TRANSLATION

Kukai's Epitaphfor Master Huiguo:

An Introductionand Translation

RONALD S. GREEN AND CHANJU MUN

INTRODUCTION

N 804 CE, the monk Kukai ?'f.#ii:

(774-835) traveled from his native Japan
I to China in the hope of studying esoteric Buddhism under a great Chinese
master. In the Chinese capital Chang'an fi::tc,he was introduced to the head
of the renowned Qinglongsi wn"'*,
1 Master Huiguo ~*
(746-805) of the
esoteric Zhenyan ~ § (Jp. Shingon) tradition, in 805. 2 When Kukai arrived,
Huiguo was serving as spiritual advisor to the emperor, as he had for the two
previous Sons of Heaven. These emperors relied upon the master's esoteric
abilities to bring rain in times of drought, keep the nation safe from foreign
invasions, and so on.
Kukai later reported that at first sight Huiguo recognized him as the future
transmitter of esoteric Buddhism to Japan. Accordingly, the master imme-
diately took him into the initiation hall and within six months had com-
pletely poured his knowledge into Kukai's mind. Afterwards, aware of his
advanced years and failing health, Huiguo instructed Kukai to return to Japan

1 The Qinglongsi ("Green Dragon Temple") is .a famous Buddhist temple from the Tang
lt dynasty (618-907). It was built in 582 and named Linggansi m:~("Inspiration Temple").
The name was changed to Qinglong in 711. Kukai lived in Chang'an from 804 to 806. The
present Qinglongsi in Xian 11:§Jcwas reconstructed in 1963. National Master is an honorific
title bestowed by the emperor in gratitude for service. Huiguo; was the teacher of three Tang
dynasty emperors: Daizong fi;* (r. 763-779), Dezong 1!* (r. 779-805), and Xianzong •*
(r. 805-820).
2 Murakami 1929; Okamura 1982.

The Eastern Buddhist 46/1: 139-164

©2017 The Eastern Buddhist Society
140 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

without delay to begin propagating Zhenyan in that country. While KUkai

had originally planned to study in China for twenty years, he saw the wis-
dom in his master's wishes, and eventually succeeded in building one of the
most influential traditions in Japanese history, Shingon Buddhism. 3 Before
returning, however, he took on the responsibility of composing an epitaph 4
for his master.
The following is a translation of the epitaph as it appears in the collection
of Kukai's prose, poems, and prayers known as the Henjo hokki shoryoshu
~~56w'ti~~ (Collected Works Divining the Spiritual Nature of Henj5;
hereafter, Shoryoshu), preserved in the sixth volume of the Koba Daishi
Kukai zenshu sMt*~ili~#i~~ (Complete Works of K5b5 Daishi KUkai,
hereafter, KKZ). 5 It begins with KUkai's explanatory prose, which he added
after returning to Japan. When translating KUkai's Chinese, we consulted
the Japanese translation and commentary notes included in the volume. 6
KUkai described his knowledge of esoteric Buddhism as coming directly
from Huiguo, and his portrayal of the master should therefore be particularly.
useful for understanding the early development of Shingon as well as KUkai
himself.
When interpreting KUkai's writing, we consulted Katsumata Shunky5 's
Keika osho den no kenkyu )~Jl~:fi:i (Research on Biographies of
fM{ii0),1:iJf5-E
Master Huiguo ).7 Katsumata utilized primary sources in researching the bio-
graphies of Huiguo in an attempt to locate him in his historical and religious
context. His article examines available biographies of Huiguo in six sections,
(1) an introduction; (2) the life ofHuiguo; (3) Huiguo's master and Dharma
brothers; (4) Huiguo's disciples; (5) Huiguo and KUkai; and (6) conclu-
sions: evaluation ofHuiguo.

Primary Sources
The primary sources for biographies of Huiguo are as follows. First, Wu
Yin~~~ (n.d.), a lay disciple of Huiguo, composed the Da Tang shendou
Qinglongsi Dongtayuan guanding guoshi Huiguo aduli xingzhuang j(JlH$

3 The term Shingon is the Japanese reading for the Chinese Zhenyan, which means "True

Word" or mantra.
4 Although there is no evidence that the stone monument actually exists in China, we
adopted the term "epitaph" because Kukai uses it.
5 An alternate reading, Seireishft, also appears in the KKZ.
6 Although this Japanese translation was made from Kukai's classical Chinese, the trans-

lators adopted Sino-Japanese graphs in accordance with modem Japanese scholarship.

