Tachikawa-ryu
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese school of esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo
) of Shingonshu founded in 1114 by the monk Nin-kan (1057-1123 AD) in an attempt to create a Japanese tradition corresponding to Indian Tantra (Skt., vamacara).
.
The school formed in the early 12th century by combining onmyodo
(Taoist yin-yang magic) with Shingon ritual magical practices. It is so named because it was in the town of Tachikawa in the Izu province
of Japan. Ninkan is said to have transmitted the esoteric teachings of Shingon to a Taoist onmyōji (yin-yang master) master, who then combined the two methods into a single school. Because of its use of ritual sex magic and accusations of involvement in so called “black” magic, the school was frowned upon by the Shingon leaders, and its priests were frequently sent into exile. The monk Yzūkai (1345–1416) is generally credited with taking the lead on extirpating the Tachikawa-ryu school from Shingon.
Since most Tachikawa-ryu texts were destroyed much of its history and teachings must be reconstructed. The institutes who do have Tachikawa-ryu texts and information pertaining to the school are generally unsympathetic and hostile towards Tachikawa-ryu ideologies and therefore refuse to lend any sort of help to the matter.(Sanford 1991)
What is known is that the school was founded in about 1113 by the Shingon monk Ninkan. Ninkan was an instrumental figure not only on the formation of Tachikawa-ryu but in Shingonshu as well. In about 1113, Ninkan was exiled from Koyasan to the province of Izu after getting caught on the wrong side of a political dispute. In Izu he met a onmoyji master from Musashi no Tachikawa named Kenren. Together the two created the school of Tachikawa-ryu.(Sanford 1991)
Tachikawa-ryu must have been largely created within the few months Ninkan was exiled and committed suicide. Many historians believe he is mentioned simply as an apocryphal figure. Regardless, he would have had to draw on ideas already prevalent in Japanese society and within the orthodox braches of Shingonshu at the time, as there simply was not enough time for him to develop an entirely new branch and ideology before he died. Ninkan committed suicide less than a year later in 1114 by throwing himself off a cliff in protest, and it was left to Kenren to propagate the school.(Sanford 1991)
Tachikawa-ryu was, like Shingon, is based in vajrayana-tantra. However, unlike its orthodox cousin, Tachikawa-ryu was much more open with its views on sexual expression and bliss, often using the founder of Shingon, Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai), text sokushin jōbutsu (Bodily Buddhahood) to support their ideologies and views. This is not to say they were more liberal than the orthodox branch in any way, just more open about their practices. (In fact the founder of Shingonshu, Kōbō Daishi, is credited with introducing pedophilia to the Shingonshu priesthood.)
It appears from the historical record that Tachikawa-ryu was very widely accepted and practiced and by the middle of the 13th century had become a major contender with the orthodox branch of Shingon. This marks what is considered the second period of the school. Beginning in the 13th century the orthodox branch of Shingon at Koyasan began a smear campaign against Tachikawa-ryu. This second period lasted until about 1500AD. The discrimination and attack by the orthodox branch at Koyasan reached its climax in about 1470AD.
From 1470-1500 marks the beginning of the third period, of the school. By this time the orthodox branch of Shingon had managed to formally denounce and excommunicate most teachings and practitioners of Tachikawa-ryu form its ranks. However, it was still very popular with the general populist. Tachikawa-ryu works were still published in works such as Sangi Isshin-ki (The Three Worlds Single Heart), Fudō-son Gushō (Humble Notes on the Immovable Lord), and Konkō-shō (Compendium of the Primal Cavity). Tachikawa-ryu ideas and influences also appeared in cultic practices with Dual Gansea (Sōshin Kangiten) and Aizen Myō-Ō (Ragaraja), and in the other main orthodox school of mikkyo Tendai
, in their Genshi Kimyōdan cult. And also in the teachings and ideologies of Jodoshinshu (Pure Land Faith), especially the Himitsu Nembutsu (Secret Mystery of Mindfulness of Amida Buddha) developed by Kakuban
and Dōhan. (Sanford 1991)
, the Vajrasekhara Sutra
, the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra (Rishu-kyō 理趣経), and the Susiddhikara Sutra (Soshitsuji-kyō 蘇悉地経). These are the four principle texts of Esoteric Buddhism. They are all Tantras
(Literally “treatise”, “exposition”.
