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Underneath the
Nigatsu-dō is the Wakasa Well, from which, according to legend, water springs forth only once a year. After the final night of the Fire Ceremony, the monks gather water from the well around 2am by torchlight, after which the water is offered to Kannon and to the general public. It is
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Every night, ten select believers (eleven on March 12) shoulder large pine torches as long as 8 meters and weighing as much as 80 kilograms. Girded with swords and staves, the torch-bearers climb a flight of stairs and run along the balcony of the
Nigatsu-dō, showering sparks on the public below. It
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Sources show that the
Empress Dowager, Kōmyō, was a devout patroness of Jitchū, and she originally allowed the use of her administrative office to perform the rite. When she died later, and her office was abolished, Jitchū moved the rite to the current location of the
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There may be a practitioner who recites the names of all the
Buddhas for hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions of times. However, if there is a practitioner who recites my name for even a short moment, the latter's merit will equal that accrued by the
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The origins of the Tōdai-ji Shuni-e ceremony are unclear, but an illustrated text in 1586 cites a legend surrounding the monk Jitchū. According to the story, Jitchū wandered into a cave in the year 751, and the cave led him to the
Buddhist heaven realm of
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popularly believed that this water, being sacred, can cure ailments. The water from the well is actually gathered into two pots, one containing water from the previous year, and another containing water from all previous observances of the ceremony.
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Jitchū was so moved by the ceremony, he asked one of the heavenly beings if he could take part, but was refused because time in
Tushita Heaven is much faster than on Earth. According to the being, one day in Tushita would be equivalent to 400 years.
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The ceremony actually comprises an array of ceremonies centered on repentance to the
Bodhisattva Kannon and prayers for the welfare of society. Two of the best known ceremonies of the Shuni-e are the Fire Ceremony
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is thought that these sacred sparks will protect the recipient from evil. The monks also chant, perform ritual circumambulation, and wave swords to ward off evil spirits.
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However, Jitchū resolved to reproduce the ceremony anyway, and after further adventures, establishes the Shuni-e rite, devoted to the 11-faced form of Kannon
Bodhisattva.
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128:) frantically running between shrines over and over to pay obeisances and offerings. One particularly grand shrine was devoted to the Bodhisattva
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222:, or late evening session, is the longest, comprising 3 hours. The liturgy and format of all sessions is based on the Buddhist text, the
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in
Japanese). There, in the cave, he observed 49 shrines of devotion to various Buddhist figures, and heavenly beings (see
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The core repentance ritual of the Shuni-e, closed to the public, is performed by a select group of eleven monks called
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83:: Avalokiteśvara). It has continued every year since 752, though it was held at a different site until the
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The recitation of the
Bodhisattva's name comes from this verse of the Dharani Sutra above:
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49:. Today, the service is usually held in either February or March, depending on temples.
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The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse
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The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse
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The Weaving of Mantra: Kukai and the Construction of Esoteric Buddhist Discourse
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Time difference is also cited in the Theravada Pali Canon, in the
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In each session, the monks gather in the central worship hall (
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school, as a devotion and confession to the Bodhisattva
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The Tōdai-ji Shuni-e ceremony was originally started by
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was completed in 772. The ceremony is also known as
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307:. Columbia University Press. pp. 168–170.
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224:Eleven-Faced Avalokitesvara Heart Dharani Sutra
335:. Columbia University Press. p. 168-169.
229:All sessions consist of the following format:
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91:(お水取り), the name of its climactic ritual.
37:is a ceremony held each year at certain
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246:Vows to strive to benefit all beings.
236:Invocation of the Bodhisattva's name.
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393:Nara Todaiji Temple Shunie Ceremony
35:, literally "Second-Month Service")
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408:Buddhist festivals in Japan
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147:Hall in the temple of
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369:Abe, Ryuichi (1999).
331:Abe, Ryuichi (1999).
303:Abe, Ryuichi (1999).
243:from the sutra above.
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357:Visakhuposatha Sutta
159:Repentance Ceremony
20:Shuni-e at Tōdai-ji
269:The Water Ceremony
239:Invocation of the
47:lunisolar calendar
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260:The Fire Ceremony
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233:Repentance.
41:temples in
290:References
208:nichimotsu
178:midnight (
145:Nigatsu-dō
122:Tosotsuten
103:) and the
85:Nigatsu-dō
359:(AN 8.43)
255:former...
165:rengyōshū
105:Omizutori
97:otaimatsu
89:Omizutori
402:Category
278:See also
199:midday (
149:Tōdai-ji
101:Japanese
62:Tōdai-ji
54:Tōdai-ji
39:Buddhist
241:dharani
118:Tushita
26:Shuni-e
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216:naijin
206:dusk (
201:nitchu
192:dawn (
130:Kannon
111:Origin
77:Kannon
69:Jitchū
220:shoya
194:jinjo
180:yahan
173:shoya
73:Kegon
43:Japan
375:ISBN
337:ISBN
309:ISBN
187:goya
153:Nara
126:deva
58:Nara
24:The
151:in
99:in
81:Skt
56:in
32:修二会
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