7 Katsumata 1973.
 GREEN & MUN: KOKAI'S EPITAPH 141

i~wfli~JR*~Jcrtrn:~~ffi1.l*~iiJl1J~fittx (Biography of Acarya, Abhi~eka and

National Master Huiguo of the Eastern Pagoda Center of the Qinglongsi
in the Divine Capital [Chang'an] of the Great Tang Dynasty) just after his
master's death. Kiikai included it in his Himitsu mandara kyo fuho den ~l$W
~~~Wcftrt11 (Biographies of Transmission Masters of the Secret Mandala
Teaching), generally referred to as Fuho den itrt11 (hereafter, Larger Biog-
raphies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism), in the Koba Daishi
zenshu 5Mt*~iff~~ (Complete Works ofKobo Daishi). 8
Second, Haiyun &~ (n.d.) wrote the Liangbu dafa xiangcheng shizifufa
Ji J,f,flt~*rM§7fc~ffi~ftrt~E
(Transmission Record of the Two Sets of the Great
Esoteric Buddhist Teaching from Master to Disciple; hereafter, Transmis-
sion Record) in two fascicles approximately thirty years after Huiguo's
death. It includes some descriptions of Huiguo and his disciples. The text is
available in the Taisho Buddhist canon. 9
Third is the Da Tang Qinglongsi sanchao gongfeng dade xingzhuang
*fr!fwn~ .=:.1iiJH!VJ=*11:f'rttx
(Biography of the Great Virtuous Master
Huiguo, a Resident Master of Qinglongsi, and the Imperial Chaplain of
Three Courts of the Great Tang Dynasty) which the monk Engyo PH-r
(1128-n.d.) brought from China to Japan. Although the author of this work
is unknown, it is the most comprehensive biography of Huiguo among
extant primary sources and describes the master's life extensively and
chronologically. It is also available in the Taisho canon. IO Katsumata pri-
marily used this work to discuss Huiguo's overall life path in his article.11
Fourth is Kukai's Daito shinto Shoryuji moto sancho kokushi kanjo no
ajari Keika osho no hi *fr!f1$~wn~tJc==~A~~iffiiTJiO)~iiJl1J~m*foriQO)if
(Monument for the Late Acarya Huiguo, High Priest of the Qinglongsi in
the Divine Capital [Chang'an] of the Great Tang Dynasty, and National
Abhi~eka Master for Three Courts), which is translated here. If we compare
this work with the sources mentioned above, the tone and content of the oth-
ers are more descriptive and objective, while Kukai's is subjective and per-
sonal. Kukai's writing includes mythological and religious reference about
himself and Huiguo that are absent in the other biographies. There may have
been a sectarian reason for this in that Kukai's epitaph theoretically backs up
his claim that he was chosen by Huiguo as his rightful Dharma heir and the

s Sofii Sen'yokai 1923, pp. 43-45.

9 Taisho shinshii daizokyo 7(:iE5fJr{I~*~*~(hereafter, T) no. 2081, 51: 783cll-787b21.
10 T no. 2057, 50: 294c16-296a15.

11 Katsumata 1973, pp. 774-79.

142 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1
<,,

transmitter of his esoteric lineage to Japan.12 Part of the evidence that Kiikai
relates is supernatural occurrences that only he observed. Such extraordinary
accounts and perhaps even exaggerations found in Kiikai 's work were unnec-
essary in the writings from China, where the tradition was already firmly
established.
Because Huiguo's tonsure master Tanzhen ti:~ (n.d.), 13 an eminent dis-
ciple of Amoghavajra (Ch. Bukong Jingang ~~:&imJIJ, 705-774), was busy
with his work as a chanting master for the imperial court, he did not have
time to train his disciple. 14 Instead, Huiguo learned esoteric Buddhism
from Amoghavajra and eventually transmitted his lineage. Kiikai says that
when Huiguo met Amoghavajra for the first time, Amoghavajra immedi-
ately recognized Huiguo's great potential. Kiikai writes, "With one glance,
the Tripitaka Master [Amoghavajra] was endlessly amazed and secretly
informed him, 'You will definitely make my Dharma teachings flourish.' " 15
Kiikai clearly considered the religious connections between his grandmaster
Amoghavajra and his master Huiguo as very special.

Kukai s Writings on Huiguo

In the epitaph, Kiikai also describes his own unique link with his master
Huiguo:
The night of setting sail to return, he explained variously his con-
nection with me in previous lives. The master made a surprise visit
that night, appearing in this disciple's dream. He told me in it, "You
did not know how much you and I have a close past bond! Within
many lifetimes we shared a mutual vow and extensively propa-
gated the mysterious teaching. Each of us has acted as the other's
qualified teacher, not only one or two times. This is the reason I
urge you to cross the distance and bestow my profound Dharma
[on the people there]. You have received the Dharma," he said, "in
whole. My wish has been fulfilled. You received the teaching at
my feet completely in the western land. I will also be born in the
east, enter your room [and become your disciple]. Do not delay
long in returning [to your homeland]. I will go there in advance."

12 Takagi 1967.
13 Iwasaki 1997.
14 To understand the disciples of Amoghavajra, see Imai 1997.
15 Similar sentences are seen in Kukai's Larger Biographies of Transmission Masters of
Shingon Buddhism. See Sofii Sen'yokai 1923, p. 38.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 143

Kukai wrote two versions of the biographies of transmission masters of

Shingon Buddhism, the aforementioned Larger Biographies of Transmis-
sion Masters of Shingon Buddhism 16 and a shorter version called Shingon
fuho den ~ ~ 1tft1t (Biographies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Bud-
dhism), which is generally called the Ryaku fuho den ~1trt1' (hereafter,
Shorter Biographies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism ). 17 In
them, he positions Huiguo in the transmission history of Chinese and Japa-
nese esoteric Buddhism and sets up his own Shingon Buddhism lineage
system of eight patriarchs:18 Mahavairocana, Vajrasattva, Nagarjuna (c.
150-250), Nagabodhi (n.d.), Vajrabodhi (Ch. Jingangzhi ~IOOJIJ~, 671-741),
Amoghavajra, Huiguo and Kukai. 19 As in the epitaph, in these two texts
Kukai evaluates Huiguo more highly than we find in Chinese biographies
and appears to amplify his own religious connection with the master.
In addition to the above-mentioned sources, we can also find descrip-
tions of Huiguo in two other works by Kukai, in the Sharai mokuroku it*
§ ~ (Catalogue oflmported Items), which documents materials he brought
back from China to Japan, 20 and in the Shoryoshu. In these we see Kukai's
description of how he met Huiguo and subsequently received initiation
into esoteric Buddhism, as well as how greatly he valued this transmission.
Seven literary pieces related to Huiguo as well as his epitaph are included
in his Shoryoshu, which consists of 112 writings in total. Kukai established
the Abhi~eka Hall, the first permanent institution for esoteric ordinations, on
Mount Koya iWilf 111and carried out an initiation ceremony (abhi$eka) for the
retired Emperor Heizei ~~ (773-825). To document this, he composed the
Heizei tenno kanjo man ~~:R.,~Jirn:Jt (Writing for Conferring the Abhi$eka
to Emperor Heizei) in which he also included descriptions of Huiguo.
The seven pieces in the Shoryoshu in which Kukai mentions Huiguo
are number 20, Hai kokuka sho shuho hyo *m~*iw1tit* (Memorial
Requesting the Court to Practice Buddhist Teachings for Respectfully Serv-
ing the Nation; in fascicle 4); number 40, Yo Esshu setsudoshi kyu naigai
kyosho kei ~~1'1'1lnJ.t1t>ttl*l:>i-rt~iiJf§
(Statement Requesting the Prefect of

16 Sofii Sen'yokai 1923, pp. 1-49.

17 Like Larger Biographies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism, Shorter Biog-
raphies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism is also included in the Koba daishi
zenshu. See ibid., pp. 50-68.
18 Mukai 1984, Inaya 1963.
19 Koda 1985.
20 Sofii Sen'yokai 1923, pp. 69-104. He recorded in the Sharai mokuroku the Buddhist
texts and instruments which he collected while in China from 804 to 806 and brought with
him to Japan.
144 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

Yue Prefecture to Secure Buddhist and Non-Buddhist Scriptures; in fas-

cicle 5); number 41, Yo hongoku shi sho kyaki kei j!*~15e]i~lw%t (State-
ment Requesting the Government to Allow Him to Return with the Home
Nation's Envoy; in fascicle 5); number 42, Sharyu osha kenna kesa ja -W
lino MJJIMp;J~~M* (Letter Requesting Qinglongsi 's High Priest Huiguo to
Accept Offered Monastic Robes; in fascicle 5); number 54, Hai shion za
nibu daimandara ganmon $~[9,~~=~~*~~KllliJt (A Prayer for Making
Two Sets of the Great Shingon Mandalas for Respectfully Returning the
Four Debts of Gratitude; 21 in fascicle 7); number 98, Kan sho yuenshu a
hasha himitsuza habun tbU~~~H!*~ffr~~iU:tJt (A Writing Encouraging
Many Relevant People to Respectfully Copy Esoteric Buddhist Scriptures;
in fascicle 9); and number 99, Kaya konryu sho kekkai keibyaku man ~!l!f
~fttJJ**JJ!.)@:
B Jt (A Dedication Writing for Making a Construction Site on
Mount Koya; in fascicle 9).22

Critical Assessment of Kukai s Epitaph

The following suggests that Kiikai wrote the epitaph section when he was
in China after his master passed away and then added the explanatory
verses to it after he returned to Japan. First, no monument for Huiguo on
