. exploring the esoteric in nara buddhism 789
the tension between Hossō’s gradualist understanding of the bodhisat-
tva path and the teaching of realizing buddhahood in this very body
(sokushin jōbutsu). He argued that just as dharmas are empty and
non-substantial, so also are the provisional distinctions of time, such
as the traditional bodhisattva stages and the three immeasurable eons
required to achieve awakening. He proclaims:
When the wisdom of supreme enlightenment arises you will see that
the three immeasurable eons resemble dream-like objects and hence are
included within the objective aspect of the mind that is of a moment’s
duration.^9Time, in short, is a constructed category. In this manner, Ryōhen
attempted to harmonize the traditional Hossō view of the bodhisattva
stages with the esoteric “short path” to enlightenment.
Jōkei is also noteworthy for his popular promotion of the power of
dhāraṇīs and his explicit acceptance of esoteric practice. For example,
in the Kanjin shōjō i enmyō no koto (Contemplation on the Pure and
Perfect Enlightenment), Jōkei is asked by a hypothetical inquirer if the
Hossō school has a practice like the esoteric moon-disk contemplation
of the Shingon school. Jōkei responds affirmatively, but advocates a
dhāraṇī to Kannon that is even easier to access. He also proclaims
that there is no essential difference between the esoteric and exoteric
teachings:
The nature of one’s own mind is originally pure, perfect, and clear, just
like the autumn moon. If one happens to hear this, even if you have not
yet distanced yourself from self-discrimination or cultivated the essence
of the esoteric teachings, and even if your eyes are obscured and you
have not formed the mudrās, if you contemplate even slightly this subtle
principle, the benefit will be great and not in vain. Among the exoteric
teachings, even though there is not a proper text, the meaning and vital-
ity are largely the same. The words are different, but the meaning is
one.^10In this way, Jōkei endeavored to bridge the exoteric-esoteric divide.
The dhāraṇī left by Kannon, a vital figure in esoteric devotion, is the
key to inconceivable merit and majestic power. As we have seen, this
dhāraṇī was a practice prevalent in the Nara schools well before Kūkai
(^9) T. 71:87c18–21; translation from Weinstein 1965, 257–58.
(^10) NDZ 64, 23a:16–23b:16.