Understanding and Freedom

"When the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was practicing profound Transcendental Wisdom, prajna paramita, he decerned clearly that the five skandhas were empty and thereby became free from all suffering."

-The opening lines of the Heart Sutra

Shingon recognizes the Heart Sutra as containing the essence of Buddhism and the esoteric Buddhist teachings. In its one page we can find a lifetime of contemplation. All of it rich, challenging and well worth returning to again and again.

Our own Ajari Tanaka has emphasized the recitation practice of this sutra as a meditative method since he began teaching in the West. He teaches an almost mantric recitation of the sutra, repeating it over and over many times, sometimes at speed. This practice is wonderfully vigorous and when done in a group can be beautiful in its rhythm and harmony.

Though full of teachings, the opening lines quoted above are very interesting.

We can think of Avalokitesvara as a committed student of meditation. Prajna Paramita is the meditation method he has undertaken. The skandhas are those elements that have come together to form his individuality. Overcoming suffering is none other than enlightenment.

So, we learn from these opening lines, that through meditation we can uncover our very best. We can leave behind the self caused hinderances through expanding our self knowledge. Through our meditation we can liberate our complete human potential.

Takahashi Sensei's Impact on Us All

This is a great picture of Takahashi Sensei in his full brocade robes.

When Ajari Tanaka arrived in the United States in the late seventies, Takahashi Sensei was the head priest at the Koyason Temple in Los Angeles. Ajari Tanaka's plan was to briefly visit the US on a sight seeing tour and then continue on to France where he intended to live and teach.

During Ajari Tanaka's short stay at LA's Koyasan Temple, Takahashi Sensei encouraged him to change his plan and stay, live and teach in the US. Since his arrival in the United States, Takahashi had wanted to teach beyond the boundries of the Japanese American community served by the temple but was never able to achieve that dream. Takahasi Sensei asked Ajari Tanaka to take on that task and fulfill Takahashi's mission to teach Shingon broadly in America.

If it wasn't for Takahashi Sensei's encouragement we wouldn't be studying Shingon today.

Ajari Tanaka's Core Message

In the second section of his exposition on Kukai’s “Thought” entitled, “ Essentials of Kukai’s Esoteric Buddhist Thought and Practice”, Professor Hakeda defines two aspects of Kukai’s esoteric Buddhism. The first is "kyoso", the theoretical aspect and secondly is "jiso", the practical aspect (Hakeda, p. 76).

Further, Professor Hakeda elaborates that the practical dimension of Kukai’s Buddhism is also broken down into two aspects. First is "kai" or observance of the precepts and secondly was "jo" or sitting in meditation (Hakeda, p. 93).

From the earliest days of his teaching in the West, Ajari Tanaka has emphasized practice of what Professor Hakeda has defined as “jo”. Since those early days, Ajari Tanaka has worked uninterruptedly to transmit to a small group of his students a collection of meditations and recitation practices that he has established as the core of our training.

Again and again in his discussions and talks with these students, Ajari Tanaka has established practice as the first and single most important commitment his students need to make. Ajari Tanaka encourages his students to develop a daily practice of meditation and to keep to it, allowing practice to become part of the fabric of our everyday lives.

Ajari repeatedly reminds his students that through this consistent daily practice we can come to not only grow in our self knowledge, but also find genuine happiness while uncovering our true enlightenment.

(Kukai: Major Works, translated with an account of his life and a study of his thought by Yoshito S. Hakeda, published by University Press New York, published in 1972)