which Kiikai's epitaph was inscribed has been found. Second, it is odd that
Huiguo 's disciples would have officially requested the foreign and unestab-
lished monk Kiikai to write the epitaph for their master. Third, when Master
Huiguo passed away at the age of sixty in 805, Kiikai was just thirty-two
years old. He studied esoteric Buddhism under Huiguo for only six months
before the master's death. Fourth, even though he learned esoteric Bud-
dhism from Huiguo, Kiikai lived in the temple Ximingsi W~ ~ while he
was in China, not at Huiguo's Qinglo'ngsi. Because Kiikai did not live in
Qinglongsi, disciples of Huiguo might have considered him as an outsider,
not as a member of their inner circle.
Kiikai 's accounts of Huiguo established his Dharma lineage, legitimized
his founding of the Shingon tradition in Japan, and validated his position in
the service of the Japanese emperor. Yet, in the epitaph Kiikai goes beyond
what was probably necessary to do so, introducing supernatural or supra-
rational elements into the process of transmitting the Shingon Dharma. For
example, Kiikai mentions that in a spiritual dream, Huiguo reveals that he

21 The four debts of gratitude constitute the debts owed to parents, to all living beings, to
the sovereign, and to the three treasures of Buddhism.
22 Katsumata 1973, p. 774.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 145

and Kukai had been connected in many past lives, alternating in roles of
pupil and teacher. However, no texts specifically mention a reincarnated Chi-
nese Buddhist monk during the Tang dynasty when Kukai travelled to China.
Even in Tibetan Buddhism there is no specific pinpoint of a reincarnated
monk until the case of Karma Pakshi (1204/6-1283), the second (Gyalwa)
Karmapa much later than the time of Kukai. This suggests that from at least
the time ofKukai in Japanese Buddhism there was the idea that specific indi-
viduals were reincarnated-before such an idea appeared in China or Tibet.
In addition, according to this account, Huiguo believed he would be
reborn in Japan as Kiikai's disciple. This means that one of Kiikai's Japa-
nese disciples would have been Huiguo, and would have perhaps succeeded
Kukai as the leader of Shingon Buddhism. If so, that disciple must have
been born sometime after Huiguo's death in 805, making him younger than
any of Kiikai 's ten known closest followers. Those today who believe that
Kukai did not die but remains in long-term samadhi on Mount Koya may
argue that the reincarnation of Huiguo might have not been born yet. Per-
haps the reincarnation story in the epitaph was added after Kukai 's time. In
this regard, it is interesting that this paranormal situation, that appears to be
highly important, is not clarified by Kukai or even further mentioned in his
writings.
Utilizing primary sources directly and indirectly related to his master
Amoghavajra and his Dharma brothers, 23we can objectively locate Huiguo's
position among disciples of Amoghavajra and in the history of Chinese
esoteric Buddhism without being influenced by Kiikai's potential biases.24
Accordingly, even though his grandmaster Amoghavajra definitely was one
of the most important figures or maybe the most important figure in Chinese
esoteric Buddhism, Kukai appears to have magnified Amoghavajra's and
Huiguo's importance, as well as his own relationship with these masters. 25
First, when Amoghavajra passed away at the age of sixty in 774, Huiguo
was just twenty-nine years old. Since he had many senior Dharma brothers,
he probably did not become the leader among Amoghavajra's disciples when
his master was alive or immediately after he passed away. As seen below
in his epitaph, Kiikai does not mention Huiguo's Dharma brothers and per-
haps intentionally excludes them while focusing on his master. In addition,
even though Hanguang ~:le (n.d.) might have been Amoghavajra's most

23 Imai 1997, pp. 218-22.

24 Yoritomi 1980, Iwasaki 2000, Imai 1985, Fujiyoshi 1988.
25 Imai 1997, pp. 234-35.
 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

important disciple while his master was alive26 and Huilang Ji~}] (738-820)
appears to have been the actual leader among his master's disciples before
and after Amoghavajra 's death, Kukai does not as much as mention their
names in his epitaph.
Second, Amoghavajra himself considered Huiguo to be one of his six
major disciples. In his [Bukong] sanzang heshang yishu [~~] -=::•toJ:ilii
(A Note that the Tripitaka Master [Amoghavajra] Left Behind) wrote on 7
May 774 (a little more than one month before his death), he states that his
six major disciples were Hanguang, Hyecho Ji~ (704- 787) of Silla ~Jr~,
Huiguo, Huilang, Yuanjiao 5cax (n.d.), and Juechao Jt~ (n.d.).27 There are
no descriptions of these other five eminent disciples in Kukai's epitaph, only
Huiguo.
Third, according to the Dade xingzhuang, Huiguo received the great
teaching of the Garbha Realm of great compassion (Ch. Dabei taicang
dajiao :*1.!Ji'l'•:*Wc)and the susiddhi teaching (Ch. Suxidefa E~±-tgft)
from the Sillan master Hyeoncho :!l~ (n.d.), a disciple of Subhakarasirpha
(Ch. Shanwuwei ~~-!{, 637-735), and also the great teaching of the Vajra
Realm (Ch. Jingangjie dajiao :&lluJ1JJJL:*Wc)fromAmoghavajra in 767. At that
time, Huiguo was twenty-two years old and Amoghavajra was sixty-three.28
Haiyun also describes Huiguo's two Dharma transmissions in his Transmis-
sion Record. 29 However, Kukai does fail to mention the name of Hyeoncho
but says in his epitaph ofHuiguo and in his Larger Biographies of Transmis-
sion Masters of Shingon Buddhism 30 that Huiguo received the transmission
of the two great teachings fromAmoghavajra. 3 1
Fourth, in all of the Kukai's writings about Huiguo (including the epitaph),
he never mentions Huiguo 's Dharma brothers. By ignoring other important
masters of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism of the time, he overemphasized his
master's and his grandmaster's roles in its history, thereby elevating the

26 Imai 1997, p. 224; Ono 1923.

27 See the Biaozhiji *itlJ~, T no. 2120, 52: 844a29-b2.
28 T no. 2057, 50: 295a8-15.
29 T no. 2081, 51: 784a14-19, 786c25-al.
30 Sofii Sen'yokai 1923, p. 39. :
31 Ibid., p. 43. Wu Yin also mentioned in his "Huiguo aduli xingzhuang" that Huiguo

transmitted two great teachings of Esoteric Buddhism from Amoghavajra. However, we need
to carefully and textually review the text's content because KUkai included the text in his
Larger Biographies of Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism. He might have included
Wu Yin's work in his writing to support his assertion. We cannot also ignore possibilities
that he revised Wu Yin's work to back up his assertion.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 147

importance of what he represents as his own Dharma lineage. 32 Therefore,

we cannot use Kiikai's writings to neutrally examine the life of Huiguo,
Amoghavajra, and other great masters of Chinese esoteric Buddhism such
as Subhakarasi1:pha, Vajrabodhi, and Yixing -ff ( 683- 727). To do so, it is
necessary to review source materials directly related to Amoghavajra and
locate Huiguo among his major disciples.
The most important primary source about Amoghavajra and his disciples
is the Bukong heshang biaozhi Ji ~~-=~foJ:*ftlJ~ (Collection of Official
Documents Written by the Tripitaka Master Amoghavajra and his Disciples;
hereafter, abbreviated as Biaozhi Ji) in six fascicles. It was compiled over
a twenty-five-year period from 752 to 781 by Yuanzhao llllffl(719-800), a
translator and a resident monk of temple Ximingsi in Chang'an. It includes
133 official documents written by Amoghavajra, his disciples, and eminent
scholar-monks who supported his translations. The text is available in the
Taisho canon. 33 The documents are related to court rituals, politics, temple
repairs, image making, the construction of temple buildings, dharma ser-
vices, monastic management, and other miscellaneous topics including text
catalogues, epitaphs, eulogies, and verses of praise.
Yuanzhao also compiled the Xu Kaiyuan lu tllfflJG~ (Sequel to the Cata-
logue of Buddhist Texts Compiled during the Kaiyuan Era, 713- 741) in
three fascicles in 794. 34 It includes texts composed and translated in China
after the compilation of the Kaiyuan lu lfflJG~ (The Catalogue of Bud-
dhist Texts Compiled during the Kaiyuan Era) in twenty fascicles.35 These
include Amoghavajra's translation activities and biography, descriptions of
his disciples, and a catalogue of esoteric Buddhist texts. He also assembled
the Zhenyuan lu ~JG~ (Catalogue of Buddhist Texts Compiled during the
Zenyuan Era) in thirty fascicles in the year 800, in compliance with an edict
of the Tang dynasty Emperor Dezong. It is a catalogue of Buddhist texts in
2,419 sets and 7,388 fascicles dating from 67 to 794. 36 He included mate-
rials related to Amoghavajra and his disciples in the fifteenth and the six-
teenth fascicle.

32 Imai 1997, p. 221.

33 T no. 2120, 52: 826c14-860c15.
34 T no. 2156, 55: 748b8-770bl6.
35 T no. 2154, 55: 477a2-723a8.
