Russian to introduce. Talk to me about and then we have our study of Japanese Buddhism.
That's several Japanese universities and local university and Harvard University.
This may interests concerns the connexion between what is a state charging doctrine and ritual that he taught at University of Leeds.
Inconsistencies in of Japanese Tourism at McGill University published several articles on modern Japanese rituals and just
sovereignty and skirts that use finishing touches on the history of conflict with Simple to be submitted in summer 2021.
It. Yes. Good morning, everyone, and I from Quebec and Canada.
So, first of all, thank you for having me. I'm just going to share screen with my presentation.
There you go. OK, so the title of my presentation is tracing the esoteric, esoteric in pre-modern Japanese dharma assemblies.
I should point out that I'm just going to.
Collapsed is because otherwise I can't see my own. One moment. There you go.
Yes. So I is actually part of a book project about the ritual history of one of pre-modern Japan's largest temples.
So today's presentation is mainly taken from this book manuscript that I'm preparing,
and I mainly want to talk a little bit about the similarity assembly, which is a large,
would I say, doctrinal debate,
which basically was formed in the seventh and eighth century and got fixed at COFCO Du Temple in air from the beginning of the ninth century.
This is a ritual which has a very long history and actually only died out about 1000 years after its foundation in the late Edo period,
so 17th 18th century. Now, in terms of texts,
I would like to say a little bit more about the ritual manual that was used to records this ritual and basically preserve it for posterity.
And that is the ultimate Xi Day, or, as I translated, the proceedings for the S.M.A.R.T assembly.
Now, one of the problems in talking about pre-modern Japanese Buddhism is undoubtedly the category of the exit Eric and the esoteric.
Now, the exothermic and the esoteric has been seen by several Japanese historians.
For example, could Tokyo as the religious and ideological underpinning of the Japanese states throughout the Han and Kamakura periods.
However, the problem is that, as I discussed also in my future book is that from a point of view of institutional developments and lineage,
it is very clear that this esoteric, esoteric identity is present.
The problem occurs, however, once we enter the ritual realm and when we look at the texts that are used in these rituals,
and then it is much harder to trace this synthesis of esoteric and esoteric Buddhism.
So we're dealing here with so-called debate rituals or wrong in the basic layout of this ritual
consists of two high seats basically in front of a central triads in case of this temple.
This is actually a meet, right? And then we have a doctrinal debate taking place between these two parties.
The debate was witnessed by a representative of the court, the so-called imperial emissary and an audience of the Ministry of Monastic Affairs,
which is a very large group that basically controls the day to day functioning of the Buddhist Sangha in pre-modern Japan.
Now, the mean like if the assembly was part of a larger sets of rituals on both the level of the states and internally first,
the assembly was one of the three southern assemblies whose lectureship was in theory, a requirement to proceed to the Ministry of Monastic Affairs.
Now this ministry was founded in 624 under Empress Swickle,
and the first appointee listed under in this ministry was the monk comes from Khuda at the rank of Sergeant.
So this is actually a very high monastic rank. He was also in mind only monk.
Now, as stated by Richard Ubbe, this ministry illustrates perhaps best the position of Buddhism during the editorial years,
meaning a very confusion organisation of the state. In some, it was parts of the government bureaucracy,
and its main purpose was to oversee the Buddhist community and ensure that the
state's policies towards the temples and their monastics was carried through.
Now, internally,
the visual acuity assembly was one of many rituals that were linked quietly and led to the highest position of the Ministry of Domestic Affairs.
The lecture of the Assembly in the study on the Mediaeval Female Activity Assembly,
the Japanese historian Takayama Yuuki listed temples 12 large assemblies based on a text called the Gene Stone Gorky,
which are personal notes of the Monk So. Now, in addition to these 12 large events that were all linked,
Takayama also suggests six categories to talk about the temple's ritual events in general.
Thus, he distinguishes between assemblies based on sutra reading Then Repentance Sutra lectures such as on the Lotus Sutra,
debates on the similar gifts, sutra and sermons or support.
Apart from that, we also have assemblies based on esoteric rituals such as a seven day issue Hope,
which was taking place not at a temple, but at the Imperial Palace.
