Shingon Buddhism

, born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) under the monk Huiguo. Upon returning to Japan, he founded Shingon—the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism. With the blessing of several Emperors, Kūkai was able to preach Shingon teachings and found Shingon temples. Like other influential monks, Kūkai oversaw public works and constructions. Mount Kōya was chosen by him as a holy site, and he spent his later years there until his deat

Vairocana ("The Sun", "Solar" or "Shining" in Sanskrit), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Sun), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. He is often compared to the Sun, because both bestow their light impartially upon all beings. However, unlike the Sun, whose light can be blocked, and which disappears at night, Vairocana's light is omnipresent, impossible to block, and shines eternally. Hence, he is called the "Great Sun". In East Asian Buddhism, Vairocana is called () or ().

school of Buddhism in Japan

Buddhist temple complex and settlement in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan

, a.k.a. the is a Shingon Buddhist temple in the Minami-ku ward of Kyoto, Japan.

' or Achala (, "The Immovable", ), also known as (, "Immovable Lord") or ' (, "Noble Immovable Lord"), is a wrathful deity and dharmapala (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism.

is a type of Buddhist mummy. In Japan the term refers to the practice of Buddhist monks observing asceticism to the point of death and entering mummification while alive. Although mummified monks are seen in a number of Buddhist countries, especially in Southeast Asia where monks are mummified after dying of natural causes, it is believed that it is only in Japan where monks have induced their own deaths by starvation.

thumb|Portrait of Amoghavajra. Japan, Kamakura Period (14th century) thumb|right|The Diamond Realm|Vajradhātu maṇḍala used in Amoghavajra's teachings from the ''''.

offering made into fire in Indian religions

Buddhist god

multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) on the island of Shikoku, Japan

Rāgarāja () is a deity venerated in the Esoteric and Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. He is especially revered in Chinese Esoteric Buddhism in Chinese communities as well as Shingon and Tendai in Japan.

Vajrabodhi (, , 671–741 CE) was an Indian esoteric Buddhist monk and teacher in Nalanda and later in Tang China. He is one of the eight patriarchs in Shingon Buddhism as well as Zhenyan Buddhism. He is notable for introducing Vajrayana Buddhism in the territories of the Srivijaya Empire which subsequently evolved into a distinct form known as Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism.

is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Tokyo's Bunkyō.

Mantra in Japanese Buddhism

Śubhakarasiṃha (637–735 CE) () was an eminent Indian Buddhist monk and translator of Esoteric Buddhist texts.

is the main temple of the Buzan sect of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The Main Hall is a National Treasure of Japan.

thumb|Daikaku-ji in Kyoto, overlooking the Ōsawa Pond thumb|The Shikidai Genkan entrance to Daikaku-ji thumb|The Shōshinden is a Azuchi-Momoyama period|Momoyama period building with a replica of the chambers where retired Emperor Go-Uda conducted cloistered rule thumb|The Miedō hall thumb|The Shingyōden hall where the Heart Sutra is kept

, is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Kasai, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Its mountain name (sangō) is . Emperor Shōmu ordered its construction in 745 (the 17th year of the Tenpyō era) at the request of Gyōki, a Buddhist priest.

Narita-san (成田山 "Narita mountain") Shinshō-ji (新勝寺 "New victory temple") is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in central Narita, Chiba, Japan. It was founded in 940 by Kanchō Daisōjō, a disciple of Kōbō Daishi. It is a lead temple in the Chisan branch (Chisan-ha 智山派) of New Shingon (Shingi Shingon 新義真言宗), includes a large complex of buildings and grounds, and is one of the best-known temples in the Kantō region. It is dedicated to Ācala (Japanese: Fudō myōō ("Unmovable Wisdom King")) who is usually depicted holding a sword and rope and surrounded by flames. Often called a fire god, he is assoc

Buddhist temple in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan

thumb|Painting of Huiguo with an attendant. Japan, Kamakura period (14th century). Huiguo () (746–805) was a Buddhist monk of Tang China who studied and taught Chinese Esoteric Buddhism, a Vajrayana tradition recently imported from India. Later Huiguo would become the teacher of Kūkai, founder of Shingon Buddhism, a prominent school of Buddhism in Japan.

set of mandalas

is a Shingon temple in Uzumasa, Ukyō Ward, Kyoto, Japan. The temple is also known by the names and , and was formerly known as , and .

Buddhist tantra

is a garden with Buddhist temple located in the approximate center of the modern city of Kyoto, Japan. The temple belongs to the Tō-ji-branch of Shingon-shū and its honzon is a statue of Sho-Kannon. The pond and garden are the last surviving remnant of the original Heian Palace and is the oldest existing garden in Kyoto. It 1935, Shinsen-en was designated a National Historic Site.

Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 52 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

is a modern global Buddhist School for lay people. Its traditions can be traced back to the Daigoji branch of Shingon Buddhism. It was founded in 1936 by , and his wife in a suburb of metropolitan Tokyo, the city of Tachikawa, where its headquarters is still located.