36 T no. 2157, 55: 771a2-1048a15. The Zhenyuan lu loyally accepted the contents and fol-

lowed the style of the Kaiyuan lu and added the catalogue of Buddhist texts written and trans-
lated from 730 to 800 to the text recorded there.
14~ THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

The second most important sourcebook on Amoghavajra and his disci-

ples is the Bukong sanzang xingzhuang 7F@--=~1'r~:k (The Biography of the
37
Tripitaka Master Amoghavajra) by Zhao Qian ffl~ (n.d.), a lay disciple of
Amoghavajra. 38
Zanning Jr'.$ (919-1002) referred to the Biaozhi ji, the Xu Kaiyuan lu, and
the Zhenyuan lu mentioned above, and wrote a biography of Amoghavajra in
988.39 He included it in his Song gaoseng zhuan *~{ftl{:f (Song Biographies
of Eminent Monks) in thirty fascicles. He mainly referred to these three pri-
mary sources when he wrote an additional biography of Amoghavajra, 40 and

4
.&.
biographies of Amoghavajra's disciples, including Feixi 7fH£ (n.d.),41 Zilin
-=f~ (n.d.), 42 Liangbi (n.d.),43 Qianzhen M~ (718-788), 44 Huilin ¥m
(737-820), 5 and Yuanjiao,46 as well as the biography of Hanguang.47 Zan-
ning did not write a biography of Huiguo, which also casts doubt on Kukai 's
emphasis on his master's importance and highlights the tendentious nature of
his failure to mention Amoghavara's other disciples in his writings. Zanning
also wrote biographies of other eminent monks who cannot be ignored in the
history of Chinese esoteric Buddhism. For instance, he wrote a biography of
Subhakarasirpha, 48Vajrabodhi, 49 and Yixing. 50
By all of these and numerous other accounts, Subhakarasirpha, Vajrabodhi,
Yixing and Amoghavajra were the most important figures in Chinese esoteric
Buddhism, much more important than Huiguo in Chinese Buddhism in gen-
eral and Chinese esoteric Buddhism in particular. However, Kukai excluded
Subhakarasirp.ha and Yixing in his Dharma lineage. Kukai does include
Vajrabodhi in his lineage system because he was the master of Kukai's
grandmaster Amoghavajra. However, he mentions him only briefly. We
conclude from this that Kukai was either misinformed about this history,

37 T no. 2056, 50: 292b2-294c13.

38 Iwamoto 1996.
39 T no. 2061, 50: 712a23-714a21.
40 T no. 2061, 50: 712a23-714a20.
4 1 T no. 2061, 50: 721c3-20; Kobayashi 2008; Kobayashi 2004.

42 T no. 2061, 50: 721c21-722a25.

43 T no. 2061, 50: 735a26-c22; Yamaguchi 2004.
44 T no. 2061, 50: 736b14-737a3. ·
45 T no. 2061, 50: 738a22-b5.
46 T no. 2061, 50: 864b16-c3.
47 T no. 2061, 50: 879b13-880a2.
48 T no. 2061, 50: 714b7-716al 7.
49 T no. 2061, 50: 7llb5-712a22.
50 T no. 2061, 50: 732c7-733c24.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 149

which is unlikely, or that he intentionally overvalued the position of his

grandmaster Amoghavajra and his master Huiguo, presumably to authenti-
cate and promote his own transmission of the Dharma ..

TRANSLATION

Monument for the Late Acarya Huiguo, High Priest of Temple Qinglongsi
in the Divine Capital (Chang'an) of the Great Tang Dynasty, and National
Abhi~eka Master for Three Courts

Composed by Japan's National Education Dharma Disciple Bhik~u Kiikai 51

(prose and verses )52
What laypersons should emphasize are the five constant virtues. 53 What
monks should value are the three insights. 54 Being loyal and being filial,
Master Huiguo 's reputation is engraved in a golden register. 55 His virtues
being like heaven, why should we not store them in a stone room? 56 I will
attempt to explain this. 57
That which is inextinguishable is the Dharma. One who does not fall away
[from it] is a person. Who is awake to the Dharma? Where is that person?

51 Kiikai uses the compound bichu ~J3 to transliterate the Sanskrit word bhi/cyu, a term

for a Buddhist practitioner of austerities.

52 Kiikai's Chinese-language prose comprises the majority of this work. The text of the
memorial monument for Huiguo appears in verse form at the end.
53 The five constant virtues of Confucianism (Ch. wuchang Ji~) are (1) humanity, (2) righ-
teousness, (3) propriety, (4) wisdom,.and (5) trust.
54 The Buddhist term sanming =-~, literally "three lights," refers to the three insights.
They are (1) the insight of destiny, knowing the past; (2) the insight of the Eye of Heaven,
knowing the future; and (3) the insight of nirvana, knowing the nature of suffering and its end.
55 Weizhong weixiao ·it.'!Vlt~ ("Being loyal and being filial") is a phrase from the second
entry in the Cai Zhong zhi ming ~fqi;;z~ ("Orders of Cai Zhong") section of the Shujing •
*~ (Book of History).
56 "Stone room" is a reference to entries 14 and 149 of "Taishi gong zixu" :t:51:. 0:.ElPf
(Preface by the Grand Historian) in the Shiji 51:.~E (Records of the Grand Historian). The His-
torian Sima Qian'§'].~~ (145?-86? BCE) says the government official documents should be
kept in a stone room to preserve them.
57 This expression appears in the "Open Trunk" (Ch. Quqie ~iWf) section of the "inner

chapters" of the Zhuangzi m:-=f. There, after "I will try to explain this," an example is given
to ridicule the five virtues of Confucianism, suggesting that even a thief may employ such
traits.
lSO THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

Here was the High Priest of the East Pagoda Hermitage of the divine capital's
temple Qinglongsi, the Great Acarya whose Dharma name was Huiguo. The
Great Master, clapping hands during the collapse of the castle of Dharma, 58
achieved birth into the Ma ,~ clan of Zhaoying BBJ~. 59 Heaven released [his]
pure essence and the land smelts [his] sacred spirit. [His] seed is like the phoe-
nix's egg and the sprout is like the dragon's colt. Soaring high and selecting
a tree, nets of the clamorous dust could not catch him. With a lion's stride, he
divined his residence.60 The flowers of the forest of contemplation6 1 were his
auspiciously divined food. Directly, he then went to the late meditation master
named Dazhao *m:l 62 taking him as his master and serving him as a disciple.
That Great Virtuous monk [Dazhao] entered the room63 of Tripitaka Master
Amoghavajra of Great Extensive Wisdom [and received the Dharma transmis-
sion from him]64 in the temple Daxingshansi *~~~.
65 In the days when his

58 F acheng rt~ ( castle of the Dharma) refers to the Buddhist teachings. The expression
is seen in various sutras, including the Huayan Sutra and the Lotus Sutra. Kiikai believed he
lived in the age of the Counterfeit Dharma when the age of the Proper Dharma had passed. He
mentions in the Hizo hoyaku f]iiiJUi (The Precious Key to the Secret Treasury) that some
special people are born even in the age of the Counterfeit Dharma.
59 Zhaoying is present day Lintong ~ti Prefecture in Shanxi ~1§ Province.
60 We have followed the modem Japanese in the KKZ, vol. 6, p. 211, in reading the graph

shi Sip(master) as shi a~W(lion).

61 "Contemplation forest" (Ch. chanlin ffilj!iJ*)
is a term referring to a Buddhist temple.
62 Tanzhen was called Meditation Master Dazhao, a name posthumously given to him by
a later emperor. See Mikkyo daijiten W~::k:ffllll:13:(Encyclopedia of Esoteric Buddhism), rev.
and enl. ed., pp. 1691c-92a.
63 "Great Virtuous monk" is a translation of Dade :*:fl, an official title. The phrase "Entered the

room" means he received the transmission of the esoteric Dharma in the initiation (abhi$eka) hall.
64 Amoghavajra was the sixth patriarch of Shingon. He was born in Sri Lanka. At the age

of fourteen, he traveled to Java wher~ he became the disciple of Vajrabodhi, who Japanese
Shingon Buddhists consider their fifth patriarch. He went to China with his master in 720 and
assisted him in translating esoteric texts. After the death of Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra went to
India to obtain Sanskrit texts and returned to China in 746. He was well received by emperors
and given the title "Tripitaka Master Extensive Wisdom" (Ch. Guangzhi Sanzang 1ll§1~iii)
by Emperor Daizong in 765. He translated 110 t~xts.
65 Daxingshansi, located in the vicinity of Xian W*, is generally considered the temple

from which Chinese esoteric Buddhism originated. The temple was founded under the
name of Zunshansi it~~ around the latter part of the third century CE during the reign of
Emperor Wu ff:t (r. 265-290) in the Western Jin ff dynasty (265-316). and was renamed to
Daxingshansi in the secqnd reign year of Emperor Wen)( (r. 581-604) of the Sui~- dynasty
(581-618) in 582. From 716 to 720 of the Tang dynasty (618-907), three eminent Indian
esoteric Buddhist masters-Subhakarasi111ha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra-came to the
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 151

forelocks and milk teeth had passed, 66 he had a chance to follow his master
and then to see the Tripitaka Master. With one glance, the Tripitaka Master
[Amoghavajra] was endlessly amazed and secretly informed him, "You will
definitely make my Dharma teachings flourish." The master already considered
him as a father and treated him as a mother would. Pointing to those abstruse
traces, the master taught the mysterious storehouse [to him].67 When Huiguo
