#kūkai

[kyotodreamtrips]

Tenkawa Daibenzaiten-sha is located Deep in the Mountains of Nara-ken.

[ideas-of-immortality]

"Thus the manifold sutras and doctrines are excellent medicines if each of them is applied appropriately in accordance with the capacity and the nature of the recipient. The bodhisattvas have composed many treatises based on certain sutras or doctrines, and masters have written exegetic works. The disciples of generations remote from the time of the Buddha should recite the respective sutras and treatises and discipline themselves"

—Kūkai: Major Works, translated by Yoshito S. Hakeda

[crazyfox-archives]

A painted image of the local female mountain deity Niu Myōjin (丹生明神), thought to have given her approval to the Shingon founder Kūkai (空海) a.k.a. Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師) to establish his monastic center upon her territory of Mount Kōya

Color on silk dating to the Kamakura period (1185-1333) from the collection of Kongōbuji Temple (金剛峯寺) on Mount Kōya (高野山) in Wakayama Prefecture

Image from "Shintō: The Sacred Art of Ancient Japan" edited by Victor Harris, published by the British Museum Press. 2001, page 171

[human-allergy]

Daily Lives of Jujutsu High Students

Time set in around 2006-2007.

This story tells the daily lives and youthful troubles of four students from a certain year at Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Various x F. Reader!

01 - The Cursed Book

In a vast plot of land surrounded by towering walls and large trees atop a certain mountain in Tokyo, stands a uniquely styled traditional Japanese architecture. Inside, it is said to enshrine the cremated remains of the legendary Jujutsu sorcerer "Kūkai" from the Nara period in a Three-storied Pagoda. Inside, there were warehouses filled with various dangerously powerful cursed tools, an inexplicable swimming pool despite the absence of swimming classes, and a playground covering an area equivalent to two and a half football fields (running there felt like losing ten years of your life). In the courtyard, there were two chickens named Nuggets and Corn Ball, along with dogs, horses, deer, elephants, and giraffes leisurely grazing. There were even rumors of lions freely roaming around the place. However, these were all urban legends, and distinguishing what was true, false, or mere gossip became a challenge. For most citizens of Tokyo, the interior of the school remained a mysterious realm that couldn't be explored.

The name of this school was the Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College, commonly known as Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Among the two existing educational institutions for jujutsu in Japan, it presented itself as a private religious school. Many jujutsu sorcerers considered it the starting point of their careers even after graduation. Therefore, the school not only served as an educational institution but also facilitated missions and provided support, making it a crucial hub in the jujutsu world.

Furthermore, the school had nurtured numerous talents in the jujutsu field, with the ratio of Grade 1 and Special Grade sorcerers originating from Tokyo Jujutsu High being twice that of the Kyoto school.

However, at that moment, a dialogue unfolded in the second-year classroom of Tokyo Jujutsu High:

"Afternoon classes are over. So boring..." You slouched over the desk, dragging your words with a prolonged tone.

"What do you want to do then?" The black-haired boy sitting across from you asked indifferently.

His name was Geto Suguru, with slender eyes, thin eyebrows, large ear piercings dangling from elongated earlobes, a bun hairstyle, and a long fringe hanging over his forehead. At first glance, he gave off a delinquent vibe, but after getting acquainted, he still seemed like one.

"Oh, I know!" The white-haired boy with black sunglasses on your left suddenly exclaimed, "How about Y/n becomes the target, and we all have a water balloon fight? I saw it on a variety show yesterday, and it looked fun."

"Why don't you become the target yourself, you jerk!" you replied indignantly.

"We don't have any balloons, so how are we going to play?" The brown-haired girl on your right responded irritably.

This was Ieiri Shoko, a short-haired and sharp-looking beauty. But don't be fooled by her pretty face, as beneath that attractive facade, there was a middle-aged man who enjoyed smoking and drinking. Due to her gentle personality, she played the role of the peacemaker in your four-person group.

The white-haired boy pondered for a while, then extended his index finger with a smile. "How about using real shurikens instead? You win if you hit specific targets."

"That's practically attempted murder!" you immediately retorted.

"Oh, really?" The white-haired boy tilted his head, seemingly thinking it was not a big deal. "Well, Shoko can heal you with Reverse Cursed Technique, so you'll only be left with scars. Don't mind, don't mind!"

This white-haired boy with a tone that could provoke a beating was Gojo Satoru, born into the Gojo family, one of the Big Three Sorcerer Families. In other words, he was the privileged young master from a wealthy family. At the same time, he was also the possessor of the "Six Eyes." It was a rare occurrence within the Gojo family, happening only once every few hundred years. Hence, not only was he wealthy, but he also possessed extraordinary power. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Gojo was a chosen one. However, his personality was extremely poor, and he always enjoyed teasing and mocking others. But since you had known him since childhood, you had become immune to his teasing and pranks. Still, dealing with a fool like Gojo every day sometimes made it hard to contain your anger.

"Ah... I almost forgot the fact that Satoru you're an idiot." you shake your head and sigh. "I shouldn't have expected you to possess common sense."

"What do you mean? Huh?" Gojo's face contorts into an expression of displeasure, his mouth drooping.

"If I were to have scars on my delicate flawless skin, how would I ever find a boyfriend?" you say, your face filled with sadness.

Gojo bursts into laughter. "Stop dreaming! Even without scars, you'll never get a boyfriend in your lifetime."

As if an arrow pierced through your heart, your heart tightens for a moment.

You cover your aching chest and say with a mournful expression, "To be told this by someone like you, who has even less chance of getting a girlfriend, truly, there is no justice in this world."

"Tsk tsk tsk, don't compare me to yourself," Gojo shakes his index finger, resembling a certain prosecutor※. "I'm quite popular among the girls, you know."

[※Note: In case nobody knows, the reference here is to Miles Edgeworth from "Ace Attorney," whose signature gesture is shaking his index finger.]

Upon hearing this, you, Geto, and Ieiri simultaneously wave your hands and say in unison, "No way."