Now, it is not known when exactly the proceedings of the similar guilty assembly was written,
but it is plausible it was composed during the 14th century when the larger
monasteries such as Tomodachi and Pochettino advocated a return to Orthodoxy.
After 13, 36 in the 14th century, she got a when it started to rely on the emerging Zen schools and gradually a religious,
spiritual and economic network was being formed that could replace the older but still powerful schools of now.
I therefore,
would argue that as a response to an increasing doctrinal and institutional pressure call for you thought it necessary to record or preserve.
How would a similar guilty assembly was supposed to take place? Historically speaking, it is plausible that in the late Hayoung period,
the assembly looked just like the event described in detail in these proceedings of the S.M.A.R.T assembly.
But at the time the text was composed, it almost most certainly was not.
In addition, the earlier versions of the ritual were likewise distinctly different.
Simply put, a ritual is quite often presented as timeless.
But in reality, it is part of the historical moment. The activity assembly is no exception to this rule.
For example, despite being so-called esoteric ritual, the format shows also esoteric influence.
In this sense, the ritual is illustrative of the esoteric, esoteric religious and institutional framework of the period.
In addition, the hierarchy, as displayed by the official audience, likewise, is a reflection of the temple's internal structure.
In addition to the external factionalism of the court and the relation between the latter and emerging forces on the periphery.
Now in terms of format. So the volatility assembly was a seven day event and consisted of a morning and an evening part in both these parts,
a lecture session debates took place a structure that continued for the first six days, totalling in 12 different debates.
However, during the first five days, candidate debates were held as well.
So Adam? After the assembly's daily and extra sequential debates took place at the residence of the imperial emissary,
the so-called Japanese Chokshi Broadband Holding, for the first seven days.
And this is a structure that seems to have settled on from the latter half of the period.
I will now go through some of the statements of this text, the proceedings of the Duma or the hearing she died.
The text says in the beginning, this is my own translation. At first day, at noon on the 10th day of the 10th month,
the similar like assembly starts after the bell to assemble, as decreed by the Ministry of Monastic Affairs.
After the monks have assembled the events, proceed in the following order.
A procession on the right side, the imperial emissary, followed by the master of protocol and the others they line up while on the left side,
the administrators, the provost, the secondary master of protocol and the vice abbot all lined up.
Now, the beginning of the Assembly's procession, as recorded here in these proceedings, is consistent with diaries that we found of the same periods.
For example, in the 11th century two, you keep composed by the court, you're Fujiwara.
When etato in his description, we see the very same details confirmed.
It seems, according to these diaries, that the members did indeed did indeed walk side by side, as indicated in the proceedings.
But there was a clear distinction between the minister and the members of the Ministry of Monastic Affairs and Other Monastics,
representatives of the ministry, but first followed by the main officiates of the ritual.
And finally, the members of the official audience, presumably those who were not yet members of the ministry, so lower ranked monks.
Important to note is that the procession reflected a distinction between Kafka or mind.
Only monks and those from other temples, as shown in the other periods.
For example, this is not a source from the Edo period caught you in my judgement of fate or the records of the origins of the S.M.A.R.T assembly.
We read that the monks from COFCO took a path that led them west of the lecture hall,
while all the others took a route that took them east from the hall, both parts of the procession that arrived in front of the entrance.
The impure emissary, Saudi representative of the courts, likewise walked to the west of the hall.
It is not clear when this custom of different routes started, but other MEPs,
such as those still owned by COFCO today, show the same route for these different groups.
So, in other words, amongst belonging to certain schools, certain lineages focussed,
focussing on certain doctrines actually took a different route that led them to the actual ritual site.
What you see here on the slide is basically a map of a 7th century copy of early a map still owned by Temple today,
and it actually shows you the layout of the ritual site.
The lecturer or the corgi and the reader or the Tokaji, so the lecturer to the left and the reader to the right,
proceed to the hall under Appelant Queen, as depicted in a scene from the famous Castle Glass crawls.
This is a very famous picture of school. Lecture would then proceed to the left and the reader to the right of the central image of worship.
This isn't a mirror try. It's so on the map there.
What you see indicate as zone is in fact a mirror.
Try it, which is flanked by four heavenly kings, as shown by this scene.