heard [the two dhara,;ftexts] the Great Buddha Crown and the Mahapratisara
through his ears, the dhara}Jfs were engraved in his heart.68 When he heard the
sound of [the two texts] the Deeds of Samantabhadra and Mafijusrf's Eulogy,
[the echo of the texts] remained in his mouth. 69 During the year of saving
ants, he had many miraculous experiences.70 At that time, Emperor Daizong
heard this, issued an imperial decree, and invited him to enter [the palace]. The
emperor ordered, "I have some questions which bother me. I wish for you to
visit me and answer them." The Great Teacher received the emperor's invitation

temple and transmitted esoteric Buddhist tradition to Chinese Buddhists. Amoghavajra trans-
lated five hundred sets of Indian esoteric Buddhist texts into Chinese at the temple.
66 In KKZ, vol. 6, p. 230, note 26, it is written that according to the Hans hi waizhuan
:>'Hi(The Outer Commentary on the Han-School Odes) by Han Ying•~ (200-130 BCE),
•i~
the time when a child looses forelocks and milk teeth is around the age of eight.
67 The mysterious storehouse is the collection of esoteric scriptures. Like the larger
tripitaka, the esoteric collection consists of three parts: sutras, vinaya (rules of discipline),
and commentaries.
68 The Great Buddha Crown refers to the Great Buddha Crown (u.rJJfya)Dhara,:zf (Jp.
Daibuccho darani x1trnJtim.Ft:.);see Mikkyo daijiten, p. 1533a. Dharw;f are strings of
syllables, typically Sanskrit, the sounds of which are thought to be particularly meaning-
ful or efficacious. A mantra is a type of dhara,:zf.The Mahapratisarii refers to the DhiiraJJf
of Mahapratisarii (Jp. Daizuigu darani j,;:Jij>Jt~t~Ft:.), in one fascicle (T no. 1154, 20:
637b-644b); see Mikkyo daijiten, p. 1481.
6 9 The Deeds of Samantabhadra refers to Eulogy for the Deeds of Samantabhadra (Jp.

Fugen gyogan san 1ff-JN-rJJJlJi~), in one fascicle (T no. 297, 10: 880a-881c). Mafijusrf's
Eulogy refers to Manjusrf's Eulogy in Gratitude of the Dharmakiiya (Jp. Monjushiri san
butsu hosshin rai J'(JJKSiffllJ~1~r!:~ffil), in one fascicle (T no. 1195, 20: 936c-938a).
Hearing the sound and stopping his mouth is likely a reference to Vajrasattva Bodhisattva
receiving the transmission from Mahavairocana in the Mahavairocana Sutra (T no. 848,
18: la-30c). It means he received the esoteric transmission from his master. This expres-
sion is also used in Shinzei's biography of Kukai, which appears as the "Introduction" to
Shoryoshu, KKZ, vol. 6, pp. 729-30.

~-~{f~
70 The year of saving ants is around the age of fourteen or fifteen. The name comes from
the idea that if a young person saves ants, he or she will have a long life. This is seen, for
example, in the Za baozang jing (Storehouse of Miscellaneous Jewels Sutra; T no.
203, 4: 466c18), which translates as: "A novice who saves ant children from water disaster
attains long life and makes up for karma."
 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

in accordance with the Dharma and led him to solve his problems like water
which flows naturally.71 The emperor exclaimed, "Although the dragon child is
small, he is able to make rain fall.72 Your words were not vain. Left and right I
will record them in detail.73 I see now the young master who freely enters and
leaves a vase." 74From this time onward, the thoroughbred horse 75 [Huiguo] was
welcome and there were no scarcities of the four kinds of items offered to him. 76
When he became twenty years old, he received [full ordination]. He worked
diligently by the shine of snow.77 He made great waves in the ocean of the three
groups of Buddhist teachings 78 with his lips and mouth. He caused the mirror
which reflects the five divisions [of the Vajra Realm mandala ]79 to illuminate

71 The KKZ, vol. 6, p. 211, explains this by saying Huiguo called out to Mahesvara, a
guardian of the Dharma that has its origins in the Hindu deity Siva. KKZ, vol. 6, p. 230, note
34 explains that Kukai refers to this in his Biographies of Transmission Masters of Shingon
Buddhism (KKZ, vol. 2).
72 See the reference to making rain in the note 75 on the Biography of Asoka below.
73 According to KKZ, vol. 6, p. 230, note 35, this may refer to civil officials' formal dress

including a writing tablet held in a knotted sash.

14 According to the Biography of Asoka, once when Asoka met a seven-year old novice, he
waited until no one could see him, and prostrated himself. Asoka asked him, "Please do not
tell anyone that !'bowed down before you." Nearby was ajar. Suddenly, the novice entered it
and emerged through the spigot by means of his powers. He told the king, "O king, do not tell
anyone that I entered this jar and came out again through the spigot." Asoka protested that such
a marvel could not be hidden and that he would have to tell everyone about it. That is why, it is
said, three things should never be maligned: a young king, a young niiga (dragon), and a young
monk. The first, though young, can slay men; the second, though tiny, can make it rain; and the
third, though small, can save humankind. Thereafter, Asoka used to throw himself at the feet of
Buddhist monks regardless of the place and the people watching. See Strong 1983, p. 197.
75 Ajilu .~,I.~ is a horse that can run a thousand li m,over three hundred miles, in one day.
76 The four items are the four major offerings laypersons donate to Buddhist community: (1)

clothes, (2) food and drink, (3) bedding materials, and (4) medicine.
77 Working by snow light is an allusion to the Chinese story of Sun Kang f,"**· who was
too poor to buy a lamp and worked by the light of the moon shining on snow. In China,
working by snow light came to mean working diligently. This story was in the Mengqiu
(Helpful Collection for First Education) and other Heian period primers in Chinese writing.
~*
See Denecke 2004, p. 113, note 44. Kukai also uses this allusion when referring to his own
dedication as a student in the Sango shiiki -=-~r~liw (Indications of the Three Teachings;
KKZ, vol. 6, pp. 5-10).
7 8 The Buddhist canon is composed of three groups: sutras, vinayas (rules of discipline),

and commentaries.
79 The "five divisions" refers to the five divisions of the Vajra Realm mandala (the Buddha

division, the vajra division, the lotus division, the treasure division, and the karma division),
where Mahavairocana's wisdom is revealed, in contrast to the Garbha Realm mandala,
where Mahavairocana's ultimate principle is shown.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 153

his spiritual tower. 80 Like a great bell's sound, he would freely roll out or fall
back according to the situation. Like echoes in an empty valley, he would
freely hide and appear according to the capacity of others. At first he began to
practice Buddhism by preserving the rules of the Four-part Vinaya.81 Later
he practiced the three mysteries and abhi$eka [initiations]. 82 The debating
spears which filled the skies were not able to cross blades [with him].83 When
roasting the grease-pot with prajnii, who would dare to go to the very bottom
of the pot? 84
Therefore the three courts honored him and considered him as national
teacher. The four groups [of monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen], respected
him and received initiations from him. 85 If the drought demon scorched the
leaves, he summoned the niiga and caused him to make the great rains fall. 86
If shangyang iW:i$destroyed the dikes, he caused garu(ja to make the sun
shine brightly. 87His feelings were an invariable sundial. His efficacy was the

80 Originally, lingtai ti&: referred to a tower from which the emperor could look out over

the four directions.

81 The vinaya of the Dharmaguptaka school of India was called the Four-part Vinaya (Ch.
Sifen Iii lm:51~)in China. It became the standard vinaya in China in particular and in East
Asia in general.
82 The three mysteries are ~he mysteries of the body, mind, and speech, which each have
corresponding practices involving mudras, mandalas, and mantras, respectively.
83 According to KKZ, vol. 6, p. 231, note 45, this is a reference to the "Xi Zaochi zhuan"
~~&ft (Biography of Xi Zaochi) which appears in the Jin shu -'ilf!f (History of the Jin
dynasty). The biography says, "There was once a priest Daoan il!* [312-385] with excel-
lent speech and high intellect. He arrived in Jingzhou #i}fi'IPrefecture, where he first met [Xi]
Zaochi ~& [n.d.]. Daoan said, 'Shi ff Daoan of Filled Skies.' Zaochi said, 'Xi Zaochi of
Four Oceans.' Because they were contemporaries, they became an excellent pair." The note
says the spears that filled the skies are Daoan's pointed words.
84 That is to say, who would use up all their mental resources to debate with the best,
Huiguo? Roasting the grease-pot, which is hung under the axle of a cart, means using up all
of one's mental resources in a debate. A similar expression, roasting the hub (zhigu ~~), is
used in the same way in the biographies of Mencius 1i-f- (371-289 BCE) and Xunzi 7m-f-
(313?-238 BCE) in the Shiji .5e.!e, (Records of the Grand Historian).
85 The four orders are ordained monks, ordained nuns, lay male devotees, and lay female
devotees.