"I mean, since we have nothing else to do, how about going down the mountain?" you suggest. "I heard there's a section in the basement of the bookstore across from Hanadate Elementary School that's filled with H-manga. And rumor has it that the owner doesn't really check your age before letting you buy them. How about it? Want to go together?"

The other three immediately fall silent, staring at you with complex expressions.

Geto rubs his temples. "Why the sudden interest in buying H-manga?"

"Because I want to read them," you honestly reply.

"That’s straightforward…"

You shrug. "Besides, it will be less weird to have guys accompany me."

"A group of people going to buy H-manga is already super weird!"

"Fine! It's because Suguru you look closer to eighteen!"

"That's your real reason, right?!"

In the end, the four of you went to the bookstore across from Hanadate Elementary School.

Standing on the sidewalk outside the bookstore, the four of you began to formulate a plan. The layout of the bookstore consisted of two floors, with the upper floor selling stationery and reference books, while the lower floor housed books and paper supplies, which was your target.

"Alright, let's proceed according to the plan," you deliberately lowered your voice and said, "Since we don't know which section has the H-manga, I'll go check the novels section, Suguru will go to the manga section, and Shoko will pretend to be interested in buying reference books to distract the store clerk's attention."

"What about me?" Gojo pointed at himself and asked.

You snapped your fingers and pointed at him, saying, "You'll be the one paying."

"Oi, oi, oi!" Gojo exclaimed loudly. "I'm not some kind of ATM! I want to go with you to the novels section."

"Whatever." you said. "Well then, let's agree on this, the 'Operation H' begins!"

Geto looked at you with disdain and said, "Why are you so excited..."

The four of you entered the bookstore in single file. As you entered, the bell hanging on the door rang crisply, catching the attention of the young male store clerk who had been dozing off. He immediately looked up at all of you.

"What would you like to buy?" the male store clerk walked over and asked.

You felt a sudden jolt in your heart, thinking, "Oh no! Now the store clerk's attention will be on us."

Just as you were feeling nervous, you felt an added weight on your shoulder. You turned to see a hand with light pink nail polish resting on your shoulder. Following the hand, you saw Shoko nodding slightly at you, her smile on her face seemed to say, "Leave it to me!"

You responded with a smile, though you didn't say it out loud, your smile already conveyed the message, "I'll leave it to you."

"I'd like to buy an English reference book for second-year high school," Shoko calmly said in the face of danger.

"English, is it? It's over there. Ah, let me take you there," the male store clerk said.

"That would be great."

With that, Shoko followed the male store clerk.

Watching Shoko's figure, you muttered to yourself, "Wait for us, we'll bring back the H-manga!"

Then you wiped away tears that didn't exist and entered the manga and novels section of the lower floor together with Geto and Gojo.

As soon as you entered this section, a musty odor mixed with the smell of ink greeted you. The shelves were filled with a diverse array of books, making it difficult to know where to start looking.

"So many books, how are we supposed to find it?" you placed your hands on your hips, furrowing your brow as you looked at the sea of books before you.

"Oh, right!" as if suddenly remembering something, you lightly pounded your right fist onto your left palm. You looked at Gojo and asked, "Satoru, can your Six Eyes see where the H-manga is?"

"Oi, do you really have a brain under that skull of yours?" as if confirming, Gojo lightly tapped your head. "Do you think the Six Eyes are some kind of X-ray vision?"

You swatted away his hand on your head and then disdainfully said, "Tch, if you can't even find the H-manga, it seems the Six Eyes aren't that impressive."

"Huh? Be careful, or I might just kill you, you know?"

"Anyway," Geto interjected, interrupting the argument between you and Gojo, "let's start looking."

The three of you searched for about ten minutes, but there was still no sign of the H-manga.

"These all look like regular manga," you stood in front of a bookcase, furrowing your brow.

"Did you make a mistake? Maybe there's no H-manga here at all," Gojo asked.

Your shoulders dropped immediately, "Maybe..."

"Hey, look over here," Geto said, beckoning both of you to come to his side.

After you and Gojo walked over to the manga section where Geto was, Geto placed his hand in the gap between two bookcases and pulled them apart. The two bookcases made a slight noise as they slid open, one to the left and the other to the right.

You were astonished to find that behind the two bookcases, there was a built-in wall shelf! And it was filled with H-manga!

"So many H-manga!" you couldn't help but be shocked by the scene before your eyes and shouted.

"Don't yell so loud! Do you want everyone to know we're buying H-manga?" Geto hurriedly said in a hushed voice. "Let's quickly choose one and go to the checkout."

Geto casually picked up one H-manga from the shelf. The cover of the book depicted a blushing girl in a school uniform. "What about this one?" he asked, "After-School Secrets with the Student Council President."

"It looks boring," Gojo commented as he also took a book from the shelf. "Maybe this one, Playtime with My Childhood Friend."

You sighed. "I'm telling you, if we're buying it, why not go for something with a cover and content that looks more explicit? If we're buying, let's go for the most scandalous!"

"Is that something a high school girl would say?!" Geto shouted.

"Ah, let's go with this one," you picked up another book, which had a cover and title even more provocative than the previous two, without any censorship even on private parts. "Endless SEX!"

Taking advantage of his height, Gojo reached behind you and took the book from your hands. He flipped through it and glanced at the synopsis on the back. "Wow," he exclaimed, then continued, "This one has a super diverse content, with older brother and sister, stepmother and stepson, and even [content muted]."

"Then let's go with this one," Geto said, "But how are we going to check out?"

"You go," you said.

"Yeah, you go," Gojo chimed in.

Geto frowned slightly, slightly displeased, and asked, "Why me?"

"Because you look like you're over 18." you explained.

"I’m not!" Geto's face showed an unusual expression of embarrassment, his emotions flaring up. "The previous After-School Secrets might have been fine, but the cover of this one is as shameful as asking me to go naked to the checkout!"

"Don't worry, the cashier here doesn't pay much attention to the content. Just take a quick look and pay, and it'll be over," you said seriously. "Besides, you have an absolute advantage."

