866 mark unno
During the Kamakura period (1185–1333) the mantra of light
emerged as a perfect match for adherents of the Shingon school to
appeal to the swelling populist ranks of the Amida movement. The
chanting of the mantra of light became the counterpart to the inton-
ing of the nenbutsu , or the name of Amida; both were designed
to lead the practitioner to birth in Amida’s Pure Land. The use of the
sand, which had until then been sporadic at best, became the ideal
vehicle for the popularization of the power of the mantra among the
masses, since the sand multiplied the efficacy of the mantra as each
grain was infused with its power.^2 Along with the Amida nenbutsu,
the mantra of light conferred both material and spiritual benefits, and
covered as well a trajectory from the devotional to the yogic dimen-
sions of realization.
Kūkai was only one generation removed from Amoghavajra in
the Zhenyan school lineage of the latter, and the Sūtra of the Mantra
of Light was included in the catalogue of texts transmitted to Japan by
Kūkai. The transmission of texts and rituals in the Zhenyan and Shin-
gon schools was regulated by a strict adherence to codes of esoteric
initiation and ritual rigor, so one might expect the story of the mantra
of light to turn out to be central to the history of Zhenyan tradition
as well as to Kūkai’s Shingon school. However, this was not at all the
case. Instead, the thread connecting Amoghavajra and the dissemina-
tion of the mantra in Japan became rather tangled, with twists and
turns formed organically in accordance with changing circumstances.
Roughly speaking, the development of the use of the mantra in
Japan may be divided into three phases. In the early phase, beginning
at the end of the ninth century, it was primarily used at funerals of
the nobility as a means of conveying the deceased to Amida’s Pure
Land, and functions as an auxiliary practice to Amida nenbutsu. In the
second phase, beginning sometime in the twelfth century, it began to
take on additional functions, such as the purification of karma in this
life, including curing illnesses and expiating karmic evil. Finally, in
the thirteenth century, especially with Myōe’s advocacy, the use of the
sand along with the mantra catalyzed its popularity among the masses,
beyond its previous constituency among the nobility and aristocracy.
(^2) The range and forms of this efficacy are examined in greater detail later in this
essay.