86 In the same way, Kukai is said to have used his esoteric practices to bring rain at the
request of the emperor of Japan. His poem to commemorate this appears as the fourth entry in
the first book of the Shoryoshu. The drought demon appears as "Yunhan" ~¥~ in the "Daya"*
ff (Greater Court Hymns) section of the Shijing tt~ (Book of Songs). Kukai transliterates the
Sanskrit word niiga, which can mean snake or dragon. In this case it has the former meaning.
87 The shangyang is a mythical bird whose appearance signals the coming of rain, accord-

ing the Kongzi jiayu JL-f-*IB (Family Sayings of Confucius). The garu<fa is a bird-like
creature in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, large enough to block the sun.
154 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

same as having it in the palm of his hand. The emperor and empress hon-
ored his merit. The descendants of the jasper branches and jade leaves [i.e.,
the royal family] admired his ability to conquer devils. 88 The Great Master
enabled this with his compassionate power. When numberless carriages
were loaded with wealth and silk and products of many qing tJi of fields and
gardens were offered to the master, 89 although he received them, he did not
hoard or attempt to increase them for his own daily life.90 He used them to
construct a maha mandala or to establish a temple.9 1 He saved the poor with
wealth and guided the ignorant with the Dharma. He made his mind to not
store wealth and he made his nature to not be stingy with the Dharma. For
this reason, he benefited both those who appeared to be noble and those who
appeared to be lowly. Empty they came and filled they returned. From near,
from afar, they gathered, searching for the light. Bian Hong ¥1$5.l [n.d.] of the
Nation of Heling iiiJ~92 passed through the five regions of India and touched
the master's feet with his head [as a disciple]. Hyeil ~ 13[n.d.] of Silla passed
through three kingdoms [of Korea ]93 and received [his teachings] with a
4 and Yiyuan ~Ill [n.d.] of
bowed head. Weishang ·itl:: [n.d.] of Jiannan :@IJJ¥J9
5
Hebei rri:f~tProvince9 admired their master's teaching, visited him, and shook
the tin. 96 Thirsty for the Dharma, they carried away boxes of books on their
backs. Among those who received the seal of approval from the master,97
there was Yiming ~~ [n.d.] who served as an imperial chaplain.98 Sadly,

88 The descendants of the royal family are called jasper branches and jade leaves.
89 One qing equals 6.7 hectares, or 67,000 square miles.
90 The Chinese term zisheng ~1:., literally meaning the necessities of daily life, originally

appears in the "Kun" :l:$(Earth) section of the Yijing JH~ (Book of Change).
91 A maha mandala is one of the five kinds of Shingon mandala. Kukai uses the term

sogaran {~{JJaif (Ch. senggalan) as a transliteration for the Sanskrit sarrigha-iiriima, literally
a "garden for the sarrzgha," i.e., temple grounds.
92 According to the Jiu Tang shu finlfi'i (Old History of the Tang Dynasty),the Nation of

Heling was located in the middle part of the island of Java. See KKZ, vol. 6, p. 232, note 58.
93 The three kingdoms Mahan .~ff, Byeonhan #ff, and Jinhan JRff were the ancient

three kingdoms of Korea in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.

94 Jiannan is now in present-day Sichuan lmJIIProvince.
95 Yinyuan was a top disciple ofHuiguo, according to KKZ, vol. 6, p. 232, note 69.
96 "Shook the tin" means rattled the metal rings on the tip of the monastic's ring-staff,

called a khakkhara (Ch. xizhang ~tt, literally "tin staff.") They would be shaken to frighten
off animals or draw the attention of alms givers. Shaking the tin in this sentence may mean
that Weishang and Yiyuan were trying to draw Huiguo's attention.
97 Yinke l=PRJ is the student's seal of approval by their master to receive higher teachings
or, in this case, to be the successor of Huiguo in leading the lineage.
98 Yiming is not found in the Taisho canon.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 155

when [Yi]man [~Fl [n.d.] died before him, the master used his cart for his
disciple's outer coffin.99 Just like looking after a child in the bath, ioohe made
his disciples receive the teachings of the three mysteries. His disciples, Zhi,
Can, Mei, and Yi, 101 and another group of his disciples, Cao, Min, Jian, and
Tong,102 together all adopted the samaya precepts, studied yoga, grasped the
three mysteries, and succeeded in vipasyanii [meditation]. Because some of
Huiguo's disciples served as the emperor's master and others became the
masters on whom the four groups of Buddhist followers 103relied, his Dharma
lamp filled the realm and his streams of thought prevailed in the nation. All of
them received the generous Dharma offering from the Great Master. 104
After they took leave of their parents, they went to their master [Huiguo ],
abandonned their ornaments, and entered the monastic path. He did not need
to borrow a floating bag from others; 105he always had the oil bowl in his
possession. 106 He made his mind solid like pine and bamboo and he made
his will determined like ice and frost. He was well accomplished in the four
postures without effort. 107He was good in the three karmic activities without

99 Yiman was a disciple ofHuiguo. KKZ, vol. 6, p. 233,.note 74 says this is a reference to
the Lunyu iffil!B-(hereafter, Analects of Corifucius), book 11, line 7, speculating that this means
that Huiguo felt like a father who lost his child.
100 KKZ, vol. 6, p. 233, note 77, says this is likely a literary allusion. If the analogy in the

previous sentence likens Huiguo to a dead child and his student to a father, this may be say-
ing that the student watches Huiguo closely like a child in the bath.
lOl These are Huiguo's disciples Yizhi ~~ (n.d.), Wencan Jt~ (n.d.), Yigong
and Yiyi ~I: (n.d.).
~* (n.d.),

102 These are Huiguo's disciples Yicao ~~ (n.d.), Yimin ~fjjfi: (n.d.), Xingjian fr~ (n.d.),

and Yuantong ~im (n.d.).

103 See note 85, above.
l04 One of the three danas, or three kinds of offerings: offerings of goods, offerings of the
Dharma, and bestowing confidence. See Bukkyogo daijiten {.l.~itj,J:tA (Encyclopedia of
Buddhist Terms), 2nd ed., p. 478.
105 "Floating bag" means a life raft. It is a metaphor for precepts through which monks are
able to arrive in liberation. The Mahaparinirvafia Sutra speaks of grasping the floating bag
to cross the great ocean (T no. 375, 12: 673cl9). We take this sentence to mean that he pos-
sessed the precepts and therefore did not need others to give him a life raft.
l06 In the Mahaparinirvafia Sutra, an oil bowl is mentioned in a metaphor for how
bodhisattvas keep close watch on all living beings even though they are surrounded by
life's distractions. It describes a king who threatens someone with execution if he spills
a single drop from a bowl of oil while carrying it on a busy road. In the midst of distrac-
tions, the man succeeds in watching the oil so closely that he does not spill it (T no. 375,
12: 740a8-9).
107 The four postures (Ch. siyi lm1~)are walking, standing, sitting, and lying down. Bud-
dhist practice can be done in any of the four postures.
 r
156 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

artifices.108The great teacher was extremely admirable in his preservation of

the precepts. Enduring cold and enduring heat, he did not speak of his hard-
ships. Meeting with hunger, meeting with sickness, he did not retreat from
doing proper deeds. During the four daily ascents, he persevered in contem-
plation.109 He told the four maras to surrender. 110He held the ten directions
under his protection 1l l and tied the hands of the ten armies [of Mara] behind
their backs.112 Accomplished in endurance, accomplished in diligence, my
master [Huiguo's] traits were uncompromising. Drifting to the Dharmakaya
palace, 113 observing the ocean of the garbha assembly and entering the
Vajra Realm, he respected the assemblage of universal wisdom. 114He made
hundreds of thousands of dharm:zfpass through his single mindedness. He
spread hundreds of millions of mandalas over his single body. Wherever he
went and wherever he sat, he transformed the place to a field for the way.
Whether asleep or awake, he was never separated from insightful wisdom.
This being the case, as the morning sun startles one from a long sleep and
the spring thunder draws out those long hibernating, is this not how my mas-
ter Huiguo 's meditative wisdom· wonderfully functioned here? He showed
the splendid and precious, and guided the splendid and precious. He pre-
tended to have sickness to deal with those having sickness. 115Responding to

108 The three karmic activities (Ch. sanye .=.*) are verbal, physical, and mental activities.
109 The phrase "the four ascents" literally means that monastics should go upstairs to the
temple practice hall four times a day. The four times are at dawn, noon, evening, and midnight.
110 The four miiras or demons are mental obstructions to practice. They are the demon of

confusion, the demon of the five skandhas (the senses and thoughts), heavenly demons that