"What advantage?"

You smiled faintly. "You look like a guy in his twenties."

"Satoru, I'll take the top, you take the bottom, let's split Y/n in half." Geto said calmly.

You were shocked. "Please don't say something so terrifying in such a calm tone!"

"Then how about we decide with a game of rock-paper-scissors?" Gojo suggested.

"Oh?" Geto raised an eyebrow. "Good idea."

You chuckled lightly and flicked your hair. "Speaking of rock-paper-scissors, I absolutely won't lose. Prepare to be humiliated, Suguru!"

"You arrogant idiot." Geto scoffed. "Let's get started then. Rock, paper, scissors!"

Gojo showed scissors, while both you and Geto showed paper.

A smirk appeared on Gojo's lips. "I won. You two have a final match to decide."

You squinted at Geto across from you and said with a serious tone, "Suguru, I never thought we would end up like this. We were such good friends."

"Indeed, maybe we should have never crossed paths from the beginning." Geto said with a bitter smile. Then he rallied and clenched his fist. "Let's settle this once and for all, Y/n!"

"Let me tell you first, this time I'll choose paper," you said.

Geto snorted. "Stop the nonsense and let's get started!"

"Then let's begin! Scissors—" you shouted.

"Rock—" Geto shouted.

"Paper—!!" After you finished shouting, both of you made your choices simultaneously.

You showed paper, and Geto showed rock.

"Hahaha! You fucking Idiot!!" You burst into laughter, clutching your stomach. "I told you I would choose paper!"

Geto looked at his own fist, as if asking, "Why?"

In the end, Geto went to the checkout, and to make it less awkward, he even put a reference book on top as a diversion.

"Let me help you checkout!" The cashier sister said, "I see, an English reference book and...!"

When she saw that book, she visibly gasped and wore a bewildered expression on her face.

On the other hand, Geto maintained a calm smile on his face.

The cashier sister composed herself and calmly said, "...That will be 2,500 yan."

"Thank you."

After paying, Geto walked out of the bookstore with a smile. However, as soon as he reached your side, his smile immediately disappeared, and his expression changed faster than the rate at which conceptual stocks plummet.

"I won't come to this bookstore ever again."

Geto Suguru, socially dead.

Since it was already late, you guys took the bus back to the school. Once you four arrived in the common area of the dormitory, you four couldn't wait any longer and eagerly tore off the plastic wrap protecting the book.

"Let me open it." You swallowed a gulp of saliva and carefully lifted one of the pages. Just by looking at one page, you were already astonished and speechless.

"How is it?" Gojo asked curiously.

"No, this has already surpassed my understanding of H-manga." Although you said this, your body involuntarily turned to the next page. "This book is nothing but a wetland between chunks of flesh!" You said with slightly rapid breathing.

"Huh? Let me take a look." Gojo took the book, glanced at it, then put it down, and picked it up again for a few more glances.

"What do you think?" You asked tentatively.

Gojo remained silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Why can her '[Censored]' and '[Censored]' have two '[Censored]' at once?!"

"You guys are exaggerating, aren't you?" Geto, who had been silently listening, couldn't hold back and interjected. He took the book, furrowing his brow as he looked at it.

After a short while, he closed the book and placed it on the table. "So '[Censored]' can be played like this."

"Really?" Ieiri raised an eyebrow and asked, picking up the book for a few glances. However, her reaction was calm. "Is that all? It seems like you guys are just a bunch of ignorant kids after all."

"Don't act like you've seen so much!" you retorted.

"Oh, senpais, you're back," a cheerful voice said.

The four of you turned to see Haibara, a year 1 student, standing at the doorway with Nanami, another freshman.

You quickly hid the book under your clothes and tried to keep your voice steady. "Oh, it's Yu-chan and Nanamin."

"Can you stop calling me Nanamin, senpai? Other people will start imitating it." Nanami, with Danish heritage, a handsome mixed-race face, and blond hair, frowned and said.

"By the way," Haibara approached you all, "it seemed like you were discussing something interesting just now!"

"R-really?" you asked.

"Are you... reading H-manga?" Haibara asked unabashedly, getting straight to the point.

You coughed a few times. "No, it's not like that. We're diligent students who excel in academics. Why would we read that kind of stuff?"

Haibara looked at you with a puzzled expression. "But I clearly saw Geto senpai buying H-manga at the bookstore."

Geto's face turned pale.

"Alright, alright!" You gave up resistance and took out the H-manga from your clothes, holding it up. "We were reading H-manga!"

The room fell into a tense silence. No one dared to speak, while Haibara and Nanami looked at the cover of the book in shock.

After a long silence, Nanami was the first to speak. He sighed and looked disappointedly at the four of you, "I expected it from Gojo and Y/n, but I didn't think Ieiri and Geto senpais would be like this too."

Gojo was displeased. "What do you mean by 'expected it from Gojo and Y/n' huh?!"

"I-I didn't expect you guys to like this kind of H-manga," Haibara forced a smile and said. "But what are you going to do with this book? It would be bad if the teachers found out."

"Well..." you rubbed your chin, pondering for a moment. "Let's put the book in the third-year classroom! Nobody will know it was us."

Gojo nodded in agreement. "That's settled then!"

"Is it really okay to do that?" Nanami questioned.

"Don't worry, if there's any problem, Satoru will take care of it!" you pointed your thumb at Gojo.

Gojo pouted. "Why do I have to take care of it?"

"Because you have a strong background! Don't mind, don't mind!"

So, you placed the H-manga in the third-year classroom, thinking that would be the end of it. But to your surprise, after two days, the H-manga appeared in your classroom again. Even when you threw it in the trash can, it would mysteriously reappear in the classroom after a few days.

"This book is definitely cursed!" you pointed at the H-manga, fear evident on your face. "If we let it roam freely in the school, the consequences are unimaginable."

Geto looked at you and asked, "What should we do then?"

"We should seal it." you said solemnly.

You four took a blank sheet of paper and wrapped it around the book. Then you four wrote a bunch of warning words and incantations on it before tying it tightly with a red thread.