Both would sit next to two statues, one from the layman similar KFT taken from, of course, the similarity.
Sutra is sitting to the left and another next to a statue of Manushi to the right.
It is, of course, clear what this about. The setting of these statues and the position of the lecturer and the reader
replicate the real debates between the two protagonists of the female Akiko Sutra.
So the scene described in the Sutra is here basically copied in this ritual setting.
Now, a map of female kitchen assembly is still owned by both. Today, as you see here,
shows where the lecture and the reader will be seated and where the two statues are located in relation to the central image of worship.
The text then continues as follows. How much is paid to the Buddha and a lecture and a reader take place in their House seats?
The imperial mystery and the administrators reach the hall and are seated in front of the hall.
Now in their diaries, for example,
that one by Fujiwara on the menu today it is mentioned that the Abbott reaches his seat at this point also and takes it takes place there.
These seats are located to the south of the altar, and the administrators are also seated next to the other ink,
stones, rocks and so on are prepared for their use.
The emissary is clearly shown by this image in the casual scrolls because it implies mystery is
this figure in this actually black and confusion garb which is encircled here right in the middle.
So he takes place outside of the hall, but facing the central image of worship the Emirates right there that you can see in the middle.
This allows him to witness all being set by those on the high seats.
So in other words, the debate, but also it places him right outside of the ritual sphere itself.
By the way, the large gathering of people that you see in white and grey cloth,
those are the lowest ranked monks of the temple, who also are seated mainly outside of the ritual sphere.
The proceedings then give the following account of the events the provost strikes a gong twice and the counters start to
chant while the administrators and the whole servants and circle the central image of worship and distributes flower petals.
We know also from other sources that indeed a table with flowers for distribution was put behind the lecture.
The names of the attending members of the highest ranked quarters and above are also proclaimed and recorded by two administrators.
Alongside the counters, eight members of the official audience proceed to the central image of the Buddha.
And meanwhile, all monks encircle the image as usual.
You can see this official audience sitting here to the left.
Those are these this large group of 40 monks dressed in black.
Now, the number eight refers here to the Japanese to show where the spaces where the official audience will take place.
Here, these eight monks line up probably in two rows in front of the central image,
and together with the main counter, they will engage in a chanting ritual called a tale.
Two types of chants take place, referred to as the Nikka Oil.
And this implies the chanting of verses that request the harmony between the law of the Buddha and the mundane law or book possible in Japanese.
At the Assembly's height, at the moment in, I would say, late 12th century, when this ritual was at the height of its size,
there were 20 spaces located to the left of the central image, providing seating to 40 monks.
So basically you have go attommy mutts that are all being divided into and each determined that is shared by two monks.
So you have forty four rows of 10. There were seated and they can likewise be discerned in the image of the castle.
Got scrolls, so you can see the image here. Also, these 14 monks, I do not talk about the colours actually of the.
You can see that they all wear these black robes, but there are also in fact seated according to a certain hierarchy indicated by the colours as well.
Now, these members of the official audience, they will chant. And when finished, also proceed to their seats, as depicted here.
Now we come to the actual usage of of some doctrinal aspects and some texts during this specific ritual.
The provost strikes have gone and the monster who disperses flour cease and they withdraw.
Then the lecturer will read a eulogy in Japanese cubicle.
While Ascribe or Tuki reports the event for the vice provost described as very important as he will actually record the performance
of the monks who will engage in these debates after the Masters who disperse flowers have left the lecture and proclaims the eulogy.
And now we see the start of the actual debates. Originally, there were morning and evening debates, and from nine hundred and thirty seven onwards,
an additional debate session was added, which was held at the residence of the imperial emissary.
Now important to note is that during these debates, monks always have to confront other temples.
In other words, a COFCO monk belonging to the Mind Only School of Buddhism never debated one of his own temple.
This custom is clear from twelfth and 12th and 13th century documents, which most frequently displayed your position also sung them.
Or you could say Yoga Cha, Jonica or also Hegel, or yoga and other thumbsucker now Moonstar.
Those description includes an interesting passage concerning the use of certain ritual implement by the lecturer while he does his duty,
and this is a so-called Japanese nieuw which we cannot translate as a forger or thunderbolt.