These texts played a vital role in Tachikawa-ryu as well, obviously. But according to the author and Tachikawa-ryu historian, John Stevens as well as James Sanford, another, and prehaps the most important text to the ryuha, was the Sutra of Secret Bliss (ca. 1100), the full title of which is Sutra Proclaiming the Secret Method Enabling a Man and a Woman to Experience the Bliss of Buddhahood in this Very Body. This sutra contains the school's general teachings concerning sexuality and its role in reaching enlightenment.
"Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman is the supreme buddha activity. Sex is the source of intense pleasure, the root of creation, necessary for every living being, and a natural act of reveneration. To be united as a man and woman is to united with Buddha (capital "B" referring to the Historical Buddha, Prince Siddhattha Gotama).
The sound A represents the Womb Realm (Garbhakosa-dhatu; Taizo-kai/胎蔵界), Mother (Yin/in), great compassion, and the red lotus. The sound UN [hūṃ] represents the Diamond (vajra
) Realm (Vajradhatu
); Kongo-kai/金剛界), father (yang/yo), wisdom, and the white stupa. A/Un (the alpha and omega) represents is female/male (non-duality, paradox), yin/yang, ocean/mountain, mercy/charity, emptiness/form. The red seed from the female and the white seed from the male bring human beings into existence. The unity and integration of A/Un creates and sustains the universe. This is the truth, not falsehood.
Prior to performing these rites, the man and woman take these vows:
1) We trust in the teachings of the Tachikawa-ryu.
2) We vow to cooperate and come together in mutual accord in the body and mind at all times.
3) We vow to perform these rites carefully under strict supervision by a master of Tachikawa-ryu.
4) We vow to try not to argue or fight.
5) We vow to try and avoid competing, making unconstructive criticisms, or blame each other.
6) We vow to try not to over indulge in food or drink.
The buddha couple should bathe together in a curative hot spring without physical contact. The couple must be in perfect accord in body, mind, and speech. The couple must be in bright, positive mood, free of gloom, despair, or unhappiness. The man is venerated as Fudo myo-O (Acala
); the woman is venerated and embodies Aizen myo-O/愛染明王 (Rāgarāja). The holy couple faces each other and they make the three prostrations (sanrai). Reciting:
Male: "I aspire to enter the Womb realm."
Female: "I aspire to receive the diamond (vajra) realm."
The room must be spotless and absolutely clean, well secluded, with a small altar. The secret buddha image is kept veiled, not to be uncovered until after the rites are preformed. Kuden (secret oral teaching), the instructions regarding the buddha image are only to transmitted orally and never written down. Fresh flowers are placed on the altar, together with appropriate seasonal offerings from the mountains and the sea. Kindle fragrant incense. Light the room with five candles. (The candles are the five colors of the elements and are placed in the appropriate direction: fire-red, south; water-black, north; wood-green/blue, east; earth-yellow, south; void-white, west)
The buddha image is one's own body. Therefore, the man and woman shed their robes in the corner (southwest) and face each other completely naked and adorned. The Rites are to begin at midnight. The man crosses his legs in the full lotus position and the woman sits on the top of the man and lets his jeweled jade enter her mysterious lotus. (This posture reacts the position of many esoteric deities and their consorts, in particular that of Shiva
and Shakti
). During the sexual congress of the two roots of existence (A/Un), the breath should be harmonized in an A (inhale) and Un (exhale) rhythm. The man should keep his vajra
pressed against the woman's womb as they meditate together, blending the male/female components of the five elements (godai): earth, water, fire, wood, and air/void. If done properly, this blending of the elements will form a five-colored rainbow: yellow, blue, red, green, and white. The mother/father buddha posture is best, but other postures and mantra are allowed. (goku-I kuden ari: secret oral instructions and essential teachings are given but unknown at this time)
However, at the break of dawn when the rooster crows, the buddha couple should be in the mother/father posture. At that time, the buddha couple should come to a mutual instant of universal bliss; that is the moment of universal truth, a state of pure ecstasy, an unobstructed integration of emptiness and form. This is the realm of Dianichi Nyorai (Vairocana
), the Cosmic Buddha where myriad elements exist in perfect equilibrium."
