(meaning "Borderless Garden of Truth") is a modern Buddhist movement based on the ancient teachings of
Gautam Buddha and open to lay practitioners and monks alike. The principal sutra on which the Shinnyo teachings are based is
Buddha's
Mahaparinirvana Sutra. The teachings also combine elements of traditional Theravadan, Mahayanan and Vajrayan Buddhism with the teachings and practices initiated by the founder of Shinnyo en,
Shinjo Ito (né, Fumiaki Ito; March 28, 1906-July 19, 1989)
[A Bibliography of...; 7] who studied at
Shingon, and his wife Tomoji Ito (née,Tomoji Uchida, May 9, 1912-August 6, 1967).
According to Peter Bernard Clarke, "Their religion can be regarded as a popularized form of esoteric Buddhism in which the life history of the founder and his family play an important
soteriological role."
[Japanese New Religions; 25-27]Today, Shinnyo-en has more than one million followers worldwide, and temples in 19 countries in Asia, Europe and America. The temples are characterised by the statue of the reclining
Buddha.
Central to Shinnyo-en is the belief, expressed in the
Nirvana Sutra, that all beings possess a natural, unfettered purity that can respond creatively and compassionately to any situation in life.
The current head of Shinnyo-en is Her Holiness Shinso Ito (1942-).
History
Shinnyo-en was established in 1936 by
Shinjo Ito and his wife Tomoji Ito. Founded in the
Tokyo suburb of
Tachikawa, the organization was originally named Risshōkaku. According to
A Bibliography of Japanese New Religions Movements With Annotations, "Before that Shinjō had studied and mastered the science of
divination called
Byōzeishō, which had been passed down in his family. In December, 1935 Shinjō and Tomoji enshrined the image of the Mahavairochana Achala (believed to be sculpted by the renowned Buddhist Sculptor, Unkei) and they began the 30-day winter training from the beginning of the New Year in 1936. Tomoji succeeded to
Reinō (the Spiritual Faculty) from her aunt on 4 February 1936. From that time, Tomoji and Shinjō began a new career together entirely devoted to religion.
Shinjo Ito became a Great Master
Acharya in the
Shingon tradition of
Japanese
Buddhism, and until 1948 his organization remained affiliated with them so as to receive legal recognition. However, in that year they split away and named themselves Makoto Kyōdan-which was changed again in 1953 and incorporated as Shinnyo-en.
Organisational Structure
The basic organisational unit of Shinnyo-en is the “lineage” (Jpn. suji), which consists of a number of members linked to a “lineage parent” (Jpn. sujioya). Practitioners gather at the temple for prayer, meditation and training, and also at home meetings, to discuss their life and practice in line with the teachings, and their lineage parent provides guidance. The lineage as a whole often carries out civic duties.
Social Action
Shinnyo-en believes social action can create a harmonious society. Working towards this goal, the order has engaged in interfaith dialogue, environmental cleaning, and disaster relief. Shinnyo-en also supports organizations such as Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the Red Cross Society, and the World Wildlife Fund. The order’s cultural projects include the reconstruction of ancient musical instruments, support for the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts, the excavation of ruins at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and collecting Cambodian oral folk tales for a children’s book project.
(See also
Shinnyo-en Practice
Shinnyo-en practices a form of meditation called sesshin training. Sesshin (the word is composed of the two Chinese characters “touch” and “heart” is meditation with the addition of guidance or insights given to trainees by specially trained “spiritual guides” (Jpn. reinosha).
Shinnyo-en practitioners believe that the spiritual guides receive signals from the spiritual world, which help them to guide an individual’s meditation.
Through meditation, practitioners can reflect on themselves and resolve to practice harmony, gratitude, kindness, and acceptance. The school teaches that one realizes his or her true potential by acting with compassion and concern. Therefore, practitioners are encouraged to apply, in daily life, the insights gained from sesshin meditation.
Shinnyo-en Ritual
Traditional rituals, derived from Shingon Buddhism, and many of which can be traced back to ancient Hindu or Vedic rites and rituals, are an important part of the traditional Shinnyo Buddhist practice, and are used as means to purify negative energy or to express gratitude for the chance to develop through Shinnyo training. Rituals for ancestors and departed souls, such as lantern floating ceremonies, and Urabon (Japanese) or Ullambana (Sanskrit), are believed to also help cultivate kindness and compassion within practitioners. Traditional fire purification rites such as Homa (Yagna in Sanskrit) are performed for practitioners to overcome greed, anger, and other obstacles that hinder their spiritual liberation.
(See also and ).
Shinnyo-en and the Arts
Shinnyo-en believes art is a way to communicate universal, spiritual truth. Shinnyo-en sponsors many international cultural events to share their aesthetic philosophy. In addition, Shinnyo-en has staged several concerts showcasing the drumming of the Shinnyo-en Taiko Drumming Ensemble.
See also and *
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