, holding. In rituals the practitioner connects with a Buddha, a bodhisattva or a protective being through mantras, mudras and contemplation.

The Siddham script plays an important role here. Each Siddham character is sound, image and power at once. You'll find more about this in the article on Siddham.

In 834 Kūkai was allowed to set up a hall for esoteric rituals inside the imperial palace, the Shingon-in. That shows how much importance the imperial court gave to this practice.

The Great Sun Buddha 大日如来

At the center of Shingon stands Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来, the Great Sun Buddha. He isn't a historical Buddha who lived and died at some point, but the cosmic Buddha, the light that is present in everything. In the Shingon view he is in every being, every stone and every breath, and the practice is about experiencing this connection consciously.

The two great mandalas of Shingon, the Diamond Realm Mandala (jap.: kongōkai mandara 金剛界曼荼羅) and the Womb Realm Mandala (jap.: taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅), show the order of the cosmos with Dainichi Nyorai at the center. You could call them maps of consciousness.

The older roots 修験道

Shingon doesn't stand alone in Japan. Before Buddhism arrived in the 6th century, there was already a worship of nature and of spirit beings. These older layers didn't disappear when Buddhism came, but merged with it. That is typical of Japan: when something new is introduced, the old isn't thrown away but lives on alongside the new, and after a while the two can hardly be separated.

Shugendō 修験道, the way of the mountain ascetics, is a good example. The yamabushi combined esoteric Buddhism with magical Daoism and Shintō. You can read more about it in the article on Usui and Shugendō.

Spiritual practice in Japanese history 歴史

Buddhist practice played an important role in Japanese society from the start. When Buddhism reached Japan under Emperor Kinmei in the 6th century, it didn't only bring sutras, but also knowledge of calendars, divination and herbal medicine.

In the 8th century the Yōrō Code regulated medicine, including acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, herbs and healing with incantations. Monks were forbidden to practice divination and shamanic healing, but healing with Buddhist mantras was allowed. That is exactly the field in which esoteric Buddhism could develop.

The connection to Reiki 靈氣

According to his memorial stone, Mikao Usui had a Buddhist name, Gyōhan, and was well versed in Buddhist sutras. The symbol Sei He Ki goes back to the Siddham seed syllable hrīḥ, the instruction for the life principles follows the three mysteries, and the inscription on the memorial stone was written in the style of a Buddhist sutra. All of this points to esoteric Buddhism, to Shingon as well as to Tendai.

As Reiki spread around the world, this background often faded so that as many people as possible could find an easy way in. In Shingon Reiki I deliberately look at these roots: the seed syllables, the mantras and the meditations.

Shingon today 現在

The Shingon school still exists in Japan today. On Kōyasan, the sacred mountain Kūkai founded in 816, there are more than a hundred temples, and monks still perform the rituals there that go back to Kūkai.

If you visit Kōyasan, you'll probably notice it quite quickly: the air between the old cedars, the sound of the bells in the early morning and the quiet of the halls. Have you ever been to Kōyasan, or is it on your list?