(Stevens, Tantra of the Tachikawa-ryu)
Mikkyo
Mikkyō is a Japanese term that refers to the esoteric Vajrayāna practices of the Shingon Buddhist school and the related practices that make up part of the Tendai school. There are also various Shingon- and Tendai-influenced practices of Shugendō...
) of Shingonshu founded in 1114 by the monk Nin-kan (1057-1123 AD) in an attempt to create a Japanese tradition corresponding to Indian Tantra (Skt., vamacara).
History
Tachikawa-ryu is a branch of Shingon mikkyo founded by the monk Ninkan. As such it is a school of esoteric Buddhism founded on the principal of using magic to control supernatural and cosmic forces and through these magical Rites and Rituals attain enlightenment. Tachikawa-ryu is no different in its approach other than it chooses to focus on perhaps the oldest form of magic - sex magicSex magic
Sex magic is a term for various types of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using the energy of sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result...
.
The school formed in the early 12th century by combining onmyodo
Onmyodo
is a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology, a mixture of natural science and occultism. It is based on the Chinese philosophies of Wu Xing and Yin and yang, introduced into Japan at the turn of the 6th century, and accepted as a practical system of divination...
(Taoist yin-yang magic) with Shingon ritual magical practices. It is so named because it was in the town of Tachikawa in the Izu province
Izu Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of...
of Japan. Ninkan is said to have transmitted the esoteric teachings of Shingon to a Taoist onmyōji (yin-yang master) master, who then combined the two methods into a single school. Because of its use of ritual sex magic and accusations of involvement in so called “black” magic, the school was frowned upon by the Shingon leaders, and its priests were frequently sent into exile. The monk Yzūkai (1345–1416) is generally credited with taking the lead on extirpating the Tachikawa-ryu school from Shingon.
Since most Tachikawa-ryu texts were destroyed much of its history and teachings must be reconstructed. The institutes who do have Tachikawa-ryu texts and information pertaining to the school are generally unsympathetic and hostile towards Tachikawa-ryu ideologies and therefore refuse to lend any sort of help to the matter.(Sanford 1991)
What is known is that the school was founded in about 1113 by the Shingon monk Ninkan. Ninkan was an instrumental figure not only on the formation of Tachikawa-ryu but in Shingonshu as well. In about 1113, Ninkan was exiled from Koyasan to the province of Izu after getting caught on the wrong side of a political dispute. In Izu he met a onmoyji master from Musashi no Tachikawa named Kenren. Together the two created the school of Tachikawa-ryu.(Sanford 1991)
Tachikawa-ryu must have been largely created within the few months Ninkan was exiled and committed suicide. Many historians believe he is mentioned simply as an apocryphal figure. Regardless, he would have had to draw on ideas already prevalent in Japanese society and within the orthodox braches of Shingonshu at the time, as there simply was not enough time for him to develop an entirely new branch and ideology before he died. Ninkan committed suicide less than a year later in 1114 by throwing himself off a cliff in protest, and it was left to Kenren to propagate the school.(Sanford 1991)
Tachikawa-ryu was, like Shingon, is based in vajrayana-tantra. However, unlike its orthodox cousin, Tachikawa-ryu was much more open with its views on sexual expression and bliss, often using the founder of Shingon, Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai), text sokushin jōbutsu (Bodily Buddhahood) to support their ideologies and views. This is not to say they were more liberal than the orthodox branch in any way, just more open about their practices. (In fact the founder of Shingonshu, Kōbō Daishi, is credited with introducing pedophilia to the Shingonshu priesthood.)
It appears from the historical record that Tachikawa-ryu was very widely accepted and practiced and by the middle of the 13th century had become a major contender with the orthodox branch of Shingon. This marks what is considered the second period of the school. Beginning in the 13th century the orthodox branch of Shingon at Koyasan began a smear campaign against Tachikawa-ryu. This second period lasted until about 1500AD. The discrimination and attack by the orthodox branch at Koyasan reached its climax in about 1470AD.
From 1470-1500 marks the beginning of the third period, of the school. By this time the orthodox branch of Shingon had managed to formally denounce and excommunicate most teachings and practitioners of Tachikawa-ryu form its ranks. However, it was still very popular with the general populist. Tachikawa-ryu works were still published in works such as Sangi Isshin-ki (The Three Worlds Single Heart), Fudō-son Gushō (Humble Notes on the Immovable Lord), and Konkō-shō (Compendium of the Primal Cavity). Tachikawa-ryu ideas and influences also appeared in cultic practices with Dual Gansea (Sōshin Kangiten) and Aizen Myō-Ō (Ragaraja), and in the other main orthodox school of mikkyo Tendai
Tendai
is a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism, a descendant of the Chinese Tiantai or Lotus Sutra school.Chappell frames the relevance of Tendai for a universal Buddhism:- History :...
, in their Genshi Kimyōdan cult. And also in the teachings and ideologies of Jodoshinshu (Pure Land Faith), especially the Himitsu Nembutsu (Secret Mystery of Mindfulness of Amida Buddha) developed by Kakuban
Kakuban
Kakuban , known posthumously as Kōgyō-Daishi was a priest of the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan and credited as a reformer, though his efforts also led to a schism between and...
and Dōhan. (Sanford 1991)
Sacred texts (tantras)
The primary literature for all schools of orthdox Shingonshu are the Mahavairocana TantraMahavairocana Tantra
The Mahāvairocana Tantra is an important Vajrayana Buddhist text. It is also known as the , or more fully as the . In Tibet it is considered to be a member of the Carya class of tantras...
, the Vajrasekhara Sutra
Vajrasekhara Sutra
The Vajrasekhara Sutra is an important Buddhist tantra used in the Vajrayana schools of Buddhism, particularly the Japanese Shingon school. It is also known as the...
, the Adhyardhaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sutra (Rishu-kyō 理趣経), and the Susiddhikara Sutra (Soshitsuji-kyō 蘇悉地経). These are the four principle texts of Esoteric Buddhism. They are all Tantras
Tantras
Tantras refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. Although Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have many similarities from the outside, they do have some clear distinctions. The rest of this article deals with Hindu...
(Literally “treatise”, “exposition”.
These texts played a vital role in Tachikawa-ryu as well, obviously. But according to the author and Tachikawa-ryu historian, John Stevens as well as James Sanford, another, and prehaps the most important text to the ryuha, was the Sutra of Secret Bliss (ca. 1100), the full title of which is Sutra Proclaiming the Secret Method Enabling a Man and a Woman to Experience the Bliss of Buddhahood in this Very Body. This sutra contains the school's general teachings concerning sexuality and its role in reaching enlightenment.
Sutra of Secret Bliss
The text it's self is a short tantra (exposition). It reads as follows:"Sexual intercourse between a man and a woman is the supreme buddha activity. Sex is the source of intense pleasure, the root of creation, necessary for every living being, and a natural act of reveneration. To be united as a man and woman is to united with Buddha (capital "B" referring to the Historical Buddha, Prince Siddhattha Gotama).
The sound A represents the Womb Realm (Garbhakosa-dhatu; Taizo-kai/胎蔵界), Mother (Yin/in), great compassion, and the red lotus. The sound UN [hūṃ] represents the Diamond (vajra
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
) Realm (Vajradhatu
Vajradhatu
Vajradhatu was the name of the umbrella organization of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist lamas to visit and teach in the West. It served as the vehicle for the promulgation of his Buddhist teachings, and was also the name by which his community was known from 1973 until...
); Kongo-kai/金剛界), father (yang/yo), wisdom, and the white stupa. A/Un (the alpha and omega) represents is female/male (non-duality, paradox), yin/yang, ocean/mountain, mercy/charity, emptiness/form. The red seed from the female and the white seed from the male bring human beings into existence. The unity and integration of A/Un creates and sustains the universe. This is the truth, not falsehood.
Prior to performing these rites, the man and woman take these vows:
1) We trust in the teachings of the Tachikawa-ryu.
2) We vow to cooperate and come together in mutual accord in the body and mind at all times.
3) We vow to perform these rites carefully under strict supervision by a master of Tachikawa-ryu.
4) We vow to try not to argue or fight.
5) We vow to try and avoid competing, making unconstructive criticisms, or blame each other.
6) We vow to try not to over indulge in food or drink.
The buddha couple should bathe together in a curative hot spring without physical contact. The couple must be in perfect accord in body, mind, and speech. The couple must be in bright, positive mood, free of gloom, despair, or unhappiness. The man is venerated as Fudo myo-O (Acala
Acala
In Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. He is also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and . The Sanskrit term ācala means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten completion stages of the Bodhisattva path...
); the woman is venerated and embodies Aizen myo-O/愛染明王 (Rāgarāja). The holy couple faces each other and they make the three prostrations (sanrai). Reciting:
Male: "I aspire to enter the Womb realm."
Female: "I aspire to receive the diamond (vajra) realm."
The room must be spotless and absolutely clean, well secluded, with a small altar. The secret buddha image is kept veiled, not to be uncovered until after the rites are preformed. Kuden (secret oral teaching), the instructions regarding the buddha image are only to transmitted orally and never written down. Fresh flowers are placed on the altar, together with appropriate seasonal offerings from the mountains and the sea. Kindle fragrant incense. Light the room with five candles. (The candles are the five colors of the elements and are placed in the appropriate direction: fire-red, south; water-black, north; wood-green/blue, east; earth-yellow, south; void-white, west)
The buddha image is one's own body. Therefore, the man and woman shed their robes in the corner (southwest) and face each other completely naked and adorned. The Rites are to begin at midnight. The man crosses his legs in the full lotus position and the woman sits on the top of the man and lets his jeweled jade enter her mysterious lotus. (This posture reacts the position of many esoteric deities and their consorts, in particular that of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Shakti
Shakti
Shakti from Sanskrit shak - "to be able," meaning sacred force or empowerment, is the primordial cosmic energy and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe in Hinduism. Shakti is the concept, or personification, of divine feminine creative power, sometimes...
). During the sexual congress of the two roots of existence (A/Un), the breath should be harmonized in an A (inhale) and Un (exhale) rhythm. The man should keep his vajra
Vajra
Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond...
pressed against the woman's womb as they meditate together, blending the male/female components of the five elements (godai): earth, water, fire, wood, and air/void. If done properly, this blending of the elements will form a five-colored rainbow: yellow, blue, red, green, and white. The mother/father buddha posture is best, but other postures and mantra are allowed. (goku-I kuden ari: secret oral instructions and essential teachings are given but unknown at this time)
However, at the break of dawn when the rooster crows, the buddha couple should be in the mother/father posture. At that time, the buddha couple should come to a mutual instant of universal bliss; that is the moment of universal truth, a state of pure ecstasy, an unobstructed integration of emptiness and form. This is the realm of Dianichi Nyorai (Vairocana
Vairocana
Vairocana is a celestial Buddha who is often interpreted as the Bliss Body of the historical Gautama Buddha; he can also be referred to as the dharmakaya Buddha and the great solar Buddha. In Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of shunyata or...
), the Cosmic Buddha where myriad elements exist in perfect equilibrium."
(Stevens, Tantra of the Tachikawa-ryu)
Modern times
For all practical purposes Tachikawa-ryu is extinct. It was outlawed in the 13th century by the Japanese authorities, and almost all its writings were either burned, or sealed away at Koya-san and related monasteries. However, there have been claims that the school continued covertly until at least 1689 - and according to John Stevens (Lust for Enlightenment), it is still active today; in disguise.Further reading
- Fukuda, Ryosei. A Study of Materials belonging to the Tachikawa School, Part II : Index to the Konkusho.
- Manabe, Shunsho. Jakyö Tachikawa-ryö. Tokyo: Chikuma Shobö, 1999.
- Mizuhara, Gyoei. Jakyo Tachikawa-ryu no kenkyu (Tokyo, 1931: A Study of the Heterodox Tachikawa Sect). Kyoto: Toyama Shobu, 1968.
- Moriyama, S. Tachikawa Jakyo to sono Shakaitekina Haikei no Kenkyu. Tokyo: Shinkano-en, 1965.
- Utagawa, T. Shingon Tachikawa Ryu no Hiho. Tokyo: Tokuma Books, 1981.
- Kabanov, Alexander. The Basic Tenets of the Tachikawa-ryu and its Underground Rituals in Medieval Japan.
- Ruppert, Brian O. Pearl in the Shrine: A Genealogy of the Buddhist Jewel of the Japanese Sovereign. [Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 29:1-2, 2002]