Now. Now we could basically come to the scene where we have these monks confronting themselves in a specific debate.
What is interesting to note is that in addition to the script, we also have a monk who will perform the role of a judge in most cases.
This was actually the abbot of the temple. In other words, who will assess the answers given by the participating monks of the debates?
The proceedings to the text basically tells us the following the judge has entered the hall and reaches his seat.
He calls the servant who then strikes the bomb after the lecture has finished as previously,
the provost then proceeds to the southern site of the first row of the official audience,
providing a box of manuscripts and then returns the candidates.
So these are the monks that will participate in the debates. Proceed to the front of the Buddha image.
The servant is summoned and basically the candidates boast three times takes place in front of the imperial emissary,
while the servant brings a lamp basically to read the questions.
The candidates then vows three times and reads the manuscript.
The candidates will then ascend the high chair and at this time,
the provost takes the manuscript and presents it to the judge, who as previously takes out one question.
The candidates will read the eulogy, and at this time, the judge takes out a second, third, fourth and fifth question.
He will stop after the fifth question after the scribe has read and summarised these questions.
The candidate will then descend from the high chair. This marks the end of the third and last debate of the union right now.
The candidate had to attempt to answer five questions previously prepared by the judge for most cases the Abbot and this
question answer sessions were then followed by criticism followed by a so-called examiner or short issue in Japanese,
after the criticism then would follow approval or disapproval by the judge.
Now another source the so-called huge you your your show provides a more detailed account of the duties of the candidates.
And here we can actually go into the details of what is actually being read
what is actually being debated after the candidates entered the lecture hall.
It goes to the front page, so much to the Buddha, and he returns to the original position.
Standing in front of the desk with a short scroll he has to read has been put in place.
Prior to reading the text enquires about the health of the judge and after he has put his hand in his sleeves,
he holds up the scroll with his right hand. This act signals for the judge the start of the actual questioning.
He then takes two sheets that the coverage of the scroll in his hand.
What he does next, interestingly, depends on the kind of question in case of a question related to logic or email in Japanese.
He holds one sheet between the space of his two lower fingers in case of a problem directly taken from the scooter,
for example, a quote from the structure, the sheet is held between the two higher fingers.
In addition, when holding a question of logic in his right hand,
he has to hold the remaining sheets with the spaces between his fingers and his left hand.
At this point, he can start answering the questions, and after having answered the question on the Souter,
he places the sheet dealing with the switch off to the East and the ones dealing with logic to the West.
After he has placed them in this manner, he takes office, sandals, lumps, climbs to his seat after having taken place.
He then reads another eulogy that praises the appointment of the candidate.
Then a question answer session starts with a question or the manger.
And when the first question is finished, the Examiner verifies the answer.
After the second question, there is a pause, but another verification takes place after the third question.
A scheme that continues until a tense question during these 10 questions, answers and evaluations, the judge adds.
Then his approval or disapproval. And we basically have these documents in which we have the questions of these centuries listed with just the score,
you might say, at approval and disapproval by the abbot of the Temple.
Now, a particular kind of evaluation document called to Korea Common provides us more information
regarding the actual doctrinal content of this question answer sessions between the candidate,
the questioner, the Examiner and the judge.
The title refers to the title of these documents, refers to the judgement past toku or undecided yaku or failed the.
Historian Takayama provides several examples of these documents,
of which a once a version of the year thousand fifty six reveals as the contents of the debate in detail.
That's here.
The mystery was a certain Fujiwara close to a naka, and the lecture was a 42 year old also or might only monk from the quiz named d'Orsay.
The candidates of that year were Mongan, aged 55, and the monk until age 25 told that she was represented by another monk called Vulcan.
Now the question under evaluation was as follows transmitter of the lamp.
Mongan from Oakajee also addressed the topic.
Topic was the doctrine of consciousness only she could do more in detail the contradiction of the doctrine of the four kinds of aspects or she shoots,
or 10 sheets or 10 questions provided he passed eight questions on the doctrine of consciousness.
Only undecided two. So two questions that were not satisfactory.
The other monks, Uncle and Rubin, received the same questions.
The former having the same score, but the latter doing slightly better, nine passed and one just Typekit.
