{Shikoku Hachijūhachikasho Meguri}
--BOOKS & PAPERS ABOUT THE PILGRIMAGE--
-RELIGIOUS FOUNDATIONS & GENERAL JAPANESE BUDDHISM-
Attaining Enlightenment with this Body: Primacy of Practice in Shingon Buddhism at Mt. Koya, Japan
. 1999 Ph.D. dissertation by Buichiro Wattanabe, in which he lays out the position that for Shingon Buddhists (both monks and lay practitioners), the two most important religious concepts are Sokushin Jōbutsu (the ability to attain buddhahood in this very body) and the primacy of bodily practice over theological philosophies.
Bodhicitta In Kūkai's Shingon Practice
. Kenneth WHITE's 1998 PhD dissertation. A thorough look at the origin and development of the bodhicitta concept, and at how it was interpreted, integrated, and used in Shingon theory and practice.
Esoteric Buddhism
. A.P. SINNETT. Written in 1884, this is an interesting look at the principles and theory of Esoteric Buddhism as practiced in India over one-hundred years ago. I'm not exactly sure of its relevance for this pilgrimage in particular, or for Esoteric Buddhism as practiced in Japan today (or in the 8th century, for that matter, when Kūkai brought it from China to Japan), but it is interesting background reading none the less.
Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1884
Foundation of Japanese Buddhism: The Aristocratic Age
. Daigan and Alicia MATSUNAGA. A great introduction to the history of Buddhism in Japan. This is Volume 1 (of 2) and it lays out the foundations of Buddhism in Japan from its introduction through Korea to the end of the Heian Period. Of importance here is the material on the pre-Nara period and how people like En no Gyōja and Gyōgi helped lay the foundations for the Shugendō movement, the concept of mountain pilgrimages, and the idea of preaching Buddhism to the people in order to improve their lives. And, finally, the sections on both Shingon and Tendai Buddhism - how these were a reaction to all the above and how they developed.
Buddhist Books International, 1978
History of Japanese Religion
. ANESAKI Masaharu. Kitagawa very frequently refers to Anesaki's writings in his own books as Anesaki was one of the first Western trained researchers of Japanese Religion. Originally adopted from a series of lectures that he gave at Harvard University between 1913 and 1915, a lot of information has changed and been refined since this book was first published. Even so, this 1963 publication is still packed full of valuable information. Charles Tuttle Co., 1963
Japanese Mandalas: Representations of Sacred Geography
. Elizabeth ten GROTENHUIS. A wonderful book on the various mandala used in different schools of Japanese Buddhism. Several chapters cover Shingon's Kongōkai Mandara (Diamond World Mandala) and Taizokai Mandara (Womb World Mandala).
University of Hawai'i Press, 1999
Mudrâ: A Stury of Symbolic Gestures in Japanese Buddhist Sculpture
. E. Dale SAUNDERS. This is a reference work and not something you just sit and read cover to cover (although you could). Figures, diagrams, and pictures of all the mudra used in buddhist sculpture and art, this is a great book for learning more about the statues we see in the pilgrimage temples.
Princeton University Press, 1960
On Understanding Japanese Religion
. Joseph KITAGAWA. This is the same book as listed in the top section above. I've listed it again because it contains a very good general chapter on Kūkai called
Master and Saviour
. All in all, this is a very good book on Japanese Religion and the mythological roots of Japan.
Princeton University Press, 1987
Religion in Japanese History
. Joseph KITAGAWA. This contains a very well written introduction to the beginnings of Buddhism in Japan, how it interacted with Shinto and pre-Buddhist shamanistic practices, and the introduction of esoteric Buddhism. As with all of Kitagawa's works, it is a great read.
Columbia University Press, 1966
Religions of Japan in Practice
. Edited by George TANABE, Jr. This anthology contains both commentary on, and translations of, original sources related to Kūkai and Shingon Buddhism. Luckily for us, it also contains one chapter with material about En the Ascetic (En no Gyōja). In addition, it has additional information on Saichō and Tendai Buddhism.
Princeton University Press, 1999
Shapers of Japanese Buddhism
. Edited by KASHIWAHARA Yusen and SONADA Koyu. This book contains biographies of the people that shaped Japanese Buddhism into what it is today. The two most important chapters for this trip are the ones on Gyōgi and Kūkai. Also of some intersest are the chapters on Saichō, the founder of Japanese Tendai, and Kūya, the first to advocate the use of the nembutsu.
Kosei Publishing Co., 1994
Shingon: Japanese Esoteric Buddhism
. YAMASAKI Taikō (the abbot of Jōkō-in in Kobe at the time of the writing), this well written book lays out the history of Shingon Buddhism from its origin in India through its import to Japan, an explanation of some of the Shingon doctrine, and a little on some of the Shingon practices and meditations.
Shingon Buddhist International Institute, 1988
Shingon Buddhism: Theory and Practice.
. KIYOTA Minoru. A good introduction to exactly what the title says, the foundational theory and the practices of Shingon Buddhism.
Buddhist Books International, 1978
The Development of the Kenmitsu System As Japan's Medieval Orthodoxy
. KURODA Toshio. According to Kuroda, the Kenmitsu System, a systematic fusion of exoteric (ken) and esoteric (mitsu) beliefs, formed the ideological underpinnings of Heian Period Japan's political and social structure. While some people have issues with his ideas in this area, it is accepted by many.
Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
1996
Vol. 23/3-4
The Matrix and Diamond World Mandalas in Shingon Buddhism
. Adrian SNODGRASS. The definitive guide to the two main mandalas in Shingon Buddhism.
International Academy of Indian Culture and
Aditya Prakashan, 1997
The Rishukyō: A Translation and Commentary in the Light of Modern Japanese (Post-Meiji) Scholarship
. Ian ASTLEY's 1987 PhD dissertation, which offers a very interesting translation and commentary on Amoghavajra's translation and commentary of the Rishukyō. The Rishukyō is the third most important sutra in Shingon Buddhism, after the Dainichikyō; and the Kongochogyō, and is included in many Shingon rituals.
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