Hiroko Matsuyama
Shugendo can be translated into “The Way of Mastering the Force.” It is a religion that requires harsh and beyond-imagination training and discipline. Nowadays, Buddhist monks, Shrine priests, and many laymen or even people beyond their beliefs practice the Shugendo to seek enlightenment. What is Shugendo?
Brief History of Shugendo
What is Shugendo
The Shugendo is a unique religious form that aims to achieve various powers to help oneself and others.
Originally based on the native beliefs of ancient Shinto, elements of Esoteric Buddhism, Taoism, and other thoughts interweaved into the Shugendo.
Shinto: Introduction of “Way of the Kami”
The practitioners are called “Shugenja” or “Yamabushi,” who put on a garment called “Suzukake” and a white Buddhist stole, both made of linen. They also put on a small black box-like hat and have a staff made of metal.
Additionally, they have a conch shell to communicate with each other in the mountains. The Tengu or Karasu Tengu, Japanese mountain ghosts, are said to wear the same garment as Shugenja.
Their ultimate goal is to attain Buddhahood in life.
Most of the mountains they come to practice are mountains, which are assumed to be “the outer world” that general people never approach.
Therefore, it’s believed that Shugenja or Yamabushi practice, absorb the sacred air, and achieve spiritual power.
They work like a bridge between the sacred and the secular world and share their spiritual power with worldly people.
Sacred Mountains – Shugendo
From ancient times, the Japanese believed that the mountains were sacred, and once one entered them, one entered the world of Kami (deities) and ghosts.
In the Shugendo, several mountains are considered sacred spots, such as Kumano in the Kishu area, Mt. Kinpusen in Nara, and Dewa Sanzan (three mountains) in Yamagata.
En no Gyoja – Shugendo
The legendary holy man, En no Gyoja, was a mountain ascetic (Yamabushi) of the late 7th century. He is widely considered to be the founder of the Shugendo.
En no Ozunu (his real name) was a diviner at Mt. Katsuragi on the border between Nara and Osaka. He is said to possess magical powers, flew freely in the sky, and raced around the mountains.
People assumed him, and he even set demons to work for him.
The legend tells those demons used to be only bad before they met En no Gyoja. He hid their children and let them know the heartache and pain themselves. After that, they changed their hearts and became his disciples.
The time En no Ozunu felt his imminent death was approaching. They begged to come with him. He said never to them and taught them to stay alive as long as possible and care for the people who want to practice the Shugendo.
They made their children open guesthouses for the practitioners, and one of them, run by the Gokijo family, is still open today after 1300 years.
Noh Josen and the Legend
However, a man named Noh Josen, a son of the late 6th-century Emperor Sushun, was considered the originator of the Shugendo before En no Gyoja, so it’s called the Ancient Shugendo.
He practiced in the Dewa mountains and helped people.
Even though Noh Josen was from the Imperial family, the son of Emperor Sushun named Prince Hachiko, why did he flee to the Dewa Sanzan (three mountains)?
The legend tells that Shotoku Prince, the cousin, let him escape when his father, Emperor Sushun, was assassinated by Soga no Umako in 592, the head of the influential clan.
Prince Shotoku: Constitution, Rank System, and Japanese Buddha
After he came to Haguro, one of the Dewa Sanzan (three mountains), he became a wandering hermit in the mountains and established the ancient Shugendo.
Warring States Period
In the Kamakura and the Muromachi period (1192-1573), the Shugendo flourished the most. It’s interesting to note that Samurai pursued Bushido to keep one’s virtues at bay and sought meditative moments such as the tea ceremonies offered.
The Edo period and After
The strictness in the training has been diminished. However, still, people are joining the training and living on its thoughts seek for the enlightenment.
Shugendo Training
The practitioners perform fasting, standing under the waterfall, walking over the fire, Zen sitting meditation, and being smoked.
Who becomes Yamabushi? Not only do Buddhist monks or Shinto priests practice Shugendo, but laymen Buddhists also organize religious associations and practice when off from their secular jobs.
Most religious associations belong to the Daigo-ji Temple of Shingo Buddhism or Seigo-in Temple of Tendai Buddhism.
The Practice of Misogi
The term “Misogi” means to clean oneself, the exact concept is seen in ancient Shinto, which puts a tremendous importance in keeping oneself clean.
It’s an exercise designed to rinse out the body and mind to stay clean physically and spiritually.
Originally, rinsing out one’s body in the sea was the norm in ancient Shinto. However, practitioners often gathered around a sacred waterfall and performed a series of prayers and a set of calisthenic exercises.
The followers go after them, do specialized breathing patterns, and chant the Shinto prayers, the mantra of Esoteric Buddhism, and sutras.
The Practice of “Nishi no Nozoki”
The above picture shows the practice of “Nishi no Nozoki” (gaze at the West); practitioners are tied up with straw rope and suspended over the edge of a cliff, face down, to glimpse the Buddhist world.
As you can see in the picture above, one practices this test, putting his life at risk. It aims to lose doubt and acquire the Buddha-nature. Often asked questions to commit.
Meditation
The benefits of meditation are widely known by everyone today. There are numerous methods to reap the benefits. In the Shugendo, the pieces of training themselves are the meditation.
Train one’s body in the mountains lets practitioners forget their daily chores or worries and focus on their physical. What’s difficult about meditation could be one cannot just stop thinking.
The training can stop one from thinking, the harder the better.
The Goma Service
The term Goma comes from Homa in Sanskrit, which means an offer or a sacrifice. Tendai sect of Buddhism and Shingon sect of Buddhism practice it a lot.
In the Shugendo, burning pieces of wood and putting the offering on the altar to invoke divine help and pray.
Shugendo Magic
The supernatural powers to avert a calamity, attract good luck, cure disease, and longevity.
Those qualities are excellent in their right. However, how can one feel and achieve after the real pieces of training?
The Ultimate Shugendo Training
The Buddhist monk, Ryojun Shionuma, achieved many Shugendo training in 1999 called “The Ultimates”. Only two completed this austere ascetic practice at Mt. Kinpusen in 1300 years.
One keeps on walking in the rugged and steep mountains for 1000 days. Dropping out of the practice is not an option once one begins. If one decides to stop, he has to kill himself.
They carry a dagger for this reason. Once you commit, there’s no turning back even if one gets sick, hurt, or a storm. This is not because they take lives lightly but because they put great importance on determination.
Enrich One’s Heart
The magical powers you can get from the training may not be about flying freely in the sky but about gaining the power of self-control in a practical sense.
Ryojun, a high-rank monk, says what he gained after completing the practice is essential. He realized how precious it is to exchange a simple word of appreciation or greetings.
The professional Japanese free diver, Ryuzo Shinomiya, who dives 377 feet, says, “To control one’s mind, one has to work on his body first.”
The Shugendo is one approach to feeling unity with nature and a way to tame one’s mind by taking physical endurance. Here, you will find one of the great meditation methods.
References
ー修験道とシャーマニズムー (白鬚神社)
1300年に2人だけ達成、命がけの苦行から大阿闍梨が学んだ3つのこと (globis.jp)
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