The Joy of the Dharma: Esoteric Buddhism and the Early Medieval Transformation of Japanese ...

366 Pages·2015·14.6 MB·English

by  Ethan 2010

The Joy of the Dharma: Esoteric
Buddhism and the Early Medieval
Transformation of Japanese Literature
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Citation Bushelle, Ethan David. 2015. The Joy of the Dharma: Esoteric
Buddhism and the Early Medieval Transformation of Japanese
Literature. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Graduate
School of Arts & Sciences.
Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:17467509
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The Joy of the Dharma:
Esoteric Buddhism and the Early Medieval Transformation of Japanese Literature

A dissertation presented
by
Ethan David Bushelle
to
The Department of East Asian Language and Civilizations

in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in the subject of
East Asian Languages and Civilizations

Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

May 2015
© 2015 Ethan David Bushelle
All rights reserved.
Advisor: Ryūichi Abé Author: Ethan David Bushelle

The Joy of the Dharma:
Esoteric Buddhism and the Early Medieval Transformation of Japanese Literature

Abstract
This dissertation explores the nexus between Buddhism and literature in Japan’s
early medieval period. Specifically, it elucidates the process by which forms of court
literature such as Chinese-language verse (kanshi), Japanese poetry (waka), and romance
tales (monogatari) were incorporated into Buddhist rites and liturgies from the tenth
through twelfth centuries and attempts to show how this process supported and was
supported by Esoteric Buddhist discourse. I call special attention to a discourse on ritual
performance that understands the chanting of a mantra, hymn, or poem as an act of giving
the joy of the Dharma (hōraku) to the kami and buddhas. By attending to this discourse
and the rituals through which it was articulated, this dissertation sheds light on the
doctrinal reasons why and the practical paths by which even literary genres that were
considered to be “worldly” such as nature poetry, love poetry, and romance tales were
reconceived as vehicles for offering the joy of the Buddha’s teachings.
The three body chapters examine a variety of rites and liturgies intended for a lay
audience—often called “Dharma assemblies” (hōe) in Japanese-language scholarship—
and endeavor to demonstrate how they contributed to key transformations in Japanese
literature. Chapter 1 investigates the liturgy of the lecture assembly (kō-e) at Shinto
shrines and elucidates how it shaped the formation of a key genre of medieval Japanese
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poetry called “Dharma joy” waka (hōraku waka). Chapter 2 analyzes repentance rites
dedicated to Fugen (Sk. Samantabhadra) bodhisattva and considers their impact on the
invention of Buddhist love poetry. Finally, Chapter 3 looks at sutra-offering ceremonies
and clarifies their role in the consecration of the exemplary Heian-period romance tale,
The Tale of Genji, and the imagination of its author, Murasaki Shikibu.
In addition to situating a particular transformation of court literature in its ritual
context, each chapter also locates a given example of ritual in its discursive locus. I show
that at the center of this locus lies a system of Esoteric Buddhist doctrine and ritual
concerned with demonstrating the identity of the esoteric teachings (mikkyō) with those
of the Lotus Sūtra. Terming this system “Lotus-Esoteric discourse,” I show how it
provided the epistemic framework for the practice of using a mantra, hymn, or poem as a
medium for giving the joy of the Dharma to others, rather than receiving it for oneself
(jiju hōraku), as was stressed in Japanese Esoteric Buddhism of the late ancient period.
In short, through its attention to Lotus-Esoteric discourse on Dharma joy, this
study offers a corrective to an over-emphasis on the liturgical formula of “wild words and
fanciful phrases” (kyōgen kigo), which has been the focus of many previous studies on
the relationship between Buddhism and medieval Japanese literature, and clarifies the
concrete discursive strategies and ritual practices by which Buddhism in early medieval
Japan consecrated new liturgical uses for three representative genres of court literature—
kanshi verse, waka poetry, and monogatari tales. In this way, it endeavors to show how
Buddhist discourse on Dharma joy—in both its doctrinal and ritual dimensions—may
constitute a new paradigm for understanding the early medieval transformation of
Japanese literature.
iv
Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................ iii!
Table of Contents .............................................................................................................. v
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ vii
Abbreviations & Conventions .......................................................................................... ix

