The Meaning of “Shingon-Mon” in “The Notes and Comments for the Vairocana Sutra”

Abstract

　This paper attempts to define the meaning of the term “Shingon-Mon (The Gate of Mantra)” as part of “Nyu-Shingon-Mon Ju-Shin (Going Through the Gate of Mantra and Settling on the Heart),” which is the title of the first chapter in “The Notes and Comments for the Vairocana Sutra.” In the first chapter, Shingon-Mon primarily explains the following three dogmatic concepts: “Tongaku-Jobtsu-Jinzū-Jo (a supernatural vehicle that carries passengers to enlightenment in a moment),” “Hotsu-Bodai-Shin (awakening the reality of living beings’ hearts by themselves),” and “Ku-Gan (the way of realizing that all things naturally lack their own ātman but exist only on causes and conditions).” Based on notes related to these concepts, the investigation was able to make a supposition about the theme.

　The notes proclaim that “Shingon-mon” is “Nyu-Maṇḍala-Gyobo-Giki (the tantra that teaches the ritual’s proper ways by which a master leads his apprentices to proper Shingon practice or even to the Buddha).” This primarily consists of “Sammitsu-Mon (a way of the esoteric Buddhist practice that consists of mudra, matra, and samādhi)” and other various factors (e.g., the way of making the altar also known as Maṇḍala), which leads any living being to enlightenment in a moment only if they follow and practice according to what the tantra says, or Ku-Gan, which is a kind of code such as “Jū-En-Jo-Ku (the way of avoiding a biased view of the reality of all things, consisting of 10 metaphors)” substantiated by the Buddha and proven by all of his realization. Furthermore, “Nyu-Shingon-Mon (practicing Shingon-mon)” means practicing according to the tantra with Ku-Gan.