appear attractive and arouse desires, and the demon of death.
111 The ten directions are the four cardinal directions, the four intermediate directions,
above, and below.
112 The ten armies of Mara constitute (1) sensual desires, (2) discontent, (3) hunger and

thirst, (4) craving, (5) laziness, (6) fear, (7) indecision, (8) conceit, (9) fame, and ( 10) self-
praise and disparaging others.
113 The Dharmakaya is the universe, incomprehensible by conventional thought but known

through Buddhist practice. It is comprised of the five elements. The Dharmakaya palace is
the symbolic abode ofMahavairocana. To understand the reality of the universe beyond ordi-
nary thought, Shingon uses two conceptual realms for contemplation. The Garbha Realm
represents the known and wisdom while the Vajra Realm is the knower and compassion.
Each of these realms is represented by a ma11dalacontaining symbolic drawings of Bud-
dhas and other entities. Together they are the two major mandalas of Shingon. Using mudra,
mantra, and mandala visualization, Shingon practitioners seek to unite the two realms and
thereby realize identity with the universal, Dharmakaya Mahavairocana.
114 Parijniina (Ch. bianzhi Ji'~) means non-dualistic discernment arid universal enlighten-
ment.
115 This is the same technique used by the saint Vimalakirti as portrayed in the Vimalakfrti

Nirdesa Sutra. In order to teach the Dharma he made himself be honored as a businessman
r
GREEN & MUN: KUKA I'S EPITAPH 157

the sick, he properly prescribed medicine to them. He also compassionately

guided the deluded with a compass. He frequently told disciples,
The noblest person does not surpass the king. The best law is not
equal to the mysterious storehouse. A person whipping cows and
sheep along the road arrives at the destination after a long time
[unlike a person who takes on a horse]. 116 If one uses his miracu-
lous power to climb mountains and cross rivers, one is able to
arrive at the destination without toil. How can one discuss the
various vehicles and the mysterious storehouse in the same day?
Isn't the outline and essence of the Buddha Dharma right here?
Tripitaka Master [Shan ]wuwei [Subhakarasi111ha]abandoned the
king's position like his slippers. 117 Vajrabodhi came to China in a
floating cup to transmit Buddhism. 118How could this be in vain!
Passing from Vajrasattva, each successive student stuck silent and
bowing his head to the ground, coming down to the present from
master to master, there has been seven generations.119 Although
it is not difficult to attain enlightenment, it is not easy to have the
opportunity to encounter this Dharma. Therefore they built a great
garbha stage and offered the sweet nectar of the abhi$eka. l20

by businessmen and manifested illness so others would visit him, but with the intention of
curing illnesses caused by their delusion.
ll6 We included the phrase in brackets following KKZ, vol. 6, p. 234, note 103.
117 Subhakarasirpha was an Indian master who came to China in 716. He brought many scrip-
tures and translated the Mahavairocana Sutra into Chinese.
118 Here Kukai calls Vajrabodhi by one of his Chinese names, Jingang Qinjiao 1rz;lluJ1JtJUi&

(Vajra Original Teaching). Concerning floating in a cup, in the Song-* period of the South-
ern dynasty (420-470) a certain Indian monk came to China and was given the name Beidu
t~J.t,"Cup Crosser," because he is said to have floated across a river in a cup. This expres-
sion was used later to indicate monks who traveled widely. See Gaoseng zhuan i@j{f!l{J(Biog-
raphies of Eminent Monks), T no. 2059, 50: 390b20-392b2. The reference to Vajrabodhi
arriving in a floating cup is not seen in Kukai 's Larger Biographies of Transmission Masters
o/Shingon Buddhism or Shorter Biographies of Transmission Masters ofShingon Buddhism.
119 Japanese Shingon Buddhism made two sets of eight patriarchs: Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi,
Subhakarasirpha, Vajrabodhi, Amoghavajra, Yixing, Huiguo, and Kiikai (KKZ, vol. 6,
p. 153, note 260), and Mahavairocana, Vajrasattva, Nagarjuna, Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi,
Amoghavajra, Huiguo, and Kiikai. Kukai included the latter set in the Shorter Biographies of
Transmission Masters of Shingon Buddhism in 817 and in the Larger Biographies of Trans-
mission Masters of Shingon Buddhism in 821. They are respectively found in Sofii Sen'yokai
1923, pp. 50-68, and pp. 1-49, respectively. Regarding the authenticity of the Shorter Biog-
raphies, see Horiuchi 1994. Here, Kukai seems to refer to the latter set.
120 The "garbha stage" refers to the ordination platform used in esoteric Buddhism. In this

case, the abhi$eka is the anointment ritual performed at the initiation.

 158 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, I

Then, whether they were heavenly beings or spirits, they observed

the honored ceremony and washed away the dirt. Whether they
were men or women, they tasted the Dharma flavor and gathered
the pearls. A single offering of respect with a single mudra is the
direct path to obtaining realization. Even the first syllable "a" in
the Sanskrit alphabet and a single mantra phrase are the father
and mother of Buddhahood. So, you all should likewise strive in
this way, strive in this way.
The wonderful intentions which my master encouraged can be seen here. One
moment of light and one moment of darkness are the constants of heaven.
Suddenly appearing and suddenly dying are the expediency of the sages.
With common reasoning few are discontent. The expedient path has many
advantages.121 Thereupon, in the first year of the Yongzhen Jk~ reign [of
Emperor Shunzong J1W[* (r. 805) of the Tang dynasty], the year ofYiyou Z'.:i@',
when the moon of extreme cold was full [on the fifteenth day of the twelfth
month], residing in the world for sixty years and being a monk for forty
years, tying the Dharma mudra and becoming absorbed in contemplation, he
revealed among people the means by which the fuel is consumed.122 Oh, ah,
how sad!123 When the heavens were toward Jupiter [the star of the year 805],
people lost [the light of] the wisdom-sun.124 The raft returned to the other
shore, 125leaving the drowning children alone.126 What sorrow! The medi-
cine king has gone into hiding. 127His mad sons had relied on him. Who

121 People feel the ordinarily life is easier and the sage's path is more difficult. Even so, the

sage's path has advantages of becoming free of the bondage of birth and death.
122 Yiyou is a year in the Chinese sixty-year cycle, corresponding to the year of the rooster.

The phrase "fuel consumed, fire extinguished" (Ch. xin Jin huo mie *3r§1<V*)is a Buddhist
expression for attaining nirvana, and is often used to refer to the Buddha's final nirvana or
death. In this sentence it means that Huiguo demonstrated how to exhaust karma so that noth-
ing will remain, thereby attaining nirvana. The expression is found, for example, in the Lotus
Sutra. See Bukkyogo daijiten, 2nd ed., p. 792.
123 Kukai here uses the expression wuhu aizai P,f.lilJ¥.Rj!f\t,
an onomatopoeia for an exclama-
tory cry and sigh. .
124 The position of Jupiter relative to constellations was used to determine the zodiac ani-

mal year. Wisdom-sun is a Buddhist term also referred to as Buddha-sun.

125 The Chinese graphs for the other shore, bian ~}¥, have also been used for the Sanskrit

pciramitci, the transcendental.

12 6 The drowning child is a metaphor for the disciples left without Huiguo.
127 The medicine king can refer to a skilled physician, the Buddha, or the Medicine Bud-

dha, Bhai~ajya-guru (Ch. Yaoshi Rulai fflBijj:trn3R). Here the expression also refers to Huiguo.
 GREEN & MUN: KUKAI'S EPITAPH 159

will remedy their poisoning? 128 Ahh, sigh, the bitterness!1 29 After the sev-
enteeth day of the first month [of the year 806] was selected, 130 a grave was
divined for the mound at the nine springs of the mountain Mangshan t~~.131
Burying the jade was [like] severing the intestines, roasting the sesame was
[like] burning the liver. 132 The door to the springs was forever shut. The
appeal to heaven did not reach there. It is as bitter as tea and smartweed,
ahh! 133 Like swallowing fire that does not extinguish! The gray, gray clouds
of heaven appear sad in color. The pine wind, "se, se" ~~ suggests a griev-
ing voice. Green bamboo leaves at the edge of the courtyard seem to be old,
while the roots of newly planted pine and catalpa turn away from the front
of the grave. 134 As the bird's light [the sun] is aroused and revolves, feel-
ings of regret are cutting. As the image of the moon-toad turns and spins,
one beats the breast anew. 135 Ahh, sigh, the bitterness! How could one not
help but be in pain?
[I], disciple Kiikai, thinking about the land of mulberry and catalpa (Japan)
east of the Eastern Sea, 136 imagined my traveling trunk surrounded with
128 The parable of the excellent physician, in the Lotus Sutra, tells of a physician's children

who were poisoned. Because the poison had made them mad, they refused to take the antidote
their father offered. To save them, the father had to deceive his children for their own good,