"Oh curse hidden within this book, vanish before us!" you declared. With that, you threw the H-manga behind the shelve of the library, making sure it was impossible to retrieve without moving the entire bookshelf.

"This way, it won't reappear again," you said with folded hands, "Thank you, "Endless SEX", for giving us the most precious lesson in health education."

Gojo, too, unusually serious, folded his hands and whispered a "thank you" towards the bookshelf that concealed "Endless SEX."

"You two idiots." Geto said to Gojo and you.

Shoko glanced at you and Gojo disapprovingly, then covered her stomach and said, "I'm hungry. Let's go to an izakaya and grab something to eat. I feel like having grilled octopus skewers tonight."

Upon hearing the word "octopus," a certain scene from "Endless SEX" suddenly flashed in your mind—an enormous octopus engaging in tentacle play with a woman.

You clasped your hands over your ears in agony. "Please stop! You're making me recalling that scene!"

Shoko smirked mischievously and leaned in close to your face. "Do you want to be '[Censored]' by an octopus? Its tentacles can '[Censored]' you, and '[Censored]' your '[Censored]'."

You looked at Shoko in horrified disbelief, as if you saw demonic horns sprouting from her head.

"Akuma(demon)..."

※※※

Epilogue:

One day in 2018, "Endless SEX" was unsealed.

In a classroom at Tokyo Jujutsu High School, three first-year students looked at the rectangular object on the desk. It was covered in warning words and incantations, tied with a red string. Their faces displayed a mixture of confusion and curiosity.

"Itadori, where did you find this thing?" Kugisaki asked.

"Behind the bookshelf in the library," Itadori replied.

"Put it back quickly," Fushiguro frowned, "I have a bad feeling about it."

Kugisaki looked disappointed. "Huh? But I'm really curious about what's inside!"

"Me too!" Itadori chimed in. "Let's open it and see!"

"Do you think this is some kind of Christmas present?" Fushiguro rubbed his forehead, trying to soothe the wrinkles there (because he often frowned). "The incantations written on it aren't random; they can truly suppress curses."

However, the other two didn't pay attention and proceeded to untie the red string and remove the white wrapping paper.

"Oi, you two!" Fushiguro shouted in a coarse voice.

After tearing off the paper, they were greeted by the sight of a completely naked woman.

Itadori's face immediately turned red, and he stammered, "Th-this...!"

"This is an H-manga!" Kugisaki exclaimed, wide-eyed, pointing at the book.

Fushiguro also lost his usual composure. "Who on earth put this in the library!?"

At that moment, Gojo walked into the classroom and, upon seeing the expressions on the three students' faces, couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong? You all look pale."

Itadori quickly hid the book behind his back and nervously said to Gojo, "N-nothing!"

Gojo clearly saw through the act. "Stop pretending and show me what's behind you."

Itadori chose to play dumb, feigning confusion. "What's behind me?"

Gojo walked up to the three students, extending his right hand and commanding in a no-nonsense tone, "Hurry up."

"Alright." Itadori didn't want to offend Gojo, so he obediently handed "Endless SEX" to him.

Crap, now I’m going to get scolded by Gojo-sensei.

Just as Itadori was thinking this, Gojo burst into laughter.

The three students exchanged puzzled glances and then looked at Gojo, who was laughing heartily.

"So nostalgic," Gojo said. "We used to put this in the library."

"What?!" Kugisaki exclaimed in disbelief, her eyes widening. "So, Gojo-sensei, you're into this kind of stuff?"

"No, no, it's just something we bought out of boredom back then," Gojo explained. "But how did you find this book? I remember Y/n putting it deep behind the bookshelf in the library."

Itadori scratched the back of his head and sheepishly said, "I accidentally knocked over the bookshelf and happened to see this book."

"I see," Gojo said, taking out his phone from his pocket. "That's hilarious. I should take a picture and show it to Y/n and Shoko."

"Eh?" The three students made strange noises simultaneously.

"Ieiri-san has seen this book too?!" Itadori asked."I can't even imagine!" Itadori said, and the other two nodded in agreement.

After taking the photo, Gojo put his phone back. "But I still have to confiscate this book. It's too dangerous."

"Are you planning to take it and read it all by yourself?" Kugisaki asked.

"Why would I do that?" Gojo waved his hand. "Get ready, we're going out to exorcise curses."

Upon hearing that they could go out, Itadori became energized. "Got it!"

"Meet at the entrance later," Gojo said, then walked out of the classroom.

After Gojo left, Kugisaki spoke up, "By the way, Fushiguro, you're pretty close with Gojo-sensei, right?"

"It's not like we're that close," Fushiguro said.

"Whatever. Do you know who he's referring to as 'Y/n'?"

Fushiguro nodded. "She’s a strong jujutsu sorcerer, but not someone worth emulating."

"So, what's the relationship between Y/n and Teacher Gojo?"

"Well, they are—"

[woundtheology]

Japanese Buddhist patriarch Kūkai (774-835) as a young boy. 14th century.

[zerogate]

Animism is the ‘Big Step’ for our culture to make – acquiring the understanding, the sense, that the elements of the non-human world are animate in some way and have a spiritual nature: rocks, rivers, soil, not to mention all the other-than-human entities (which include not only plants and living organisms but also what are called ‘spirits’ in old parlance). It requires our mainstream cultural re-education as to the nature of reality, and the shedding of a number of received prejudices about the nature of mind. As it stands, animism is utter anathema to modern thought. But it has been a reality, a spiritual fact, to the countless ages of humanity that have preceded us.

Such mythopoetic relationship with the environment was one example of what the ethnologist Lucien Lévy-Bruhl called participation mystique. By this is meant a local relationship with the land that went beyond mere utility and subsistence. To the indigenous person, ‘Earth and sea are to him as living books in which the myths are inscribed,’ Levy-Bruhl stated (1935). Another anthropologist, A. P. Elkin, put it more specifically when writing about indigenous Australasian peoples: ‘The bond between a person and his (or her) country is not merely geographical or fortuitous, but living and spiritual and sacred. His country … is the symbol of, and gateway to, the great unseen world of heroes, ancestors, and life-giving powers which avail for man and nature’ (cited in Lévy-Bruhl, 1935, p.43).

