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| The great sun goddess and imperial ancestor. The Inner Shrine at Ise is dedicated to her. |
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| As Bodhisattva, he pledged that should he attain buddhahood he would save every soul who invokes his name in total devotion, he resides in his Western Paradise. |
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| A being who is on his/her way to achieving enlightenment but remains in this world to save others; embodies the Mahayana ideal of compassion. |
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| "Awakened One". Mahayana Buddhism hold that buddhahood is accessible to all beings. |
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| Zen in Japanese, meaning "meditation" |
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| "Tea ceremony"; brewing tea became an art form during the Muromachi period, largely under the influence of Zen Buddhism. |
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| Chronicles of Japan, or Nihongi |
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| complied in 720, this work contains the earliest historical records of Japan and of Shinto myths. |
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| One of the ancient Chinese philosophical schools, featuring the moral teachings of Confucious. Its dominant note is the cultivation of "humanity". |
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| Implemented during the Edo period; each family was obliged to be affiliated with a Buddhist temple as its sponsor. |
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| Chinese philosophical tradition, initially based on the ideas of Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. In both its philosophical and religious forms (which practiced the quest for longevity and the attainment of supernatural power). |
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| Largely associated with the Shingon and Tendai sects. It refers to the "hidden" doctrines, which must be learned directly from the teacher. |
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| essence-manifestation theory |
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| the theory advocated by the Buddhists that Buddha was the essence and Shinto deities the manifestations of that essence. |
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| five hindrances, threefold submission |
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| A misogynistic justification of women's alleged spiritual inferiority and need to submit to male authority. |
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| During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, major Zen temples–five in Kamakura and five or more in Kyoto–were designated by the shogunate as the cultural centers; they contributed to the blossoming of the Zen-inspired Japanese culture. |
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| The Chinese Huayan school and the Japanese Kegon school are based on the teachings of this sutra. Called the doctrine of "totality", the whole of reality is reflected in every bit of reality. |
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| A Mahayana sutra, one of whose themes is benevolent kinship as a way of governing the country. |
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| Literally "Small Vehicle". A pejorative term coined by the follower of Mahayana, the "Great Vehicle". A preferred term is "Theravada", the "way of the Elders". |
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| Imperial Rescript on Education |
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| An official rescript confirming the emperor's divine status; it helped pave the way for modern Japanese ultranationalism. |
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| The town where the shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu is located; a sacred place, where the winds from the sea blow pleasantly as the ocean waves wash ashore. |
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| Popular practice of pilgrimage to the Ise Shrine |
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| Literally, "he who invites"; together with Izanami, this kami deity created the islands of Japan. |
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| Literally, "she who invites"; together with Izanagi, this kami deity created the islands of Japan. |
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| The area occupied by a powerful clan which opposed the imperial family; the Izumo Shrine enshrines the deity Okuninushi, a descendant of Susanoo. |
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| Buddhist temples erected in the compounds of Shinto shrines, where the kami deities underwent Buddhist practice to attain enlightenment; a product of the Buddhists' attempt to incorporate Shinto into their fold. |
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| The first legendary emperor of Japan; according to Shinto myth, he founded the nation of Japan in the year 660 B.C.E. |
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| Litterally, "self-power"; reliance on one's own effort to achieve religious salvation. |
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| The "Timely" sect, established by Ippen; features the practice of chanting nenbutsu. |
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| Bodhisattva with the power to save beings from condemnation to hell; he is especially worshipped as the protector of children. |
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| Jodo Shin-shu, True Pure Land Sect |
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| It grew out of the teachings of Shinran and emphasizes utter reliance on the saving grace of Amida Buddha. |
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| Founded by Honen, emphasizes the sustained single-minded chanting of nenbutsu. |
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| "Crypto-Christians"; refers to the Japanese Christians who went underground for over 200 years during the Edo period, when their religion was banned. |
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| "deity", the main objects of worship in ancient Shinto practice. The kami may be the spirits residing in natural objects, personified deities, or deified persons; kami spirits are awe-inspiring and can be benevolent or malevolent. |
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| Bodhisattva of mercy, second in rank to Amida Buddha. |
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| A problem to meditate and solve. |
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| the movement of "return to Confucius and Mencius" advocated by a group of Japanese Confucian scholars during the Edo period. |
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| "Native Learning" developed during the Edo period among scholars who asserted the uniqueness of ancient Japanese spirituality. As an ideology it formed the backbone of modern Japanese ultranationalism. |
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| A medieval theatre genre of farcical comedy, performed in between serious noh plays. |
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| The most influential Mahayana Buddhist scripture, which gave rise to various Japanese Buddhist sects. Thought to contain all of the Buddha, one can use it to become enlightened. |
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| A strand of Buddhism that grew out of lay Buddhist movements in India around the first century C.E.; it focuses on bodhisattva practices, which will bring universal salvation to all sentient beings. |
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| depictions of the universe using symbolic iconic pictorial devices; used in esoteric Buddhist practices. |
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| The oldest known collection of Japanese poems, compiled around 756. The poems reflect the uncomplicated spirituality of the ancient Japanese people. |
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| The period of the "end of the Buddhist teaching"; elements of a Buddhist view of history in which the Buddha's teachings are believed to gradually decline. |
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| A Japanese word for "festival". |
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| Schools of Buddhism that flourished in Nara during the Nara period. Their influence continued throughout history. |
