Although it is not yet definite, the results of our negotiations with various temples have gradually borne fruit. I personally have stopped accepting new students, but several friends have accepted foreign practitioners. It is difficult for a tourist visa holder to practice for 100 consecutive days, but we are working on a procedure to allow them to come to Japan and practice with a different visa. Some head temples are positively considering accepting foreign practitioners, and the closed gates of the Shingon sect are gradually opening. One fact that I have always recognized is that there are ..read more

My master’s master said the following words. Ajari must at the very least be able to give abhiseka.” Without discussing it, if we do not know how to perform abhiseka, the ritual in which the most important teachings are given, we will not be able to pass those teachings on to the next generation. Today, everyone is called Ajari if they receive the abhiseka for the dharma transmission or 伝法灌頂, but there are probably not even one in ten Ajari who can give abhiseka. I don’t think it is too much to say that the sad situation is that Ajari today only has the qualification, practically not Ajari. In ..read more

After all these efforts, he was well versed in Sanskrit and read and understood all the sutras in Sanskrit. I was simply surprised by his profound knowledge when he gave me a copy of the Śrāvakabhūmi by Ācārya Asaṅga edited by Karunesha Shukla. One day, a professor of quantum mechanics from the University of Tokyo joined our study session on Consciousness Only, and our question-and-answer session was truly a moment of witnessing the cutting edge of the times. I cannot write about the specifics because of the privacy of the deceased. Yokoyama-sensei said that he was not feeling well even before ..read more

I have published my second book. 散口紙, Sankushi, is a collection of all the oral traditions of the Sambo-in lineage of practice by the founder of our Dharma school, 性善 (Shozen), along with the teachings of Todai-ji temple monks, 智蓋 (Chigai) and 舜孝 (Shunko), who were taught by Shozen. This book was translated from old Japanese into modern Japanese and took 10 years to publish, even though I read it every day. A portion of the original is shown below. It is difficult even for Japanese speakers to read these characters, and I had a hard time reading them, even though I enjoyed reading them. If y ..read more

The year 2022 is quickly coming to an end. This year we were able to work in the U.S. and Argentina due to easing of Covid-19 regulations in many countries. As I mentioned before, next year we plan to concentrate our efforts on building a temple abroad and translating. We look forward to practicing with you next year. The post Year-end Greetings appeared first on Esoteric Buddhist Society ..read more

I will temporarily stop accepting new students for practice. I will resume accepting new students when all current students have completed their Abhiseka. There are three reasons. I have been receiving a lot of follow-up and answers to questions about the practice and teachings on social media like LINE, WhatsApp and so on. Although I have translated and prepared commentaries on the practice, I’m surprised by the number of profound questions that go beyond my expectations. The first reason is to spend more time with those people one-on-one. Currently, I have finished translating the texts of S ..read more

I recently completed the abhisheka for a karmic connection (結縁灌頂, Kechien-kanjo) for the second time this year. When I perform the abhisheka for a karmic connection, I ask each person to throw a flower into the mandala and give the mudra and shingon of the buddha or bodhisattva where the flower fell. Why do we do the abhisheka for a karmic connection in the first place? First of all, as I have mentioned several times, the purpose of esoteric Buddhism is to know our own mind as it really is. By knowing our own mind as it really is, we learn that even suffering is created by our own mind ..read more

This September has been a really hectic month for me, and I apologize for any inconvenience caused by the delay in replying to your inquiries. As I have already announced, the first book has been published, a translation into modern Japanese of a commentary on the Jizoin-ryu lineage written by Inyu in 1488.   The Jizoin-ryu lineage and the Samboin-ryu lineage are like brother dharma lineages, having studied under the same master Seigen, so their practices do not differ greatly from each other. However, as I have repeatedly said, esoteric Buddhism is also Buddhism, so the teachings given ..read more