In the West, this kind of relationship was noted at least as long ago as ancient Greece, where there were two words for subtly different senses of place, chora and topos. Chora is the older of the two terms, and was an holistic reference to place: place as expressive, place as a keeper of memory, imagination and mythic presence. Topos, on the other hand, signified place in much the way we think of it nowadays – simple location, and the objective, physical features of a locale. Topography. But, ultimately, even sacred places have become topoi.

[...]

Concepts of animism can take various forms. For many ancient societies the land was so alive it had a voice in their dreams. A clear account of this was provided by a Paiute Indian, Hoavadunuki, who was a hundred years old by the time he was interviewed by ethnographers in the 1930s. The old Indian stated that a local peak, Birch Mountain, spoke to him in his dreams, urging him to become a ‘doctor’ (shaman). The Paiute resisted, he said, because he didn’t want the pressures and problems that would come with that (Steward, 1934). Communication from this mountain occurred a number of times throughout the old man’s long life and was not seen as strange or peculiar by him – indeed, the idea of the land being capable of speaking to humans was probably widespread in ancient sensibility.

[...]

Sacred soundscapes were simply a natural corollary of that sensibility. The basic notion of the land having speech, or of being read like a text, was lodged deeply in some schools of Japanese Buddhism – in early medieval Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, founded by Kūkai, for instance. He likened the natural landscape around Chuzenji temple and the lake at the foot of Mount Nantai, near Nikko, to descriptions in the Buddhist scriptures of the Pure Land, the habitation of the buddhas. Kūkai considered that the landscape not only symbolised but was of the same essence as the mind of the Buddha. Like the Buddha mind, the landscape spoke in a natural language, offering supernatural discourse. ‘Thus, waves, pebbles, winds, and birds were the elementary and unconscious performers of the cosmic speech of buddhas and bodhisattvas,’ explains Allan Grapard (1994).

-- Jack Hunter (ed.), Greening the Paranormal: Exploring the Ecology of Extraordinary Experience

[begottaum]

Kūkai wards off a demon by reciting the tantra.[8] Painting by Hokusai (1760–1849)

[notes-on-dharma]

The Key to the Secret of the Heart Sutra (Hannya shingyō hiken, T. 2203A), translated by Matthew D. McMullen

The Key to the Secret of the Heart Sutra (Hannya shingyō hiken, T. 2203A), translated by Matthew D. McMullen, is a commentary on the Heart Sutra of the Great Perfection of Wisdom (Mahāprajñā – pāramitā-hṛdaya-sūtra). Composed by Kūkai (774–835), the revered founder of the Japanese Shingon school and patriarch of Japanese esoteric Buddhism, this brief commentary purports to reveal the underlying secret meaning to the Heart Sutra and functions as an introduction to Kūkai’s view of mantra as well as a polemical comparison of his Shingon school with the dominant Buddhist schools in Japan at the time. https://www.bdkamerica.org/product/the-diamond-needle-treatise-on-the-doctrinal-distinctions-of-the-huayan-one-vehicle-the-key-to-the-secret-of-the-heart-sutra/

[whencyclopedfr]

Mont Kōya

Le mont Kōya (alias Koyasan), situé dans la préfecture de Wakayama, au sud d'Osaka, au Japon, est le site d'un complexe de temples fondé en 819 par le moine érudit Kūkai pour servir de siège au bouddhisme Shingon. Il y a des temples et des bâtiments sacrés autour de la base de la montagne, sur ses pentes et sur le plateau sommital qui se trouve à 820 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer. Le mont Kōya est classé au patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO.

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[reginaldqueribundus]

Oh no, you are the type that puts their response in the notes like you think thats cute. This is going to be hard for you to grasp, but sometimes things are actually important and worthy of paying attention to. r4cs0 is not a Star Wars robot (and it isn't my fault he picked a dumb name). He is a white baby boomer who spreads racism and homophobia on tumblr while bragging about his repeated acts of animal cruelty. Would it be so hard for you to just go look at his blog yourself?

Japan is an island by the sea, filled with volcanoes, and it's beautiful! In the year negative a billion, Japan might not have been here. In the year negative 40,000 it was here, and you could walk to it, and some people walked to it. Then it got warmer, some icebergs melted, it became an island, and now there's lots of trees! (Because it's warmer.) So now there's people on the island. They're basically sort of hanging out in between the mountains, eating nuts off trees and using the latest technology, like stones and bowls. Dingdong! It's the outside world, and they have technology from the future, like really good metal and crazy rice farms. Now you can make a lot of rice really really quickly. That means if you own the farm, you own a lot of food, which is something everyone needs to survive. So that makes you king. Rice farming and rice kingdoms spread across the land, all the way to here. The most important kingdoms were here, here, here, here, here, here and here. But this one was the most most important, ruled by a “heavenly super-person” or Emperor, for short. Knock knock, get the door. It's religion! The new prince wants everyone to try this hot new religion from Baekje. “Please try this religion,” he said. “No,” said everybody. “Try iiit,” he said. “No,” said everybody again, quieter this time. And so the religion was put into place, and all the rules that came with it. Then the government was taken over by another clique, and they made some reforms; like making the government govern more, and making the government more like China's government (which is a government that governs more). “Hi China,” they said. “Hi dipshit,” said China. “Could you call us something else, other than dipshit?” said Japan. “Like what?” said China. “How about Sunrise Land??” said Japan, and they stole China's alphabet and wrote a book about themselves. Then they made a whole bunch of art and poems and another book about themselves. Then they stopped moving the capital every time the Emperor died and kept it in one place for awhile, right here. And they conquered the north finally. Get that squared away. A rich hipster named Kūkai is bored with modern Buddhism, visits China and learns a better version, which is more spiritual, comes back, reinvents the alphabet and causes art and literature to be great for a long time. And the royal palace turned into such a dreamworld of art that they really didn't give a shit about running the country. So if you live outside the palace, how are you supposed to protect your shit from criminals? Hire a samurai! Everyone started hiring samurai (rich important people hired samurai; poor people who could not afford to hire samurai did not hire samurai). The samurai became organized and powerful — more powerful than the government, so they made their own military government here. They let the Emperor still be “Emperor,” but the Shogun is actually in control. Breaking news: the Mongols have invaded China. “We've invaded China,” said the Mongols. “Please respect us, or else we might invade you as well!” “Okay,” said Japan. So the Mongols came over, ready for war, and died in a tornado. But they tried again and had a nice time fighting with the Japanese, but then died in a tornado. Then the Emperor overthrows the Shogunate. Then the Shogunate overthrows him back and moves to Kyoto and makes a new Shogunate. And the Emperor can still dress like an emperor if he wants, that's fine. Now there's more art! Like painting with less colours, collaborative poetry, plays, monkey fun, tea parties, gardening, architecture, flowers.

