L.--Originally posted by L-Fitzgerald
Just thought I'd share some notes about its origins.
"At the age of 8, Uyeshiba Morihei began studying Shingon Buddhism under the direction of a local priest. Shingon Buddhism, or "True Word" was first introduced into Japan by Kukai [A.D. 774835], and Shingon Buddhism implies: “the idea of knowledge within knowledge.” This religion is an offshoot of Mahayana Buddhism and part of its practise incorporate Tibetan or Tantric intonations in the belief that the use of magical spells permit mystic union with the deities.
These Tibetan practices are believed to have originated in prehistoric times, and as a result Shingon Buddhism contains a meditative exercise called kuji goshin ho. L Fitzgerald
Both Shingon and Tendai Esoteric Japanese Buddhism predate the establishment of Tantric Buddhism in Tibet. There are deep common roots, primarily Indic and to a lesser extent Sinitic, shared by the Tibetan and Japanese Esoteric Traditions. However, with the exception of modern research into Tibetan Tantrism, an area in which Japanese researchers have taken a leading role, no influence of the Tibetan tradition on the Japanese tradition has ever been shown; any claims to the contrary immediately mark a source as suspect.
To the best of my knowledge, Shingon Goshin no Ho is a distinct practice from kuji kiri; the latter is known primarily with reference to contemporary ninja practice, some forms of Ryobu Shinto, and Shugendo; it is my understanding that instruction in the Goshin no Ho is generally comparatively restricted within Shingon-shu. All of the above can be found in a fairly cursory examination of the relatively short shelf of publicly available material in English on Shingon. Goshin no Ho is certainly not widely available as a lay practice. As with the kuji kiri practices -- or for that matter, virtually any esoteric practice -- published accounts are almost always incomplete.
However useful from a scholarly point of view, such accounts are, if not incomplete then generally consciously promulgated with errors inserted in order to insure that missing key points or informations regarding extraneous elements are only given to prospective practitioners in the context of an appropriate teacher-student relationship.
Persons interested in an authoritative treatment of these questions might find SHINGON, by Taiko Yamasaki of use; those willing to sit down for a serious read will find that Professor Ryuichi Abe's recent book on Kukai, THE WEAVING OF MANTRA, is a rewarding and substantive treatment of the transmission of esoteric Buddhism to Japan which moves beyond the narrow sectarian narratives that have characterized most work in this area.
Best,
Fred Little