About Kūkai

Kūkai (空海), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi , 774–835, was a Japanese Buddhist monk, civil servant, scholar, poet, and artist who founded the Esoteric Shingon or "mantra" school of Buddhism. Shingon followers usually refer to him by the honorific title of Odaishisama (お大師様) and the religious name of Henjō-Kongō (遍照金剛).
Big Think

A selection of books representing Japanese philosophy

11
Apr
2024
Garbhadhatu (Sanskrit) or Taizo-kai (jp.) - Mandala

Shingon Buddhism – The Japanese root of Esoteric Buddhism

21
Aug
2022
Dharma, Vajrayāna
Shingon Buddhism is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as and . Known in Chinese as the Tangmi these esoteric teachings would later flourish in Japan under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named (空海), who traveled to Tang China to acquire and request transmission of the esoteric teachings. .
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The Dharma transmission – Founders & patriarchs of Buddhist currents

16
Aug
2022
Dharma, Rinpoche
A lineage in Buddhism is a line of transmission of the Buddhist teaching that is "theoretically traced back to the Buddha himself." The acknowledgement of the transmission can be oral, or certified in documents. Several branches of Buddhism, including Chan (including Zen and Seon) and Tibetan Buddhism maintain records of their historical teachers. These records serve as a validation for the living exponents of the tradition. In Chan and Zen Buddhism, transmission is a custom .
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Monks attending the 2003 Kalachakra empowerment in Bodhgaya, India.

Vajrayana – Buddhist tantric traditions

10
Jul
2022
Vajrayāna
Vajrayana is Tantric Buddhism, the form of Northern Buddhism that relies primarily on the Tantras, technical manuals said to have been taught by the Buddha, and offer complete enlightenment in 1, 7 or 21 lifetimes. practices are connected to specific lineages in Buddhism, through the teachings of lineage holders. Others might generally refer to texts as the Buddhist Tantras. It includes practices that make use of mantras, dharanis, , mandalas and the visualization of .
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Five Tathagatas

Dhyani Buddhas | Pancha Buddhas

10
Jan
2018
Deities, Dharma, Gods
 are believed to have taken birth after Adibuddha. There are namely,  , , , and . The word Dhyani is originated from the root word , meaning . They are not separate figures like Gautam , or other but are derived from the Sanskrit dhyana, meaning “meditation.” The are also called Jinas (“Victors” or “Conquerors”). They are not historical figures, like , but abstract figures that symbolizes .
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