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter One
Songs of Dharma Joy: Esoteric Buddhism and Medieval Japanese Poetry ............... 24
1! The Economy of the Buddha’s Body: Lotus-Esoteric Discourse on
Buddhist Ritual Language ................................................................................... 26!
2! Esoteric Modes of Performance in the Mid-Heian Period:
Hymn Singing as Mantra and the Development of Pure Land Liturgy ............... 54!
3! Esoteric Modes of Performance in the Late Heian Period: Waka as
Mantra and the Transformation of Buddhist Liturgy for the Kami ................... 141!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 185
!
Chapter Two
The Poet’s Repentance: Shikan Contemplation and Love Poetry in
Shunzei’s Korai Fūteishō ............................................................................................. 187!
1! Dialogical Context: Princess Shikishi and Love Poetry on Buddhist Topics ... 195!
2! Waka Poetry and Tendai Shikan I: The Sacred Vocalizable Text ..................... 203!
3! Waka Poetry and Tendai Shikan II: Voice as the Middle Way ......................... 211!
4! The Original Heart of Waka Poetry: Love Poetry as Buddhist Practice ........... 262!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 277
!
Chapter Three
The Afterlife of Murasaki Shikibu: Genji Offerings and the Imagination of
the Female Author ....................................................................................................... 279!
v
1! Waka Poets and the Transformation of Buddhist Discourse on Monogatari .... 283!
2! Chōken’s Invocatory Statement for Kaga’s Genji Offering .............................. 296!
3! Preaching Buddhahood for Women: From Yasutane to Chōken ...................... 304!
4! The Kannonization of Shikibu: Critical Perspectives on Genji Offerings ........ 317!
Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 326!

Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 328!
Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 334!

v i
Acknowledgements
In acknowledging the many people who made this dissertation possible, I would
like to thank, first and foremost, my advisor, Professor Ryūichi Abé, for his constant
guidance and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. I have benefited greatly
from Professors Melissa McCormick, James Robson, Edwin Cranston, and Tomiko Yoda,
whose seminars allowed me to develop my understanding of literature, religion, and
history. Their exacting standards of scholarship and dedication to their craft were
touchstones in the writing of my dissertation. I am grateful also to Professor Edward
Kamens of Yale University for agreeing to join my dissertation committee and for
generously sharing his incisive comments on my work.
Two years of dissertation research were conducted in Japan with the support of a
Fulbright-IIE Fellowship to Japan and a Waseda University Junior Visiting Researcher
Grant. Professor Komine Kazuaki sponsored my first year of study at Rikkyō University.
Then and since, I have been inspired by his scholarship and mentorship. I also owe a
great debt to Professor Ōkubo Ryōshun at Waseda University, who provided rigorous
training in the close reading of Buddhist texts. These two years in Japan were preceded
by six summer research trips generously supported by the Reischauer Institute of
Japanese Studies at Harvard University. I extend my special thanks to Professor Araki
Hiroshi of the International Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken). His patient
instruction over the course of many long hot summer days in Ōsaka and Kyoto made
possible the close readings of literary and liturgical texts that form the center of this study.
My deep gratitude is also due to professors at universities across Japan who went
out of their way to include me in various workshops and conferences and share their
vi i
comments on my work: Professor Uejima Susumu of Kyoto University, with whom I had
the pleasure to study in Cambridge as a master’s student; Professor Abe Yasurō of
Nagoya University for inviting me to seminar and introducing me to an extensive
network of scholars; Professor Makino Atsushi of Meiji University for allowing me to
participate in his graduate seminars and taking time to comment on my research; and,
finally, Professor Shimizu Yūshō of Taishō University for his kind hospitality during my
last year of dissertation research in Japan.
I extend my special thanks to colleagues within and beyond Harvard. Mikael
Bauer, Luke Bender, Ernest (Billy) Brewster, Erin Brightwell, Christopher Callahan,
Sakura Christmas, Julia Cross, Stefan Grace, Shea Ingram, Michael Jamentz, Aleksi
Järvelä, Adam Lyons, Ernest Mitchell, Matthew McMullen, Tom Newhall, Riley Soles,
Eric Schicketanz, and Eric Swanson have been stimulating interlocutors, thoughtful and
tireless readers, and enjoyable companions during much needed diversions from work.
The final completion of this project was made possible by a Robert H. N. Ho
Family Foundation Dissertation Completion Fellowship. Their generous support helped
provide the impetus to finish this dissertation.
I extend my deepest appreciation to my family for their unconditional love and
support. And, finally, I give my heartfelt thanks to Akiko Yamagata. Her profound
understanding of Japanese culture and keen editorial sense have greatly improved the
manuscript, while her unfaltering confidence in me has been a true source of strength
throughout the making of this project.
vi ii
Abbreviations & Conventions
BKZS Dai Nihon Bukkyō zensho
DNZ Dai Nihon zoku zōkyō
GSRJ Gunsho ruiju
KZ Kōbō Daishi zenshū
KST See Shintei zōho kokushi taikei
NKBT Nikon koten bungaku taikei
NKT Nihon kagaku taikei
NST Nihon shisō taikei
SNKT Shin Nihon koten bungaku taikei
SNKZ Shinpen Nihon koten bungaku zenshū
SZS Senzai wakashū
T Taishō shinshū daizōkyō
WBT Waka bungaku taikei
ZTZ Zoku Tendaishū zensho

Poems from named anthologies are given as follows: Anthology name: poem number(s).

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