Now, in order to show you what's the actual. Preparation entailed and what these monks were actually studying to participate in this ritual.
So this is an interesting 16 not 15th century source, which was purchased by McGill three or four years ago.
And these are actually manuals that the candidates and the monks participate in debates had to study prior to the ritual.
You can see here basically that this is a handshake or an explanation of the answers for the evening session of the female Archivo assembly.
Now, when you look at the content and the person who scanned, it actually skipped the orders, so the page to the left should actually be to the right.
But anyway, so this is the table of contents and I'll see you around, OK and see if we just see something and white.
Can you not see that we don't see in? So I'm sorry, OK?
That's strange, it?
One moment. I'm sorry.
I think the problem is that when I click the link, I go to McGill's site and it probably doesn't share through Zoom.
Is that possible? Yeah, here any sharing the PowerPoint, but if you got something else, you won't be tested.
So maybe if you stop sharing this and then share the same show and it might be a bit awkward, but then it should work, not work very well.
Anyway, what I just wanted to point out is that the basic when you look at the manual that monks had to use prior to participating in the
ritual clearly shows us that the topics that were addressed are only mind only topics so esoteric topics they had to study eulogy.
They had to study the basic text of cheat or genome in Japanese.
And that's basically the way they had to prepare for these rituals.
Now what is interesting is that I'm sorry, can you?
Oh, so what is interesting? Can you see the slide? I'm sorry.
Can you see the slide? Oh, OK.
So it was a yes. I'm sorry, could you see the previous slide? I was.
Yes, it was. It was. Yeah, that's right. We see that. OK, okay.
So this basically was the the short passage. I also just just read you in which you can see that the topics that are addressed are
clearly derived from the mind only corpus or yoga or also in Japanese fashion in Chinese.
And there is no apparent esoteric context, or it was a topics included in the actual doctrinal content of the debates during the ritual.
So this basically places us for a problem.
So the overall context of the periods is being discussed as being a synthesis of esoteric, esoteric.
However, when you look at the actual state ritual,
when you look at the actual content of the topics being debated, only esoteric aspects basically appeared.
Now does this mean that's the esoteric, esoteric only existence on the institutional level that it only exists on the level of lineages, for example?
No, we actually have to look at a monk's overall education and career you might see to identify his esoteric and esoteric background.
Now, one really fascinating example is that of the monk Koji Malashenko,
who is a late 10th beginning of 11th century mind only monk and who clearly shows us a synthesis of esoteric and esoteric elements.
Now, according to Mexico's background, can be traced back to a tool. In its first, he was a student of the esoteric lineage through COFCO.
And second, he's also found in a lineage belonging to chengguan or esoteric Buddhism.
Now, being in both an esoteric and an esoteric lineage, he became, interestingly, the patriarch of a new,
esoteric, esoteric lineage, a centre for the combined study of Hustle and Shinhwa.
He authored many hostile and shingled works, and Legend has it that he was also the one who developed a famous esoteric mandala in Japan mandala.
An origin chronicle, you might say,
Miss describes how she received a Mumbra from the sovereign and after the sovereign recovered from illness following singles prayers following is set.
The emperor felt a beneficial effect of his dogma and said this mandala is for the salvation of all living beings.
I was painted by my Jewish feet from now on, the master should again able to have all living beings benefit from it.
Therefore, I bestow on this saint, so clergymen put you on a Shinkle the duty of practising the two words mandala.
Now this short passage, in fact, shows us a sovereign requesting a ritual for the health of the sovereign and its people,
and to the nation of the mandala and the impure request to practise on its place.
Is this esoteric, esoteric monks actions within the context of state discourse.
Sinkholes work. The explanation of the ritual procedures of the Lotus and the big swell seems to confirm his early study of hossler or yoga child.
He states First I studied the teachings of Karachi and now I trace the steps of some of the above.
Interestingly, you've run out of time.
Maybe you travel. Yes. Yes. Just a few sentences.
Interestingly, this personal statement mentions that it turns to the esoteric teachings after the study of also,
which suggests he used esoteric for a better understanding of his earlier acquired knowledge of the esoteric.
I will stop right there,
but just to show you that the actual esoteric or doctrinal background of the monk proves the esoteric background of the actual ritual as well.
Thank you.