The 19th Great Treasure House Exhibition - "Buddhas of Exoteric Buddhism" Exhibit List
July 18, 1998~August 31
About me
On April 15th of this year, the two statues of Kongorikishi at the main gate of Kongobu-ji Temple were designated as prefectural cultural properties, and on May 15th, the main building of Koyasan Reihokan Museum was designated as a registered cultural property. To commemorate this, the main building will be holding the 19th Koyasan Great Treasure House Exhibition, "The Buddhas of Exoteric Buddhism."
In its literal sense, "exoteric Buddhism" means a type of Buddhism that is easily understood as a teaching that is openly preached, whereas "esoteric Buddhism" means a teaching that is secretly preached and cannot be known from the surface. This distinction between exoteric and esoteric Buddhism is made in the writings of Kobo Daishi, "Himitsu Mandala Juju Shinron," in which the state of the human mind is divided into the following ten stages.
1st: the mind of a different life, 2nd: the mind of a child with no fear, 3rd: the mind of no fear of the child, 4th: the mind of pure selflessness, 5th: the mind of pure karma, 6th: the mind of other green mahayana, 7th: the mind of enlightened mind, 81st mind of the 81st path, the mind of the 81st path, 9th: the ultimate selfless mind, 10th: the secret solemn mind,
Of these ten stages, there are two positions: "Kenkyuichimitsu" (Exoteric Buddhism), which considers the first to ninth stages to be exoteric, and the tenth stage, or the secret and magnificent mind, to be esoteric, and "Kyukenjumitsu" (Nine Exoteric and Ten Mitsu), which considers the first nine stages to be esoteric in a deeper sense, and these are not considered to be essentially different. Furthermore, the founder wrote "Benkenmitsu Nikyoshu" (The Two Teachings of Benkenmitsu), which became the declaration of the founding of the sect.
Centering on Shakyamuni Tathagata, the representative Buddha of exoteric Buddhism, there are depictions of his life and physiognomy. The historical Shakyamuni is thought to be next to the six Buddhas who appeared in past lives, and Maitreya Buddha is thought to be a future Buddha who will appear in the future. This developed into the idea of three thousand Buddhas in three eras, with one thousand Buddhas existing in the past (Sangha Kalpa), present (Ken Kalpa), and future (Seiju Kalpa).
From then on, their numbers increased as Tathagata with more concrete characteristics and as the teachings of the sutras. Amida Tathagata, the longing for the equinox, was the chief deity of the Western Pure Land, welcoming people at the moment of death and allowing them to go to the Pure Land, while Medicine Buddha of the Joruri Pure Land was the Buddha who brought benefits in this life and relieved all living beings from the suffering of illness, and the lush Pure Land (Buddha's Land) where Tathagata resided became the center of artistic expression in exoteric Buddhism.
Bodhisattvas are in the process of practicing Buddhism and attaining the status of Tathagata, and as attendants on either side of the Tathagata, such as Kannon Bodhisattva and Seishi Bodhisattva for Amida Tathagata, Fugen Bodhisattva and Manjusattva for Shaka Tathagata, and Nikko Bodhisattva and Gakko Bodhisattva for Yakushi Tathagata, they represent part of the character of the Tathagata, and later came to be worshipped independently as various bodhisattvas. In addition to bodhisattvas, Pure Land paintings also depict various non-Buddhist deities, such as the Four Heavenly Kings, the Eight Deities, the Twelve Heavenly Generals, and the Sixteen Good Deities, as guardian deities who protect Buddhism.
This special exhibition will display various national treasures brought by the founder, Daishi, including the Pillow Honzon (pillow image), as well as paintings depicting Shakyamuni's life, sculptures, and his teachings (scriptures).
We hope that the many people who climb the mountain will be able to view the site and be deeply moved by the reality of the faith in the numerous exoteric Buddhist Buddhas preserved in Mount Koya, a treasure trove of esoteric Buddhist art, as well as the beauty and patina that has developed over the years.
In its literal sense, "exoteric Buddhism" means a type of Buddhism that is easily understood as a teaching that is openly preached, whereas "esoteric Buddhism" means a teaching that is secretly preached and cannot be known from the surface. This distinction between exoteric and esoteric Buddhism is made in the writings of Kobo Daishi, "Himitsu Mandala Juju Shinron," in which the state of the human mind is divided into the following ten stages.
1st: the mind of a different life, 2nd: the mind of a child with no fear, 3rd: the mind of no fear of the child, 4th: the mind of pure selflessness, 5th: the mind of pure karma, 6th: the mind of other green mahayana, 7th: the mind of enlightened mind, 81st mind of the 81st path, the mind of the 81st path, 9th: the ultimate selfless mind, 10th: the secret solemn mind,
Of these ten stages, there are two positions: "Kenkyuichimitsu" (Exoteric Buddhism), which considers the first to ninth stages to be exoteric, and the tenth stage, or the secret and magnificent mind, to be esoteric, and "Kyukenjumitsu" (Nine Exoteric and Ten Mitsu), which considers the first nine stages to be esoteric in a deeper sense, and these are not considered to be essentially different. Furthermore, the founder wrote "Benkenmitsu Nikyoshu" (The Two Teachings of Benkenmitsu), which became the declaration of the founding of the sect.
Centering on Shakyamuni Tathagata, the representative Buddha of exoteric Buddhism, there are depictions of his life and physiognomy. The historical Shakyamuni is thought to be next to the six Buddhas who appeared in past lives, and Maitreya Buddha is thought to be a future Buddha who will appear in the future. This developed into the idea of three thousand Buddhas in three eras, with one thousand Buddhas existing in the past (Sangha Kalpa), present (Ken Kalpa), and future (Seiju Kalpa).
From then on, their numbers increased as Tathagata with more concrete characteristics and as the teachings of the sutras. Amida Tathagata, the longing for the equinox, was the chief deity of the Western Pure Land, welcoming people at the moment of death and allowing them to go to the Pure Land, while Medicine Buddha of the Joruri Pure Land was the Buddha who brought benefits in this life and relieved all living beings from the suffering of illness, and the lush Pure Land (Buddha's Land) where Tathagata resided became the center of artistic expression in exoteric Buddhism.
Bodhisattvas are in the process of practicing Buddhism and attaining the status of Tathagata, and as attendants on either side of the Tathagata, such as Kannon Bodhisattva and Seishi Bodhisattva for Amida Tathagata, Fugen Bodhisattva and Manjusattva for Shaka Tathagata, and Nikko Bodhisattva and Gakko Bodhisattva for Yakushi Tathagata, they represent part of the character of the Tathagata, and later came to be worshipped independently as various bodhisattvas. In addition to bodhisattvas, Pure Land paintings also depict various non-Buddhist deities, such as the Four Heavenly Kings, the Eight Deities, the Twelve Heavenly Generals, and the Sixteen Good Deities, as guardian deities who protect Buddhism.
This special exhibition will display various national treasures brought by the founder, Daishi, including the Pillow Honzon (pillow image), as well as paintings depicting Shakyamuni's life, sculptures, and his teachings (scriptures).
We hope that the many people who climb the mountain will be able to view the site and be deeply moved by the reality of the faith in the numerous exoteric Buddhist Buddhas preserved in Mount Koya, a treasure trove of esoteric Buddhist art, as well as the beauty and patina that has developed over the years.
July 18, 1998 Koyasan Reihokan Museum Director Koei Yamaguchi