Articles
Reading the Calendar
Read the lunisolar calendar and the day's fortune through historical sources.
The Buddhas
The origins and blessings of the Buddhas enshrined at Byodoji and honored on their holy days.
What Is Bhaiṣajyaguru (Yakushi Nyorai)
What Bhaisajyaguru, the Medicine Buddha, is: the twelve great vows, the four Chinese translations of the Medicine Buddha Sutra, the medicine jar and the lapis-lazuli body, the eastern pure land, Suryaprabha, Candraprabha and the Twelve Heavenly Generals, and the Shingon teaching, all with citations from the primary sources.
ReadWhat Is the Eleven-Faced Kannon?
What the Eleven-Faced Kannon (Ekadasamukha) is: the origin of the name (its relation to the "Universal Gate" of the Lotus Sutra's Avalokitesvara chapter), the meaning of each of the eleven faces, worldly benefits such as the ten kinds of victory, the formation of seven scriptures including the Heart Dharani Sutra of the Eleven-Faced One, and its place within Shingon and esoteric Buddhism, all explained with citations from the original sources. A primary-source study by Shingon Byodoji.
ReadWhat Is Vaiśravaṇa
What Vaiśravaṇa is: Tamonten of the Four Heavenly Kings, a deity of fortune and treasure, and one of the Seven Lucky Gods. We explain his original vow (benefit and ease, abundant treasure, and guarding the realm), his figure holding the jeweled pagoda, Tobatsu Bishamonten, the devotion at Shigisan and Kurama, and his mantra, with citations from the original sources.
ReadWhat Is Kṣitigarbha (Jizō)?
What Kṣitigarbha (O-Jizo-sama) is: the original vow to save the beings of the six realms in a world without a Buddha, the meaning of the name, the figure in monastic form, the Sutra of the Original Vows of Kṣitigarbha and the Daśacakra-kṣitigarbha Sutra, the Jizo Hall of the Garbhadhatu, the Six Jizo, and his mantra, all explained with citations from the original sources.
ReadWhat Is Acala (Fudō Myōō)
What Acala (O-Fudo-sama) is: the manifestation of Dainichi Nyorai, the original vow to burn away defilements with the wisdom-fire and to guard the practitioner, the figure with sword, lasso, immovable rock, and flames, the central deity of the Five Wisdom Kings, the Yellow, Blue, and Red Fudo, and his mantra (the Jiku-ju), all explained with citations from the original sources.
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Prayers and Applications
A guide to prayer offerings, from recovery from illness to gyakushu memorial services, and how to apply.
Ganfuji prayer
Gan-fuji (prayer for healing from cancer) is offered to Bhaisajyaguru, Byodoji's principal Buddha, for recovery from cancer and peace of body and mind. This guide explains requests by patients and family members, Yakushi Goma, what information is made public, and the relationship between prayer, medical care, and support services.
Read21-Day Gyakushu Offering
A Japanese-language guide to gyakushu and its twenty-one-day textual basis, with details and an application path for Byodoji's 21-day morning-service offering.
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Holy Days & Rites
The meaning and history of ennichi holy days and rites such as the cucumber blessing (kyuri kaji).
The Complete Ennichi
Kobo Daishi on the 21st, Fudo Myoo on the 28th, Jizo on the 24th. The numbers behind Buddhist holy days fall into five distinct lineages. From the uposatha and the six and ten fasting days to each deity's day, we trace the original scriptural sources one by one. An original-source study by Shingon Byodoji Temple.
ReadWhat Is Kyuri Kaji
What kyuri kaji (cucumber blessing) is: an esoteric Buddhist rite that uses a cucumber as a vessel for illness and misfortune to pray for good health. We trace why the cucumber is used, from the Rig Veda and Tang esoteric ritual texts to the Genko Shakusho and the doctrine of the three mysteries, with primary-source citations. Primary-source study by Shingon Byodoji.
ReadKyuri Kaji Temples Across Japan
A nationwide list of temples that perform kyuri kaji (the cucumber blessing) around the summer doyo, gathered from across Japan. In recent years it is also held at temples in Hawaii. Each temple is listed with its official site, location, and a map. A survey by Shingon Byodoji Temple.
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Teachings & Practice
Readings of sutra verses and the way of mountain practice, drawn from source texts and history.
What Is "One Buddha, One Land"? Why Two Buddhas Never Arise in One World, Traced from the Sources
What does it mean that two Buddhas never appear at the same time in one and the same world? Starting from a complete beginner's question, this article gradually traces the teaching down to its sources: why Amida and Shakyamuni do not contradict each other, the four reasons a single Buddha suffices, the Buddha's knowledge of the possible and the impossible (sthana-asthana), how Theravada, Sarvastivada and Mahasamghika each transmitted it, the many Buddhas of Mahayana and Pure Land, and Kukai's Dharmakaya Mahavairocana and attaining buddhahood in this very body. Shingon Buddhism, Byodoji.
ReadThe Kaikyōge
The Kaikyoge is the verse recited just before the Heart Sutra in pilgrimage services. Drawing on primary sources, we explain the meaning of its four lines with a modern translation, trace its wording back to the Lotus Sutra and the Flower Garland Sutra, and examine the legend of Empress Wu Zetian.
ReadWhat Is Shugendō?
The gen of Shugendō is the verifiable fruit of practice. Its doctrinal core is the esoteric siddhi. From the Pāli canon to Kūkai's buddhahood in this very body, traced through primary sources.
ReadWhat Is Nyubutsu Samaya? Entering the Buddha's Vow in Shingon Buddhism
A Shingon Buddhist explanation of nyubutsu samaya, the samaya precepts, and the mantra namaḥ samanta-buddhānāṃ asame trisame samaye svāhā, with Unicode Siddham script.
ReadWhat Is Transgressing the Samaya? Breaking the Vow With the Buddha
A Shingon Buddhist explanation of samayatikrama, the act of breaking the samaya vow, drawn from the Mahavairocana Sutra and its commentary. We trace the four meanings of samaya, the four ways of transgressing it, the four grave precepts, and the path of repentance and recovery.
ReadWhat Is the Roji-no-ge (Verse on Striking the Gaṇḍī)? What the Bell Tells
What the Roji-no-ge is: an eight-line verse from the Ekottara Agama in which Ananda strikes the gaṇḍī in the open ground to gather the monks. Traced from the original texts, including the gaṇḍī as the Tathagata's drum of faith and the open ground of the Lotus Sutra.
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