an analogy for the Buddha's use of skill-in-means used to bring the ignorant to awakening.
129 Kukai here uses jiehu ~~11¥ which as pronounced in Chinese is an onomatopoeia for a
sigh.
°
13 First month mea~s the first month of the old calendar, corresponding to February 4 to

March 5. It is the month of the tiger, as Kukai says.

131 Mount Mang is a famous cemetery for aristocrats of the Han ¥~,Wei ~ and Jin ff dynas-

ties. It is in Louyangm-~~ of the Henan riiJi¥.i

Province. In later times, Mount Mang came to
be used as a general term for a cemetery. Nine springs (jiuquan 11JR) is the underworld in
Chinese mythology.
132 The disciples' extreme sadness is expressed as them having severed their intestines or

burnt their livers. Huiguo is represented as the precious substances of jade and sesame. "Roast-
ing the sesame" means cremating his body. The graph for sesame (Ch. zhi ~) can also refer
to a divine mushroom with miraculous powers.
133 Both tea and smartweed leaves have a bitter taste. According to KKZ, vol. 6, p. 235,
note 118, the expression is used in the Yanshi jiaxun ~B;;~~JII(House Admonitions of the
Yan Clan) written by Yan Zhitui ~z* (531-591) of the Northern Wei~ dynasty. Kukai
uses the onomatopoeia wuye P,lw.;~IE!(in Chinese pronunciation) for crying.
134 According to KKZ, vol. 6, p. 235, note 120, the first two graphs llftiiJ!
(Ch. longtou) refer
to the top of the mountain Longshan llft~ near Gansu itillfi Province.
135 The bird's light is sunlight. In Chinese mythology, a three-legged bird lives in the sun

and the image of a toad is on the moon.

136 This means return to his native land. The same reference is made in a poem in the Shi-

jing; section 2, "Xiaoya" 1Mi (Lesser Court Hymns); chapter 5, "Xiao Min zhi shen" 1J,:3tZ
1t (Decade of Xiao Min).
160 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 1

difficulties. There would be tens of thousands of billowing waves and many

thousands of cloudy mountains [from here to my homeland]. I did not come
[to China] by my own power. I do not leave by my own will. I was sum-
moned with a hook. I was pulled by a rope.137 On the morning the ship set
afloat, he [my master] showed many mysterious signs. The night of setting
sail to return, he explained variously his connection with me in previous
lives. The master made a surprise visit that night, appearing in this disciple's
dream saying:
You did not know how much you and I have a close past bond!
Within many lifetimes we shared a mutual vow and extensively
propagated the mysterious teaching. Each of us has acted as the oth-
er's qualified teacher, not only one or two times. This is the reason I
urge you to cross the distance and bestow my profound Dharma [on
the people there]. 138You have received the fullness of the Dharma,
he said. My wish has been fulfilled. You received the teaching at
my feet completely in the western land. I will also be born in the
east and enter your room [to become your disciple]. Do not delay
long in returning. I will go there in advance.
I took these words' advice. I am not capable of knowing about my comings
and goings. I followed my master's suggestions on where I should stay and
to where I should go. Even though the illustrious Kong :fLrefrained from
speaking of strange phenomena, Ruciraketu Bodhisattva told of a dream
about a golden drum. 139 Therefore, [Master Huiguo] raised one comer to
show those of the same gateway. 140 His words penetrated the marrow of our
137 The Vajra Realm mandala depicts numerous vajra bodhisattvas carrying snares of com-
passion to bind passions and individuals. The four guardian bodhisattvas of the Vajra Realm
hold a hook, a rope, a chain, and a bell. Kukai being summoned to China with a hook is a
reference to the mysterious attraction of Huiguo. Being pulled back to Japan by a rope is a
reference to the Dharma, also due to his master's influence.
138 In the Sharai mokuroku, Kukai reports these events took place earlier when Huiguo

came to him in the temple, telling of their connections in past lives and predicting he may be
reborn in Japan as Kukai's disciple. See Hakeda 1972, p. 149.
139 The Declarable Kong is Confucius. In 9 BCE during the Former Han dynasty (206-8

BCE), Confucius was posthumously conferred the court ranking Laudably Illustrious Lord
Ni (Bao Cheng Xuan Ni Gong ~P.lG1r!B-0 ). It remained a hereditary title for his descendants
until the 1940s. Ruciraketu Bodhisattva appears in chapter 3 of the Sutra of Golden Light.
He tells of a dream in which Brahmin plays a great drum that shines golden light throughout
the universe, symbolizing the Dharma. The sutra takes its name from this story.
140 This is a reference to the Analects of Confucius, book 7, line 8. In it Confucius says he

only raises one comer of a problem and does not give the whole thing away. If the student
 GREEN & MUN: KUKA I'S EPITAPH 161

bones; his teachings were engraved on our hearts. At once happy and sad,
our chests were split open, our intestines were severed. I wanted to stop my
sadness but could not. How can we dare contain our silence? Although I
trust the extent of my master's virtue, I am still afraid that his words might
fall to the earth [unheard]. Ah, the volatility of those mountains and seas,
the non-decay of the hanging sun and moon. Therefore, I made an inscrip-
tion:
Life is without boundaries.
Practice of the vows is without end.141
When the beautiful heaven, [sun and moon,] reflect on the waters,
They divide their images into hundreds of millions.142
Consequently, there is the pushing up of life143
And Buddha consciousness in human form.144
The vinaya and the mysterious house
He swallowed together but still retained his strength.
He kept sutras and commentaries145
Firmly caged in the heart of his breast.
Grasping the Dharma of the Four-part Vinaya,
Practicing the three mysteries, 146
Serving as the nation's teacher for three generations,
Tens of thousands of people depended on him.
Making the rain fall and making the rain stop
Even within the same day.

does not come back with the other three comers, Confucius will also not return. The phrase
"those of the same gateway" means fellow students of the same tradition. Here, as in other
writings, KUkai shows his fondness of Confucius and his preference for Buddhist ways.
14l Bodhisattvas make a vow to save all sentient beings. Because there are endless numbers
of living beings, there can be no end to the work of fulfilling the vow.
142 The reflection of the sun and moon form countless images in water. They appear to be

many, and at the same time are the reflections are empty of substance. This is an analogy for
the Dharma and the Buddha.
143 Because the sun shines everywhere, life springs up.
144 Read as a Buddhist technical term, the graph shim&means consciousness (Skt. vijncma).
Otherwise the graph means knowledge. The sentence means Huiguo had Buddha conscious-
ness in human form.
145 The first two graphs in xiuduo {~~ abbreviate the three graphs of xiuduoluo {~~~. a

Chinese rendering of the Sanskrit word sutra.

146 The three mysteries are mudras (associated with body), mantras (associated with
speech), and mandalas (associated with mind). See note 82.
162 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46,

When my master passed away,

I was afraid as to how I could return to truth.
The torch of wisdom was already extinguished;
In which springtime will Dharma thunder come?
The wooden beam broke.147
Sorrow! Bitterness!
The pine and catalpa have sealed the grave gate shut.
In what kalpa will he again open the gate?148

ABBREVIATIONS

KKZ Koba Daishi Kftkai zenshft sMt*Siff~#If~~ (Complete Works of K6b6 Daishi
Kukai). 8 vols. Ed. Kobo Daishi Kukai Zenshu Henshu Iinkai sMt*grff ~#lf~~*i
~~J!l~. Tokyo: Chikuma Shob6. 1983-85.
T Taisho shinshft daizokyo *lEfJT{~*~~. 85 vols. Ed. Takakusu Junjiro ~;j:m)l~??z
~~ and Watanabe Kaigyoku ~ill#lf:Afl.
Tokyo: Taisho Issaiky6 Kankokai. 1924-34.

147 The wood beam is a reference to a passage about Confucius in the Liji ffil~E (Book of
Rites), part 1 of the "Tangong" tli=§isection, number 49. It says Confucius was thinking about
death, saying great mountains must crumble and wooden beams must break. A disciple heard
this and asked what he would do if the wooden beam must decay (liangmu qi huai ~*~®).
This became a Chinese idiom for the passing of a great person. According to this passage,
Confucius died seven days later.
148 The planted trees previously mentioned sealed Huigub's tomb. A kalpa is an extremely

long era. "Change" may refer to the change of clothing in a Maitreya legend. According to
it, the Buddha Sakyamuni exchanged his robes with his disciple Kasyapa, signifying the
passing of the lineage from one Buddha to another. Later, Kasyapa opened the rock entrance
to the mountain where Maitreya was awaiting future rebirth as the next Buddha, and left the
robes there for him. See Brock 1988. Today, robes are left once a year at Kukai's mausoleum
on Mount Koya.
 GREEN & MUN: KO-KAI'S EPITAPH 163

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