It's time for Who's Going to Be the Next Shogun. Usually it's the Shogun's kid, but the Shogun doesn't have a kid. So he tries to get his brother to quit being a monk and be the next Shogun. He says okay, but then the Shogun has a kid. So now who's it going to be? Vote now on your phones! And everyone voted so hard that the palace caught on fire and burned down. The Shogun actually didn't care, he was off somewhere doing poetry. And the whole country broke into pieces. Everybody is fighting each other for local power, and it's anybody's game. Knock knock, it's Europe. No, they're not here to take over. They just wanna sell some shit: like clocks, and guns, and Jesus! So that's cool. But everyone's still fighting for control, now with guns! And wouldn't it be nice to control the capital, which right now is puppets with no one controlling them? This clan is ready to make a run for it. But first they have to trample this smaller clan, which is in the way. Surprise, the smaller clan wins; and the leader of that clan steals the idea of invading the capital and invades the capital, and it goes very well! He's hallway through conquering Japan when someone who works for him kills him, and then someone else who works for him kills them, and that guy finishes conquering Japan. Then he confiscated everyone's swords and made some rules.

“And now I'm going to invade Korea, and then hopefully China,” he said and failed, and also died. But before he died he told these five guys to look after his five-year-old son until he's old enough to be the next ruler of Japan. The five guys said, “Yeah right, it's not gonna be this kid! It's gonna be one of us, cuz we're grownups.” And it's probably gonna be this guy, who happens to be way more rich and powerful than the others. A lot of people support him. But a lot of people support not supporting him. They have a fight, and he wins and starts a new government right here: Edo! And he still lets the Emperor dress like an emperor and have very nice things. But don't get confused. This is the new government, and they are very strict. So strict they close the country. No one can leave, and no one can come in (except for the Dutch, if they wanna buy and sell shit, but they have to do it right here).

Now that the entire country was not at war with itself, the population increased a lot. Business increased. Roads were built. Schools were built. Everyone learned to read. Books were published. There was poetry, plays, sexy times, puppet shows and Dutch studies. People started to study European science from books they bought from the Dutch! We're talking geography, skeletons, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and maybe even electricity. Over time, the economic and cultural prosperity began to gradually slow down— Knock knock. It's the United States. With huge boats with guns — gunboats. “Open the country. Stop having it be closed,” said the United States. There was really nothing they could do, so they signed a contract that lets United States, Britain and Russia visit Japan anytime they want. Chōshū and Satsuma hated this. “That sucks,” they said. “This sucks!” And with almost very little outside help they overthrew the Shogunate, somehow made the Emperor the Emperor again and moved him to Edo, which they renamed “Eastern Capital.” They made a new government, which was a lot more Western. They made a new constitution, which was pretty Western, and a military that was pretty Western.

And do you know what else is Western? That's right, it's conquering stuff! So what can we conquer? Korea! They conquer Korea, taking it from its previous owner China, and then go a little bit further. And Russia rushes in out of nowhere and says, “Stop! No! You can't take that. We were gonna build a railroad through here to try to get some warm water.” And Russia builds their railroad, supervised by a shit ton of soldiers; and then when the railroad was done, they downgraded to a fuck ton. Did I say downgrade? I meant upgrade. And Japan says, “Can you maybe chill?” And Russia says, “How bout maybe you chill?” Japan is kind of scared of Russia. You'll never guess who's also kind of scared of Russia: Great Britain! So Japan and Great Britain make an alliance together so they can be “a little less scared of Russia.” Feeling confident, Japan goes to war with Russia — just for a moment, and then they both get tired and stop.

It's time for World War One! The world is about to have a war because it's the 1900s and weapons are getting crazy, and all these empires are excited to try them out on each other. Meanwhile, Japan has been enjoying conquering stuff and wants more, and the next thing on their list is this part of China and lots of tiny islands. All that stuff belongs to Germany, which just had war declared on it by Britain because Britain was friends with Belgium, which was getting released by Germany in order to get to France to kick France's ass because France is friends with Russia, who was getting ready to kick Austria's ass because Austria was getting ready to kick Serbia's ass because someone from Serbia shot the leader of Austria's ass. Er, actually he shot him in the head. And Japan is currently friends with Britain. So you know what that means! …Duh, Japan should take the islands, which they wanted to do anyway. So they called Britain on the telly to sort of let them know, and then they did it, and they also helped Britain a little here and there with some errands and stuff.

Now the war is over, and congratulations, Japan! You technically fought in the war, which means you get to sit at the negotiating table with the big dudes, where they decided who owns what; and yes, Japan gets to keep all that shit they stole from Germany. You also get to join the postwar mega-alliance the League of Nations, whose mission statement is to try not to take over the world.

