Seattle Koyasan

Suchness （真如）never can be pinned down, however, vastness could alienate people from practicing Buddhism. Shingon Buddhism’s uniqueness is to let Buddhism be tangible. If so, this is also a Seattle Koyasan’s responsibility to assist our practitioners in making tangible maps.

I came to the U.S. in 2006, assigned to Seattle Koyasan. Since then, I have realized that the American Buddhists have tendency to enter Buddhism through books.  They normally knock Seattle Koyasan’s gate after reading 5 or 10 books about Buddhism at least. Maybe, Christians in Japan would do the same when they first visit churches. Anyway, that’s why, we prioritize letting people ground down the Buddhist wisdom on their daily livings, rather than focusing on delivering knowledge. Seattle Koyasan has responsibility as a dojo that originally means a place to practice Buddhism.  

However, leading the community nearly for 20 years, I started feeling the necessity to provide accurate pieces of knowledge upon certain key topics that could help our practitioners form their map of Shingon Buddhism tangible. From this time on, we will provide wedges from which you can draw the shape of Shingon Buddhism accurately. 

UPCOMING WEBINARS:

Saturday December 20 - 11am PT

The 13th Mantra Transmission Webinar

Deity: Inari Myojin ／稲荷明神

The unceasing inclusiveness of Shingon Vajrayana that has embraced Vedic deities in India and Taoist divines in China, eventually contained kami of Shinto in Japan. Of course, a rough inclusion could cause chaos, but those who included into the Shingon pantheon are orderly reappointed to their appropriate roles while their natures are respected. One of the most amazing syncretism between kami and buddhas is that of Inari Myojin and Kobo Daishi. How did it happen? What is the synergy?

インドのヴェーダの神々や中国の道教の神々を取り込んだ真言密教の絶え間ない包摂性 は、最終的には日本の神道の神々をも包含するに至る。安易な取り込みは混乱を招くが 、真言密教のパンテオンの中では、それぞれの神が適切な役割を与えられ、秩序正しく 再配置される。それぞれの本性が尊重されたうえでの菩薩としての再出発である。（神 道の）カミと仏の最も驚くべき融合の一つは、稲荷神と弘法大師の習合である。どのよ うにして起こったのだろうか？どのような相乗効果があるのだろうか？

Noon (Pacific), Sat. December 6, 2025