Kūkai

Kūkai (774 – 835), also known posthumously as Kōbō-Daishi (“The Grand Master Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching”), was a Japanese Buddhist monk, founder of the Shingon or “True Word” school of Buddhism, civil servant, scholar, poet, calligrapher, engineer, and artist. Among the many achievements attributed to him is the invention of the kana, the syllabary with which, in combination with Chinese characters (kanji), the Japanese language is written to this day. Also according to tradition, the Iroha, which is one of the most famous poems in Japanese, is attributed to him. His religious writings, some fifty works, expound the Esoteric Shingon doctrine.

In his early twenties, Kūkai left his Confucian studies, becoming more interested in Buddhism. He began chanting the mantra of the Bodhisattva Ākāśagarbha (Kokuzō) and published his first major literary work integrating Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism.

Kūkai became an independent monk wandering from temple to temple. One night Kūkai had a dream which told him that the Mahavairocana Tantra was the scripture that he was seeking.

 In 804 Emperor Kanmu sponsored the monks Kūkai and Saichō to take part in a diplomatic trip to Tang China. Kūkai took part in this expedition in order to study the Mahavairocana Tantra and Saichō went to study the Tiantai doctrine and bring back texts.

Kūkai and Saichō met during the trip to China. Over the years, there paths would cross many times.

Kūkai went to the Xi Ming Temple where he studied Chinese Buddhism and Sanskrit. In 805 Kūkai began studying under Huiguo (746 – 805) and progressed very rapidly. In a few months Kūkai received the final initiation, and become a master of the esoteric lineage. Huiguo was said to have described teaching Kūkai as like “pouring water from one vase into another”. 

Saichō returned to Japan in 805 and received a grand reception by the court. In 806, Saichō’s Tendai Lotus school (Tendai-hokke-shū ) won official recognition.

When Kūkai arrived in 806, he was the eighth Patriarch of Esoteric Buddhism, and had learned Sanskrit, studied Indian Buddhism and Chinese calligraphy and poetry. He came with many new esoteric texts and many in the Sanskrit language and the Siddham script. He submitted a report on his studies to the court. However, Emperor Kanmu had died and had been replaced by Emperor Heizei who was not as great a promoter as Kanmu had been.

Emperor Heizei retired in 809 and he was replaced by Emperor Saga, who supported Kūkai. The court finally responded to Kūkai’s report on his studies, which also contained an inventory of the texts and other objects he had brought with him and a petition for state support. That document, the Catalogue of Imported Items, is the first attempt by Kūkai to distinguish the new form of Buddhism from that already practiced in Japan.

The court ordered Kūkai to reside in the Takaosan (later Jingo-ji) Temple, where he headquartered for the next 14 years.

In 810, Former Emperor Heizei’s third wife, Kusuko and her brother, Nakanari, attempted a rebellion. Usually during times of crisis, the Nara Sects were called to perform rituals to protect the government; however, Emperor Saga granted Kūkai’s petition to carry out esoteric rituals to “enable a king to vanquish the seven calamities, to maintain the four seasons in harmony, to protect the nation and family, and to give comfort to himself and others.” 

In 810 Kūkai was appointed as administrative head of Tōdai-ji, the central temple in Nara, and head of the Sōgō (the Office of Priestly Affairs). In 812, Kūkai became the acknowledged master of esoteric Buddhism when he conducted the public initiation ceremonies for Saichō and others. He organized his disciples into an order and later completed many of the seminal works of the Shingon School. He built a retreat for the Shingon (True Word) School on Mt. Kōya. He became very popular at court writing poetry, conducting rituals, and writing epitaphs and memorials. His teachings and writings drew interest of scholars at the Nara Schools, which gave credibility to esoteric practice.

The relationship between Saichō and Kūkai was very important in the development of Buddhism in Japan. In the beginning they collaborated and helped each other. They were determined to separate their beliefs and ideas from any other existing school of Buddhism. However, they had a falling out that was not resolved; this feud later extended to the Shingon and Tendai sects. The complex relationship between these two men left a long-lasting legacy in the Tendai and Shingon schools going from affiliation to rivalry.

Kūkai’s Shingon (True Word) grew popular for several reasons. For starters, enlightenment could be achieved in one’s lifetime, not eons, by secret mantras (esoteric) to shorten the path to enlightenment. Tantric influences, using the body, speech, and mind, were incorporated. It also had an artistic aspect using statuary and images. Shingon encouraged mysticism not learning. The aristocracy particularly liked the secret (read exclusive) practices of the sect. The commoners like the chants.

In 823 Emperor Saga asked Kūkai to take over Tōji. Kūkai was allowed to make Tōji the first Esoteric Buddhist center in Kyoto. He used art to achieve enlightenment: by fixating on a mandala (a stylized representation of Buddhist teachings), one could achieve Buddhahood in their own lifetime.  For instance, the lecture hall included fourteen Buddha images. He began construction of the large pagoda but it was not completed in his lifetime.   

In 827 Kūkai was promoted to be Daisōzu in which capacity he presided over state rituals, the emperor and the imperial family. In 834, the court granted a Shingon chapel in the palace, and Shingon rituals were placed on the official court calendar of events.

Emperor Junna (r. 823-833) was also well disposed towards Kūkai. In response to a request from Junna, Kūkai submitted a document which set out the beliefs, practices and important texts of his form of Buddhism. Kūkai was given exclusive use of Tōji for the Shingon School. This set a new precedent; previously temples had been open to all forms of Buddhism. It also was the final step in establishing Shingon as an independent Buddhist movement with state authorization.

Toward the end of 832 Kūkai returned to Mt. Kōya and spent most of his remaining life there.

When he died, Kūkai was not cremated but instead entombed in the Eastern peak of Mt. Kōya. Legend has it that he never died but entered into an eternal samadhi, waiting for Maitreya, the future Buddha.