The Great Depression is bad, and Japan's economy is now crappy. But the military is doing just fine, and it invades Manchuria; and the League of Nations is like, “No, don't do that! If you're in the League of Nations, you're not supposed to take over the world!” And Japan said, “How bout I do anyway?” And Japan invaded more and more and more of China, and was planning on invading the entire East! “You've got mail!” It's from Germany, the new leader of Germany. He's got a cool moustache, and he's trying to take over the world and needs friends. This also got forwarded to Italy. They all decided to be friends because they had so much in common. It's time for World War Two! Germany is invading the neighbours. Then they invade the neighbours’ neighbours. Then the neighbours’ neighbours’ neighbours, which happened to be Britain, said, “Holy shit!” and United States started helping Britain because they are good friends, and started not helping Japan because their friends and our friends are not friends, plus they're planning on invading the entire ocean! United States is also working on a large, very huge bomb — bigger than any other bomb, ever™ — just in case. But they still haven’t entered the war. War looks bad on TV, and the United States are starting to really care about their image.

But then Japan spits on them, in Hawaii, and challenges them to war. And they say yes! And Germany, in a display of friendship, declares war on the United States also. So the United States goes to war in Europe, and they help the gang chase Germany back into Germany. And they also start chasing Japan back into Japan, and they haven’t used the bomb yet and are curious to see if it works. So they drop it on Japan. (They actually drop two.) United States installed a brand new government (inspired by the United States government) with just the right ingredients for a post-war economic miracle! Japan starts making TVs, VCRs, automobiles and camcorders as fast as they can, and also better than anybody else. They get rich, and their economy goes wild. And then the miracle wears off. But everything’s still pretty cool I guess. Bye!

[kyotodreamtrips]

Tenkawa Daibenzaiten-sha is located Deep in the Mountains of Nara-ken.

[ideas-of-immortality]

"A great mountain is all embracing in that on it birds and beasts gather and both medicinal herbs and poisonous plants grow there. The ocean is deep and vast; fishes and turtles swim in schools, but dragons and demons live in it as well. In the vicinity of the cintamani gem ogres flock together in a circle, and in the neighborhood of the treasure house thieves always await their chance. Even if a beautiful girl does not give a sign of invitation, both handsome and ugly men compete to pursue her. Sick people throng at the gate of a physician though they are not called. Ants swarm around bloody flesh; flies, on a foul-smelling corpse. All nations submit to a sage-king though he remains silent; rivers flow into the l sea though it does not think of receiving them. Poor people gather around a rich man though he does not invite them; students come to a wise man though he does not speak out. In a clear mirror, both beautiful and unpleasant images are reflected; in serene water, both large and small objects are reflected. Vast space indiscriminately embraces all things within itself, and the great earth without conscious intentions grows a hundred kinds of grasses."

—Kūkai: Major Works, translated by Yoshito S. Hakeda

[crazyfox-archives]

A painted image of the Shingon founder Kūkai (空海) a.k.a. Kōbō Daishi (弘法大師) (774-835) manifesting a sun disc halo along with a sword & prayer beads while lecturing at the palace on his text, “The Secret Key to the Heart Sutra” (般若心経秘鍵)

Dating to the Muromachi period (1336-1573) from the collection of Ryūkōin Temple (龍光院) on Mount Kōya (高野山) in Wakayama Prefecture

Image from the twitter account of the monk Fujiwara Eizen (藤原栄善)

[kozuemori]

そよ風も秋めいてきて、一時期より暑さも少し和らいできているように感じます。皆さま、お元気でお過ごしでしょうか。秋バラも次々に咲き始めていますが、春に比べると花びらの数も少なく、色も淡いです。それでも美しいことには変わりありませんし、むしろ酷暑を耐え忍んできた逞しい生命の輝きを感じます。

先日、久しぶりの推し活で「創建1200年 記念特別展『神護寺―空海と真言密教のはじまり』」を見に行って参りました。（会期は9月8日まで。推し活グッズみたいな団扇も配布していました）閉館後の18時から開場されるナイトミュージアム・イベントの一環として敷地内で東博縁日も同時開催され、日本各地の祭りを再現したパフォーマンスや縁日屋台、オリジナルの根付や風鈴などが作れる江戸文化体験ができるブースなどが並んでいました。

神護寺は、空海が高野山や東寺を開く前に留まった高雄山寺と和気氏の私寺であった神願寺が合併してできた由緒あるお寺で、創建1200年を迎えるそうです。今年は空海の生誕1250年となる節��の年でもあり、今年4月に奈良で開催された『空海　KŪKAI―密教のルーツとマンダラ世界』展に行けなかった分、楽しみにしていました。

見どころの一つは空海自身が制作を指導し、直接筆を執ったとされる約230年ぶりの修理によって蘇ったばかりの「高雄曼荼羅」です。紫根という高価で希少な染料が使われた紫色の綾地に、金銀泥という顔料で仏の姿を精密に描いた崇高な作品です。会期半ばで両界曼荼羅が入れ替わるので、金剛界曼荼羅が展示されるのを待って見に行きました。閉館後の期間限定イベントで雨も降っていたせいか来場者がとても少なく、静かな展示室の一角に掛けられた現存最古の巨大な曼荼羅の前にいると神々の姿や幾何学模様から光がほとばしり、会場全体を満たしているように感じました。さらに椅子に座って暫く眺めていると、曼荼羅の神々がまるでホログラムのように立体的に浮かび上がりながら自由自在にダンスをしているように見えてきます。

空海は「密教は奥深く、文筆で表現するのが難しい。そこで理解できない者に図や絵を使って悟りの道を開き示すのだ」と語りました。グラフィックデザイナーなら曼荼羅を『宇宙のデザイン』と解釈するでしょうし、建築家なら『宇宙の設計図』、数学者なら『宇宙の方程式』、科学者なら『宇宙のマトリックス』、ビジネスマンなら『宇宙のチャート』と解釈するかもしれません。ちなみにマトリックスの語源はラテン語の「子宮」ですので、胎蔵界そのものですね。