Japanese grouping of Buddhist deities

thumb|right|300px|Yashima-ji Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)|Hondō (1618), an Important Cultural Property

The is a Shingon Buddhist temple of the Kōyasan sect in Mitoyo, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was established by Emperor Heizei's order in 807. Hayagriva is a principal image. The temple has undergone several reconstruction efforts since its founding, including the rebuilding of its Main Hall (which is a National Treasure of Japan) in 1300.

yaksha of Bhaisajyaguru

caste of Japanese monks

thumb|right|300px|Ishite-ji Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)|Hondō (late [[Kamakura period); an Important Cultural Property]] thumb|right|350px|Ishite-ji Niōmon (1318); a National Treasure thumb|right|350px|Ishite-ji three-storey Tō|pagoda and [[gorintō, both from the end of the Kamakura Period and Important Cultural Properties]]

thumb|Kakuban sculpture (Mitsugon-dō), Oku-no-in, Kōya-san thumb|Mausoleum of Kakuban in Negoro-ji Kakuban (覚鑁/覺鑁; 1095–1143), known posthumously as Kōgyō-Daishi (興教大師) was a priest of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan and credited as a reformer, though his efforts also led to a schism between and . Kakuban is also famous for his introduction of the "esoteric nembutsu".

Zenjibu-ji is a Shingon Buddhist Temple located in Nankoku, Kōchi, Japan. It is the 32nd temple of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

thumb|right|300px|Ōkubo-ji Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)|Hondō

The Sanskrit term adhiṣṭhāna (; ; kaji; àtíttǎan) is the name for blessings or inspiration that a Buddhist may receive from a Buddha, bodhisattva or guru. The Sanskrit term has various meanings in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, and can also mean the raised base on which a temple stands. In East Asian Buddhism, adhiṣṭhāna is one of the sources for the concept of a Buddha's "other-power", an idea which is central to Pure Land Buddhism.

Shingon temple in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 49 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

Kiyotaki-ji is a Shingon Buddhist Temple located in Tosa, Kōchi, Japan. It is the 35th temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage. The Honzon of Kiyotaki-ji is Bhaisajyaguru.

is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism, located in the city of Kōshū, Yamanashi, Japan. Its main image is a hibutsu statue of Yakushi Nyōrai, shown to the public every five years,

Tanema-ji is a Shingon Buddhist Temple located in Kōchi, Kōchi, Japan. It is the 34th temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Kanjizaiji (観自在寺) is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Ainan-cho (愛南町), Minamiuwa District, Ehime, Japan. It is number 40 of the 88 temples in the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

Nanzo-in () is a Shingon Buddhist temple in Sasaguri, Fukuoka, Japan. It is notable for its bronze statue of a reclining Buddha, said to be the largest bronze statue of the Buddha reclining as he enters Nirvana in the world.

is a Kōyasan Betsuin (affiliate temple) located in Aomori, Aomori Prefecture. The temple was founded by a Great Acharya , who later built in 1984. Roughly 21.35 meters in height, it is the tallest seated bronze figure of Buddha in Japan.

The samaya (, , pinyin: Sānmèiyē jiè; rōmaji: sonmaya kai), is a set of vows or precepts given to initiates of an esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist order as part of the abhiṣeka (empowerment or initiation) ceremony that creates a bond between the guru and disciple.

Shingon temple in Anan, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 22 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

Hotsumisaki-ji (最御崎寺) is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in Muroto, Kōchi, Japan. It is the 24th temple of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, and the first located in Kochi, representing the start of the stage of the pilgrimage.

is a Chisan Shingon temple in Sukumo, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. Temple 39 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage, the main image is of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of healing and medicine. The temple is said to have been founded by Gyōki in the first year of the Jinki era.

is a Shingon Buddhist temple located in the city of Shinshiro, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. Its main image is a statue of Yakushi Nyōrai. The temple is located on the Mount Hōrai and is accessed by a flight of 1425 steps. The grounds have been designated Place of Scenic Beauty and Natural Monument since 1931. The area is also noted for its population of Eurasian scops owl, the prefectural bird of Aichi Prefecture.

thumb|right|300px|Enmyō-ji Main Hall (Japanese Buddhism)|Hondō

is a Shingon temple in Hakata, Fukuoka, Japan. Its honorary sangō prefix is . It was founded by Kūkai in 806, making it the oldest Shingon temple on the island of Kyushu.

a comparatively small medieval sect of Buddhism in Japan that arose in the Kamakura period as an offshoot of Shingon Buddhism

is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon-shu Buzan-ha sect in Yugawa, Kawanuma District, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

thumb|right|The seventeenth chapter of the Rishu-kyō printed on hakubyō-style (白描) paper. The scroll has been designated as National Treasure of Japan in the category paintings. The Rishu-kyō (理趣経), formally known as Prajñāpāramitā-naya-śatapañcaśatikā (般若波羅蜜多理趣百五十頌), is a Buddhist esoteric scripture. It is considered an abridged version of the Rishu Kogyo (理趣広経), the sixth assembly of the eighteen assemblies within the Vajrasekhara Sutra (金剛頂経). It is primarily recited in the various branches of the Japanese Shingon school (真言宗) and Chinese esoteric sects as a standard scripture.

Shingon temple in Myōzai District, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 12 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

dialectic allegory

Shingon temple in Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, which is Temple 13 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage

thumb| Tairyūji or Tairyū-ji (Tairyū Temple, Great Dragon Temple) (Japanese: ) is a Koyasan Shingon temple in Anan city, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan. Temple # 21 on the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage. The main image is of Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva.