“O Lord of Secrets, what is bodhi?”
                       “It is to know one’s own mind as it truly is.”

Shugendō is a Dharma (Buddhist) tradition characterised by combinatory ritual-practice and periodic retreats ('mountain-entry'). At its basic level, Shugendō refers to a path of cultivation and the testimony of wakefulness.

Buddha-Dharma is a teaching of the Middle Way concerned with developing right-aspiration, self-scrutiny, discernment and insight (right-view) in regard to cause and effect, the nature of reality (self and phenomena), with 'knowing one's own mind as it truly is', and with addressing epistemological misunderstandings in regard to duḥkha (existential suffering).

Among the various doorways and vehicles of the Buddha-Dharma, Shugen can be said to be an expression of the Mahāyāna conception of the One Vehicle, orientated towards the cultivation of the Bodhisattva path, built upon the bedrock of what can be referred to as (pre-Buddhist) mountain-faith (sangaku-shinkō).

Shugendō's defining methods are based around periodic retreats involving the ritual entering of the mountain-as-maṇḍala. The Shugen dharma-lineage of mountain-asceticism (buchū-hōryū) sees practitioners undertake a range of arduous trainings and initiations (abhiṣekas). Although each Buddhist sect maintains diversity in the ways that these are practiced, they are all undertaken with the purpose of bringing practitioners towards experiential-testimony. This is referred to as the training of the ten realms, five stages, three barriers and three crossings. Shugen can be said to possess, in the words of Ven. Riten Tanaka, a glocal outlook, combining both global/universal and localised/particular approaches to doctrine, faith and practice. 

Another important aspect of Shugen is that it is a tradition orientated towards the lay-householder, though formal paths of commitment into novice-ordination (tokudō) and initiation (kanjō / abhiṣeka) do exist. In the gate of ordination, retreat is complimented and deepened through the anchor of specific forms of training (kegyō/shuhō/sādhanā) taught in the context of the mentor-disciple relationship. These include various esoteric Buddhist altar practices, such as homa and pūjā, as well as preliminary trainings and practices unique to Shugen itself.

Due to Shugendō's historical intertwining with esoteric-Buddhism (East Asian Tantra/Vajrayāna), abhiṣeka, sādhanā and the direct mentor-disciple relationship are paramount. The esoteric approach  - an expression of the Mahāyāna orientation - is characterised by yoga; the adhiṣṭhāna of the three-mysteries and the practices of the principal-image.

Shugen is fundamentally a path of practice; there is little room for passive participation, and engagement with Shugendō requires developing a relationship with a traditional lineage (ie an actual teacher) - avoiding the pitfalls of DIY or new-age ventures. For those newly interested in esoteric Buddhism and Shugendō, the idea of entering an institution may seem daunting, given the long histories of institutional failure and today's climate of general distrust towards religious traditions. While acknowledging that institutions are no less likely in their potential to act as near enemies of actual Dharma practice, there is something to be said about the fruits of sustained-attention and transmission that Dharma-lineage traditions can offer - the potential to reveal something beyond the finitude of our own life-spans and personal explorations alone.

To quote the present-day head-priest of Kōtakuji-Shozenin, Ven. Kōkai Shimazu:

"In the present age, in which religious faith itself is falling into decline, those involved in religious thought themselves must give careful attention to the various problems that religion carries as the first step in protecting the Dharma, and constant diligence is required. The ultimate aim of Shugen is the realisation of peace and to establish one's course of life in accord with the teachings. This being the case, what is required through training is to look deeply into the ambiguity of one's own existence, to realise what is termed buddha-nature, and - within all aspects of daily life - to establish and maintain the composure of that awareness; upholding an attitude and Way that one makes into one’s own practice and training. This involves constant self-scrutiny, questioning oneself, and walking step by step without losing one's footing. It is absolutely not a matter of hazy states of meditative intoxication, drifting consciousness, mystical experiences, or other extraordinary sensations of gods or buddhas."

What does it mean to seek the Lamp of the Dharma?

Seeking the Dharma does not mean seeking out special knowledge, qualifications, or titles. In Buddhism, Dharma is generally translated as “Law,” but it does not refer merely to doctrines or rules. It is the principle by which things come to be as they are, the truth awakened to by the Tathāgata, and the path of living in accordance with that truth. With this in mind, seeking the Dharma is not about asking, “What can I have bestowed upon me?” or “What qualifications can I obtain?” It means examining one’s own desires, attachments, pride, and fears in the light of the Dharma, and gradually correcting one’s way of life. Learning from a teacher, undertaking formal training, and entering the mountains all exist for this purpose. Those who seek the Dharma do not use it to confer authority upon themselves. Nor do they select only those teachings that suit them. Rather, they accept being questioned and transformed by the Dharma itself. They seek not merely to understand the Dharma, but to live it through prayer, conduct, and confronting the suffering of others. Thus, when I speak of “seeking the Dharma,” I mean striving to know the Dharma, seeing oneself in its light, bringing oneself into order through it, and putting it into practice for the sake of others through prayer and action. It is not a matter of seeking qualifications, ritual-knowledge or titles, but of striving to become a person worthy of the Dharma.

Questions are welcome.

The Dharma-lineages of the three great historical mountain-ranges of the Shugen tradition - Hiko, Omine and Dewa Sanzan -  despite decimation throughout the Meiji Period, continue today through the Dharma lineages of the Honzan-ha (based out of Shogoin Monzeki), Tozan-ha (based out of Daigoji-Sanboin) and Haguro-ha (based out of Kotakuji Shozenin). This website is maintained by an australia-based low-ranking priest of the Haguro-ha Dharma-lineage, which has Kotakuji-Shozenin as its head-temple. The purpose of this site is to assist in the translation of classical Shugen and esoteric Buddhist texts, to act as a gateway into the history and practice of Shugen, to translate texts written by teachers, as well as lineage-specific practice manuals, to act as a bridge to the sect and teachers, and to act as a platform for connecting with like-minded fellow-travelers.