- kōmyō shingon 867
Certainly, without Kūkai having physically transmitted the text to
Japan, it would not have had a chance to spread. However, there is
no evidence of its use by either Kūkai or his immediate disciples. The
earliest evidence of its use is in the memorial service for Emperor
Seiwa in 880. Thereafter, records show a gradually increasing
frequency in the use of the mantra. At first, the mantra was intoned
predominantly at funerals and memorial services, mostly for nobility.
From the eleventh century onward, Shingon monks such as Hanjun
(1038–1112) and Jōkai (1074–1149) began to invoke the
mantra for other reasons, including this-worldly benefits and religious
awakening.
Ritual protocols for the mantra were eventually codified and
expanded to correlate with the dual aspects of the Diamond Realm
and Womb Realm Mandalas of both Tendai and Shingon esotericism.
In the twelfth century, Dōhan (1178–1252) advocated the mantra
of light as a simple, accessible practice, akin to the Amida nenbutsu.^3
Myōe (1173–1262) in particular was instrumental in popularizing the
mantra through the propagation of the sand imbued with its mystic
power as well as incorporating mantra recitation into the daily sched-
ule of his monastery, Kōzanji. Eizon (1201–1290) held an
annual memorial assembly featuring the mantra of light.
Sometimes the mantra was used exclusively; other times, as was the
case with the Tendai monk Genshin , the mantra was used in an
auxiliary capacity, with the Amida nenbutsu as the primary practice. By
the thirteenth century, not only was the mantra often used as the pri-
mary practice, even followers of the Pure Land schools, such as Jōganbō
of Takedani , recommended the mantra of light above
the Amida nenbutsu, depending on the occasion (Morrell 1985, 118).
As Toganoo Shōun (n.d., 300–302) shows, the aspect of
empowering the sand eventually took on a life of its own. The Hōmon
tradition continued the empowerment with the mantra of light,
while the Jumon tradition empowered the sand with the recita-
tion of the Rishukyō. Various other rituals evolved that included sūtra
recitation, mantra recitation, supplication to kami , and circum-
ambulation around the altar. Later, the mantra was intoned at goma
ceremonies, and although this practice eventually waned, by the
Tokugawa period, the use of the mantra at funerals of the laity became
(^3) For a discussion of Dōhan’s view of Amida nenbutsu, see Sanford 2006, 175–79.