Shuri Kido - Sculpting the Buddha Within: The Life and Thought of Shinjo Ito

In Remembrance of Shinjo Ito

PRIOR TO HIS RETURN TO the eternal abode of all awakened ones, Shinnyo-ens founding Dharma master, Shinjo Ito, spent his entire life in the sacred pursuit of guiding as many people as possible onto a path of solace and well-being.

In my view, the existence of religion itself stems from our fundamental acknowledgment of forces that transcend the human condition, whether natural or what we call deities or buddhas. It is my understanding that Master Shinjo began his religious pursuits after having mastered a form of spiritual discernment known as the Byozeisho , a divinatory tradition handed down in his native land of Kai (present-day Yamanashi). I believe one of the purposes of Buddhism is to teach us to live in alignment with the forces of nature, within whose interwoven web all life thrives. So I was particularly impressed by Master Shinjos insight to first study the principles of our natural world before training in the Buddhadharma.

No matter how much we may ponder heaven, earth, the divine, or celestial bodies, though, the ultimate truths of the cosmos far exceed the scope of human understanding. Yet it is Buddhisms mission to pass on such wisdom to succeeding generations. I believe we can only do so by returning to its core truths without being fixated on minutiae.

Buddhism talks of the preciousness of transmitting the Buddhas teachings to impart the means to spiritual liberation, peace, and tranquility to those caught up in the complexities of our world. Saicho, the great founder of the Tendai tradition, taught of selfless devotion in service to others. I feel Master Shinjo faithful to the very essence of spiritual practice from the inception of his sangha also prioritized the genuine liberation and awakening of individuals over the growth of his community. His accomplishments speak to a spirit that was truly the same as the ultimate intentions of all the buddhas upon whose images we meditate and was in keeping with the path realized through their many protections.

I would like to convey my deepest respect for Master Shinjos efforts that have brought many people together. I am simultaneously filled with great sorrow that he did not live longer. I have no doubt he would still be working vigorously toward his goals were he still with us today.

I encourage each of you as his successors to unfailingly cherish, embody, and actively carry his legacy into the future for the spiritual liberation and awakening of humankind. This, I am convinced, is both the mission of his sangha and the greatest way to repay the kindness of your founding master.

Most Venerable Etai Yamada (18951994)

Former Head of Enryakuji Monastery, Mount Hiei, Japan

Tendai Buddhism

BUDDHISM IS UNDERSTOOD TO HAVE originated 2,500 years ago in India with the teachings of its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, also known as Buddha Shakyamuni. The religion evolved as it spread from the Indian subcontinent through Central, East, and Southeast Asia.

A basic tenet of the Buddhist teachings is that nothing is fixed or permanent and that change is natural. This is especially true when it comes to adapting the path of practice for different individuals or cultures. The Buddha himself was very accommodating of the needs of his disciples particularly those from different places or diverse groups in society and he allowed for adjustments to the way in which his teachings were presented. As a result, Buddhism became a tradition that adapted to the needs of the people it served, and over the course of twenty-five centuries numerous reformers have founded different schools and sects of Buddhism to meet such evolving needs.

This book is the story of one such person, Shinjo Ito (19061989). Shinjo was the founder of Shinnyo-en, a lay Buddhist order based on Shingon Buddhism. He was born in Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan. He started his career as an aeronautical engineer, but soon felt a strong calling to pursue Buddhism and dedicate himself to a religious life. He trained at Daigoji, a monastery of the Shingon sect of esoteric Buddhism in Kyoto, and became a great acharya a Dharma master authorized to establish a separate denomination if he chose to do so. In 1946, after wartime restrictions on religious orders were abolished, the spiritual community that Shinjo founded became officially independent of Shingon Buddhism. Shinjo named his new group Makoto Kyodan (Sangha of Truth) and established the community that would later come to be called Shinnyo-en.