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Myōe (Japanese: 明恵) (1173–1232) was a Japanese Buddhist monk active during the Kamakura period who also went by the name Kōben (Japanese: 高弁), and contemporary of Jōkei and Honen. Born into the Yuasa family (湯浅), allegedly descended from a branch of the Fujiwara clan, he came to be ordained in both the Shingon school of Buddhism and the Kegon school. In Medieval Japan it was not uncommon for monks to be ordained in multiple sectarian lineages, and Myōe alternately signed his treatises and correspondence as a monk of either school through much of his career. In the latter half of his career he served as abbot of Kōzan-ji (高山寺), a temple of the Kegon sect located near Kyoto. Myōe is perhaps most famous for his contributions to the practice and popularization of the Mantra of Light, a mantra associated with Shingon Buddhism but widely used in other Buddhist sects. Myōe is also well-known for keeping a journal of his dreams for over 40 years, studied by later Buddhist scholars, and for his efforts to revive monastic discipline along with Jōkei.
During his lifetime he was a scathing critic of his contemporary, Hōnen, and the new Pure Land Buddhist movement. As a response to the increasing popularity of the exclusive nembutsu practice, Myōe wrote two treatises, the Zaijarin (摧邪輪, "Tract for Destroying Heretical Views") and the follow-up Zaijarin Shōgonki (摧邪輪荘厳記 "Elaboration of the Zaijarin") that sought to refute Honen's teachings as laid out in the Senchakushu. Myōe agreed with Hōnen's criticism of the establishment, but felt that sole practice of the nembutsu was too restrictive and disregarded important Buddhist themes in Mahayana Buddhism such as the Bodhicitta and the concept of upāya. Nevertheless, Myoe also lamented the necessity of writing such treatises:
| “ | By nature I am pained by that which is harmful. I feel this way about writing the Zaijarin. (trans. Professor Mark Unno) | ” |
In the later years of his life, Myoe wrote extensively on the meaning and application of the Mantra of Light. Myōe's interpretation of the Mantra of Light was somewhat unorthodox, in that he promoted the mantra as a means of being reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha, rather than a practice for attaining Enlightenment in this life as taught by Kūkai and others. Myoe was a firm believer in the notion of Dharma Decline and sought to promote the Mantra of Light as a means
Myōe was equally critical of the lax discipline and corruption of the Buddhist establishment, and removed himself from the capital of Kyoto as much as possible. At one point, to demonstrate his resolve to follow the Buddhist path, Myoe knelt before an image of the Buddha at Kōzan-ji, and cut off his own ear. Supposedly, the blood stain can still be seen at the temple to this day. Records for the time show that the daily regimen of practices for the monks at Kōzan-ji, during Myoe's administration, included zazen meditation, recitation of the sutras and the Mantra of Light. These same records show that even details such as cleaning the bathroom regularly were routinely enforced. A wooden tablet titled Arubekiyōwa (阿留辺畿夜宇和, "As Appropriate") still hangs in the northeast corner of the Sekisui'in Hall at Kōzan-ji detailing various regulations.
At the same time, Myōe was also pragmatic and often adopted practices from other Buddhist sects, notably Zen, if it proved useful. Myōe firmly believed in the importance of upāya and sought to provide a diverse set of practices for both monastics and lay people. In addition, he developed new forms of mandalas that utilized only Japanese calligraphy and the Sanskrit script, Siddham. Similar styles were utilized by Shinran and Nichiren. The particular style of mandala he devised, and the devotional rituals surrounding it, are recorded in his treatise, the Sanji Raishaku (Thrice-daily worship) written in 1215.[1]
Myoe sought twice to go to India, in 1203 and 1205, to study what he considered true Buddhism amidst the perceived decline of the Dharma, but in both occasions, the kami of the Kasuga Shrine urged him to remain in Japan through oracle.
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In the wooden tablet at Kōzan-ji Temple mentioned above, Myoe listed the following regulations to all monks, divided into three sections:
(Reprinted with permission from Professor Mark Unno from the book Shingon Refractions: Myōe and the Mantra of Light)
As Appropriate
Ettiquette in the Temple Study Hall
Etiquette in the Buddha-Altar Hall
— The Kegon School Shamon Kōben [Myoe]