曼荼羅の解釈には色々ありますが、自分自身という小宇宙と大日如来という大宇宙が一体である世界観を示していると言えるでしょう。自分自身が見たり感じたり気づいたりするものがすべてであり、それ以外は存在しないことを知り、常識、固定概念、先入観、周りの状況や意見などに左右されず、今、この時にフォーカスを当て、自分がコントロールできることだけに専念しながら生きてゆくのが悟りへの道だと曼荼羅は教えているのかもしれません。

ですから、展示作品についても最初は情報や解説なしで見て、伝わったまま、受け取ったままを感じてみるのがいいのでしょう。

この展覧会では、神護寺の本尊「薬師如来立像」が安置されている厨子を出て寺を離れ、初めて出品されたのも見どころとなっています。空海はこのお姿を当時どんな思いを込めて崇めていたのでしょうか、なぜ両部曼荼羅に記されていない薬師如来を本尊に迎えたのでしょうか、そしてどんなコミュニケーションをしたのでしょうか。厳しい表情を浮かべた凛々しいお姿を拝みながら、真言密教が生まれたばかりの平安時代に思いを馳せました。会期半ばで背後に設置していた白い幕を取り外したそうで、普段は見られない背中の美しさもじっくりと鑑賞してきました。

また、「高尾曼荼羅図像」の展示も興味深かったです。曼荼羅から白描といわれる墨一色の筆線で各尊像を写し取った実物大パターン図案で、曼荼羅の内部を詳細に見ることができます。細くて迷いのない線を見ていると、仏の姿を一発で正確に描くための集中力、そして写経や読経のように同じことを繰り返しながら悟りを目指そうとする志が伝わってきます。

・・・・・

秋学期クラスへのお申し込みを受付中です。クラスの詳細とラインナップはサイトとショップからご覧いただけます。（アイイスのサイトでも告知されています）

秋学期は今年１年間のアウェアネス、霊性開花の総まとめです。私も講師として参加してはいますが、クラスの中で皆さまの目標、夢や憧れを共有させてもらいながら、更なる気づきや学びと癒しのエネルギーを受け取っていきたいと思います。３ヶ月間、一緒に今年１年を振り返りながら更なる光の道を進み、来年へ繋げてゆきましょう！

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アウェアネス・ベーシック前期 Zoomクラス 

土曜日：19：00～21：00　（後期も土曜日・同じ時間に開催） 日程：9/7、9/21、10/5、10/19、11/2

・・・

アウェアネス・ベーシック後期 Zoomクラス   

火曜日：10：00～12：00 日程：9/3、9/17、10/1、10/15、10/29

・・・

アウェアネス・ベーシック通信クラス

開催日程：全6回　お申し込み締め切り：9/15

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アウェアネス・オールレベルZoomクラス

火曜日：19：00～21：00  日程：9/10、9/24、10/8、10/22、11/5

木曜日：10:00〜12:00 日程：9/5、9/19、10/3、10/17、10/31

・・・

アウェアネス・マスターZoom クラス

火曜日：19:00〜21:00 日程：9/3、9/17、10/1、10/15、10/29

金曜日：19:00〜21:00 日程：9/13、9/27、10/11、10/25、11/8

・・・

サイキックアートZoomクラス

日曜日：17：00～19：00  日程：9/8、9/22、10/6、10/20、11/3 水曜日：16：00～18：00  日程：9/11、9/25、10/9、10/23、11/6

・・・

インナージャーニー 〜瞑想と内観〜 Zoomクラス  

月曜日：16:00～17:00   日程：9/16、9/30、10/14、10/28、11/11

土曜日：10:00～11:00 日程：9/7、9/21、10/5、10/19、11/2

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マントラ入門 Zoomクラス  

土曜日：13:00～15:00 日程：9/14、9/28、10/12、10/26、11/9

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トランスZoomクラス

水曜日：10:00～12:00  日程：9/11、9/25、10/9、10/23、11/6

土曜日：19:00～21:00  日程：9/14、9/28、10/12、10/26、11/9

・・・

サンスクリット・般若心経 Zoomクラス 

月曜日：13:00～15:00   日程：9/16、9/30、10/14、10/28、11/11

水曜日：19:00～21:00    日程：9/11、9/25、10/9、10/23、11/6

クラスの詳細はサイトのこちらのページをご覧ください。

継続受講の方は直接ショップからお申し込みください。

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サンデー・サービス（日曜 12:30〜14:00）詳細はこちらから。

9月29日  担当ミディアム：惠子・森

11月17日　担当ミディアム：松山：森

ご参加は無料ですが、一口500円からの寄付金をお願いしています。

当日は以下のリンクよりご参加ください。

・・・・・

ドロップイン・ナイト　

10月17日（木）19:00〜20:00　会員限定・参加費2,500円

指導霊（スピリット・ガイド）のサイキックアート

詳細とお申し込みはこちらからどうぞ。

過去の開催の様子はこちらからご覧ください。

・・・・・

モーニングワーシップ＆コミュニオン（目覚めと祈りと瞑想）

10/27（日）9:00〜10:30 　担当ミディアム：開堂・森

ご参加は無料ですが、一口500円からの寄付金をお願いしています。

当日は以下のリンクよりご参加ください。

[lamaisondieu]

In his 声字実相義 Shō ji jissō gi [= The Meanings of Sound, Word, and Reality], Kūkai quotes  a passage from the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā that, for him, shows that the speech of the Buddha, i.e., mantra, has five characteristics: "it is true, real, tells things as they are, does not deceive, and is consistent"(Hakeda 241).

— https://ift.tt/A0XSP8o

[twinkl22004]

“Legend of the Demon Cat 妖貓傳”, 2017, film.

“Kukai”, 1984 film was the topic of an earlier blog post. Here I present: “Legend of the Demon Cat (妖貓傳 : Yāomāo Chuán)”, 2017, film. Is an film-adaptation of a Baku Yumemakura (夢枕 獏, Yumemakura Baku) story. INTRODUCTION. Based on the Shamon kūkai tō no kuni nite oni to utage su (沙門空海唐の国にて鬼と宴す, lit. ’Feast with A Demon in The Country of Shamon Kukai’ Tang‘) by Yumemakura Baku. Here I presented:…