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| The devotional act of chanting the mantra "Homage to Amida Buddha" |
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| The "Nichiren sect" or "Lotus sect", founded by Nichiren, who upheld the importance of self-improvement and steadfast faith in the Eternal Buddha as preached in the Lotus Sutra. |
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| A grandson of Amaterasu, and the grandfather of the emperor Jinmu. |
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| A Japanese theatre form that developed during the Muromachi period. Zeami injected the mental and spiritual elements of ZEn Buddhism into this art. |
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| A Zen sect founded by the Chinese Chan master, Ingen; he transmitted the practice, which combines nenbutsu and zazen. |
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| Literally "Yin-Yang practice". |
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| an angry spirit that may possess people, or wreak havoc on those against whom the spirit holds grudges. |
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| A collection of essays written by Lady Sei Shonagon between 994 and 1000. It portrays the lives of aristocrats of the Heian period. |
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| The Buddhist term for paradise. Every Buddha has his own "pure land" into which devotees are reborn. |
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| Sutra describing the forty-eight vows of Bodhisattva Dharmakara (who later became Amida Buddha). It is especially important for followers of the True PUre Land sect. |
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| A sutra that preaches to court ladies the merits of religious practice as lay followers. |
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| Records of Ancient Matters, Kojiki |
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| Compiled in 712, this contains the earliest mytho-historical accounts of Japan. |
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| A ZEn sect, founded by Eisai. ITs historical development owed much to Chinese masters who settled in Japan. Its training method uses koan to quicken the awakening of the mind. |
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| The office of the priestesshood filled by the imperial princesses, who were chosen by divination to serve the sun goddess Amaterasu at Ise. |
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| Imperial princess who served as the head priestess at Ise. |
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| The historical Buddha, who saw in meditation and contemplation the way to nirvana. |
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| The refined ancient Indian language; many Mahayana Buddhist scriptures are written in Sanskrit. |
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| The offering of a memorial service to one's ancestors; an enduring feature of Japanese religious practice. |
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| Literally, "separation of Shinto from Buddhism", a measure implemented in 1868 by traditionalists who were intent on elevating Shinto into the status of a national faith. |
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| LIterally, the "overlapping' or "fusing of Shinto and Buddhism"- a strong feature of Japanese religious practice. |
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| "Mind Learning", a moral practical philosophy for townspeople developed by Ishida Baigan during the Edo period; it infused morality into the world of merchants. |
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| The Shingon sect, established by Kukai in the ninth century. Shingon means "true word" or "mantra" |
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| A religious practice developed out of mountain asceticism. The esoteric Buddhist worldview, depicted by the womb mandala and diamond mandala was applied to natural geographic features; incorporating ying-yang doctrines, it formed the cosmology of the mountain ascetics. |
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| A japanese Zen sect whose origin can be traced back to Dogen, who emphasized sitting meditation as the cenral act of Zen practice. |
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| A wind god; a younger brother of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. According to legend he was banished to Izumo, where he became the local hero, and his descendants gave their lands to the imperial family. |
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| a generic term for the Buddhist sacred texts. |
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| Sutra on the Visualization of the Pure Land |
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| The Chines Pure Land master, Shandao found in this sutra the promise of salvation for anyone who invoked the Amida's name by the single-minded practice of nenbutsu. Honen developed Shandao's teaching further. |
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| Novel written shortly after 1000 C.E. by Lady Murasaki Shikibu; it is permeated by a gentle pathos and an emotive reaction to people, things, and events. |
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| A series of stories, which emerged during the thirteenth century, depicting a battle. |
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| Literally, "other power'; reliance on the mercy of Amida Buddha by discarding one's own efforts, which are ultimately doomed by self-conceit. |
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| Tendai sect, which grew out of the monastic center established by Saicho at Mt. Hiei. It asserts the universal salvation of all sentient beings. |
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| Literally, "heavenly emperor''; a title given to the Japanese emperor. The "emperor system" is based on the claim that the imperial lineage has been transmitted from the "Age of the God" to the present day. |
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| Grew out of early Indian Buddhism, and monastic in orientation. Its followers adhere strictly to the Buddhist precepts. THis strand of Buddhism prevails in South Aisa. |
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| holds that the Buddha-essence manifests itself in 1. the historical form (Sakyamuni Buddha), 2. the recompensing form (Amida Buddha) and 3. the cosmic essence. |
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| refers to the mirror, the sword, and the curved jewel, all of which have mythological origin and are in the possession of the reigning emperor. |
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| The moon god, younger brother of the sun goddess, Amaterasu. |
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| the goddess who sang and danced to entice Amaterasu out of the cave; she is sometimes considered the founder of Japanese performing arts. |
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| "Diamond Vehicle" Buddhism, an esoteric Buddhist practice that developed in norther India from the sixth to seventh centuries; its later developments are known as Tantric Buddhism. |
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| A sutra in whichVimalakirti, the wise and rich layman, demonstrates ultimate enlightenment, surpassing that of the bodhisattva of wisdom. |
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| A school developed around the study of the observance of "precepts", one of the three major pillars of early Indian Buddhism; the other two are meditation and the cultivation of wisdom. |
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| A generic term of Japanese poetry; its main form is 31-syllable short poems, but longer poems also belong to this genre. |
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| Medicine Buddha, the Buddha of healing, who has enjoyed enormous popularity among Japanese devotees. |
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| Mountain ascetics who developed a unique form of practice, known as Shugendo |
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| sitting meditation in a cross-legged "full lotus" or "half lotus" position; the central element of Zen practice. |
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| Japanese pronunciation of the Sanskrit word dhyana, meaning "concentration-meditation". |
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